Dane's 4th Birthday Party!

It's hard to believe that Dane is already 4 years old. Sure doesn't seem that long ago to me. I am so proud of him for so many reasons. He is my only son, and I tell him all the time how glad I am that God gave him to me, and that is so, so true. He is one of the neatest people I know, and he is going to be such a wonderfully talented, caring and special man someday, just like he is now. Four years old is such a special age for a little boy, I think. Four year old boys don't hide their feelings, at least mine doesn't. Of course, that goes for all of his feelings, but more and more, I see him expressing his excitement for whatever he's doing, as well as showing his love. We have always told each other "I love you" frequently, but it has always been initiated by me...until now. In the last few months, just about every time Dane walks through the room I am in, busy doing whatever he's got going, he will stop and say, "Mom, I love you." This happens countless times a day, and I never get tired of it. I sure hope he never stops doing that. He's growing and learning at such a crazy rate, too, which is so neat to see and experience with him.

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Alan Dane Brown, I love you so much, and I'm so glad that God gave you to me! Your dad and I are so very proud of you and the fantastic young man you are growing to be.

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My nephew, J.J.'s birthday is two days after Dane's, so this year, Robyn and I decided to have a joint party for them at our parents' house the night before Halloween. Joe David, Stefany and Jed came in from San Antonio, so we had their party, followed by our annual Cousin Campout. Dane and J.J. both love Toy Story, so they had a Toy Story cake, courtesy of their Granna, and we had a great time!

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All six grandkids together, enjoying a string cheese snack and milk.

The birthday cake!

And the handsome birthday boys!

Getting ready to blow out the candle

First, a team blow!

Then, each of them had their own turn.

This guy got his very first big boy bicycle, and surprise, surprise, it's a Transformers bike! He was so surprised and so excited!

Little sister had fun pushing this little chair around the carport while all of the big kids rode their bikes. She and Jed would take turns doing this.

Fun times at the party!

After hanging out in the tent for a while, the kids headed back in to enjoy watching Charlotte's Web together. Someday, they will actually spend the night in the tent for Cousin Campout. For now, they just play around for a while until they're ready to come in and go to bed.

It was a really good day, and the next day was a good one, too. We surprised Daddy and helped him celebrate his 60th birthday. It was a great weekend to celebrate birthdays, and we topped it off with Trick-or-Treating that night in Hughes Springs. I will post those pictures in the next post.