Noah Brown,
In all my 35 years, these last EIGHT have been the brightest, most dynamic I have known. HaPpY bIrThDaY again, precious boy! What a gift the Lord ordained when he brought your life to ours. You are just this magical miracle that I thank him for ALL the time. You are the best little boy I have ever known. And your sweet grin matches my heart, which is always a'grinning over you.
In this year where you morphed into an EIGHT-year-old, you have grown in so many ways!
In school stuff, you have begun homeschooling (obviously) and your confidence has soared in your second grade work. You rock the spelling and math world and you have grown to love science especially.
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Your reading has rocketed in fluidity, vocabulary, and comprehension. While we are tackling more second grade skills in the fall in almost all subjects, your independent reading is well into third grade levels. Your favorite chapter books this year were Magic School Bus reads, the Stink series, and now the Imagination Station series. By far, your favorite book that I read aloud to you was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
You lost your first THREE teeth - both bottom middles and then that top one. So fun!
You gained four pounds and 2 inches, measuring in at 51 lbs and 47 inches tall. You have left almost all your size 5 clothes behind finally and are now in all size 6/7s. You left behind your size 10 shoes at last and jumped right up into 12/13s!
You completed your fifth and final year of immunotherapy (allergy shots) and so far your body has done amazingly without it. Fingers crossed that that continues.
You graduated out of your speech services and no longer have ANY articulation struggles! For this momma that has been hyper-alert to your speech patterns since the age of 3, that is a BIG milestone. So proud of you!
We hit the pool and the ocean this year without any swim lessons for you (Eek!) and you were off to the races like a pro! Such a strong and confident little swimmer at last.
You memorized SO MUCH Scripture this year. I wouldn't even begin to retell all the verses and passages you took in and know. Well over 3O for sure. Watching you grow in knowledge and practice of God's word is the BEST thing ever. There is no greater joy!
New skills you picked up were learning to whistle and how to ride a two-wheeler. We still need to buckle down and teach you to tie laces.
You set aside baseball to learn some tennis skills and you were so great at it! It was cool to watch you go after something YOU chose to invest in instead of something we chose for you.
Your bedtime shifted from 7:15 to 7:45ish this year. You take care of all your morning business without being told anymore - breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, etc. And now you can be trusted to do your own medicines and vitamins. You are up every morning by 6:45.
You say the funniest things sometimes:
One night at dinner when we were talking about where our foods come from, you declared mid-bite into your roast that, "Cow is hard to chew."
Apparently I was revealing a little cleavage one day and, pointing to my chest, you asked why I had a little bottom there. Ha!
When Anna was asking how God made the world, I explained He made everything by his word and we marveled at how awesome that is. Your contribution to our theological conversation was "I am glad God made a DS for me!"
You have taken to spelling out entire words, phrases, even sentences sometimes instead of just saying them. Sometimes that works, other times I am lost. Like the time we were out at an ice cream place and you tried to warn me on the sly that you might have to go P-O-P. I was confused, so you tried another spelling - P-U-P. After more confusion on my part you had to clue me in to the fact that you needed to potty (p-o-o-p). Ha! Gross, but still funny.
With a boy around, there is no shortage of potty humor. Your most memorable contribution to the word world and our lives this year is the word "tooteristic." You and Anna love to say it and we can't help but giggle even though we can't stand your many toots. Oh, heaven help us, the gas you pass. :S All boy, it's not uncommon for us to hear you from the bathroom giggling uncontrollably at yourself, tooting in there, too.
Another potty humor invention of yours is a phrase and motion that Anna in particular adores, the ever hilarious "Raise the Cannon" routine whereby you arch your booties in the air and let 'er rip. You and Anna also can be heard saying a phrase you learned from your Papa, "Who scent the air?!"
Some other things I love that you say are eeenyway/anyway, whoop cream/whipped cream, goodnap/goodnight, betchables/vegetables.
For my birthday, your gift idea for me was an oil change. Ha!
When you were watching/reading Harry Potter with Daddy, you developed a really believable (and adorable) British accent. I was impressed with your copycat words and expression!
When you found two long-lost Lego characters the week before Easter, you bounded down the stairs and declared, "A miracle appeared! God made Easter come early!!"
Your most common teasing words for Anna involve calling her a "little old lady" with the emphasis on lady.
When told to get toys for a weekend trip to a cabin, you responded, "I don't want any toys. I just wanna sit by the fire." Bless your little old soul.
Ever my awesome little eater, when asking for more dinner one night you asked for seconds by saying, "I want more, but I want it to be alllll bethchables."
And while it's not necessarily something you say, it is still notably hilarious ... your incessant giggling. Oh the giggles, giggles, giggles you giggle! You still, as I have always declared, LOVE TO LAUGH. :} I love that about you.
You love to try your hand at knock-knock jokes and you also quote movies like a pro. You are SO my son.
Other precious pieces of you I have treasured to observe ....
How your head flies up in attention when you hear a word or verse during a sermon that you recognize from your memory verses or bible study from home. We love how often this happens!
Everyone mistakes that mole on your neck for a tick lately. Your neck must be getting long for it to suddenly be so much more noticeable than before.
You have a new habit of rolling to your back and pushing your feet into the air when you watch TV. It's so funny and so nostalgic for me. I remember doing the same thing as a kid.
You can be trusted to come right out and ask for affection if you need it. You'll come stand in front of me and say with a mock whimper, "You haven't given me any hugs or kisses today."
You still hold your pencil like a club when not paying attention, but it's become so you I almost love it whilst I hate it. How do you do that to me?
You are an UNO fiend, playing almost every day and with anyone who is willing. You just love games of all kinds really, including and especially iPad and video games.
You have this odd habit of holding your breath and forcing the air out when you can't hold it any longer and you do it without even knowing it. It puzzles me and worries me, so I keep trying to bring it your attention in an effort to make it stop.
And while you took a season off baseball this spring, you have asked to play again in the fall and I can't wait. :)
You read for 20 minutes every day during your hour of quiet time.
You still have accidents at night at least once a week. Wondering when that bladder of yours if going to finally grow up with you...
You have developed such a good relationship with your sister this year. You really rise to the occasion of being a peacemaker and a friend to her. It probably helps that she has grown up so much as well and is easier to play and get along with.
You got to spend sweet time with BOTH your birthparents this year and since then have spoken with them on the phone a couple times. I think you have asked more questions about them this year than any before. And along those adoption-related lines, you are interested in the fact that we are talking about the next foster/adopt steps for our family. You are so good with the little kids, so you are naturally excited about the idea of having another little sibling to do life with. This will be such an adventure for us all!
You still let your toenails grow until they are curving around the tips of your toes. I remark at your "bear claws" every time I can wrangle you to sit still and let me cut them. This isn't even close to the worst they have been, but it's all I have stopped to document in awhile.
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This year you have come to know and very memorably experience the Lord's blessing when you walk in his ways (in peacemaking with your sister, in telling the truth even when you are afraid of consequences, and in putting other's needs before your own). You also have witnessed proof of God hearing your prayers ... via answered prayer. In all of these very tangible lessons, you have been quick and excited to testify to those truths. The image of your eyes bugging out of your head in your animated telling of what you have witnessed stands out in my mind. Precious moments with you.
You room looks like this this year ... upgraded from your queen bed to a loft bed to give your Legos more much-needed space on the floor. You are, as ever, a Lego lover to the core!
For a boy who spends all his free time with his Daddy when you have the choice, it has been a sweet progression to notice how you and I have bonded so much more this year through our school days. I cherish ALL the extra time I have been able to share with you and treasure the fact that you like our days better this way as well. Oftentimes you catch me staring at you with a silly grin on my face and I have taken to asking you in those moments if you know what I am thinking. You do and you answer the given truth, "That you love me." It will always, always, always be so, NoahBrown. And I like you even more!
You are a great kid and your momma is your biggest cheerleader and protector and teacher and fan. I will always be in your corner. And when you are grown I will miss these days when you were eight, when your side fit perfectly under my hand when you stood beside me, when we were in each other's space so much that I could spot you still by the scent of your breath or the smell of your head, when I could hold your sweet, smooth cheeks in my hands and stare into the different brown flecks in your eyes, when I could witness your gentle nature and your teachable spirit day in and day out, when every mom I knew would tell me how their kiddos beg to play with you more, when you were always ready to play and/or game, and when the only way to handle your energy sometimes was to wear you down by tickling you mercilessly! I love watching you grow into a new Noah each year, but I dare not hurry along these days. I love you so much, I miss you already!
Happy Eight Years to you, my precious boy ... and us along with you!
Mommy
In all my 35 years, these last EIGHT have been the brightest, most dynamic I have known. HaPpY bIrThDaY again, precious boy! What a gift the Lord ordained when he brought your life to ours. You are just this magical miracle that I thank him for ALL the time. You are the best little boy I have ever known. And your sweet grin matches my heart, which is always a'grinning over you.
In this year where you morphed into an EIGHT-year-old, you have grown in so many ways!
In school stuff, you have begun homeschooling (obviously) and your confidence has soared in your second grade work. You rock the spelling and math world and you have grown to love science especially.
Your reading has rocketed in fluidity, vocabulary, and comprehension. While we are tackling more second grade skills in the fall in almost all subjects, your independent reading is well into third grade levels. Your favorite chapter books this year were Magic School Bus reads, the Stink series, and now the Imagination Station series. By far, your favorite book that I read aloud to you was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
You lost your first THREE teeth - both bottom middles and then that top one. So fun!
You gained four pounds and 2 inches, measuring in at 51 lbs and 47 inches tall. You have left almost all your size 5 clothes behind finally and are now in all size 6/7s. You left behind your size 10 shoes at last and jumped right up into 12/13s!
You completed your fifth and final year of immunotherapy (allergy shots) and so far your body has done amazingly without it. Fingers crossed that that continues.
You graduated out of your speech services and no longer have ANY articulation struggles! For this momma that has been hyper-alert to your speech patterns since the age of 3, that is a BIG milestone. So proud of you!
We hit the pool and the ocean this year without any swim lessons for you (Eek!) and you were off to the races like a pro! Such a strong and confident little swimmer at last.
You memorized SO MUCH Scripture this year. I wouldn't even begin to retell all the verses and passages you took in and know. Well over 3O for sure. Watching you grow in knowledge and practice of God's word is the BEST thing ever. There is no greater joy!
New skills you picked up were learning to whistle and how to ride a two-wheeler. We still need to buckle down and teach you to tie laces.
You set aside baseball to learn some tennis skills and you were so great at it! It was cool to watch you go after something YOU chose to invest in instead of something we chose for you.
Your bedtime shifted from 7:15 to 7:45ish this year. You take care of all your morning business without being told anymore - breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, etc. And now you can be trusted to do your own medicines and vitamins. You are up every morning by 6:45.
You say the funniest things sometimes:
One night at dinner when we were talking about where our foods come from, you declared mid-bite into your roast that, "Cow is hard to chew."
Apparently I was revealing a little cleavage one day and, pointing to my chest, you asked why I had a little bottom there. Ha!
When Anna was asking how God made the world, I explained He made everything by his word and we marveled at how awesome that is. Your contribution to our theological conversation was "I am glad God made a DS for me!"
You have taken to spelling out entire words, phrases, even sentences sometimes instead of just saying them. Sometimes that works, other times I am lost. Like the time we were out at an ice cream place and you tried to warn me on the sly that you might have to go P-O-P. I was confused, so you tried another spelling - P-U-P. After more confusion on my part you had to clue me in to the fact that you needed to potty (p-o-o-p). Ha! Gross, but still funny.
With a boy around, there is no shortage of potty humor. Your most memorable contribution to the word world and our lives this year is the word "tooteristic." You and Anna love to say it and we can't help but giggle even though we can't stand your many toots. Oh, heaven help us, the gas you pass. :S All boy, it's not uncommon for us to hear you from the bathroom giggling uncontrollably at yourself, tooting in there, too.
Another potty humor invention of yours is a phrase and motion that Anna in particular adores, the ever hilarious "Raise the Cannon" routine whereby you arch your booties in the air and let 'er rip. You and Anna also can be heard saying a phrase you learned from your Papa, "Who scent the air?!"
Some other things I love that you say are eeenyway/anyway, whoop cream/whipped cream, goodnap/goodnight, betchables/vegetables.
For my birthday, your gift idea for me was an oil change. Ha!
When you were watching/reading Harry Potter with Daddy, you developed a really believable (and adorable) British accent. I was impressed with your copycat words and expression!
When you found two long-lost Lego characters the week before Easter, you bounded down the stairs and declared, "A miracle appeared! God made Easter come early!!"
Your most common teasing words for Anna involve calling her a "little old lady" with the emphasis on lady.
When told to get toys for a weekend trip to a cabin, you responded, "I don't want any toys. I just wanna sit by the fire." Bless your little old soul.
Ever my awesome little eater, when asking for more dinner one night you asked for seconds by saying, "I want more, but I want it to be alllll bethchables."
And while it's not necessarily something you say, it is still notably hilarious ... your incessant giggling. Oh the giggles, giggles, giggles you giggle! You still, as I have always declared, LOVE TO LAUGH. :} I love that about you.
You love to try your hand at knock-knock jokes and you also quote movies like a pro. You are SO my son.
Other precious pieces of you I have treasured to observe ....
How your head flies up in attention when you hear a word or verse during a sermon that you recognize from your memory verses or bible study from home. We love how often this happens!
Everyone mistakes that mole on your neck for a tick lately. Your neck must be getting long for it to suddenly be so much more noticeable than before.
You have a new habit of rolling to your back and pushing your feet into the air when you watch TV. It's so funny and so nostalgic for me. I remember doing the same thing as a kid.
You can be trusted to come right out and ask for affection if you need it. You'll come stand in front of me and say with a mock whimper, "You haven't given me any hugs or kisses today."
You still hold your pencil like a club when not paying attention, but it's become so you I almost love it whilst I hate it. How do you do that to me?
You are an UNO fiend, playing almost every day and with anyone who is willing. You just love games of all kinds really, including and especially iPad and video games.
You have this odd habit of holding your breath and forcing the air out when you can't hold it any longer and you do it without even knowing it. It puzzles me and worries me, so I keep trying to bring it your attention in an effort to make it stop.
And while you took a season off baseball this spring, you have asked to play again in the fall and I can't wait. :)
You read for 20 minutes every day during your hour of quiet time.
You still have accidents at night at least once a week. Wondering when that bladder of yours if going to finally grow up with you...
You have developed such a good relationship with your sister this year. You really rise to the occasion of being a peacemaker and a friend to her. It probably helps that she has grown up so much as well and is easier to play and get along with.
You got to spend sweet time with BOTH your birthparents this year and since then have spoken with them on the phone a couple times. I think you have asked more questions about them this year than any before. And along those adoption-related lines, you are interested in the fact that we are talking about the next foster/adopt steps for our family. You are so good with the little kids, so you are naturally excited about the idea of having another little sibling to do life with. This will be such an adventure for us all!
You still let your toenails grow until they are curving around the tips of your toes. I remark at your "bear claws" every time I can wrangle you to sit still and let me cut them. This isn't even close to the worst they have been, but it's all I have stopped to document in awhile.
This year you have come to know and very memorably experience the Lord's blessing when you walk in his ways (in peacemaking with your sister, in telling the truth even when you are afraid of consequences, and in putting other's needs before your own). You also have witnessed proof of God hearing your prayers ... via answered prayer. In all of these very tangible lessons, you have been quick and excited to testify to those truths. The image of your eyes bugging out of your head in your animated telling of what you have witnessed stands out in my mind. Precious moments with you.
You room looks like this this year ... upgraded from your queen bed to a loft bed to give your Legos more much-needed space on the floor. You are, as ever, a Lego lover to the core!
For a boy who spends all his free time with his Daddy when you have the choice, it has been a sweet progression to notice how you and I have bonded so much more this year through our school days. I cherish ALL the extra time I have been able to share with you and treasure the fact that you like our days better this way as well. Oftentimes you catch me staring at you with a silly grin on my face and I have taken to asking you in those moments if you know what I am thinking. You do and you answer the given truth, "That you love me." It will always, always, always be so, NoahBrown. And I like you even more!
You are a great kid and your momma is your biggest cheerleader and protector and teacher and fan. I will always be in your corner. And when you are grown I will miss these days when you were eight, when your side fit perfectly under my hand when you stood beside me, when we were in each other's space so much that I could spot you still by the scent of your breath or the smell of your head, when I could hold your sweet, smooth cheeks in my hands and stare into the different brown flecks in your eyes, when I could witness your gentle nature and your teachable spirit day in and day out, when every mom I knew would tell me how their kiddos beg to play with you more, when you were always ready to play and/or game, and when the only way to handle your energy sometimes was to wear you down by tickling you mercilessly! I love watching you grow into a new Noah each year, but I dare not hurry along these days. I love you so much, I miss you already!
Happy Eight Years to you, my precious boy ... and us along with you!
Mommy
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