Nathan,

Today you are EIGHT! How in the world has it been eight whole years since you first made me a mama? In some ways, it seems like months since you were born and in other ways, I have a hard time remembering life before you. I remember right before you were born being so anxious to meet you that I couldn’t even handle it. My arms ached to hold you! I wanted to find the fast forward button so I could just have you in my arms already. And now, I am wishing I hadn’t found that fast forward button. Your sweet little life is just going by too fast.

This year was SUCH a big year for you. You changed so much and grew a TON. You went from sort of reading to flying through books. You busted through two years of math in one year and excelled at it! You won in a Lego competition at the State Fair and got so excited.

You are such a huge helper. You live for backyard projects and helping me around the house. You are very much my right hand man and I know I can always count on you to help me out!

This year, you basically had teeth just falling out of your head. 😉 You also broke your first bone, which was devastating for me but you thought the cast was extra cool. You did not let the cast stop you though – you just kept on playing and riding around and being daring and crazy. Which only scares me more now.

You are crazy. Ha! You have the funniest, loudest, biggest personality EVER. You never, ever, ever, EVER stop talking – you even talk in your sleep! You love to make people laugh, you love to be loud and obnoxious, you love to play hard.

You are such a sweet big brother. You are so kind with Parker and Eisley and are (usually) so encouraging of them! You and Parker still have the most special connection. I love watching it grow and mature. Parker and Eisley LOVE you with all their hearts.

You are SO excited that you have been able to do more “big kid” stuff lately. You’ve gotten to stay up late for movie nights with just you, me and Dad, you can read bigger kid books and you’ve just grown up so much this last ear. I feel like you have moved off that middle ground of Little Kid and Big Kid and you’re firmly in Big Kid Land now and it’s so fun and makes me tear up at the same time. Life moves too fast!! You love all things Lego, all things super heroes, all things sports and you are BEGGING to play football (that’s a hard no, sorry). You sing all the time and if you’re not singing, you’re whistling. You want to be a firefighter when you grow up (I’m not too thrilled about that, either. Ha!). You are super interested in the hunting that Dad has gotten into and you can’t wait until you’re old enough to go too.

You are the best, sweetest, funniest eight year old I know. I love you with all my heart, Nathan!! I cannot believe that God gave me the honor and privilege to be your mom. I pray for you every single day and I always will.

Happy birthday, precious boy!!

Love,

Mom