Seriously?! JACK is SEVEN!

My Jack is now 7 years old!  Well, as of May 24 at 8:29 am....but who keeps track?!  Jack is my JOY.  He spreads light wherever he goes.  He has the best giggle, and loves to make others laugh.  He has a BIG personality and has no fear....he rode Disney's Tower of Terror at age 5, tackled swim team at the age of 5 with never having had a lesson, traveled to China for 3 weeks at 5 1/2, snow skied down his first black diamond at the age of six, and has pretty gracefully relinquished his spot as "youngest" of our family to his sister.  He will enter second grade next year, and remains the asker of all things one can question.  "What is the biggest living thing?" (and he knows the right answer so do not try to say "whale" just to pacify him!).  "how exactly does God know what we are thinking?"  "what is 800+69+762+34+99 equal....you have 5 seconds to answer." "how does electricity come into our house?  why can we not drink water from a stream? what is giardia?"  He is curious, and loves "funky" foods like Indian food, coffee gelato, and Whole Foods fried tofu.  Jack has grown so much over the last year...I love watching him mature into an amazing, caring, tough, no nonsense boy!

The last year in pictures....(my favorite part...I love looking back!) oh, and please note, it is challenging to find a lot of pictures with JUST Jack.  Part of his JOY is that he draws others in....especially Florie who desperately wants all things JACK!

Happy Birthday age 6

One of his favs....chocolate mocha cake

But SIX candles make a LOT of smelly smoke!

Jack keeps Florie entertained

Way more than he has to!

Ready for a swim meet

Taking on the world one hike at a time

Bwaaahaaaahaaaa!

Jack loves water

and winning medals!

and being himself....fingernails and all!

He could boogie board ALL DAY LONG

Unless there is a better option!

Putt putt, anyone?

He is William's most eager helper...and oh does he LOVE his Daddy!

and bubble baths

and I often find little "surprises" on my photo booth

He loves animals and learning about them

First day of first grade

Go home Mom! I am so fine!

All in for crazy hair day...

Master creative Lego builder...he spends hours taking all of the thousands of Lego pieces we have and creates new ships

He lost his first tooth this year

Ready to pounce as his sister poses yet again

Jack's design for our Home Halloween party

Jack runs so quickly that I can barely catch him...

and could fish ALL DAY!

Making a pumpkin with a silly face like he makes. Jack has more facial expressions that anyone I know!

even when he wears a mask!

Jack thinks...about things most adults never even take time to consider

He can break out of jail too.

Jack keeps us entertained at the table

and is the BEST snuggler!

He is a sucker for cake pops

and wants to be a doctor when he grows up.  And ladies, did I mention....he wants ELEVEN kids?  6 biological and 5 adopted?  He will also have a limo to drive his family in.

A boy has to eat with plans like those!

My handsome lunch date

willing to play as others wish to play

and read to the family

kick butt at soccer

help in the yard

and rock the house for the USA soccer game!

He ran the kids' marathon this year

and loved watching the baby frogs and turtles on his field trip

and cannot wait to compete on Ninja Warrior when he is older

and brings the JOY out in me!

There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go."

Frederick Wm. Faber

           Joy is the feeling of grinning on the inside.

                                    Dr. Melba Colgrove

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Philemon 1:7

 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK!