Van's 7th Battleship Birthday!

WOW. Seven years old? Seriously-- how did this happen?!?

Every single day gets better and better. Blog posts are becoming more important to keep up with  because one of our new favorite traditions is reading through past birthdays (which were admittedly more thoughtful and planned) and the kids and I enjoy seeing just how much they have changed over the years.

Van had his first sleepover party last weekend with a few of his soccer buds and they spent the entire evening jamming out to Hall & Oates, Eric Clapton...putting together his giant First Order Transporter lego set... playing light sabers...eating an entire pizza...watching Ice Age...and that pretty much sums up his favorite things at the moment. He has really gotten into soccer this year and plays so hard! He has made the cutest and sweetest friends here and I love that he's found a good crew to play with.

Listening to Van's prayers is a neat way to see what is on his mind and what he really cares about, which are the sweetest and kindest thoughts. He recently moved to St. Mark Catholic school which incorporates prayer into the classroom.  I used to have mixed feelings about mixing church and school, but its a good fit for Van. He has enjoyed learning more about religion and between Sunday school and cub scout meetings I'd have to say I am pretty proud of the confident and thoughtful little guy he is turning out to be. Watching him experience and adapt to all of these new circumstances has literally made me feel like my heart is permanently outside of my body-- wanting to be so many places at the same time so that I can always be with him and helping and guiding him. I know the older he gets, the more this is going to sting.

Ever since we moved to Wilmington, Van has been intrigued by the battleship. He loved touring it over the summer and when he found out he could have his birthday there, it was a done deal. Since then we have checked out battleship books from the library and watched countless YouTube videos about the history of the battleship. Happy 7 years sweet Van!! I love you!!