seven

I mean really....how does it happen so fast?

I know every mom thinks that, most of us say at least once each time one of our littles has a birthday....but really. Where does the time go?

Hud was just two days shy of 3 months old in this photo.

Seriously...look at those rolls. He was the squishiest baby ever. :)

When I would carry him (which I spent much of his first two-ish+ years doing, he was somehow able to mold his little body to mine. Not sure how...the squishiness, I guess. Those eyes, the hangy-down cheeks....yummy.

And now, today....he's SeVeN. Seven...really?

Long gone are the rubberband arms, the hang-y down cheeks. I'm happy to report that he is still a little squishy. :) Super soft skin, I guess.

And he is really growing up.

Today....this one is smart. Sweet. Incredibly intuitive. Very much a gentleman. He is spiritually-minded...noticing things that the rest of us might overlook. He's a Mama's boy...and at the same time a huge fan of his Daddy. And speaking of his Daddy....he looks so much like him, mixed with a little of my Dandy. Definitely got his dimples, a few of his mannerisms, and the furrowed eyebrows when he's being serious or skeptical (although his Dad has a similar expression, so I can't say for sure who he got it from). ;)

He loves to swim and play on the computer. He's the one I ask for help when I can't figure out how to do something on the computer, my phone, etc. He has a heart for animals. He loves comics and Legos, and he's a pro at building them, unabashedly calling himself the Lego Master.

He's funny, and has some crazy-mad dance skills. Not kidding...this one has some moves.

On the flip side...he also has a temper. He's persistent. Stubborn.

But really...he's related to me and his dad...and a long line of other stubborn people,

so who can blame him? ;)

About 95% of the time he's our sweet, laid back, easy-to-please middle child.

I'm so thankful for this kiddo, and on his 7th birthday I want him to know how very important he is to this family. How proud I am for how incredibly well is he is carrying the name of his great-grandpa (Hud knows how important his middle name, Henry, is), and how much fun we are having watching him grow up.

Happy birthday, Hud-Man! We love you to the moon and back one million times. :)