This is my boy, Matthew. He had a birthday last month. He is nine now. Yep, nine! He has been such a happy boy right from birth, and I can't imagine my life without him.
Nine things I love about Matthew:
1. His laugh. He has the most contagious, from the heart laugh. We recently watched some family videos from when Matthew was about 3 years old. We caught laughing fever just from the video. He has a full, open-mouthed, loud, whole body laugh. You just can't help but join him.
2. His face. He is obviously a handsome devil, but I love watching his face when he talks. His eyes tell stories even if his mouth is silent (which is rare). He has so much animation and expression that it is pure entertainment to listen to/watch him. There is no doubt how he is feeling when you look at his face.
3. His energy. Boundless, I tell you. Boundless. Matthew rarely does anything without putting his whole heart into it. His energy is infused into whatever he's doing.
4. His sense of adventure. Matthew is not always the most cautious boy, but I admire his willingness to try new things. In the last year he has learned to go off jumps on his bike, skateboard, do flips onto the trampoline from the top of the swing set (I have to close my eyes for this one sometimes), and jump off the high dive at the pool. I think Parkour (sp?) may be in his future.
5. His voice. Like his face, Matthew's voice is very expressive. I love hearing him say, "Hi, Mom!" when he runs into the house. His voice alone is like an embrace as it carries much emotion. I also love that he uses all sorts of fun words that most kids his age don't toss around very often.
6. His dancing moves. The boy can move and groove! He must have found some recessive genes and made them dominate because he is pretty awesome. Break dancing is his specialty. It is a dance form goes well with his sense of adventure and boundless energy. :)
7. His curiosity. He's always one for learning new things. He asks a lot of questions. I answer as many of them as I can. The ones I can't answer (and there are many of those), we research on the Internet or at the library. I love that he loves to read non-fiction as much as fiction. He's a smart one, my Matthew.
8. His thinker. When he slows down enough, Matthew is a thinker. He often brings up topics that I would never think that he had any knowledge of or interest in. He is also thoughtful in his thinking - often concerned about other people. How can you not love that?
9. His hugs and snuggles. I know this won't last forever, but I am so grateful that Matthew will still come snuggle up to me on the couch to read a book, to watch a movie, or to just talk. I love it when he puts his head on my shoulder and wraps my arm around him, or when he asks me to lay down by him at night and sing him a song. I'll take that as long as I can.
I love you, Matthew!
Happy Birthday, my boy!
