Nine

Today is Jack's ninth birthday (NINE!!!!) I swear, he was just born yesterday.

I sometimes look at this tall, handsome boy and wonder who the heck he is, and what he did with my little baby!

Jack has grown by leaps and bounds this last year. Not only physically, but emotionally as well. While I miss the cute baby Jack, it is so fun to see him maturing and changing and growing into an amazing young man!

This kid can build a Lego kit like nobody's business. He has the attention span to sit and focus for hours, and follow directions to a tee. It's incredible.

I'm fairly certain Jack is part fish. He is as comfortable in the water as he is on land. We arrived at Joyce's about 8pm on Tuesday night. By 8:01, he was in his suit and in the water!

He's an incredible swimmer. His swim team nickname is "The King". Butterfly is his best stroke, and he makes it look so effortless.

For years, Jack was an incredibly picky eater. He wouldn't eat any "mixed" foods (like soups or casseroles), and didn't want any of his food touching. He's discovered in the last few months that new foods can be yummy, and is game for trying almost anything. In recent months, he's tried sushi, smoked shark, chow mein, edamame, and more. His appetite is becoming voracious, and I can only imagine what it will be like in another few years!

He's super brave. With Steve traveling a few days a week, Jack has taken on the role of "man of the house" when Steve is gone. This includes emptying the rat traps around our house, which he does without a single complaint.

To celebrate his birthday, we went to Knott's Berry Farm with Joyce and our niece Courtney.

Jack's personality is really coming out. He can be witty, hilarious, and charming, all at the same time.

We convinced him to go on the roller coaster Ghostrider right off the bat.

He was sitting two cars ahead of me with Steve. As the ride was clicking up, climbing up the first big ascent, I had a near panic attack—what were we thinking taking our baby on this terrifying, rickety, ride? I just knew he would go flying out of the car, and I wanted to scream to Steve to hold on to him tight! Thankfully, we all made it out alive and intact. When I asked Jack how it was, his response was "It was okay. I was kind of scared." Kind of scared, my foot...I was terrified!!!

The rest of the day, he was perfectly content to sit back and wait for us "big people" to ride the crazies, or ride the rides in "Camp Snoopy".

As we were leaving, Jack told me "This was the best 9th birthday ever!"

We came home, he jumped in the pool (big surprise), we had leftovers for dinner, and finished off the evening with cake and ice cream. And Lego building.

I am so blessed to be this boy's mom . . . I know he's got great things ahead of him, and I can't wait to see what is in store.

Happy Birthday Jack—we love you straight to the moon and back!