Asher is 6!

There is no question that Asher is an introvert, but everyone loves to feel special and loved on their birthday, right? So it was funny to see how he handled all the extra attention on Tuesday. He stood in front of his kindergarten class and grinned while they sang to him, but he wouldn't look any of them in the eye. When his taekwondo teacher (who didn't know it was his birthday) coincidentally asked him that afternoon how old he was, he answered "Six" without giving her any clues. And when Tyson was telling random strangers in Target that today was his brother's birthday, Asher did his best to act like he didn't know that kid.

But we love Asher like crazy, and were happy to give him all kinds of special attention. He requested waffles for his birthday dinner. (He requested at least 6 other meals before that, but a couple of days before I finally told him that he couldn't change his mind any more, since I'd bought the buttermilk, fruit, and whipped cream.) After eating cupcakes, opening gifts, and playing games, the birthday boy had had enough. In what was probably a first for any of our kids, he cuddled up on Dad's lap and told Scot that he was tired and ready to go to bed.

Some things I want to remember about 5-year-old Asher:

He's such a sweetheart. If a sibling is having a bad day Asher will give them a toy or book of his to put a smile on their face. If someone isn't feeling well, he's so thoughtful and attentive to their needs. He loves his grandparents and gets especially attached to his Grandmas when they're around. And he's still the best cuddler of my three.

He is a smartie. His Primary teachers last year would often tell me that if no one in the class was answering a question, they'd turn to Asher. He would rarely volunteer it, but they could count on him always knowing the right answer, if they asked. He's so far ahead of the rest of his kindergarten class in reading that he meets a few times a week with the school's reading specialist and a group of first-and second-graders. He's in the highest math group in class, and instead of memorizing sight words with the rest of the class, his teacher gives him a list of 15-20 "challenge words" to spell each month.

He's never been much of an animal person, but he immediately bonded with the tortoise that joined our family in November. Asher calls him "Little Guy" and hurries back to say hello to him as soon as he gets home from school.

He likes building things and following a plan. Give him any sort of building toy (Legos and Zoobs are current favorites) and an instruction guide, and he's content to play alone for hours.

He and Tyson have all kinds of goofy fun together. When they're getting along there is plenty of giggling, silliness, and mischief. And Asher adores his big sister. The two are great at hatching plots, making plans, and solving mysteries together.

And Asher gives me the most enthusiastic running tackle-hugs every day when I pick him up from school.