We're Gonna Have A Birthday!

Today is Jackson's sixth birthday.

Six!

He was born on a very cold day right on the heels of an unusually warm spell. I so clearly remember stopping at the grocery store on our way home from the hospital about 24 hours after his arrival (which is still a bizarrely hilarious memory in and of itself: my horribly anemic self, thanks to some pretty bad hemorrhaging following his birth, hanging onto the shopping cart for support as I shuffled along to pick up the essentials we needed, like bread and butter and milk, and daring not remove the blanket from completely over Jackson, who was nestled in his car seat, because I felt so terrible about being so poorly prepared for his birth that I had wound up bringing my BRAND NEW BABY into a public, germ-infested place like P&C!) and how bright the sun was and how crunchy the snow felt and how quickly our breath was taken away from the sheer cold of the day!

Papa with a couple-hours-old Jackson
 

Six is a big deal around our house. The only clearly spelled tradition we have for birthdays is that we don't do big parties-- except for the sixth one. For six, although it's still not big by most American standards, we pull out all the stops!

The birthday boy/girl gets to pick a birthday theme. (Jack picked dinosaurs.)

The guest list is altered from strictly family and perhaps a friend or two to being able to fill up the dining room table with guests all of their own choosing. (Jackson has invited his siblings, two uncles, Papa, a cousin, and some friends from church and Friday School.)

We do games with prizes. (Pin The Tooth On The Dino, Dino May I?, and a balloon popping contest.)

There are party favors that coordinate with the theme. (Dinosaur crayons and erasers, dinosaur foam masks, and candy.)

And every time we do the six-year-old party, my breath catches in my throat (much like it does when I step outside and [re]discover just what -10 degrees feels like): How did we get here already?

Jackson, this fall.
 

I have loved the little boy Jackson so much. His red hair, freckled complexion, clear gray eyes, and winsome smile are second to none. His love for affection, his helpfulness, his quiet-but-rough-and-tumble way melts us all. His soft cheeks that have been oh-so-slow to lose their baby feel, his giddy laugh, his easy-going nature-- these things I want to remember always.

I've been here before so I know that, really, the future is not something to shy away from, but this Mama heart wishes I could keep maybe just this one small for always.

Last night as I tuck him into bed, his eyes bright with excitement after watching his first live college hockey game and having been gifted a hockey stick from one of the goalies whose heart he had won, I ask him if he'll please just not turn six after all; if he'll stay five and be my boy forever?

"I can't help it, Mom, I was made to grow."

And so he was.

 

With that, what more is there to say except:

Happy Birthday, Jackson Edward! We love you so much and we really do have ever so much excitement for all that God has for you in the days head. Grow, little boy, into a man who loves Jesus and serves only Him. We are beyond thankful for you and the destiny that is wrapped up inside of you!