Happy Birthday Alexander!

This amazing young man, joined our family 10 years ago today.

Today is Alexander's tenth birthday and we are so very proud of him and the young man that he is becoming. We are enjoying watching him grow and mature. Let me share with you some of the many moments we have enjoyed.

Ten Alexander Moments:

1. His birth taught me so much about God's love for me. Becoming a parent taught me what unselfish love is all about (and how selfish I can be). Those first few hours and days of being a brand new mom to this amazing little man changed me and my world forever, and it is a change that I will cherish always.
2. One day I was working on getting a turkey into the oven and turned around to find Alex attempting to drink a bottle of vegetable oil, needless to say my kitchen floor had a nice sheen to it for awhile and his skin was oh-so-soft. (He was about 1 at the time.) He was always curious about things. (I made sure to tighten every cap from then on.)
3. Alex became a big brother at 16 months. In the hospital after his brother was born, he wasn't too sure of what to do with Jack, but his brotherly instincts kicked in quickly and he has always been such an amazing big brother to all of his siblings.
4. The time when he climbed over the crib railing, in an attempt to get out, and he ended up getting stuck. I went into the room to see him hanging on the outside of the crib, crying "I 'tuck mama, I 'tuck." (He was about 1.5 at the time.) He has always wanted to do it his way. He desired independence from an early age.
5. The day that I took him to preschool for the first time. We went through the drop off line and he got right out, no looking back. He was so excited. School has never been something that we have had to battle Alex about, he loves it.
6. Another time it the drop off line when he was talking about Jesus and we had a conversation about praying and asking Jesus into our hearts. He got very quiet for a few minutes, then he looked at me and said, "I did it mom." One of the greatest moments in my life.
7. His first day of Kindergarten and his graduation, then his first day of first grade-when he rode the bus for the first time. He looked too small but all grown up at the same time. Time has a way of moving faster than we would like.
8. Alex has played multiple sports over the years, he has played soccer, t-ball and coaches pitch, football and basketball. In each sport he is gifted and it is always fun to watch him.
9. His grades show what a smart and talented boy he is. He loves to read, in fact last summer he read the entire "Chronicles of Narnia" series in a month. He has won awards for art and math as well. He has performed and acted in a school play this past year-in which he had one of the lead parts.
10. His heart is huge. Alex showed this very specifically yesterday. As a part of his birthday party, he asked that people bring money to help feed kids in Haiti. Each meal that is provided through World Compassion Network (a local organization) costs 50 cents. When it was all said and done, he took enough money to supply meals to over 270 kids in Haiti. The look on his face when we counted up the total was priceless, it was pure joy. He knew in that moment that he had helped kids he didn't even know.

We are so blessed to be a part of Alex's life and we look forward to the next 10 years. God has big plans for this kid and we can't wait to see how he is used by God.

Happy birthday Alex!