Holy cow, you’re halfway to 18! Slow down, kid!

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Watching you grow up is so fun. I love watching your brain work. You love interesting facts and hard questions and “what if” scenarios. You are a natural at math and love crazy big numbers (like on this awesome shirt).

This year you suddenly became a voracious reader. Your current favorite activity is listening to audiobooks. The library can barely keep up with your pace! I love listening to books with you at bedtime especially when we get caught up in a series like How to Train Your Dragon, Narnia or Harry Potter.

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You are confident, coordinated and so cool. You’re a natural at most sports and love being outside, especially if there’s a campfire. You’re also a homebody. You and I would be happy to spend Saturdays at home all day in our pjs but your brothers get squirrely and we usually end up on some adventure :)

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You love your family: watching Star Wars with dad, playing crazy pretend games in forts with your brothers, listening to books with me. You love your weekly night at Grandma & Grandpa’s house and any chance to hang out with your cousins. You light up whenever Auntie Trina comes over and try your hardest to commandeer all of her attention.

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You’re ridiculously cute and photogenic but you don’t really like having your picture taken. You humor your mom, though, most of the time. Sometimes when I ask you to smile this is what I get:

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We love you so much buddy! I’m going to soak up every moment of this last year of you being in the single digits. As you grow more and more mature and independent I look forward to seeing the young man you become.