Happy Birthday Son!

Above: Zack at nearly 5 years old.
Below: Zack's last day of being 6 years old!!

Zack Alexander,

I am writing this the night before your 7th birthday because tomorrow on your very birthday we are going to Disneyland!!! You were so excited when you went to bed that you decided to sleep with your sister - feet to feet. You got up at least 4 times to ask for silly things, and then I heard you two giggling in your room. I can remember so well the night before my birthday and/or a trip to Disneyland! It is so exciting, isn't it?

I am so happy sitting here knowing that you are sleeping soundly in a nice warm bed with your precious sister. Your birthday reminds me of just how long you have been HOME. Just look at the pic above to see how much you've changed! It was two years ago almost to the day that we landed in America as a forever family. You had just turned five and did not speak a word of English. Well, other than "thank uh you uh," and you'd say "foochies" when you wanted your feet tickled. It was adorable and so were you.

When your Auntie Gina or I would say, "Zack, this is your sister," you would say, "BLAH"! Now two years later you have become her hero, her protector, her role model, and her buddy. Sophia gets out of school 55 minutes after you do, and when we go to pick her up, you get out and run to her gate where you grab her back pack from her, put it on your back, take her hand, and bring her to the car where you help her buckle in and immediately say, "How was your day, Sophia"? Then you actually listen to her. I can't tell you how this makes my heart melt. The first time I saw you coming to the car with her Roxy back pack on I was sure you wouldn't do it again, but you have done it for three weeks now without a bat of an eyelash.

You are such a wonderful person. I am a tiny bit biased because you are my son, but I don't think anyone who knows you would argue with me when I say that you are chivalrous, brave, kind, and true. When you get ready to go watch cartoons or something of the sort, you always stop and say, "Is there anything I can do for you before I go watch cartoons"? What kid does that? I am not sure where you picked this up, but I always remind you that you are going to be a great husband and daddy one day.

You're finally finishing your sixth year, son, and you have amazed me! I want you to be sure to always be thankful to those who have given you the opportunities to be the wonderful person you are. First, thank God that He gave you life and chose you to be His child. Secondly, thank your birth mother who heard your very first cry - one that I wish I had heard - saw you take your first step and smile your first smile. She gave you Sophia, and she enabled you to become my son. Without her, you wouldn't be here enjoying life today, my sweet boy. Her sacrafice is unimagineable to me. I don't know if I could ever let you go as she had to do. I thank her for allowing me the joy of being your mom.

I am sure she wonders about you on April 2nd each year, and this year I'd have to tell her that you are the most incredible boy on the planet earth. You are doing extremely well in school and excel at spelling and reading. You even read for fun which makes my heart smile. You LOVE skateboarding and excel at it. You can handle the large half pipe at the Vans Skatepark like it is nothing. You aren't afraid to fall if it means you can learn to be better. You empty the trash cans in the house, bring in the big trash cans each week, handle your own homework, clean your own room, make your own bed, and even help your sister brush the tangles out of her hair if I'm in the middle of something. The coolest thing is you NEVER complain about any of this!!!

You played soccer this year as well as baseball and you enjoyed both. You even scored a few goals and hustled all season. You still love puzzles and prefer to play games over watching television. Right now you love playing Connect Four, Perfection, and Uno. You're pretty good at all of them, and sometimes you even beat me! I'm in for trouble as you get older. You like video games too, but I don't let you play them much cause there are so many other valuable things you can do with your time. Although, who are we fooling, you'd choose the games 24/7 if you could! I can't blame you.

Son, what matters to me most is that you have such a tender heart. This year you have asked so many questions about your grandpa who lives in heaven with Jesus now. You are so curious about what he's doing on any given day. You also see Jesus as a super hero. You even told me that some girls look like boys because maybe God wasn't good with His super powers in the beginning. While some would be offended by that, I find it to be endearing because you KNOW that God is in control of everything.

You pray for dinner every night, and you remember details. You are sure to pray for people who you hear me mention who need jobs or are sick. And you always thank Him for a good day. I hope that your relationship with God grows strong, and I'm sure that someday it will be even stronger than my own. Just remember He's your Father, and He will love you like no one else can. Just like becoming my son signified a new life for you in America, becoming His son will give you a new life and open your heart up to the greatest joy you could ever have. I pray that this next year might be the year when you ask Jesus into your heart. You are very curious, and I love that about you.

Son, words could never express how proud I am of you. I am the luckiest mom in the world cause you're mine. I get to see you wake up every morning and put you to bed each night. I get to watch you play baseball and do puzzles. I get to kiss your cheeks, dance with you, giggle by your side, tickle you 'til you cry... I get to LOVE you like only a mother can. That love is unconditional. I am forever yours and you are forever mine.

May this year be another year of tremendous growth for you, and may it be filled with so much laughter that your belly aches.

I love you, my boy, to the moon and back 1,000,000 times!