Michael Max's 9th Birthday

We sure love this boy. He keeps us on our toes asking us thousands of questions that we can't answer, but it's okay because he doesn't give us time to respond before he asks another. I love his relationship with his grandparents, his aunts and uncles, and his boy cousins, Benjamin and Will, and I love his relationships with all three of his sisters. Anna just finished reading Harry Potter 7 aloud to him. She has read the entire series out loud to him, after first reading the Fablehaven series to him. Now that they have their own rooms, she has come into his room every night to sit on the top bunk and read, just as she did in Minnesota and in the condo. Even Sarah, who is adamant about not being left out, has joined them for a chunk of the last Harry Potter book. Michael finished his Wolf, thanks in large part to Grandpa Dastrup, scouting extraordinaire. Michael loves being a cub scout and is very excited to be a Bear. We had a fun gathering with the Dastrups at Brigham and Christa's house for Michael's birthday. Emily Joy, Caleb, Daisy, and Johnny were in town, and we were very happy to see them after getting to see Sam the previous week. We're very excited about their upcoming move to the Washington D.C. area. Thanks to Brigham and Christa for hosting us at their super-fun house and for Mom and Dad for all of the delicious food.  After hours of brainstorming by Michael and Benjamin (and Caleb who was leaving town), these two cousins had a sleepover in Ogden on Saturday night. I won't mention the lateness (or the earliness) of the hour when they finally retired because I want Benjamin to be allowed back to our house in the future. They were both cheerful and had so much fun that the lack of sleep was deemed worth it.