6 Years Old Today

E was born in the warmth and comfort of our own bed- coming so quickly that the midwife almost missed it. Compared to our little girl, he seemed so manly. Little biceps, barrel chest and a shock of dark red hair.

 While his first year was filled with tears, frustration, reflux pain and sleeplessness, we all managed to muddle through it and rejoiced in the addition of our bright-eyed, strong willed boy. 

 I call him my little '50s boy. He's frogs and snails and puppy dog tails, rocks and trains, dinosaurs and planes. He scowls as often as he smiles. 

He can be stubborn and infuriating, but when that facade cracks, you see that he's all tender marshmallow beneath. He loves to proclaim, "I'm not scared of ANYTHING... except the dark." He wakes up his little brother in the morning so he won't have to go downstairs alone, and when he has a bad dream, he crawls into bed with me in the middle of the night.

 He takes his role as big brother quite seriously, and provides a good example. He's earnest and loving and constantly striving to do what's right. 

Happy Birthday, E. Those 6 years flew by far too fast. :)


{last image by Jared Platt}