Learning To Speak EIGHT Year Old

Henry turned eight the other day.

He is blessed and cursed with having his birthday in the Spring...blessed for the weather and for the gift of life; cursed to have unpredictable weather for outdoor parties and a birthday around Spring Break when all your buddies are out of town.

We are learning Henry's language though, and in this phase GIFTS are more valuable than TIME. Funny, he doesn't want to "hang out" with us and watch the video of the day he was born and blow a candle out of a cupcake.

He wants us to bring him lunch from a drive thru, check him out of school and take him to Toys R Us for three hours (specifically) so he can shop for Beyblades without his sisters around. Oh, and he wants a lot of money to pay for all the Beyblades.
All this instead of family time or a party.

We learned that as Spring Break progressed, he wanted to buy more Beyblades and have a different friend over to spend the night each night. Basically, he DOES want a party with gifts, he just wants it to last ALL WEEK.
Who doesn't, right?

Oh, and he wants a pet fish.

Everyone, meet Kevin:

We had a small family meal party so he would at least have a candle to blow out (addressing my issues, not his).

Svea helped me turn a bundt cake shape into a Beyblade stadium, then we tried to make beyblades out of Oreos and Reeces cups and Trocadero triangles. Looked silly, but tasted yummy.

Here he is "battling" Beyblades with his grandfathers. Just so you know, only Henry can win. If YOU win, he starts over or changes the rules. Just like any eight year old would do.

Happy birthday, Henry! Thank you for teaching us your language, incorporating Beyblades into every conceivable facet of life, inviting Kevin into the fold, and helping us have the best Spring Break yet.

Love you, buddy.