Jacob's 7th birthday

Jacob had his 7th birthday today. As I predicted on Monday, I didn't come up with a poem for him this year, but I think that last year's poem about the bittersweetness of watching him grow is still very relevant. In fact, I think perhaps I've felt it even more this year.

And yet, tonight, as we sat in the darkness of his room with him, gazing at the glowing stars on his ceiling (a birthday present!), and reflecting on his 7th year, it struck me that while there's a grief in watching him grow, there's also a lot to be thankful to God for. I'm so thankful for another year where I've watched him grow taller, lose and get a lot of new teeth, learn new skills and get obsessed with new interests, and most importantly - grow in his love for Jesus.

And we had a wonderful day celebrating another year! Last night, we had a delicious meal with Dave's parents, and today we had the morning at home, then went to Manly with my mum and dad. I offered him the choice of a small party or a trip to Manly Oceanworld with the girls and he (predictably) chose the latter. In the end, we decided that Dad and Dave could take the kids in and mum and I could go for a walk and wait (rather than pay for another 2 adults). It was a beautiful day to go for a walk around Manly - so we were all pretty happy with that arrangement! Then once they were finished, we all met and had an ice cream and a play at the beach, then home for a BBQ dinner and cake.