Aiden :: 6 Years

Happy, happy birthday sweet boy! You are six years old today!

My Sweet Aiden,

I'm pretty sure I have been telling you for months that we are not celebrating this birthday, that you are just going to stay little forever, that you are not allowed to grow anymore. And yet, here we are. You didn't seem to listen very well. And every time I told you that you were not allowed to grow, you would just grin and tell me, "Mommy, of course I am going to grow! I have to grow!" And I'd kiss you and hug you and squish you down, willing you to stop growing anyway. 

I know I have joked about it, sweet boy, but there is a part of my Mama heart that wants to keep you little forever. Or at least wants to slow the passage of time so that it stops going by so fast. Because one minute you were a tiny little chunk in my arms, and now you are starting 1st grade, and my heart feels the weight of losing my little boy. There are still glimpses...you still giggle and laugh and ask for "more!" in that silly little boy way. You are hanging on tight to that Pooh Bear and at this point, I am happy to let you carry Pooh to college with you {kidding...sort of}. You are still obsessed with the garbage/recycling trucks, though now you track the days and even monitor the status of all our neighbors' cans haha. My heart still melts when you yell across the house- out of the blue- in your tiny voice "Mommy? I love you." 

But there are also glimpses of growing up. And while it's hard because you are my baby...I do really mean it when I say that I am excited to see you grow. Because growing up {so far} has brought sword fights and chess games and basketball in the driveway. It has brought "Mommy? Will you play soccer with me?" and army man battles and "did you see that, Mommy?" or "are you watching, Mommy?" to all the cool new things you are learning. You are still so full of joy, wanting to help all the time, often coming to find me just to hang out and watch what I am doing. You adore your brother and sister and just want to be where they are all of the time, because you genuinely like being with them.

You have been counting down to your birthday probably since your last one haha. You love fun and celebrating, and I hope that you feel loved and celebrated today. Your Daddy and I love you so much, and we cannot wait to see what this next year holds for you. Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Love, 

Mama