Shep turns 6!

Zach dropped and broke his mug of beer at Buffalo Wild Wings, Shep patted Zach's arm and said, "it's okay Dad, sometimes kids do things that embarrass parents too."

"I went poop at school today!!! I was scared, but i knew I had to do it." This was Feb. 7th and it was the first time he'd used the school restroom.

Got mad at Reagan so he took all his clothes out of his dresser and put them on top of Reagan's loft bed.

Shep is...

bashful
responsible
empathetic
smart
witty
sweet as sugar
perceptive

Loves to eat pickles and cookie dough ice cream. Does not like peanut butter or cake (and I have a very good idea that is because Reagan says he doesn't like those things.)

He made a list of all the kids he wanted to invite to his birthday party and wrote down his teacher.

Been talking recently, usually when we are driving in the car because apparently that's where he is deepest in thought, about our family friend's the Grotbo's, who's dad is a commander in the Air Force.  Shep thinks the son Robert (age 5) is very brave because his dad has a dangerous job but wonders if he's ever scared that he could die.

He made up a song on a whim this year that our family sings at least once a day. It is so weird but the jingle is really catchy. "I'm bread, I'm bread. Put some jelly on me. I'm in high school... and people don't even know. I'm BREAD!" See? It makes no sense but I cry at least once a week thinking about it.

He's kind of a squirt. Levi and him wear the same size clothes now and are mistaken for twins constantly. Shep doesn't seem to care yet.

Likes the McChicken from McDonald's with lettuce and mayo because when he eats it he "feels like  a man."

The day of his 6th birthday he awoke to donuts. Friends (Brendsel's) came over later in the morning to drop off some of his favorite snacks. We took a bike ride to Uptown and met Papa Chris, Grandma Darlene and Sofie at Windy City Weiners for lunch. It dropped buckets on us so we hustled inside with all our food. We rode our bikes home nice and wet. The boys watched Peter Rabbit in our bed while Jojo took her nap, then we headed out to buy the birthday boy some new tennis shoes. He picked Sam's Club pizza for his birthday dinner, which we obliged because nothing is too good for our child. After coming home he and Zach set up a tent in our backyard while I took Reagan to prompt care for strep. Jojo went to bed in her room, Levi got kicked out of the tent for misbehavior and Reagan slept in quarantine in his bed leaving the tent entirely to Shep and Zach. He deemed his pillow and journal camping necessities and before we fell asleep he made Zach and I write down our Christmas lists in his journal so he could remember them. They do not make them any sweeter then he.