Happy Birthday, James!

Confession: I feel like James has been 7 years old for months. Is it his size? His expanding ability to read and reason? I can't place it, exactly, but it feels like his age is finally catching up with how old he feels to me.

James is his own man. I've written a lot about him on the blog lately. I was looking through our digital photo album for pictures to post here, and all but one of them is outside. He's at home in the outdoors. I can hardly ever get a picture of him indoors because he's moving, moving, moving.

Trying out his snorkeling gear at Clinton Lake.

Caught a fish!

Goofing off at the Urbana High School track and football field.

Conked out on our drive to Ohio.

So excited about the canal boat ride in Ohio!

James and Matthew on the boardwalk at Busey Woods.

Robert and James proud of their efforts to dig out a tree stump.

When he's not outside, or asleep, the only other time James stays still and quiet is when he's reading. He's a big fan of graphic novels right now. Lots of action, not many words.

Showing me the toad he caught in our garden.

James at his archery camp. Loved it. After the first couple sessions, he stopped losing arrows underneath the target :)

His eyes! They used to be pure blue, but now...they're not. They're not really green, either. Only a small patch of brown in them. I find myself needing to find a name for the color of his eyes. It's like OCD.

Touring in New York.

Horsing around in the Garners' hammock.

I love working in the garden with this guy. He's actually helpful, and enthusiastic about it!

He's also fond of any kind of gardening task that involves a tool. Here, he's trimming the shrubs in our front yard.

Here he is walking home from school with a friend from kindergarten.

Those eyes! What color are they?!

Here, he's listening through the emergency door at the roller skating rink. One of his siblings was at a birthday party inside. The door was warm on a cold day. The music had a really good beat.

James hopped into the van this afternoon and said with some snarky undertones, "Mom? I think you forgot something."

As if one could forget her sucking child, or 200# of apple seconds filling up the backseat of her van. It's made the whole GARAGE smell deliciously like ripe apples. I'll get to those tomorrow.

For now, though, I'll celebrate my James. And on the actual day of his birthday, we celebrated like this:

We open presents at breakfast (why make the kid wait?!). James requested doughnuts (totally not happening, dude) but he decided on cinnamon rolls when the doughnuts were denied. Robert gave him LEGO kits, Alice gave him fish food, we gave him a fish tank, and Erin gave him money for fishy accessories. This boy's gonna get a pet.

Here, he's filling his new fish tank with special reverse osmosis water. I really, really, really should have researched this whole fish-as-a-pet thing a whole lot more before agreeing to James' birthday request. It turns out, also, that the tank setup needs to circulate for a week or so BEFORE putting the fish in it. So, James got to go to the pet store, select a tank, fall in love with a fish, and then LEAVE THE FISH THERE for a week. Bad mom moment. I did give him the choice, though. He could take the fish home today, but the store wouldn't guarantee its survival. If we waited a week and brought a sample from the tank, they would test it and see if it was safe for the fish. Then they would guarantee the fish for a while. He was almost in tears, and it took an awful lot of self-control, but he delayed gratification for one week to give the fish a better chance of survival. And he's been counting down the days ever since! Tomorrow, we get the fish.

James initially wanted a double chocolate ninja cake. Then, when it came time to decorate it, he went for "a meadow with a diamond in the middle of it". I love having my kids create their own birthday cakes. Matthew was so impressed, he wants a "corn field" cake for his birthday coming up...yellow sprinkles instead of green.

Happy birthday, James! You've grown up a LOT this year. You're capable of so much more than you ever imagined, and I think you're just starting to realize it. I'm so happy for you! So happy to have you in our family. You bridge the gap just right...able to play with Robert or Matthew, able to work independently and still come in for a snuggle or reassurance, capable of creating enormous plans and gleaning just enough know-how to get started. You make us laugh with your mischievous, dry wit. You frustrate us to tears with your cool, toe-the-line antics that don't quite break the rules but fly directly in the face of them. You serenade us with songs you invent in the moment. Life is so good with you in it, James. I wouldn't want it any other way.