Happy 4th Birthday Macadoodle!

Happy 4th Birthday Big Guy! Wow! It has only been a year but you have grown so much in that amount of time. You have gone from the little boy that only Mommy could understand to the family chatterbox. You always have something to say and usually it is quite entertaining. Sometimes you appreciate the laugh, other times you get your feelings hurt. Thankfully, you don’t stay mad long. You are quick to forgive. When we tell people we have four boys, they look tired just processing the idea. At first, I had trouble understanding why. Life with you kids isn’t too bad. Lately though, I have come to realize that they are envisioning a life of four Macs and that would be tiring. I say that not to be rude but because life would be tough with more than one of you. You are sweet. You are loud. You are fun. You are slightly crazy! You are really brave! All of that packed into one little body is an awesome gift. Four of those gifts, would be a lot to keep up with. One Mac though, is incredible! This past year, you began playing soccer and you could hardly wait for each practice and game. You are aggressive and competitive. You want to be big like your brothers. You wanted a trophy! Your dad coached your team and that made the experience all the more amazing for you. You are starting t-ball this week! I can’t wait to see you take on this challenge. You have never played before, and we haven’t really talked about it. But, I have no doubt that you will love it and pick it up quickly! Preschool was a big part of your life this year. You were in the older two year-olds class because I was too chicken to begin potty training you. Thankfully, you loved your class and the potty training thing worked itself out. You are no longer in diapers!!! About this time last year, you found your dad’s beard trimmer. You made a nice little line down the center of the front of your head. There was no way to repair it so we had to just get it all shaved off. This was the day before we left for Disney World. We all joked that you kind of looked like a Make-A-Wish Foundation kid at the park. Too bad we didn’t get preferential treatment. Right now, you love guns of any kind and cars of all sorts. For your birthday, you just wanted Hot Wheels, Hot Wheels, and more Hot Wheels. So, you got Hot Wheels. You had a bounce house/water slide for your party and invited several of the neighbor kids. It was a big day, all about you. You do not shy away from the spotlight. You just soak it all in! Mac, as I mentioned, so many people think that four kiddos is too many. But for us, we cannot imagine not having our #4. You are the definition of FUN! You have such a joy about you. So often, you are excited about things we simply overlook. You find enthusiasm for often the mundane. I love that about you. You remind us how really blessed we are. Each day, we are given so many opportunities that we just don’t see but you do. I hope this quality stays with you forever. Of course you have your tough moments. You can get as mad or sad as you get happy and excited. Those are not great moments but often they make us giggle. You do most things in life with energy and that is awesome. You are my “snuggle buggle”. My heart melts when you say, “I wub you”. It makes me laugh when you say, “Grab me this” or “What the quwap?” You make me laugh. All the extra work and mental energy you require is SO worth it. You are such a special piece to our family puzzle. How different our picture would be without you. Thank you for being the light in our house every day. Thank you for being my Macadoodle, Mac, or MacArfur. (These are the only names we are allowed to call you, per your instructions.) I love you Macadoodle. I am so proud to be your mommy. Happy Birthday Mac!

Happy Belated 6th Birthday Isaac!

Happy Birthday big guy!!! As usual, I am late in writing this but as long as you are still 6 years-old, I think that it still counts:) This past year has been an great one. You started Kindergarten and you were very excited about it. You love and look up to your two big brothers. I think starting school gave you a hope that you would someday be as big, smart, and cool as they are. Little did you know that you were already awesome and smart before school began.:) But I guess hearing that from people other than your mother probably carries some extra weight. So, school has been a great boost for you. Your teacher's name is Mrs. Mauldin. You played soccer this year and love it. You also are playing basketball. Your coach, Coach Ollie, coaches both of your teams. The basketball team is new so you boys are still finding out what the game is all about but you don't seem to get too down about it. You are enjoying the learning process and you love defense! Whether it is basketball or soccer, you always favor defense. You are quick and aggressive but not a ball hog which makes you a pretty good teammate. You are fun, have a good attitude, and play hard. Your coach likes all of that so you get a lot of playing time. You also began piano lessons this year. You love music so I think you are going to really like learning how to make your own. You enjoy listening and singing in the car, on your iPad, watching videos, etc.. Some of your favorite songs are "Carry Me" by Jars of Clay and "Pompeii" by Bastille. Your dad and I hope that the piano lessons just further your love of music. You are a smart kiddo with good rhythm so I bet you will pick it up quickly. Over the past year, you sure have grown up, Ike. Until recently, I thought you were kind of a stubborn kid with a not-so-awesome attitude about most things. Little did I know how much you would change. You actually have become one of the more agreeable kids in our household. You are open to new activities, new foods, and new experiences. You have a good attitude about most stuff. You are even beginning to enjoy your younger brother. Mac things you are amazing and his celebration of all things Isaac can be a bit tiring. But for the most part, you seem to take him in stride. You make his day when you ask him to play with you. You still play with Sam a great deal too though. At times even, I think Sam gets a bit envious of your new friendship with Mac:). I love the fact that you boys are ALL good friends. You all play together so well and really include each other. That does this mama's heart good. I mentioned that you have always been a bit more stubborn than some of the other boys. Although you have matured a great deal over the past year, that stubbornness has not gone away completely. You have kind of tweaked it to look more like determination:). Any goal or task you set out to accomplish or complete, you stick at it until you get it. You a determined little boy. It is how you have learned to read, swim, ride a bike, even color better. You just keep doing it until you have mastered it. At times this can be tiresome, especially for the mom who has to chase you back and forth down the street helping you get the bike going, but this quality is teaching you so many new skill and it will serve you well throughout your life. Isaac, I am so proud of you and the boy you are becoming. You love to snuggle, and I love that too. You are quick-witted, deep-thinking, and really quite interesting. Thank you for making my job more fantastic, more challenging, and more entertaining. I love you buddy! Happy Birthday!!!!!