Happy 7th, Jack!

Jackson Paul Wilde on his 7th birthday!

Dear Jackson,

I can hardly believe you're SEVEN years old!  Where has the past seven years gone?  I still remember bringing you home from the hospital as a tiny little baby - my first - and being so completely overwhelmed with love that I could hardly keep myself from crying happy tears every time you made a noise or stretched your little newborn arms.  Now you are very much turning into a little man and yet that sweet innocence remains in most of the choices you make, things you say and how you act.  You are still my number one biggest helper around the house!  And your love for your siblings (especially Eva!) is so evident.  You are absolutely wonderful with babies and I know that someday in the (distant) future you are going to be an amazing father.  

Now that your seven you have begun to be a little shy of certain things - not liking to be the center of attention (at first).  However, once you're comfortable you have no problem letting loose! :)  As far as simply talking to people you have no hesitation whatsoever - you'll chat up the cashier at Costco for ten minutes (while other customers are waiting!).  It's just things like dancing or dressing crazy for "crazy dress up day" at school that you get a little shy about.  For example - on "crazy day" during homecoming week you didn't want to dress crazy because, "It nervouses me."  So I sent Eddie to school with his shirt on backward and inside out, hair crazy, etc. (He was ALL over crazy day!) and you were dressed normally.  But when you got off the bus that afternoon you had changed your clothes to be inside out.  You just wanted to be sure the other kids in you class were dressed crazy, too.  

Here are your current favorites (as answered by you):

Food:  Raviolis, spaghetti and meatballs with sauce, shrimp, steak, and ham.

Dessert:  "Ice cream in a cone.  Vanilla."

Movie:  "Transformers."

TV Show:  "Sonic." (the Hedgehog.)

Hobby:  "Collect stuff.  I have a dead bird in a bag and a bee in a bottle."

Book:  "I don't have a favorite book, Mom."

Song:  "Call me maybe" (Carly Rae Jepson) ... Really?  And, "I'm glad you came" - by The Wanted.

Jackson LOVES money.  It's something that he's been fascinated with for a few years now and it just cracks me up!  He's saving to buy a skyscraper.  Or something else, "Really big."  He also still loves to be outside.  If Justin and I would let him live outside, he would.  He loves everything about nature - finding leaves, rocks, fossils, etc.  He is also still enthralled with science.  He has a human anatomy book that I bought him last year that he loves to look through and ask questions about.  I'm not sure how much he actually understands, but he loves it anyway.  I think his perfect job would be something along the lines of wildlife biologist (who gets paid a lot, lol).  

Seven was also a big year as he started/finished Kindergarten this year.  He's now reading and writing so much better and LOVES school.  It was a little difficult for him to switch schools with only several weeks left, but he did it like a champ and his teacher (Miss Lassen) was fabulous.

Jack, I hope you will continue to be a friend to everyone as you are now.  You have such a fun and sunny personality that I just cherish in you!  You are kind hearted, active, smart, funny, loving, responsible and just the best first kid we could have ever hoped for!  I hope this next year is full of new wonders for you... And that you'll always remember no matter what just how much we love you - and how much Heavenly Father loves you, too!  

Love, 

Mommy and Daddy  

Norah at the splash park where we went to have fun on Jack's true birthday.

Eddie-O taking a rest at the park.

There's my silly boy!

Beckett has the snacks cornered.  Yep - he's a tank.

Jackson's Birthday party!  It rained a bit, but it was perfect since the kids were getting wet anyway! :)    It was a "water fun" themed party (to beat the Iowa summer from 'h e double hockey sticks' weather).

First event:  Water ballon shot-put!  Our guests were: Jens, Ian, Jack B., Taylor, and Tyler.  Lots of boys!  

Norah threw with the best of them! :)  She's right at home in a big group of crazy boys.  I suppose that should make me nervous...  Note to self:  Buy shotgun and shovel before she turns 15.  

The birthday boy! :)

Daddy went a little overboard and filled some regular sized balloons...  He's really just a big kid, right? :)

And then of course all of the kids wanted the big balloon version.  Naturally, they wanted to see how big the splash would be once they were launched off of the deck.

Pinata time! :)  Little did we know we bought a pinata of steel.  We began by telling each kid to take just one swing so every one would have a chance before it busted open. 

We did "littlest first" to ensure the big boys wouldn't break it before the little guys had a chance.

Eddison taking a whack at it.

Here's Jack at bat (as you can see the pinata is still in pristine condition).

Three rounds (including Justin!) later, Justin finally had to tear a hole in the cardboard to set it up for the winning hit.   It was thick cardboard!  There was no way it would have broken on its own.  Still - the end result was a ton of candy strewn all over the floor so I guess it wasn't a total fail. :)

I snapped this photo of Eddie to remind me that just a minute before he was giving handfuls of his candy to Norah to be nice, even though no one had asked him to and he didn't know I was watching.  It was so sweet!  

Cake time!  This year Jack's cake was a wally-world special (I still have a newborn!), but the kids didn't seem to mind at all. :)  Sugar is sugar, right?

The birthday boy after blowing out his SEVEN candles.  I love that kid.

And how about this motley kid?  He was  completely content to eat his cake and ice cream (and everyone else's).  He's going to be a tank. :)

"MMMmmm...Cake.... Nom nom nom..."

After the kids all went home, we took our little crew to the movies (Eva's first!) to see Disney's Brave.  It was so cute and Eva did great.  (She's so tiny!)