Happy 7th Birthday William!

Dear William,

Happy birthday to the most amazing 7 year old I know. I am blown away by the kid that you've become this year--blown away by the fact that I am now a mom to a big kid! Your 7th year has been full of changes and new challenges and lots of fun. You finished up kindergarten, went to several new summer camps and learned to swim, traveled to Florida (twice) and North Carolina, stayed at the beach, started 1st grade, slept over at Charlie's and Peyton's, performed in your school musical, spent lots of time riding your bike, grew 3 inches, and learned to play Minecraft. You still found time to snuggle with your mom and let her read Harry Potter and lots of other books to you. For that, I'm very grateful!

At age 7, you love to play video games--mostly Minecraft and your DS games. You love your school, your teacher (Ms. Lightbourne), your friends, and most of the time, you even love your brother. You love to ride your bike (especially when Jack and Charlie ride with you), and you love to swim. You even asked me when you could take more swim lessons. Finally! You still take Taekwondo (you've gotten really good!) and you're playing t-ball this year. You still love to draw and get very focused when you're drawing pictures and making up stories. You are so imaginative and interesting and so much fun to be around.

Daddy and I are so proud of you--of how hard you try in school, of what a good friend and brother you are, of how thoughtful and caring you are, and how inquisitive and curious you are. You are quick to laugh and love to be silly. You adjust easily to new situations and are not afraid to try new things. And you love to learn new things. I hope you will always keep your open mind and loving heart.

Now that you are 7, I can no longer deny that you are your own, very unique person. You are so independent now, and so capable and so ready for new responsibilities and new challenges. Daddy and I love you so much and we will do our best to help you continue to grow and learn and be the best person you can be. It's really hard for us to figure out when to hold on and when to let go, so cut us some slack if we don't always get it right. Just know that no matter what, we will always love you and we are always here when you need us. We hope your 8th year of life will be just as fun and interesting and happy--full of new things to learn, new adventures to discover, new friends, new interests, and new skills. We hope you've had a wonderful birthday, and that you feel treasured and loved and valued and safe--today and always. Thanks for being such a great kid. We can't wait to see what the next year brings. Happy birthday William! We love you.