A Dear Owen letter...

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On this day nine years ago, our lives were forever changed.

Our first born, Owen, was born at 337 AM, November 6, 2000. We've blinked. And now he turns 9. Nothing has ever been the same. As anyone w/ children knows, going from zero children to one changes things in a way you can't comprehend to imagine before children. What an experience. Your life is never the same. From that point on, your heart belongs inside another person. It's an amazing, and often frightening prospect.

Owen is undoubtedly the sweetest, kindest child you could ever meet. Empathy pours out of his every pore. He cries during the High School Musical song when Troy and (can't remember her name....Vanessa Hudgens) break up. He cried during the movie, UP. He feels everybody's pain like his own. He is the perfect child to lead our three boys, because he always treats his brothers w/ compassion and love. He gives them kind words of encouragement like, "Oh, Emmett....you are going to be a better soccer player then I am really soon." God knew what he was doing making him first. We are so blessed.

It's hard to ignore the challenges we've dealt w/ to, like Owen's horrible, horrible eczema as an infant. His allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and the like. And, now his asthma. He doesn't like to sleep and never has. He is scared to be alone, and still chooses to sleep w/ Emmett. Every night. He likes what he wants when he wants it. He always wants to be moving. He always must be doing something. And, he sure likes to argue.

He also has some interesting "quirks". He's never sat through a movie at home, and doesn't particularly care for Disney movies. His favorite channels are the Fox Soccer Channel, The Science Channel, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel. He doesn't like to read, but he's really good at it. When I force him to read, he'll chose a story about the Titanic, or the Civil War, or his atlas or dictionary. Snooze....He also LOVES to make a good list, and after bringing home a fundraiser for school, he went through and made a tally sheet of how much everything cost. For example, there was 10 things to choose from between $5.00-10.00. He's got a running list of every hurricane that has ever hit and he can tell you (from memory) what year it hit, where it hit, and what it's F score was. In first grade, he took a poll out of friends of family members to track how many different languages people spoke. He's fascinated by the weather and wants to be a storm chaser when he grows up (if he can't be a professional soccer player). His favorite storm chaser is Dr. Josh Worman.

But, he's also a natural leader (he's been picked by his teachers to be the student council representative for his classes 4 years in a row). He's good at everything he does (soccer, lacrosse, acting, singing, piano, reading, writing, math). Oh, and he just won second place for best Halloween story in the whole third grade (out of 4 classes). And, he has confidence dripping from his body by the gallon full. He truly doesn't believe that there is anything he can't do. He never gets his feelings hurt. For example, when we moved to NY and he was just 4 1/2, I took Owen and Emmett to a park to play. I watched my little boy follow this group of kids around, trying to play w/ them. We had just moved here and knew no one. He was desperate for kid interaction. And, as I'm watching him, this little girl turns to him and says, "Stop following us. You can't play w/ us. We don't even know your name." Can you imagine how sad I was watching this? I was quickly trying to think in my head how I was going to take some of his pain away. I shouldn't have worried. Even at 4 1/2, Owen was full of confidence and couldn't imagine any reason why someone wouldn't want to play w/ him. He looked that girl square in the face and said to her, "Well....my name is Owen. Now you know my name, so we can play." The girl replied, "OK". And off they ran. I was so proud of him. At that moment, I knew he was going to be OK. I knew that I could put him in any circumstance, and he would be OK. I count on him. I trust him. He is good and responsible, and an old soul. Our dear friend, Andrea, used to say (when he was 4) that talking to him was like talking to an old man. That's pretty much the truth. He's wise beyond his years. He's as comfortable around adults as he is children. And, even though he was a late talker, he makes up for it in volumes now. This child can talk....and talk.....and talk....I know he is going to be one of those kids, and then one of those adults that is always first, best, and excels at absolutely everything. But, I also know that this gift comes with it's very own troubles. There will be struggles. And, I'm sure that someday I may look back at our past challenges and know that they are nothing compared to what we are now facing.

I pray that his life will always be easy. But, that he also learns the value of hard work. I pray that he leads by example. And, I pray that he faces no harm, and that he never knows what it truly means to be hurt. I pray that he lives life without regret. And, most of all, I pray that he has peace.

Happy Birthday, Owen.