Ben's 4th

Ben celebrated his big 4th birthday on June 20th.  It was momentous because he's old enough now to actually anticipate and care about what happens on his big day. We threw him a friends party which he insisted be only boys (Afton was allowed, barely). It was super hard for him to decide which theme he wanted.  When asked if he wanted a super hero cake, he'd reply "Oooo! Yes!" Five seconds later we'd ask him if he wanted a dinosaur cake to which he'd reply just as enthusiastically "Oooo! Yes!" Then when we suggested a Cars cake he'd again say "Oooo! Yes!" And so it went with pretty much any theme we tossed his way.  But in the end we decided Cars because Lightning McQueen holds a very solid and special place in his heart. :)
We built a Lightning to drive on an racetrack.  The first stop on the race was in the Pits where he had to get a tire change.

 
Then to a car wash.  And finally to Radiator Springs to fix the road.  The boys were just lukewarm to the idea, but did like driving the car around crazy afterward.  We had Cars bingo and a pinata. 

I even tried my hand (for a second time since he already had a Cars cake two years ago) at a Lighting and Mr. The King on his cake.  He told me The King looked real but Lightning looked weird.  OK buddy.

Ben is so happy to be 4! He is an imaginative and energetic boy who LOVES to just play.  From the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed he is playing.  He'll drive his cars, ride his bike, play baseball, play dress up, run around the house and do it all while singing some original song.  I think he has a soundtrack running in the back of his mind at all times.  We love watching him tell a story because his big blue-green eyes will light up and he'll flap his arms and dance around to animate his story. This past year he had a blast in preschool and really learned his letters and most of their sounds.  He's a good little Sunbeam and he loves to sing the songs in Primary. As my cousin put it so well, we have passed the 2 and 3 terror zone and have arrived to the happy land of four years old.  Hooray!