Energetic Eight!!

This sweet boy is 8 years old today!

You came into the world and immediately stole our hearts.

You were sweet and determined.

You were born in the early hours of the morning, coming at your own time, your own way.

You were either happy or mad, laughing or crying.

You were that way from the very beginning!

You were my most active baby. You were crawling up slides at 8 months, walking at 9 months and full on running at 10 months!

Life was never, ever boring with you!

Your smile can light up a room and you pay attention to those around you. You are fiercely loyal to your family and once you have made a friend, you are fiercely loyal to them as well.

You like to make us laugh, to be silly with your big brother and to have your little sisters giggling all day.

You have a mischievous streak in you, that usually involves something to do with food, especially sweets! I've cleaned more Nutella off of you than I care to admit. The picture below was not the first or the last time you snuck into the Nutella jar.

(While you no longer get it on your face, I am pretty sure this still happens!)

You love to be active and fell in love with soccer at a young age. I kept expecting you to grow bored with it, and to move onto another sport, but the opposite has taken place.

You are passionate and driven and you give 100% when you play soccer. That drive and ambition continues in everything that you do, whether it is school or tackling a new challenge.

I am proud of your dedication and teamwork. You insisted on attending games that you had to sit out due to your eye injury, because you are still on the team and you wanted to support your teammates.

Your dedication is inspiring.

You are always the first one to greet me in the morning and always make sure to say goodnight.

You give the best hugs.

We love you, Colin, with your sweet soul and fierce loyalty.

We like to call you our bulldog. You defend the weak and seek justice in everything.

We pray that your defense of the weak and doing what is right will carry on throughout your entire life.

Seek justice. Defend the hurting. Lift up the brokenhearted.

 Your love for your siblings is the best. Jack is your best friend and your friendship is something to value. You love your sisters,  helping and caring for them both. You are especially caring with Maggie, helping her around the house. Macy may never leave you alone, but that is because she loves you so!

 Happiest Birthday, my Colin. I look forward to watching you learn and grow this year, tackling new challenges and growing into the amazing young man you are becoming. We are proud of you and we love you so!