Ode to an 8 year old boy

There is a boy with a smile that bursts from his face.

There is a boy whose laugh is more contagious than germs on a door handle.

There is a boy whose hands beat to the same rhythm of his exuberant steps.

There is a boy whose feet spend more time off the ground than on.

There is a boy who lives to the tempo of the music he loves to hear and make.

There is a boy who would always choose a companion over being alone.

There is a boy who looks ready to burst if holding onto a secret.

There is a boy whose thoughts are always begging to be shared.

There is a boy who experiences emotions similar to the roller coasters he loves to ride.

There is a boy whose eyelashes already draw the admiration of ladies, young and old.

There is a boy who I might still be calling "completely adorable" when he is 50 and greying.

There is a boy......

...who stole my heart 8 years ago, after a shockingly "fast and furious" labor and with the belting out of his welcome speech to the world. He blazed his way right into the depths of the heart-places that mysteriously grow when another child is born into your family. He has, since that moment, been firmly settled there. In fact, his presence has changed the landscape and chemistry of our entire family and we are all so grateful for his LIFE, lived effervescently before us every day of the year.

There is a boy whose name is Gavin Nathaniel Stacey and I am so blessed to call him my son.

Today I am grateful for all the things that are unique to this boy and the way his eager heart has embraced this Mama just as I am, flaws and all. I am so excited for what God has in store for him in the next 8 years and beyond!

Happy Birthday to our Gavinator! I love you to the moon and back!