Happy Birthday, Dominic!!

I have been waiting six years for this date:  10/11/12.  Even doped up on morphine following the c-section, I knew this would be a great year.  Though, I had no idea we'd be moving to Florida on this very day.  So, we aren't getting to celebrate it in the mega fashion that such a date deserves, but we will manage a few celebrations along the road.

 It has been a full year for Dominic Joseph!  I was perusing pictures and kept seeing things I wanted to add to his year in review, but eventually had to go back and cut a lot of them. But, you probably had already seen them in previous posts anyhow.

 Dom started his 5th year with a big road trip to Oklahoma and Kansas.  AND he got to see the Kansas Jayhawks get destroyed by the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  Luckily, his year went up from there.

 Dom has continued to be a super older brother.  He leads by example and has learned many valuable lessons in patience and sharing. Dom loves his siblings and constantly asks when we are going to have his other 5 brothers and sisters. 

 Dom and Will have played countless hours of Mario Kart and have both become very good at it. Their mother continues to be left in their electronic dust.

 In the last year, I discovered that I could let the boys play outside without me and they would be fine.  What started as Dom and Will playing in the back yard in January, has developed into Dom riding his tricycle outside alone as well as Dom dropping off Molly with the neighbor to babysit.

 Dom has learned so much in school over the past year.  Most importantly, he is developing a love of learning.  He is always able to come up with several activities for school and is generally happy to complete all of his lessons.  He can read simple books, complete patterns, and do simple math problems as well as science experiments.  His enjoyment of coloring and doing his best work has also greatly improved over the last year.

 In April, we got to see a B-25 flyover commemorating the Doolittle Raiders bombing of Tokyo. That line does not really give enough significance to the event, but I really hope Dom will be able to remember watching the planes flying over our heads on a beautiful spring afternoon.

 Dom has shown a wonderful willingness to eat vegetables and fruit.  Again, setting a solid example for his siblings. 

 After months of fearing that Dom would never want to color or have anything to do with art, Dominic has taken off.  Every day he wants to color something new.  Generally a country's flag or some sports' team emblem.

 With all of the road trips we've taken, Dominic developed a great interest in the United States and has learned several state facts including about half of the state capitals.  He had the vision to make a US cake to celebrate our Nation's birthday and the faith that his mother would be able to accomplish the task. 

 Dom thoroughly enjoyed the Olympics as well as the Tour de France and wanted to constantly re-enact events.  My favorite part of this?  When the boys would do the instant replay.

 Dominic played two seasons of soccer this year and loved it.  He has also become very interested in professional soccer. I'm sure his father's new interest in the sport has not had any effect on this at all.

 We are very proud of Dom's accomplishments on the field.  He is very good at forward, but awesome at defense.  He plays with wonderful enthusiasm and is also a great sport. After the last game, the coaches both said they really enjoyed having him on their team and would miss him in future seasons.

 The coming year will see a lot of changes in our lives.  Dom was introduced to LEGOs and I suspect it will be a presence in our new lives in Florida.

 Dominic has faced our upcoming move with great maturity and helpfulness.  He couldn't wait to pack up his toys and is always ready to lend a hand.  And he is very excited about the propect of making new friends.  And with this attitude he is being a wonderful example for his parents.

In our finals days here, we've been doing as many activities of the fall that we can manage.  Including a hay ride and a corn maze.  Because we know the next few birthdays will be spent on the beach!

Dominic has been looking forward to this post since Will's birthday in July.  And now I would like to take this opportunity to let Dom know how much he means to us.  I love his smiles and the way he will grab my hand as we walk down a sidewalk.  He will get up from wherever he is just to sit by me and let me know that he loves to snuggle with me.  Even on my crazy days (of which I've had several) he will come up and give me a hug and tell me he loves me.  It always brings tears to my eyes and makes me refocus on what is really important.  Eric and I often comment that we are so lucky to have the kids that we have and it all started with Dominic.

Have a wonderful birthday, Dominic Joseph.  We love you more and more each day. We are so proud of the little man you have become and look forward to the great man you will be.  Now, go eat a lot of chocolate!

Love,
Mom

PS check this out:  10/11/12 :  1+0+1+1+1+2 = 6.  How cool is that?  And it will work for several years to come!