Happy Brithday Matthew!

It's so hard to believe how big my boy is getting. Seriously I remember the hours and hours of labor after months of preterm labor this kid put me through before he made his grand arrival. I do love him and he is totally worth it! He is the most loving, kind, easy going kid. He tries so hard to please everyone around him. He is an AMAZING soccer player and is broken up that we will likely not be able to afford to put him on "his" team again next year. He is willing to sacrifice so much for things he loves, soccer is definitely something he sacrifices to be a part of. He is a great kid and an amazing older brother. He has had more tea parties and played barbies with his sister, had let his overly competitive brother win more games of battleship, and sits and pushes Ellie on the swing for hours if it's what she wants. He helps around the house, he helps with the yard. He is willing to do so much to help me out. I can't imagine how I'd do things without him. Plus he loves to sit and listen to books on tape with me while I drive. A boy who wants to be with his mom enough to listen to "mormon fluff" on CD is worth his weight in GOLD! I love him so much!! He has had to overcome some pretty tough struggles through his short life. He has a mom who has been on bedrest leaving him to pick up the slack more than we'd like to think. He's overcome such a long way a stuttering problem that haunted him for years. He's currently working his way through migranes and still is a solid student inspite of it all. He loves to talk to his grandparents on the phone. He just loves life and loves to show his gratitude. Did I mention yet how much I love him? For his birthday this year we wiggled our way into a joint birthday party with a friend from soccer. He loved it. He hasn't had a party in years so it was so much fun for him. I made the cake which I haven't spent that amount of time on a cake for one of my kid's birthdays---ever. But it turned out amazing and the party was a hit. Like always other pics of Matthew will follow later, but here's a few from the birthday.