Cole's Fifth Birthday

My precious, strong willed, loving, emotional, smart little boy just turned 5 and we celebrated!  We began the celebrating back in March when he requested a Star Wars Party for his birthday and the planning slowly began.  I picked up some plates and napkins and trinkets here and there as the months rolled by.  The date ever looming closer and Cole often asking me how long until his birthday.  I feel like I was saying 3 months, then 2 months, then a certain amount of weeks all the way up until that Sunday we had his party.  We counted it all the way down to 2 days for sure!

I ordered his Star Wars cake which turned out awesome, invited his friends with Star Wars invitations, secured a water for the backyard b/c frankly what can you do with a July Birthday in this Phoenix heat but swim and stay wet, and set the front room up as a movie theater in which we played Star Wars while the kids were in and out of the house.  The movie theater we ended up keeping up for about a week after the party b/c it was so cool!

Cole has a blast with his friends, playing in the pool, on the water slide, we had a few "games" for the kids to play at their leisure, and showing off his Light saber.  He was so blessed to have his friends come and celebrate with him and the gifts were great (almost all Star Wars themed gifts) so he was in heaven.
His cake of course was the highlight of the party and so very, very cool.  Yummy too!  

 I think about these last five years and how quickly they have come and gone and I wonder if I've soaked it all in and enjoyed it all as much as I should have.  I know that I LOVE my children, watching them grow, learn, play, love each other, discover things they love.  But, since Cole has been my oldest and we've had several since we've had him I often wonder if I've treasured every moment.  In my heart I have done my best to enjoy the quiet times, the loud times, the crazy times which are often around here, and to, in the midst of raising sons, place into their hearts a passion and love for Jesus and others.  


I hope that time does not speed up and the next 5 years do not go by as quickly and that even in that time I can find the moments to snuggle, laugh, cry, teach, instruct, shepherd, and enjoy my children.  


Here is my precious boy and his birthday fun!