Preston is 8!

Saturday, November 26th was Preston's 8th birthday.  When did that happen?!  We had a great day with our birthday boy.  His birthday is always during the week of Thanksgiving which makes a it a little crazy.  We put up lots of Star Wars decorations and had balloons waiting for him outside his door.  We had some of his favorite muffins for breakfast and by about 11 he was dying to open his presents so we let him.  Star Wars was definitely a theme for the day in his presents and we all wore our Star Wars shirts to go along with it.  He also got everything he needs to start cub scouts from Steve's parents, which he is very excited about.

That afternoon Preston and Abby went over to a friend's house in the ward for a playdate that had to be rescheduled from the day before but they had a ton of fun.  It was Preston's pick for dinner and he chose Popeye's chicken.  We headed home to have cake, which was an Oreo cake that he picked.  We ended his birthday by letting him stay up after the girls went to bed to watch The Force Awakens with Steve and I.  He has been asking for months to let him stay up to watch Star Wars, which he is convinced is what we do every night after they go to bed, haha.  He felt like such a big kid and barely stayed awake until the end at 10:15.  It was a great day.

This happened.  Totes adorbs, lol.  Matching Star Wars shirts for my three littlest. 

Our attempt at a family picture.  We have so few pictures of all of us together because there is never someone there to take one so we tried this with the timer on Steve's phone.  Not perfect but still cute.  And even though you can't see it, both Steve and I have on Star Wars shirts too.  (Abbys is too, just pink with Silver letters that say Star Wars!)

I feel like 8 is such a big birthday, especially with him getting baptized (next Saturday, Dec. 10th!).  It's the first birthday that I have felt that tinge of sadness at watching my little boy grow up.  This kid drives me bonkers sometimes and has too much energy for his own good most of the time but I love him so much.  He is so sweet, loves to smile and laugh, is a fantastic big brother, loves to hug and cuddle, loves to read, write stories, play on the computer, and is a mini-me of Steve.  He loves to help Steve with any church service like helping people move, cleaning the church, and shoveling snow.  he loves to help his Daddy always.  He is constantly humming/singing Star Wars all day long.  He is head strong and stubborn, loves to be outside and explore, loves science shows, and learning new things, brave with just the right amount of nervousness.  He is great at building Legos, loves to take care of the babies, and likes to play sports.  This is the kid that made me a mom and I feel like we have been on quite the adventure these past 8 years but my heart melts and explodes at the same time when I think about how much I love him.

A couple of weeks ago Bishop McArthur set up an appointment with Preston and Steve and I and all the girls tagged along.  It was his baptism interview.  Preston said that that was the one thing he was nervous about with getting baptized... the interview.  Preston is not a shy kid but he hates to talk to adults and being put on the spot.  We had many family home evenings about baptism so we knew he was ready.  The nice thing is that our bishop was our neighbor (as in shared a wall!) for almost 6 years so they know each other really well.  Preston did great and answered all of the questions right.  I could tell he was very nervous and felt like he was being quized but he did great.  We praised him afterwards like crazy and he told me that that made him really want to get baptized right then and not have to wait.  Preston isn't very good at expressing himself and I wouldn't call him the most spiritual but I could tell that he was feeling the spirit and it was so touching to witness and be a part of.  He is ready and so are we, so now the countdown is on for his baptism day!