Happy 7th Birthday, Hayden!

Seven years ago today, the most important chapter of our lives began. All those years of thinking life was full and good, that we were tired and busy....were a total sham. The day we became parents, real meaning entered our lives in the form of our unique and gifted boy.

Hayden is surprisingly nurturing and sensitive, yet can battle endlessly with Logan. When it comes to Sutton, he is amazing. He protects and cares for him, is happy to feed him or check that he is playing safely, and gets the deepest belly laughs from that baby. Yet, he can be petty, bossy and selfish with Logan to no end. They want to play together constantly, create games and scenarios, run around wildly and snuggle up together to read or play video games...except sometimes. Sometimes, it gets ugly. Fortunately, I do see a very loving bond with those close age brothers, and it is obvious whenever one of them is hurting, sad, or needs some support to execute a game or get a bandaid.

In school, Hayden absolutely LOVES tetherball. We hear endless analysis of the different types of tetherball hits and who won that day. By his account, he is probably the 2nd or 3rd best player out there, losing only to older kids most of the time. In class, he is wonderful. He thrives on academic work, usually finishing first as is his goal. He reads at a 3rd or 4th grade level, and we often tell him that walking to the car or sitting in the bathroom for an hour isn't the appropriate time to  be reading. We let him know settling in with a good book for an afternoon rest is much better. He escapes to a world of fiction, and I totally get it. Having been "that" kid, I'm so glad he loves stories, as it will be a gift he will enjoy his entire life.



Enough with the camera Mommy!



He is very excited today about his big Seventh Birthday! The celebration has begun with me getting up early to make his favorite breakfast of french toast. About 4 dozen cupakes are ready to go for school and baseball today. Sunday we will be having a party for his friends at a mini-golf place. These 7 years seem to have flown by with so many losses and new arrivals in our lives. Through it all, we have had the wonderful blessing of a child who loves to say I am the Best Mommy In the Whole World, and who still likes a good snuggle and a kiss. He has a funny sense of humor, gets our sarcastic wit and enjoys a good pun. Before long, he will be unknowingly breaking hearts with a shake of that silky hair and a gaze from those gorgeous green eyes. That smile will set many hearts aflutter, as it does mine. How very blessed we are to parent this sweet, complex child.

I'll smile for your picture, but it won't interrupt me getting
more Chuck E. Cheese tokens. There are tickets to be won!