He's SEVEN! A Year in Review

What a year it has been.  Today my boy is seven.  Let's take a minute and let that sink in.  SEVEN.

Guys, he is such a kid.  I know that sounds weird, because of course he's a kid.  But I have spent so many years in a haze of babies and toddlers that a real kid is new territory to me.

Gabe has always been quiet and shy, and that still holds true at times.  But he has come out of his shell so much in the past year.  School has done him so many favors!  At a recent conference with his teacher, she mentioned that he is so social.  J and I just shared a shocked look- you could have knocked us over with a feather.  Never in a million years would we have expected to hear this from a teacher.

Aside from being social, Gabe has really honed in on some of his interests this year.  He started the year off being obsessed with art.  He loves to draw, paint, and sculpt.  He has quite a collection of original canvases.  He is never more excited than when he gets to work on a cool project in art class at school.  He has taken several after school drawing and painting classes.  He loves to create.

He also LOVES music.  We gave him an old, first generation original iPod (thanks, Mimi!).  He's obsessed with it.  If he's in his room (which he is frequently, because, big kid), he is playing his music through a speaker.  If he's in the car, he's listening to his music on his headphones.  He can't get enough.  And he likes really cool music.  He's a fan of Foo Fighters, AC/DC, Boston, Def Leppard, The Who, and lots of others.  He wants to learn how to play (he's going to DIE when he opens the guitar from his grandparents tonight!).  The boy loves rock.

He's decided to give soccer a try.  He is definitely not the most coordinated kid on the block, but he really seems to think soccer is fun.  He plays on the playground at school and kicks the ball around the yard at home.  I'm so excited to watch him play this season, and hope that it continues to bring him joy.

He also loves sharks, Minecraft, building with Legos, playing Rock Band (on the X-Box or pretending to rock out in his room), swimming, hoarding everything (he's a bit sentimental), doing tricks on his scooter, and pretending to race obstacle courses à la American Ninja Warrior.  

Gabe is such a unique soul.  He is sensitive, smart, kind, and handsome.  He is as empathetic as they come.  I know I'm 100% biased, but all of these things are so, so true.  As much as I hate to see my babies growing up, I feel like it's a real privilege to be watching this boy develop into such an amazing human being.

Gabriel, my first born, I love you more than you'll ever know.  I hope seven is your happiest year yet.