Happy 9th birthday, Elijah Daniel!

Happy 9th birthday (one day late) to our oldest boy! As I drove Elijah to snowboarding yesterday morning, I reminisced about the day he was born and for the first time ever he was interested in hearing the details. The details from that night are still so clear and I remember being so afraid yet so excited. When he was in the NICU, Dan and I spent every possible moment by his side. I would rub my fingers in circles around his soft face, telling him over and over how loved he was and that everything was going to be ok. I remember chatting with a NICU nurse and having her tell me that "These heart kids are ALWAYS uniquely special." At the time it was so hard to envision what that could mean, but it stuck with me. Nine years later, I can say that she was right on. It is hard to wrap my head around how far we all have come and how many hurdles we have leaped over and sometimes dragged ourselves over. The past nine years have been a collection of big and small miracles and our boy HAS turned out to be awesomely, uniquely special! One day I hope Elijah understands all of this. For now, he gets that he was and always will be LOVED and that is the most important part.

The party yesterday was a smashing hit. Dan and I agree that it was probably the most enjoyable one yet. It was the perfect collection of people with great treats, good company, awesome gifts and smiling faces. We invited only family, with the exception of Elijah's bff. She fit right in! We sooo appreciate her friendship!

Tomorrow I'll try to remember to post the video from Elijah blowing out his candles. That last one just would not go out, so he tried to snap it out. It was cute!

Look at these cute, happy faces! I love it!

Snuggling with Auntie Lissa and cousin Emma! They are the best!

If I had to count all of the minions that are in our house right now, I'd need a piece of paper to keep track. I feel like they are going to join forces and take over our home.

Elijah caught another little bug on Thursday. He got through school Friday and collapsed during pizza movie night. He ate two bites of his pizza, which was a red flag. I considered keeping him home from snowboarding the next morning, but he seemed to be in better spirits. Not only did he get by, he made huge progress! He can now shimmy and hop on his snowboard and go without hands for quite a while. He can put his board on and take it off and even get up all on his own! And yesterday he accomplished a huge feat...he rode the chairlift for the first time! His instructors said he was pretty anxious about it, but once he was on he said, "This isn't so bad!" His instructors are SO sweet and they went out of their way to make his morning extra special. They taped birthday hats to his helmet and brought him candy.

By the end of yesterday he was totally exhausted, so we put both boys to bed early. Then this morning Sammy woke up sick! Ugh! He was lethargic and feverish all day and at the end of the day could hardly even stand up. Poor kiddo. Most likely he and I will be hanging out tomorrow!

Later this week we have our annual family winter waterpark trip and we are all super excited! We are praying for good health so we can enjoy fully. Have a great start to your week and thank you for peeking in!

A few quick funnies to sign off with..
At bedtime tonight I said to Elijah, "I love you, my big boy nine-year-old." He said, "Oh Mom, I love you, too, my 40th-year-old woman."

Yesterday as the boys' cousins were leaving, they were all giving hugs and Elijah hugged his cousin Bella. He said into her ear, "Awww, thanks for coming...I think you are very important to me." :)