Birthday Season

It's birthday season at our house. Everyone but Mommy and Annie have birthdays in the spring, so it's back-to-back celebrations for a couple months.

Birthday season reminds me all over again how lucky I am to have these people in my life.

Mia, my newly minted 12-year old, how I love her mother heart! She is naturally kind, generous, and thoughtful, with a special gift of gratitude. She is discovering her athletic prowess and enjoying big girl activities with her best friends. She's not sure how she feels about YW yet, but Grace goes, so Mia is giving it a chance. She continues to be the resident family wit, seeing the ironies in everyday life and keeping us all laughing.

Jack just turned 6 and in his mind I think that's pretty much days away from full-fledged grownup, driving and voting. He is BIG! He tells everyone! For his birthday he opted to bring treats and birthday hats to his kindergarten class, for "my Mrs. Johnson and ALL my friends." Jack makes friends everywhere he goes. "Hi, I Jack. Who you are?" is his favorite opening line. He's also the king of TMI, informing old ladies in the checkout line that he has no daddy, that his mommy is fat,  and that his butt is itchy.

Mercie has had a very eventful spring so far, which I will write about in a separate post. This isn't how she planned to turn 11, I'm sure. She has stayed her funny, sweet self through some hard times lately, and demonstrated real courage and grace even when she's in pain. She is impressing everyone with her grit and toughness. That's my girl! I wouldn't wish for the trials, but it has been nice, I admit, to have more one-on-one time with my Mercie.

Eric is coming into his own as he approaches 11. He's an awesome cub scout who is currently the leader of his age group. In true Eric fashion he requires them to chant "Eric is awesome," sing a song about his greatness, and salute a flag that proclaims "Eric is great." He has very easy-going fellow scouts and a super cool scout leader :). He continues to whiz through all things academic, earning a few conversations with mom about how school won't always come so easily....

Grace has blossomed in junior high. No other words for it. She loves her friends, her classes, her violin and piano, her acting.....and boys. So far she has shown very good taste in her crushes. She likes boys who are kind and smart and funny. I hope this never changes! She's always on her phone, drives us all nuts with the karaoke machine she got at Christmas, and continues to be my right-hand woman. She can't wait to be 13 soon and get on social media.

And even though Annie's birthday isn't until fall, I'll give her a shout-out anyway. She is determined to be a big girl and get out of diapers, even if she hasn't fully grasped the idea behind potties. Not content with walking, she's now running everywhere. She continues to be the spoiled-rotten baby of the family who gets pretty much anything she wants thanks to her adorable smiles and heartbreaking "cry face," as Mia puts it.

My house is ALWAYS loud. Always. It's almost always crazy and chaotic and messy. But I get to come home to those faces. Luckiest mom in the world, that's me.