I honestly don’t even know where to begin with this one. My little guy turned 5 today, and my heart skipped a few beats in the process. At times, I catch myself thinking he is older and then others I feel like he should still be my little baby with hair that stands straight up in the back.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that he finds every way imaginable to test me and try me, but at the same time- he has a way of tugging at my heart in the most subtle and gentle ways. Funny how our little ones expose so many things about us- the good, the bad, and the ugly. We call Charlie our “old soul” because he is a deep thinker and a deep feeler. I see so much of myself in him- like the way he would rather die than stand up in front of our homeschool group and speak or the way that he gets nervous about heights or even the way it’s hard for him to voice those little words “I’m sorry.” It’s almost like there is an unspoken language between us that comes from a deep understanding of each other. He even shares my love for vegetables and healthy foods (which is nice because Olivia is a carb-aholic and Hayes is busy being the “Boss of the Pizza.”)
He loves everything Spider Man and his favorite movie at the moment is How to Train Your Dragon. He gives the sweetest kisses where he puckers his lips up, and I love that I am the only one he will even kiss on the mouth. He still thinks that my kisses heal boo-boos, and that his daddy is the strongest person on the planet. His best friend in the whole world is Olivia. He has a love for all things insect-related, and truly enjoys learning all about them. I can’t even begin to name the different types of insects that have crossed the threshold into our home… not usually to my liking…but it’s something I am learning to embrace as a boy mom.
Charlie brings more love and joy to our home than I could have ever imagined five years ago. Being his mama is a treasure that isn’t lost on me. Each day with him, even the hard ones- is something I could have never imagined even in my wildest dreams. I could not be more thankful for anything on this day than our sweet Cha-Cha (as his siblings lovingly call him).
We started his special day out with homemade pancakes topped with whipped cream, sprinkles, and chocolate syrup complete with a candle to blow out (all of this was carefully planned and carried out by Olivia). For supper, we had his favorite cake (also my favorite) a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. We were all eight gathered around the table while he blew his candles out, and then we went around and took turns telling our favorite things about our Cha-Cha. The proud look on his face and the way he listened intently to each person talk about him literally made my heart swell and tears stream down my face. When I tucked him into bed, he told me that today was his best day ever. It was definitely one of mine too.
