nine.

yesterday josh turned nine.
i am having a hard time wrapping my head around that.
he has grown so much this year--physically (probably a good five inches) and mentally (he acts more like a teenager now and it's scary.)

he likes to test anna's patience.
he likes to wrestle with ben.
he loves to play.
he does not like school work.
he hates to make his bed.
he especially hates to put away his clothes. ( i hate doing that too)

he loves candy and ice cream and popcorn.
he loves all kinds of fruit.
he loves chicken and ribs and bbq.
he does not like mashed potatos.
he hates green beans.
he especially hates broccoli.

he wanted lots of halo guys for his birthday.
and the new halo video game--that's rated T for teen (i apparently was overruled by dad on this subject).
you should have seen the smiles and cheers when he opened his gifts.

anna gave him a fancy homemade card with $1 in it from her own piggy bank.
that was very sweet.
even josh thought so and told her that. after he told her she misspelled "great" on his card.

we enjoyed a small family party with pizza, cake and ice cream.
we may be a small bunch but we are loud!
in the middle of everything josh slipped away to the bathroom for a little quiet time to read the case of his new game. :)

i love this kid more than life.
he made me a mommy. he changed my heart forever without even knowing it.
he is a special, sweet boy.
and now he is nine years old.
boo hoo. i need some tissues.