Cory Turns Five!

Cory Daniel Boone turned five last week. I have rarely seen him so excited. He wanted a Daniel Boone party, of course, and wanted his cousins (actually my cousins) to come.You got it, buddy. 

The day before Cory's birthday, January 14th, was a big one here. We had this guy celebrating his last day as a four:

And this lady turned two-and-a-half: (look at that sass!)

And this guy here turned two months old:

On Cory's actual birthday, we celebrated at Timothy (their one-morning-a-week school) with cupcakes. He opened his presents from Grammy and Papa when we got home.

The day before the big party, everybody was excited! And apparently cold. Nan arrived and played bowling-with-balls-and-legos with the kids.

And we made the birthday banner:

And I worked on the cake. Cory wanted a cake featuring Daniel Boone shooting a deer, complete with bullets hanging in mid-air. But when he saw one like this that Alison made, he decided a Daniel Boone Campsite cake was perfect.

I tried to get him to let me make feet hanging out of the tent.

Cory: Daniel Boone would NOT have hung his feet out of the tent.

Me: But maybe the tent was too small for him?

Cory: He would NOT have used a too-small tent.

Me: What if he suddenly grew too big for it?

Cory: That would NOT happen, Mom. He is off looking at deer. His feet can't be in the tent.

Me: Okay...but it would have been cute.

And with lit candles:

 The big day! Cory was decked out in his Daniel Boone costume and loving it. Look at that grin!

 The Mercantile. The kids shot balloons with BB guns, and inside each balloon was a picture of an animal and how many pelts they earned from it. Then they traded in the pelts for candy. So fun!

Nan and Mason

 Aunt Steph and Mason

 Peeking at the cake.

Gun safety with Uncle Curtis:

 Cory "Daniel Boone" Brannon

 Shooting at balloons. He and Iain were pretty good shots!

Checking to see what animal he got:

Annie Oakley?

Opening presents:

Happy birthday to you!

Smores around the campfire.

Present from Nona:

Jenna and Curtis on the swing.

Dear Cory,

How can you be five already? You are such a wonderful, fun, zany, kind, fiery, sweet, smart little boy. You have grown and changed so much in the past year. You've grown in self-control, in smarts, in abilities, and in size, for sure! You are best friends with Iain and you love playing with him more than just about anything. And you're a good big brother to Laina and Mason. You are kind and play sweetly with them. And you're my big helper with Mason. You know how to feed him in the car, and you call yourself the paci king because you're the best at helping him with his paci! You have risen to the challenge of being a big brother not once, but twice over the past year and a half and you do it well. 

You have the BEST sense of humor. You're witty, silly, and funny. You crack us up all the time with your imitations, especially of Kid Snippets. ("Hello bakery, are ya here?") And the way you laugh at slapstick humor is so all-boy. It's terrific.

You're a smart guy, too. I sometimes have to make you stop calling out the answers when I'm drilling Iain on his math. And your teachers at church are impressed with your answers to their questions, too. 

Our prayer for you this year is that you would draw closer to Jesus and love Him more every day. We are incredibly proud of you, Cor, and we love you so much. Even if you keep stealing my yellow sweatshirt. Hugs and kisses,

Mama and Daddy