Aiden has only had five birthdays, but he seemed quite comfortable being the center of attention at his party with the family last night. Maybe that’s because this wasn’t even his first fifth birthday party (nor his last, as far as I know). I fully support stretching out the celebrations for the whole week (or the whole month, if he can get away with it). He already knows he’s a superstar, so this isn’t likely to have any noticeable effect on his ego.

He was as appreciative as anyone could have hoped. He didn’t have to be prompted to say his thanks or to give hugs. He’s always been a pretty good hugger. It seems to come naturally to him.

It’s never dull around Aiden, that’s for sure. He’s still exploring ways to expand his vocabulary. He uses words like “apparently” and “counter-clockwise” in general conversation, but right now he seems obsessed with “ridiculous.” He’ll do a fairly routine stunt on his motorcycle and ask, “Did I look ridiculous?” You probably know the right answer to that, or at least the answer he wants to hear.

He’s into Star Wars these days, so a lot of his presents were in that vein. (And most of them were “just what I wanted!”) He immediately started making up stories and scenarios for the Lego characters, and he even let his sister play with them, too. (Kylie wanted to be “the girl one.”) It was also good to have Dakota and D.J. at the party. We don’t get to see them often these days, but they are still the big brothers, and an important part of the family.