Happy Birthday, Dylan!

Sweet Dylan,

Last night I tried to get your last 5 year old kiss before you headed off to bed. I am pretty sure you sneaked your last to dad when he took you to bed! With those kisses, whether I actually got the very last or not, came a wave of sadness. This year you have grown so, so much! Your face has changed and you have gotten so tall. In the place of the toddler that stood before me last year is a sweet little boy with a big, enormous heart. And though I am sad to see those signs of baby leaving you, I am thrilled to watch you grow and mature! You amaze me everyday with your sweetness and sincerity! But the absolute best is that you still kiss me in the halls at school....EVEN in front of your friends! Fleeting as this may be, I cherish every one of those moments!

About You:
Your smile is contagious. You are silly and can make us laugh all the time. You love to dance around and sing and make silly faces and in general just be a goof. You did get your feelings hurt if you are trying to be silly and it does not get the reaction you were hoping for. You draw a lot of joy from making people smile. You absolutely are obsessed with fruit snacks! We only let you have 2 packs a day. Most times you will ask for the second the moment the wrapper of the first hits the garbage. If you know it is there, it seems you can't stop thinking about it until it is gone.

You love super heroes, and video games. You are forever asking daddy to play games on his phone! You were thrilled to get your Nintendo DSi for your birthday this year and mommy is on high alert to make sure you don't play too much!

You have a very sensitive heart and you are easily reduced to tears when you feel you have disappointed yourself or us. You don't like to make mistakes or be disobedient, but in true boy fashion you don't always stop long enough to listen! This often gets you into trouble!

You and Maryn have such a sweet relationship. You argue at times, of course. But there is a clear love there between you both! I love to listen to you two when we are driving around in the car and you guys are just back there chatting or playing games and laughing.

You At School:
Kindergarten this year has been a bit bumpy! We have had many conversations with your teacher to help you through this year. We are so blessed that Mrs. Kirby is your teacher this year because she loves you with all her heart and has been so patient in guiding you to be successful. I have noticed through the process of this year that you seem to approach new things with little confidence. You don't like not knowing how to do things, so you seem distracted in class and get in trouble for not paying attention. Once you learn something, you beam with an incredible sense of pride. This tends to last for a while, but then comes the boredom. In the classroom, things are reviewed time and time again to make sure the foundations of learning are strong. But, once you know something, you are ready to move on. During reviews, you again lose interest and start to get in trouble again for not paying attention.

You began this year not being able to read or say all of your letters by sight. Now, only seven months into school, you are reading small books! You are wonderful at math and seem to have a knack for numbers!

This year in Kindergarten you have participated in soccer and basketball. During soccer, you had a great time with your friends and learning a new sport. But it was in basketball that you really excelled! We had no idea what to expect when basketball began, but when you hit that shiny floor with that ball you were incredible. You were going after the ball and shooting.....and actually SCORING!!! Many times you had us cracking up because if someone on the other team stood still long enough trying to decide what to do with the ball...you would just walk up and kindly take it out of there hands and head towards your goal! We had so much fun watching you play! You have also been taking gymnastics with Maryn this year and I believe it has really helped you get familiar with how your body moves and prompted you to build some strength and know how to use your muscles.

My Prayer for You:
Heavenly Father, I am so blessed by having Dylan in my life. I pray that you will continue to protect him and guard his heart as he gets older and more in touch with the things of this world. I pray that as he makes friends and interacts with others around him that he will be a shining light for you. I ask that you give him the confidence to be who you made him to be and the strength to share your Holy name to those who are so blessed to be a part of his life. Please keep him healthy and safe every day. Keep his heart tender and may his words and actions be focused on pleasing You above all else. Amen!

M.A.D.L.Y