Jack Ranger is 6!

We had a very small party with a firetruck theme planned for our house. Until, Jack Ranger decided to announce to his class that certain people were not invited to his party. I was so sad at this behavior and I prayed about the right consequence. I decided to take away Jack Ranger's birthday party and I sent the following note to all the parents in his class. I got a few really kind email reply's from parents and I pray for God to soften Jack Ranger's heart towards others.

Hello  fellow kindergarten parents -

I understand from Mrs. Taylor that Ranger was unkind at school today. Ranger apparently told a few students in a loud voice that they were not invited to his birthday party. We sincerely apologize for any sadness that Ranger caused your children. We had planned a very small party and Ranger had invited one friend from his class last year and another friend from our neighborhood. Ranger does better in small groups and we thought a party in our home with just two friends wouldn't be too overwhelming for him. However, we did not mean for him to make others feel left out! Because he was not kind to his friends at school, Ranger's birthday party has been cancelled as a consequence for his behavior. Please assure your sweet children that they have not been excluded and that Ranger is not having a birthday party. We hope this is memorable for him and we will continue to work on Ranger's heart so that he shows others the kindness and love that God shows us every day.

Thank you for your understanding. 

Sincerely,

Erin and Grant Walsh

Despite the rough birthday start, Jack Ranger ended up being really happy with his birthday celebration. On Monday, we made a great parenting move and went to the fair in the evening and stayed until it closed at 10pm. It wasn't very crowded and the kids had awesome behavior. The main thing JR wanted to see was Big Tex and the #1 ride that the kids wanted to do was all the fun houses. We also watched the fireworks show and sat together on the grass and ate lots of cotton candy. Because we were going to the fair to celebrate JR, Grant bought tons of tickets and the kids had a blast. My favorite memory was riding the gondola with the kids and watching Grant run through the crowds with our food and drinks to meet us at the other end. They didn't allow food or drinks on the gondola so Grant was a good sport and the kids and I had fun tracking him running through the crowds.

On his birthday, Peyton made a cake for JR and we sang to him and had dinner together as a family. Grant put together his birthday present which was a super cool tent that broke almost immediately. Sweet Grant returned the tent after the kids had gone to bed and he setup a new tent to surprise JR the next morning.

I think JR felt loved and special - because he is!!! And, honestly not having a party was easier on me. Everyone won! We love you Jack Ranger. You are sensitive, smart, funny and loving and our family would not be complete without you.