Happy Birthday #2!

 This kid has my heart!  I mean, absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, has had my heart from day one.  I'm sure a lot of it is because he is just like me....we call him my mini-me.  He has a competitive side that gets unbelievably out of control at times.  He's friends with all kinds of people and doesn't care what they look like, where they come from or how much money they have.  He's going to tell you like it is whether you like it or not....but that's after he listens to you.  There are times that he doesn't think before he speaks, but he will apologize when that happens....sometimes later than sooner, but he will.


#2 has taught me that sports can actually be a part of life and that through all of the schedules, games, wins, loses, it all matters to him and he will want to play again.

He's taught me the real definition of bad odor when it comes to after he's had a sports practice or what his clothes smell like after a game.  He's taught me that stains are gonna happen in football gear and I'm just gonna have to clean it the best I can and be proud when he adds another stain cuz "you know I'm playin' hard if I'm dirty".

He's taught me to be loud....okay, maybe I taught that to him!  #2 has two volumes:  loud and asleep.  I can pick his voice out of a crowd, but then I also hear him cheering on his team with that loud voice and it brings a smile to my face.








He's taught me that dancing in public is fine and it doesn't matter what others think....maybe I taught him that too.  He's dances all the time...praise the Lord the kid has rhythm!

#2 has taught me that even though I fight and fight hard for the arts, sports are important too and it shouldn't be a battle against each other, but with each other.  I've learned that sports are important and that if I can teach him a little bit of music, he can use that to chant on his team or sing his brother to sleep when they're sick.

In his tough exterior is a very soft and mushy interior.  He loves others and when he gets his feelings hurt, he will wait until he comes home to cry....and at that point he snuggles up with Mommy and lets it all out.  He can't stand for people to be bullied and doesn't have a problem telling someone to stop picking on another.

He loves Jesus and, even thought he doesn't yell it to the world, he prays for people all the time.  He will come home with stories and say that we need to pray for them and their situation.

He's a smart little guy and doesn't care a thing about it.  He rushes through homework so he can play ball.  He hates to study, but does well.  He's been told that he's extremely bright and he just shrugs his shoulders and asks if he can play outside.  But he does know that in order to play ball, he has to do well in school....or at least do his best.

#2 loves his brothers and has stuck up for them in many way throughout his life.  He told a guy to quit talking to #3 when he was wearing a cape when we were shopping one day.  He kicked a guy one time who was trying to talk to #1 and the guy put his hand on #1's shoulder and squeezed it.  He will do anything for his brothers and won't tolerate anybody messing with them.

#2 sings to me when I'm not feeling well and asks me to sing to him when he's sick.  He loves to snuggle....though he'd never tell his friends that....and he loves to sit and watch the cooking channel with me.

When the #s are arguing, most of the time, #2 will be the one to walk away or try to fix the situation.  That's not all the time, but most of the time.

#2 is a messy kid....one that gets all into games and food.  He loves his food.  I'm thinking that's why he loves watching the cooking channel with me.  He talks about my nachos and Hubby's cheese dip.  He loves to help bake.  He also thinks about others when it comes to food.  There was a time when he found out that one of his friends couldn't have cookies when celebrating his birthday so he changed the entire snack to fresh fruit...he didn't want to have his friend feel left out.

#2 taught me patience.  We waited four years for this bundle of joy.  We tried for three years to have this kiddo.  I took fertility medicine for a year and then got off cuz it made me crazy (we had done this with #1 too).  I was devastated that we were going through infertility....again.  What was wrong with me?  The ups and downs were awful.....they were emotional....they were physically exhausting.  And know when we found out we were pregnant?  When our insurance was cut at a job.  There was just so many ups and downs during this pregnancy....and a down was when we found out that there was a possible heart valve issue.  I mean, there were tears....lots and lots of tears.  I loved this child before I met him, yet I knew that this kid was gonna rock my world with things I just didn't know.

I'll never forget the night before my c-section.  Hubby and I went to a hotel in Nashville so that we didn't have to leave Kentucky early that morning.  So we had a date night.  I was craving cheese fries.  So we ate and walked around and then all night I was miserable.....
Hubby:  Are you sure you're okay?
Me:  No.  I think those cheese fries gave me gas.
.....I took a bath and finally relaxed enough to get a few hours of sleep....between waking up to pee and complaining of a tummy ache.

The next morning, we headed to the hospital and they hooked me up to the monitors....
Nurse:  Honey....are you hurting?
Me:  Well, I had cheese fries and I think I have gas.
Nurse:  No honey.....those are called contractions and they are two minutes apart.  We gotta rush that c-section!
.....and we did....and #2 has been a kid that has come in like a bull in a china shop ever since!

So....happy birthday #2!  Thanks for a fabulous entrance into this world and lessons in sports!  We absolutely love you in our life by numbers!