Happy Birthday Dante!!

Dante turned EIGHT! He was baptized on his birthday, the 13th- and those pics are forth coming, as I forgot my camera in the hullabaloo and I'm waiting for my sister to e-mail them to me. Until I get those pictures here are EIGHT things I love about Dante!
1. Dante is VERY giving! Yesterday they had their Valentines Day parties and I'm usually ALL over their goodies. This time I wasn't because I was busy making cookies, and Dante comes over to me and hands me a KitKat (my fav. candy bar) and says, "Here Mom, this is for you!" I said, "It is for me, or you are giving it to me?" Dante then says he is giving it to me and I said that it was ok- he should have it because it is HIS candy... and he was VERY adamant that I have it because they are my favorite. How thoughtful was that:) I must be doing something right;)

2. Dante has a GREAT sense of humor! I'm always hearing funny stories about him. For instance, one of Dante's primary teachers came up to me and told me that one day during sharing time... the primary president was sitting on the table teaching... when she got off... she kind of lost her balance a little but caught herself before falling.... and Dante in a whisper sing-songy voice to his primary teacher said, "AND that is whyyy we don't sit on TAAAA-BBBles".

3. He also can take a joke... Chet and I can't get past him ANYMORE! We are in for it, when he starts to pull tricks on us! Every since he could talk- I swear his first sentence was, "That's a joke Dad, that's a joke!"

4. He gives the best prayers, or what Chet likes to call "mini- sermons". If you ask him to bless the food- he will most often forget to bless the food because he gets off on tangents of what he is currently learning in primary, and how greatful he is. The funniest prayer was on an Easter Sunday when he was 4... his prayer went something like this, "Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for this day, Jesus died a long time ago, but then he was resurrected 3 days later, and when those guys went to the tomb and rolled the stone away, they couldn't find him. They all started to cry (at about this point I start tip-toeing towards him to remind him we are blessing the food) Then Mary came to sit by his tomb and she cried, when Jesus showed up again, and she was happily crying. (then a light nudge from me) OH, and please bless the food and I'm so greatful for the food. Amen. " But his prayers are so sweet and sincere! I love them!

5. He is such an amazing BIG brother! Sometimes he doesn't understand "why he has to do EVERYTHING"... but he always does whatever I ask eventually for Erin and Ethan, like sharing his last bite of candy he got from school, or going outside to bounce them on the trampoline, etc... He is caring and if you EVER saw him with Minnie--- your heart would melt! He LOVES his little niece and nephew.

6. He is smart! He has problems in the conduct area in school... but he is smart and has always had straight A's-- and never asks me questions, just reads the directions and knows what needs to be done. He LOVES math and science.

7. He enjoys everything he does! Dante is not the greatest athlete... but he tries hard at soccer and enjoys it thoroughly! He has FUN playing and doesn't matter if you win or lose (now, board games are a different story) He enjoys piano, he enjoys swimming, he enjoys FOOD, he enjoys riding his bike EVERYWHERE. He always enjoys everything (whether he is trying something new, or doing something old) and I love that about him.

8. I love Dante because he is who he is! He keeps all of us laughing, weather it is one of his tantrums that have gotten few and far between- but when he has one, he HAS one! Or one of his innocent answers to my question or an innocent comeback to one of my rhetorical questions or statements (like when you are an adult you can do anything you want and he answers with, NO- I can't be shot out of a cannon) Now I know where his dreams lie!

I'm proud of Dante and am so glad I have been blessed with him in my life. He brings joy to us everyday!