Noah ~ 7 Years

This boy is pretty special!  I am thankful each and every day that he is mine...I love his SO much!  He was totally meant to be my first born, and I love all of the great {and crazy} experiences that we have had together.  Sometimes I feel like Noah is my little guinea pig...all of the *firsts* that I have are usually with him.  We are also so much alike that we butt heads sometimes, but we also get each other so well because we are so much alike!  At SEVEN years old, Noah...

...is oh, so very smart.  I am amazed each and every day at how this boys brain works.  He does SO good in school and doesn't have a subject that he really struggles in.  He loves to learn and is constantly asking Doug and I very complicated questions about this and that.  I love how he loves to learn, and is very genuine in learning about the word around him.  It is so important to him to gain knowledge about the things around him...it's so great!

...is so good at math!  He just gets math so well, which I am very thankful for.  All of his math homework from this past year has been so easy for him, so we have had to come up with other homework to help him learn more and to challenge him a bit.  Doug even printed out a multiplication table and he has started to learn from it.  We didn't really have to explain it to him...he just gets it.  Math was SO hard for me, so I am so thankful that he loves it.  

...loves to read.  He is beginning to realize the importance of reading and has become more interested in doing it lately.  I'm really trying to make sure he keeps reading every day this summer so that he keeps up on it.  Reading books has always been a big thing in our home, so hopefully this isn't too hard.  Thankfully he enjoys it :).  His favorite is reading books to Isaac and Leah, which is one of the cutest things ever!  Love walking in and watching them all curled up together with Noah reading.  He's a sweetie.

...is such a great helper to me.  He is good to help me with chores, folding clothes, vacuuming, doing the dishwasher, etc...  If he sees me doing something around the house, he is always there to help me out.  I think he is finally realizing that I have things that I *have* to do, and that the sooner I get it done, the sooner I can do something with him.  I don't mind the help one bit!

...is very reliable and can be trusted with watching his younger siblings.  It's nice that he is getting a little older, and with that comes more responsibility.  He is so good at watching over Kate for a few minutes while I run and get the mail, etc...  He gets very focused on the task at hand and is so good with keeping her happy and safe.  I obviously don't leave him in charge, but for short times, he's great at helping out :).

...is such a great little sleeper.  He goes to bed without a fight, and stays in bed all night.  Well, mostly all night.  He still has his moments when he comes into our room, but I don't really mind cause it doesn't happen too often. 

...is an early riser.  Oh boy, this kid wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning!  I wish he would sleep in a bit longer, but he doesn't.  The moment he wakes up, he's up for the day.  Good thing he likes to lay low and watch cartoons...

...loves to ride his bike around.  Being outside on his bike is by far his favorite thing to do.  I'm glad he likes it so much, since we have been going on bike rides every day this summer.  Being out and about is what he lives for.

...loves sports!  He especially loves soccer and basketball.  I usually catch him outside everyday shooting hoops, and he's getting good.  He finally understands the game and loves to play with some of the boys in the neighborhood.  He also loves to kick the ball around...good thing his little bro is obsessed with soccer.  It's adorable watching them play in the backyard.  Doug is definitely a proud daddy to have his boys so interested in sports.

...is such a lovable little guy.  He is constantly showering me with hugs and telling me that he loves me.  Melts my heart every time!

...knows what he wants!  There are certain times when it's hard for him and Leah to play together because he definitely likes things to go the way that he has planned.  When Leah, or Isaac, mess around with those plans, he kind of falls apart.  He is just such a structured little guy and he has a plan for how he wants things to go.  He is starting to realize that plans can be changed, but it's still hard.  At least he's past the tantrum phase and it's easier to talk to him about stuff.  He's usually good at accommodating everyone once he sits and thinks about a certain situation.  Thank goodness for getting older and thinking things through :).

...is becoming so much more social!  When he was younger, I tended to answer people for him, instead of letting him do it himself.  Yes, that was one of those guinea pig moments, and I realized after some time that he needs to do it himself.  I sometimes blame myself for his shyness, but after some work on both my part and his, he has become so much more social.  If we go somewhere and we need to go and ask a question, he is usually not afraid to do it himself.  He is more than willing to go and ask for a refill at a restaurant, or pay for an item at the store with his own money.  He's good at saying please and thank you, even though he is very quiet about it.  We're still working on it, but he's getting better.

...is becoming very independent.  He enjoys doing things on his own and isn't completely reliant on me to get stuff done.  When I ask him to clean up his room, he will usually do it without complaining, and he will do a good job too!  After much time teaching him how to make his bed and straighten up his room, he can now do it all on his own.  Makes me so proud!  

...has the cutest freckles!  He definitely got his freckles from his daddy, and they have really started to show this past year.  I love them so much!  He's the only one of the kiddos with freckles...so cute!

...is the best eater ever!  He is not picky at all when it comes to food.  And he is starting to eat us out of house and home...he eats so much lately!  I'm sure this is just a taste of what is yet to come!

...has only lost 2 teeth.  He lost his bottom teeth at the end of last summer, and he has been longing for this others to fall out.  His top teeth are a little loose, but they don't seem to want to come out any time soon.  He is VERY anxious to have them fall out...hopefully it will happen sooner than later :).

...is really tight with Doug and I.  There was a time when he was about 5 years old that I was having such a hard time with him.  I would constantly tell him what not to do...again, this was a time of learning for me.  Anyway, I have learned that using the word "no" is something that I try not to say with the kids.  They don't want to hear it, and, honestly, neither do I.  I have noticed that once I started focusing more on the positive things going on, our relationship was totally strengthened.  He trusts Doug and I so much and our relationship with him is so strong right now.  Maybe it's him growing up...  whatever it is, I love it.  He knows how much we love him, and I'm glad that he knows this.  He treasures time with us as much as we do with him!  I'm beyond thankful for this sweet boy and for all of the love that he shares.  Being close with my kids is SO important, and Doug and I are always trying to have that one on one time with each of them.  I honestly think that Noah thrives for this time with us, and we are happy to give it to him.

My Noey is oh so very special to me.  Like I said, we are so much alike, and he and I have a very special bond.  We rely a lot on each other, and I think we're both ok with that.  I'm still in awe that he has been in my life for seven years...such a short amount of time, but it seems like he's been here forever.  I can't imagine my life without him.