elijah is 7!!!!

May 13th seven years ago is the day I became a mommy.
It was a very bittersweet day.
A hard labor experience,
followed by the birth of a beautiful baby boy,
followed by 8 days in the NICU because he had a stroke.
It was very scary but he is our miracle baby.

He's gone from this...

to THIS! He had just woken up on his 7th birthday. :-)

I think he had a great day! First, his birthday was announced on the radio right before he went to school that day. To view that video, scroll to the bottom of this post.

He told me they announced his birthday on the intercom at school and he got a special birthday card and pencil. I also took cupcakes and juice to his school that afternoon. Here are his classmates singing Happy Birthday to him.

After school, we went to the park for a few minutes to play.

Then it was home to open his present from mom and dad.

Followed by a yummy Hibachi-style dinner with the Beck's.

Judah SCREAMED bloody murder when they did the fire at the beginning.
Apparently I should have warned him about that. Oops.

They even brought him free fried ice cream since it was his birthday.
He shared it with Annalee. :-)

Mom and Dad with the big 7 year old! I told him that 7 was way too old because I remember so many things from when I was 7, and now I have a 7 year old! Sigh.

Grace, Annalee, Elijah and Judah.

He is SO precious. He told me this morning that he thought he played better at his soccer game because he was 7 years old now. So cute.

Here are 7 things I love about this kid:

1. His sensitive, compassionate, caring heart
2. That he blows me kisses and signs "I love you" EVERY morning as he walks into school and I watch from the car
3. He wants to be a missionary when he grows up
4. He STILL loves to snuggle with me and read books with me
5. How much he TRULY loves and looks out for his baby brother
6. His awareness that not everyone in the world is as fortunate as he is, and his desire to help them
7. He is so accepting of others, even when they are "different" than he is - his friend base is very diverse

I could go on and on about him...his passion for Camp of the Hills, pancakes and all things Star Wars. He can name almost EVERY SINGLE character from ANY of the Star Wars movies...for real. I just love, love, LOVE him! He is a precious gift. We are SO privileged to call him our son and play even a small part in raising him to be the mighty warrior God wants him to be.

Elijah, keep loving and caring and serving and accepting. It's what life is all about. You do those things for God and life will be as meaningful as it can be. And YOU already are an example to those around you. Your friends and your brother ADORE you and look up to you. Your dad and I are so proud of you and we love you very much. Happy 7th Birthday Chief!

For a great recap of Elijah's previous birthdays, click HERE

I wish I'd kept recording. Right after I turned it off he said, "No way! How did they know it was my birthday?" :-)