It's Great To Be Eight!

Dash's long awaited eighth birthday finally arrived.  He had been planning elaborate parties and outings for weeks, but I finally talked him down to something more simple.  The morning of his birthday, I called around to several different friends and invited them over for a splash on the slip n' slide.  We decided not to tell the guests that it was Dash's birthday so when they arrived it was kind of like a surprise party in reverse.  It was a rousing success, with lots of water, cake, shouting, running and balloons.

The Party

The Cake

 We decided to play a little birthday present trick on Dash.  After his party, we gave him our "gift".  I wrapped up a few pairs of new school jeans and handed them over.  He tried hard to put on a happy face, but he was devastated.

A fake smile to match his fake gift.

 Next we gave him his baptism suit, which he was bit happier to see, but still slightly disappointed since he had repeatedly asked for an NBA jersey.

His baptism suit

 After letting Dash marinate in his disappointment for a while, we finally gave him his real gift, a LaBron James jersey.  He was pretty happy.

Happier

 This birthday wasn't just about presents and parties, Dash has been looking forward to his baptism for a while now.  We invited family and guests started arriving the night before.  Dash got a little nervous the morning of the big day, but it was a special time and we are so proud of him.

Dash and his Dad in their whites.  Brandan was asked to give the talk on baptism and he stood in front of the chapel in this handsome getup.

We were so grateful to all the family that was able to come support Dash at his baptism.

The family at the baptism.