Aidan's 4th Birthday

You have grown into such a big boy! Last week at Kindergarten pre-screening you cooperated very well. You were measured in the 95th percentile for height, and 60th percentile for weight. You are taller than all of your brothers were at your age, and you weigh the same or more than they did. In fact, you are just as tall as Benjamin was when he was 5 years old!

You are a very good helper, Aidan. When mom is busy cleaning, you often join her in sweeping or wiping surfaces. You regularly empty all of the trash containers in the house and throw them out in the can in the garage without even being asked.

You were also the most attentive helper on Saturday when we filled our new raised beds with topsoil and peat moss. You helped to smooth out the dirt and break up the chunks. You tended to the fire that we had going to warm up the soil and the area a little bit, as well as to get rid of the pallets that the soil came on and take care of some of our yard scraps. You also helped mom to remove the leaves and stems from last year's hostas and transport them to the fire.

From Stef's Sweethearts

We had such a fun time on your 4th birthday, Aidan. You were such a good boy getting ready for church. You didn't need much help at all. You got to open one present before church, an Aqua Doodle mat. It folds up and has handles on it so you can take it along with you. You were very well-behaved at church. You wrote on your new mat in sacrament meeting and stayed very quiet, and didn't cry at all when I took you to Primary, where you went right to your teacher and behaved well. You enjoyed your treat from the Bishop, didn't you?

From Stef's Sweethearts

We had a fun afternoon, as well. You got a very funny e-card from Grammie and Grandpa that you played over and over again, as well as a paper birthday card (remember, we do birthday gifts from them in a big party each summer with your cousins). You were very excited about your presents. Your brothers were so nice to spend their own money to give you gifts. Although the rocket from Dallin and the balloons from Grandma and Grandpa were really fun to play with for the rest of the day, and the candy treats from your other brothers were very yummy, and you loved getting birthday dollars from Great Grandpa and Grandma Burnham, you were the most excited about the seeds and gardening tools you got from Grandma and Grandpa. You shouted, "Growing Things!" and were very anxious to plant them. We planted the sunflower seeds in pots the next morning to help contain your enthusiasm to plant all of your seeds in the garden right away.

We had Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner, by your request. Mom and Dad picked it up on Saturday night, along with some Sierra Mist, A&W Root Beer, and Fanta. Mom baked two 13x9 cakes on Saturday, and Dad turned them into a castle cake - very much like Katie's, as you wanted it to be, but with blue frosting with M&M's on it, which was much more boy-ish.

From Stef's Sweethearts

Mom and Dad had wanted to buy you a bike - in fact, we did, as you will learn some day when you read this. However, it was defective. I took it out of the box to assemble it on Saturday, and found that the handle bars, when turned, made a scraping sound and didn't turn smoothly at all. We took it back for an exchange, but two different Target stores were all sold out of bikes your size. Since we have a bike that you will fit into at home, as well as a couple of scooters, we decided to pass on the whole idea and find something else (if we get a new bike for either Ben or Brandon's birthdays later this spring, everyone can move up one bike, and you will get your own, which probably makes more sense, as you are the last boy in the family). We settled on the aforementioned Aqua Doodle mat, as well as some Color Wonder paint brushes and paper, and a new Dora game for the Leapster, which will help you learn some Spanish words. I think you were pretty pleased with them, and besides, not getting a bike yet will give you one less reason to go play in the street when you are supposed to stay in the yard.

I love you, Aidan! Thank you for being such a sweet boy!