And Then He Was 7

What I am about to write will shock and astound you. I can hardly believe it myself!!
My eldest son Ernie just had his seventh birthday. Yes 7. How in the world do I have a seven year old????

One of the things I love about him the most is that he is so gracious. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, he would respond, "it's kind of rude to tell people to buy you stuff. If someone wants to buy you something, that's fine, but you shouldn't ask for stuff." That's our Ernie. (Even at Christmas we have a hard time getting him to think of something to ask Santa for, and even then he has decided you should only ask for one gift. Caleb on the other hand already has a long list for both Christmas and his birthday.)
He is extremely aware of other people and their feelings. And he has a very generous heart. We have a hard time driving through Vegas because he wants to give everyone he sees on the street money or food. (And he is absolutely shocked when we won't stop to help someone that doesn't even have a house.

He has really started to come into his own and figure out his strengths. He is really comical! He has become pretty quick witted. He is also a bright kid. I know I know, every mom says that. But, I love to watch as he is able to pull knowledge from books, things we've taught him, church, or even TV shows and apply it to his every day activities.

He likes to look nice. For instance, on Sunday when we are hanging around the house, Caleb will be in a ratty old t-shirt and whatever shorts were hanging out of his drawer. Ernie, in contrast, will be in a polo shirt and a nice pair of shorts pulled from his very organized and properly folded drawer. I can't complain much; at least we've got him to wear something besides polo shirts, that was a fun phase! He is the only 7 year old probably in the world that like to shop for clothes for himself. For his 6th birthday (when it was okay to ask for things when someone asked you what you wanted for your birthday) all he wanted was a particular jacket he had seen at a store. So funny!
Here are a few pictures of him over the years. (We had an issue with our computer, and I don't have a lot of my favorites available, so these will have to do.) Most of them were taken around his birthday.

4 yrs old

3 yrs (on the boat)













2 yrs old



6 yrs