Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Tomorrow Matthew will be 10 years old! I'm not sure quite how this happened...I blinked...and now he's turning 10. He joined our little family in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday January 19. The minute the doctor handed him to me, I knew my life would never be the same. Matt was a sweet and mellow baby. He smiled easily and was a snuggler.

As a toddler, he was strong willed and independent, but we could usually reason and cooperate with him. Maybe as a result of that, he has been a wheeler and a dealer from a very young age. It was pretty funny to have this little kid trying to strike up a deal about just about anything. There was a time when we worried a little about the future of that little guy. He got a "Little Tykes" grocery cart for Christmas right before he turned one. He loved that blasted cart! We took many long walks collecting rocks, sticks, and leaves in his cart. If there was anything that we couldn't find (keys, mail,etc.), we'd know that the first place to check was Matthew's grocery cart. We kinda feared that he was headed toward a life full of ambitions of becoming a homeless man, but can happily report that his obsession did wane with time. :)

The month after Matt turned 5, he was diagnosed with a blood disorder. It was a frightening time for our family and lasted just over a year - after about 15 months it corrected itself. During that time, our Matthew proved to be such a strong and brave little boy. He was young and doesn't remember all the details, but I hope that he never forgets what he went through, and how courageous he was.

People who know Matthew sometimes wonder how he became such an entrepreneur. The answer: 'don't have any idea. The boy came to this world with a fascination for math, money, and numbers. He went into Kindergarten able to count from 1 to 100 backward and forward. He could count by 5's, 10's, and 20's. Sure the teacher was impressed until she learned that it was because he loved to count money. I mentioned before that he has like 6 different versions of Monopoly - and I wasn't exaggerating. He adores that game! Again, 'don't quite know where that came from as neither of his parents particularly like the game.

Matthew is just a great kid. He's kind, thoughtful, and generous. He is a good friend and genuinely cares about others and their feelings. He is talented and a wonderful student. We often have adults that come in contact with Matt (teachers, leaders, friends' parents) compliment us on what a good kid he is. I do have to admit, that he is just like any other kid and acts better for other people than his own folks, but truly, Matthew is just a wonderful son. He is a fantastic big brother - his sisters adore him and think that the very sun rises and sets on his shoulders.

Matthew, we love you so much!! We are so proud of you and are so grateful to be your parents. Happy Birthday, Buddy!