Nine.

My firstborn turned nine years old yesterday.  He is smart, serious, organized, bossy and opinionated.  He is loving and kind, helpful, and a very healthy eater.  He loves to read and competes with his friends to earn AR (Advanced Reader) points at school.  He prefers playing defense or goalie in soccer and is very good at it.

This year he wanted a road bike so he can join Daddy riding on some serious bike rides.  We got him a youth road bike last weekend and he loves it!  He can already ride over 9 miles on it. 

I wanted to buy him a couple of other items to unwrap on his actual birthday so we got him a CD compliation of top 40 pop music, a compilation of well-known Christmas songs, a red hoodie sweatshirt, and a kids Sonicare toothbrush.  Oh yes I did.  He loves it.  That's the kind of kid he is.  The only one of the three of them who actuallly brushes his teeth without being cattle prodded.

Luckily he has people like my mom who gave him a nerf-like bow and arrow set, my sister who gave him Star Wars Legos and his friends who are giving him Target gift cards and cash.  He loves to shop.

I can't express how much I love this human.  He is so interesting!  I put on Facebook yesterday that I was so lucky to have him in my life, and one of the first people who commented was his teacher saying how wonderful he is in her class :-) 

I wish for him an easy life, full of laughs, happiness, adventure, and loving people surrounding him.  I am so thankful that he came into my life on that dark and rainy morning in High Wycombe, England.  He made me a mother and challenged me to become an even better one each year.  He is now becoming a friend as well.  Happy Birthday baby boy!