Seven

December is a glorious month for us.  Full of Christmas joy and two children to celebrate birthdays.  Add a husband's birthday celebration in there and you have a crazy household.  And a crazy mom!  But the truth is that I wouldn't trade one minute of it and I thank God every day for the privilege of this amazing life.

On 12.26.06, God blessed me and Dan with the birth of our first child.  On 12.26.13, that little baby turned seven.  

SEVEN!  

A lot changes occur when you turn seven.  You don't have to go to the doctor every year for that "well-baby" check-up.  You are no longer considered a young child by the airlines (no more early boarding for those traveling with "young" children . . . . that is reserved for those under seven).  Before you are seven, many of the clothes you wear have a toddler "T" that follows all the sizes.   No more "T" to soften the blow of "this-kid's-getting-big."  We now shop for "boys medium."  

Seven amazing years have passed by since God made me a mother of this precious little boy.  My has he grown.  And so have we.  

Drew was born at 6:50 pm on 12.26.06.  Like clockwork, on his birthday each year, I subconsciously take note of the clock.  I feel anxious and aware that something big is about to occur and I recall that the anniversary of God's amazing gift of motherhood is about to occur.  I can't miss 6:50.  I take note of this precious minute every year and cannot do anything else until I pause to recognize the sacredness that is this very minute.   

So let's see . . . . what does a seven-year-old-boy like to do?  Let me take this opportunity to document and preserve the wonder ( . . . . and fear, angst, frustation, and deep, deep LOVE) that accompanies raising a seven-year-old-boy.  

Drew is busy.  He's been a busy little man for as long as I can remember.  This bus-i-ness is good; sometimes.  Other times, it gets him into trouble.  He is very excitable and literally you can see the energy seeping out of him through this trademark gesture of his (imagine both hands directly in front of his mouth shaking quickly with eyes wide open telling you that this boy is excited . . . or having a nervous breakdown, but thus far, luckily, it has just been excitement).  

Drew is very smart.  He is quick to pick up new concepts and his intuition amazes me.  Drew loves to draw.  He also loves to build legos.  And the kid can drive you crazy fighting with his brothers, but it is incredible how much his younger brothers look up to him (in their eyes, Drew is capable of anything).  Drew is very loyal to his friends, wants to watch way too much TV, is crazy about video games and wants nothing to do with vegetables.  Drew has recently demonstrated impressive goalie skills on his indoor soccer team, is a crazy picky eater, gets up super early every morning (no matter when he goes to bed), thinks that brushing his teeth is totally optional, has a very kind heart and I believe is destined to be a leader.  He loves his family and I'm proud to say that I know that he loves his mama.      

For Drew's seventh birthday, we were all set to invite his class to play laser tag, when I casually mentioned that a new lego store had just opened up at one of the St. Louis malls.  Drew's eyes grew huge.  I want to do that for my birthday instead!  I immediately called the Lego Store and learned that they don't have birthday parties (seriously?????!!!!).  What a bummer!  I told Drew that while we couldn't have a party there, we could take a small group of his friends and "go shopping" for legos and have dinner at the mall food court for his birthday.  He loved it and was drawn to idea of having such a "grown up" evening with his closest friends.  After our soccer game, we headed to the mall.  We arranged for Owen and Evan to have other plans so Dan and I could have our sole focus on Drew and his friends.   

Since Drew enjoys drawing so much, the theme of his birthday this year was art.  He received many art supplies, art classes from Grandma Patti and an art desk from Mommy and Daddy.  He asked Grandma Darlene for his own quilt and as expected (for a Grandma with a heart of gold), she delivered.  Drew snuggles with it every night.

In seven years, this boy has changed my world.  He has made me a better person and one that considers my every action because I know that a smart little observant boy is always watching.  And I want to make him glowingly proud; just as I am of him.  

Happy birthday my angel.  I love you more than words can say.