Eight years ago today,  after a scary labor and delivery, we were blessed with our third beautiful boy.  In honor of his eight years, here are eight things (in no particular order) that I just adore about Everett:

1.  His laugh.  You know how some kids just naturally have a deep, soulful, belly laugh that just sort of bubbles out of them?  The kind that when you hear it, you can’t help but feel happy yourself?  That’s Everett.

2.  His enthusiasm for trying new things.  He loves, I mean he loves, to try new things.   New sports, new hobbies, new field trips, new people, new places.  Sign him up.  He’s currently our busiest kid, between guitar lessons, Cub Scouts, gymnastics, basketball… and all the other things he’s teaching himself in between.

3.  His personal style.   Pink mohawk.  Purple mohawk.  Green mohawk.  Bleached mohawk.  He rocks them all, with more confidence than most adults I know.

4.  His loyalty to his friends.  He’s had the same best friend for years, and if it were legal for 8 year old boys to marry, I’m pretty sure there would have been a wedding by now.  It doesn’t stop him from making other friends though, and once you’ve befriended him (which is not a hard thing to do) you’ve a friend for life.

5.  His adaptability.  Changes in plans never rattle him.  He has the ability to flow with the circumstances better than just about anyone else I know.  When we go to a Friday park day, and I don’t see someone I know well, I panic a little inside.  Not Everett.  He happily runs off with whatever kids happen to be there.  If he doesn’t know them?  No problem.  He makes new friends.

6.  His positive attitude.  He went an entire season and a half playing basketball without making a basket during a game.   Not once did it get him down.  When the subject came up, he was undeterred, simply saying, “As long as I keep throwing it up there, eventually it’ll go in!”  And it did.  This season, he’s scored several times.

7.  His freckles.  Yeah, I know it’s superficial, but I’m in love with his freckles.  He gets so many comments on his eyes (and he really does have absolutely beautiful blue eyes) but it’s that smattering of freckles that does me in.

8.  His love of magic.  Not just the David Copperfield type of magic – though he loves that too, currently more than ever – but the magic of LIFE.  At eight, he’s still so full of wonder,  so appreciative of dreams and mystery and miracles and beauty.  I don’t just love that about him, I admire it.  It’s something so many of us could learn from!

Happy Birthday sweet Everett.   You are AWESOME, and I am so proud to be able to call you my son.