Impossible - but true

Jay Michael did something amazing last week - he turned four years old. I can't imagine how that happened. Every time my kids have a birthday I wonder at how fast time passes. Just amazing.

Jay Michael wanted pizza for supper, so we went out for pizza. There was a TV not far away that was televising a basketball game, so Jay Michael was thrilled.

We had balloons, and we had cake, orange cake - just what Jay Michael wanted. He got a super snugly soft baseball blanket from Grandad and Grandmom and a new hockey game for Xbox.

At four years old, Jay Michael is an active rough and tumble little man. He loves to play sports of ANY kind. He is all about the pass and the score. He just joined his first team - the under 5 soccer team. He starts next month and he is so excited. Jay Michael likes to talk and tell stories. He has an amazing grasp on the comings and goings of the household. I suppose as the youngest he has been a spectator, but, I'm always surprised at how well he knows the rules, the schedule, the day to day workings of life with the Ball Team.

Jay Michael has a few sayings that are all his. If he says, Momma, I want to be on your team. He means, Momma, I love you. If he says, Momma, I'm gonna knock you on your "boo-tocks". He means, Momma, I'm ready to play. He can work an Xbox better than I can; he can sing Primary songs and he can count to twenty, sort of. He will talk to me on the phone and he knows EXACTLY which of his sisters he should ask to get what he wants. For example, Rachel mothers him, Samantha coddles him, Charlotte plays with him and Josephine defends him. It's sweet to watch. I will say, Jay Michael, you need to get your shoes on. And he will immediately run to find Rachel. If he gets running around too much, and his breathing gets short, he runs to Samantha for his breather. He can work the house crowd to get whatever he needs!

More than any of the others, Jay Michael is attached to Daddy. They are a tight pair. Maybe it's the father/son thing, maybe it's the bond of athletics, maybe it's because they spend so much time together, but for whatever reason, Jay Michael is happy to stick close to his Daddy.

Four years ago, Jay Michael was born and immediately flown by helicopter to the Children's Hospital with wet lungs. He spent two weeks in the NICU, drying out and learning to breathe on his own. He was a fighter then and he is a fighter now. He is strong and brave and exhausting. He's our Prince. Our Jay Michael. We love you!