Happy Birthday, Simeon!

Yesterday my sweet Simeon turned 3 years old.

We celebrated.

My mind wandered throughout the day about how blessed we are to have him. How I can hardly remember our life without him. He adds so much to our family.

He woke to a living room filled with balloons and puppy-seed muffins (poppyseed). His favorite.

Sim was excited for his birthday this year. And he smiled as we sang to him at bedtime the night before and gave us the biggest smile and most genuine "thanks, guys" ever. It was adorable.

He opened his presents early in the morning. A new bell for his bike and a Peyton Manning jersey and football from Matt and I. Eli picked out a Captain America mask and shield for him. He loved them all and fully enjoyed being the center of attention.

After church and nap...it was party time. He requested a "Peyton Manning party" ...which I shaped into a general sports themed party. Family and friends gathered at a park to celebrate our boy. I felt so blessed to have so many people who genuinely care about and love our family. And who genuinely love Simeon and support Matt and I as we raise him. We are blessed!

Simeon has really seemed to grow so much just in the last few months. He is his own little person with a personality that is uniquely his! He tests his boundaries often and can be stubborn...but he loves and forgives so unconditionally. He has the best laugh ever. He watches his big brother non-stop and loves to imitate him. One of my favorites is how he pretends to put down the kickstand on his bike like Eli does...even though his Strider doesn't have a kickstand. This desire has led to some sad moments where we have had to tell him no... like playing t-ball, riding rides at the carnival, and going to VBS.  He loves to run, ride his bike, play catch with any kind of ball. He is starting to really enjoy and do well at the boxed puzzles. He has shared a room with Eli for the last few months...until a few nights before his birthday. They couldn't quite master the being quiet thing, so they got separated again. But Simeon told me, "Mom, I love my new room. Because I don't know how to be quiet in Eli's room and then we can't sleep." Haha! Cracked me up. Simeon will almost always pray out loud if you ask him too and has enjoyed learning some memory verses this summer. Simeon is quite helpful and loves to "help" with laundry, bed making, plant watering, and the dishwasher. He recognizes all letters and knows most of their sounds. He can spell his name and attempts to write some letters.  He can count to around 20.  His favorite shows are Letter Factory, Numbers Ahoy, Little Bear, Cars, and Backyardigans. He is crazy attached to his blue puppy that he has slept with since the day was born and his two special blankets. He still naps. He will still occasionally let me hold him. He is scheduled to start two mornings of preschool a week in the fall.

My absolute favorite thing about Simeon is his adventurous spirit. He is brave. He loves life. He loves to explore and is usually pretty willing to just go with the flow of life and enjoy the moment he is in. It's beautiful. He and Eli can turn anything into an adventure and he is always pretty much up for anything.

He is just a big ball of joy. I can't even come close to explaining the love I have for Simeon and his big brother...and their Daddy!

As each years passes I just love these kids more and more. It's unreal.

This is sappy, I know! But being a mom does sappy things to my heart

Happy Birthday, Simmy!

We love you!