A letter to Henry on his 7th birthday

I am pretty sure I think this every year, but this age is my favorite.  Daddy and I marvel all the time what a little person you are.  You're hilarious.  Seriously. I would say that I don't know where you get half of what you say, but then I hear Daddy's trash talking and I know exactly where it comes from.  Toilet humor is your favorite, still, but you're also pretty witty about all kinds of things.  Just the other night at baseball while on deck, you turned to me in the stands, with at least a dozen people in ear shot and blurted out "Mom! I'm a ladies' man!" with a GIANT grin on your face.  You're humble, that's for sure.  I still have no idea where that came from or if you really know what you're saying, but it's a memory I will always keep.

This may not sound humble, but what kind of mother doesn't brag on her child, but people are always saying how cute you are.  Maybe they mean "You're kid is a crazy nut" but I think they are mostly genuine.  You have the cutest dimples when you blush, your smile lights up my world and you're just sweet as you can be, at least when you want to be.  You are charming, especially with your sisters.  Your heart is kind and caring.  You are very protective of your sisters, coming to their rescue whenever they need your help, but you keep it balanced by roughing them up the way a good big brother does.

You are currently more than fascinated with law enforcement, probably borderline obsessed.  Big change, it was always fire and rescue, but you've switched gears this year.  You love your Nerf guns and COPS episodes.  You might have learned more about illegal substances and fighting than most of your peers, but you do know that those things are stupid and will land you in J-A-I-L (you love spelling that word, like it's taboo or something.)

You are finally taking an interest in reading and writing which is a huge relief to your bookworm mama.  Just yesterday, you received an award at school for your improvement in reading and you sure were proud.  We're proud of you too.  At open house a couple of weeks ago, you were showing us your computer skills, which blew my mind to see how proficient you are on a laptop.  Way better than your mom at that, for sure.  You have a few friends at school and a special friend that is a girl as well.  Just saying her name makes you smile.  You're girl crazy, that's for sure.

You are still playing baseball and although you aren't super competitive there, you always have a smile on your face, which is a good sign that you're having fun.  You started playing catcher and after the scrimmage earlier this week, you said you loved playing catcher, minus the balls hitting you.  Might start working on your technique.  Ha!

Daddy and I love you very much and we are so proud of the person that you're growing up to be.  You're curious about the world around you, you love your people fiercely and you've even started asking questions about Jesus.  You are often the one person that can tick me off and fix it all with just a sweet smile or a laugh about nothing at all.  You're strong-willed, determined and a bit hot tempered but we love you in spite of all that.  Your passion for life is inspiring.  We love you to Heaven and back.