Our Ben turned FIVE last week! I wish I could express what a joy this kid is. He is just so sweet natured and (most of the time) easy to get along with. He's started doing a tiny bit of reading lessons with me and has soaked up so much of his brothers' knowledge of science and history. It's kind of amazing. His favorite things are bread and butter, Rend Collective, bugs, music, listening to audiobooks, soft blankets, bedtime stories of Ralph the Monkey from Papa, and he has recently begun to tell us how he wants to be a saint. He's a total delightful chatterbox when you get him alone.

For his birthday he wanted a "bug birthday" so that's what we did! Very very simple but special for him. This would be a super fun theme to do up big with lots of creative ideas but I'm in a season where I have to be okay with simple and non-stressful!

We had the idea the night before to surprise him with balloon ants all over the kitchen :) 

And Michael thought to make the red balloons into ladybugs!

Kinda creepy, kinda cute?

Both sets of local grandparents took turns coming over to drop off their gifts. With all the COVID stuff going on and people's varying levels of comfort, we didn't do a bigger party. It was good just to see people, though! 

I think he likes it.

We had his Godparents over the next day for dinner and cake. This was probably one of my favorite cakes to make even though it didn't turn out exactly as I hoped (do they ever?). Fun fact about Mary: my family used to call me Ant when I was younger because they said I looked like an ant and I wanted to be an entomologist for a while in grade school. And they wonder why I have issues now. But that's why I just happen to have ant salt and pepper shakers to pull out for my son's birthday, ha!

I wish I had shaped the anthill better but I was on a clingy toddler time clock. The crushed graham cracker wasn't able to stick to the steep sides as well as I wanted. The grass is colored with spirulina powder.

The decorations were just made with melted chocolate chips but since it was hot and humid, I had to pipe onto wax paper, freeze, then oh so carefully transfer them to the cake when hard. 

I think he liked this, too.

As did this kid!