Happy 8th Birthday, James Michael!

 Dear James,

I can't believe it's time for me to sit down and write you your birthday letter again. Sometimes the days feel long, but the year always flies by. I am actually writing this the night before your birthday. 8 years ago tonight, I went to bed and had no idea that I would wake up at 4am and be welcoming you into the world just 4 hours later! That's you though. You've always done your own thing, even when it drives me crazy.

I hope that 7 has been a good year for you. You have had your ups and downs, but you know what? That will never change. No matter how old you get, there will be good times and bad each and every year. You are definitely my stubborn child, and it's been the year of getting your Kindle taken away over and over because you get mad or sassy with me. You like to test my patience a lot, and I know that I have yelled and taken things away, but one day you'll realize that I did you a favor by teaching you how to follow rules and how to behave. 

Enough on that though. Each year is also filled with happy memories, and I love to make memories with you boys Let's remember some of the fun things you did when you were 7!

In December one of our advent calendar activities was an overnight trip to St. Louis jam packed with fun. We stayed in a hotel, went to see the Christmas lights at the zoo, and went to the aquarium. You guys loved it, and so did I! The funny thing to me though are the 2 things you still talk about aren't any of those things. You always talk about how funny it was that the GPS tried to take us to the airport terminal to go to Chili's. (and that I actually ended up in the airport lot before I realized what was happening). And the fact that we didn't end up actually eating supper until almost 9:00 that night, and we ended up at Olive Garden where you downed probably 5 breadsticks. 

I also surprised you and your brother by taking you to the animal shelter to meet a kitty that I found online. It was love at first sight. We got to play with Winnie that day and filled out the adoption papers. We had to wait a week and a half before we could bring her home, but we did go back to visit her again. She fit right into our family and you have absolutely loved her (even though you've also tortured her a little too by getting all up in her business.)

You continued to excel in school and even got moved up to 2nd grade for reading a couple days a week. You also got Student of the Month!

In May, you got to go to your very first Cardinals game. It was so much fun. You had a slice of pizza bigger than your head. You REALLY wanted the whole crowd to do "the wave" even though you didn't fully know what it was. We saw one homerun in the first inning and then nothing the next 8...but the Cardinals won, which meant you became a good luck charm!

This summer you and Daniel got to spend a week in Iowa with Mimi and Pa while I went to spend time with Aunt Erica, Katie and Leo. Then we came back to Iowa a few weeks later for the 4th of July and the Smith Family Reunion. You got to meet your cousin Leo for the very first time and enjoyed playing with Katie (or Minnow as she liked to be called). Then you got to meet a lot of family you had never met before at the reunion. Your favorite activity was "SMITH-0", which was our family version of Bingo. You still talk about it.

We also took a very quick trip to Chariton to visit Great Mimi T, who turned 91 this year!

In August you started 2nd grade. You really wanted Mrs. Cope, and that's who you got. You have absolutely loved 2nd grade so far. This is your first year of totally normal school ever. No virtual learning, no masks, no social distancing. Real school! The way it was meant to be. You have already achieved getting Student of the Month again this school year. That makes me a proud mama.

You went to another Cardinals game with your dad as an early birthday present and you saw Albert Pujols hit his 698th homerun! I was SO excited for you (and a little jealous too!). What an amazing memory for you and Daniel.

This year I worked at Indian Knoll, but we still managed to visit a couple of other pumpkin patches. We went to Pumpkin Creek Farm and then to Rader Family Farm, which has now been declared a favorite. That day was almost perfect. I'm glad you like going to patches with me. I'll probably drag you along until you're 18.

You are still extremely picky when it comes to food...which could be a slight blessing after finding out you have several food allergies and not just peanuts. It still drives me crazy...but you have added a couple new foods to your small list of acceptable things to eat. Maybe one day you'll find even more.

I'm sure I left out a lot, but those are the things that stood out the most.

I hope you always know how much I love and care for you. I'm very thankful that God chose you to be my little boy.

Happy 8th Birthday!

Love,
Mom