Brian turns 7

I can remember the day he was born. I couldn't imagine how I could love another child as much as Matthew...then I saw Brian and my heart grew instantaneously. I can't think of how else to describe the feeling -- one minute he's a total stranger and the next he's looking up at me, his brown little eyes locked onto mine, his hand grasped around my pinky finger, and I know, beyond a doubt, that there's absolutely nothing I wouldn't do for the guy.

Like his mom (whose Birthday was yesterday), he was counting down the days to his birthday for the last two months. Today, he was in our bed at 6:00am ready to get the party started (we made him wait until 7:00). He loved every minute of it, from presents this morning to triple chocolate cake tonight. Since his love language is gifts, he was in heaven -- his love tank is maxed out!

One of our traditions has been to decorate the kids doors on the eve of their Birthday while they're sleeping. We take brown paper wrapping paper and completely cover the door, taping it down, and then cover it whith a large birthday greeting surrounded by little majic marker sketches of their favorite memories from the past year. I drew a hockey player, a guy shooting a huge nerf gun (early Christmas present from grandma -- it's so big he can hardly hold it), a guy shooting a 22 rifle (with reference to camp shaminau), Annie, a skiier going over a jump (he skied for the first time last Christmas), a skateboarder, and a bible (he loves preparing for Bible Study Fellowship).

When I tucked him tonight he said that this was the best birthday ever, and that the only thing he was sad about is that he has to wait a whole year for the next one. And we didn't even have a bounce house!