7 years {Ari}

I've been putting this off mostly because I just can't believe he is 7. What do I say about my little baby who no longer needs my assistance (for pretty much anything) and goes off to school most days? *tear*

I miss him terribly when he is gone, but this time away has stretched us both in ways that have helped us grow. If you ask him how he likes school he usually says "I like recess, lunch, and gym class. But don't really like schoolwork". :) He never complains about his schoolwork though. We have seen remarkable growth in his reading and is pretty independent in that area now. He asks us all the time what (insert lots of letters that spell a large word) means. He is eager to know them all.

For his birthday I was able to bring in a birthday treat. He wanted lemon cake pops. His teacher said really great things about him and also prayed over him - something that I really appreciate about his school.

He had lunch with nanny that day. And of course he wanted a cheeseburger - his favorite! He is our least picky eater, will pretty much eat anything you put in front of him, but one of his least favorite foods is Chick-fil-a. Wha?! One thing I still appreciate about him is that when he does eat things he doesn't like, he doesn't complain. He will most likely just offer it to someone else to eat. Or if we do happen to go to Chick-fil-a, he will just ask that I bring him a sandwich from home.

We were able to celebrate after school at Monkey Joe's since we had a gift card to use. Then off to Cracker Barrel for dinner - another favorite for him!

But he was pretty tired after all the activities that day.

He is getting tall (compared to me!) My guess is that he will be my height in just a few years. However, he is still only 25% for height and weight for his age. We didn't figure we would have tall children, but hopefully he will be taller than me! :)

And yes, even though it's the end of October he still must wear shorts and no sleeves. *sigh* It's definitely been one of the hardest adjustments for him at school now that it's getting cold out. I had a talk with his teacher about not being a "bad mom" for sending him in shorts still. She was very understanding.

He wanted lemon cake for his party at home. Do you see a trend here? He loves lemon! And food!

Here are a few things that come to mind when I think of Ari at this stage:

As of now his favorite colors are yellow and camouflage.

He is squeamish when it comes to minor things like splinters.

He is the first to run and get an ice pack for the girl's boo-boo's.

He asks us all the time "what if" questions that are really random and bizarre.

He has the most contagious belly laugh.

He is very literal - if you joke with him you usually have to explain it's a joke :)

He has a sense of style of what he thinks is "awesome" - which has included his camo boots, shorts, shirt, and safari hat (I should have got a picture)

He is very particular about his hair - first thing when he wakes up he runs to the bathroom, turns on the water, and wets down his hair.

He has a very tender heart and is sensitive to things he hears and sees.

He loves to swim and towards the end of summer was really in to diving down to retrieve toys.

He still loves to save the worms - when it rains he is out there throwing all the worms back to the grass :)

He loves to race AJ in the morning when he is leaving for work - he can run 10 mph!

He is an excellent shot - I can't believe how well he does!