birth (story || pictures) || 1st Birthday || big TWO || Three || 4 || One Whole Hand
To Jackson Dean,
Six. That curious age where suddenly it requires two hands to show someone your age. The age where suddenly you aren’t grasping that chubby little five and you seem to have grown into a little man overnight.
Oh how boring our life was six years ago before you arrived. You are the brother for Charlie that we always imagined. You are sweet, kind, and loving – even amidst your firecracker ways.
You tell me often that I’m “awfully cute,” “utterly adorable,” and your sweet little darling. And it warms me through and through. You hold the doors open for everyone you meet and you are turning into a gentleman before my very eyes. Chivalry will not be dead with you (despite my early concerns that you would be a love ’em and leave ’em heartbreaker) – so glad to be proved wrong thus far.
You are curious and inquisitive and pick up on things faster than I imagined. You ask lots of questions, claim to have lots of answers, and sometimes, you are two steps ahead of us – which is both delightful and maddening.
You love to build and create things – you are an engineer at heart – and love to learn how things work. You love your share of video games – you get aggravated when you cannot beat them or when you can’t quite figure out how to get past a certain move or level.
You have not wavered in your desire to be a fireman. You are courageous and kind-hearted and you have not stopped clutching to the idea that this is your future. It is admirable and inspiring.
You recently declared that hockey will be your sport. I am both terrified and in awe as your daddy is utterly delighted. I am committing your facial features to memory just in case they look different in the years to come thanks to the rink. You vowed to stay committed unless you “get injured very badly and then bleed lots” and I’m not sure you know what’s coming.
You are my snuggle bug and love to be cuddled. You frequently try to negotiate time out of your bed by saying that you “just want to snuggle,” but then proceed to fall asleep. You learned to ride a two-wheeler at FIVE and I am so excited to see what SIX brings you.
You are one of our greatest joys. You bring so much light, love, and laughter and it reminds us just how much we are blessed. You were so loved, so wanted, and we cannot possibly imagine this life without you.
On your 6th birthday, Jackie Dean, we hope this is your greatest year yet. WE LOVE YOU!
Love,
Mommy
He is the stinkin’ cutest! Happy birthday, Jack!
Jack is six going on thirty. A while ago we were watching something on the television when a commercial came on. He informed me that “Nationwide is not on your side.” Mind you, the commercial that was playing at the time wasn’t even for Nationwide Insurance. He wanted to let me know that Nationwide was just trying to get people to purchase their product. Cynical? Perhaps, but I think it was something much more. I pictured Jack having had a prior conversation with his father about advertising. I assumed that Jim had told him how advertising works and whether or not the product is good, Jack figured out that all advertising is a ploy. Jack has a brilliant mind for a small child. He is able to figure things out beyond the normal concrete thought processes of children his age. He is an abstract thinker and he reminds me of a little boy long ago and far away. That little boy was about four years old when he asked me if Santa Claus really existed. I had never said that the jolly old elf did or did not exist. I personally love Santa Claus to the point that I have a Santa Claus collection. I always took our children to the mall to be photographed with Santa Claus. I don’t think I ever gave them gifts that were designated from Santa though. Getting back to four year old Jim’s question, I asked him what he thought. He just looked at me seriously and said that Santa Claus wasn’t real. After all, we didn’t have a fireplace. That was the end of the conversation. Jack is his Daddy in so many ways that it warms my heart. He looks like him, he acts like him, he even sounds like his father did when he was a child. I’m not discounting his Mommy’s influence on him at all, but this Grandma is enjoying a chance to see it all over again, without all of the distractions. I love you Jackie Dean. Enjoy experiencing the life that God has given you. I know you will always have a million questions and that’s a good thing.