Happy 7th Birthday!

Dear Zachary, 

My baby. You are seven years old today. A first grader. A basketball player. A lacrosse shooter. A fast swimmer. A book reader. A story writer. A picture drawer. A movie watcher.  A noise maker. A button pusher. A sweet cuddler. 

You make life fun. You love to laugh, especially at your own jokes.  You love to play video games with Alex and Grayson. You love to wrestle with daddy. You love to FaceTime with Stella. You love to create art projects with Izzy. You love to go on walks with me and Millie. 

You started at a new school this year. You love Gilman. You hop out of the car every morning with a smile and a “bye mom.” You are learning so much and making new friends. You love the weeks when your class gets to swim in gym class. You are learning Spanish and right now you are writing a story about animal habitats. You are a rule follower at school. At home, not so much!

Having you in carpool has been quite an adjustment for Alex and me. You talk constantly. Well, more like just hum, sing and make noise. In the afternoon, while we wait for Alex you eat snack and after snack. You are always so hungry after a long day of school. In the evenings, you do homework. You have the neatest handwriting of all of my kids (thank you, Gilman). 

You are the most stubborn child I have ever met. You take strong-willed to a whole other level.  You say words that kids your age shouldn’t say. And I have to threaten to tell your teacher to get you to stop. You seriously never listen to a word we say. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration, but you are definitely not an easy kid. But you definitely are a great kid with a big heart. You always say, “Sometimes I am bad on the outside, but you know I have a good heart on the inside!”  I believe this. I see this. You are fiercely loyal. You are protective of your little cousins. You have no fear, except when it comes to going to bed at night. You still want me to lay with you until you fall asleep. You aren’t a big kid, but you have a big personality. You are a bit of a clown. You love to be the center of attention. You are a bit of a celebrity with Alex and Izzy’s friends. 

You, my baby boy, challenge me like I have never been challenged before. But you are a Momma’s boy through and through. I will never forget the first time I saw you! You stole a piece of my heart. You are never going to give it back. You can have it. I love you so much inside and out... all of you. Always and forever. 

Mommy