Eight is Great!

It totally blows my mind that this little guy
has now become this little guy. 8 years old! I can't believe it, and yet it's true. Ashton has turned 8.

This year we wanted to do fun family activities instead of having a friend birthday party. Rob took the kids to the Museum of Natural History, and he took Ashton skiing - just the two of them. Super fun, right? Anyway, Alex didn't think it was enough so two days before Ashton's birthday he asked me if he could throw Ashton a surprise party.
He did the decorating all my himself.
The morning before the party, while Rob and Ashton were skiing, Alex and I went to the party store with the list he had made.
He chose the treats and got everything ready. They even had a pinata.
Alex rounded up all the neighbor kids (there are a lot!) and we hid in the basement. When Ashton came down he was so surprised and excited! Alex even did all the entertaining! What a breeze, and Ashton was so happy and filled with love for his brother. It was perfect!
On the morning of his birthday Ashton requested breakfast in bed. Which promptly ended up on the floor. He also asked to be surprised by having his room filled with helium balloons (we do it every year for everyone).

It has been a wonderful 8 years with Ashton. He is a super sensitive, caring, funny boy. He has a lot of passion and energy. He speaks French like a champ! He always tries to do what's right, even though it's really hard sometimes. Oh how we love this boy!