9 is fine...

Charlie....Charlie...Charlie. What a great kid my Charlie is. Today he turns 9....which seems unfathomable to me...because I feel like I just had him. I feel like he was just learning how to walk, talk, and eat with a fork. Now he is 9! I don't know where the years have gone....or this little boy:

Charlie is a funny kid...and his smile can just melt your heart...along with those beautiful brown eyes. His sensitive heart makes this Momma proud...and yes he still hugs me and says that he loves me. I still make cupcakes for his class on his birthday(Shelby wanted to know if I would still bring them cupcakes in high school)...I still lay down with him at night and talk...he's still my little boy, but yet, he is young man.

He is quite a special kid my Charlie is. He is so smart and has wisdom beyond his years. He often sits back and watches and takes things in without saying a word. He is a passionate young man that loves to learn about animals, and science...and then for months on end he will tell you all the facts he knows about the mole rat. He wants to learn to play guitar, and he can sing...yes, an offspring of mine and Ric's can actually sing! I love to hear him sing praises to the Lord!

I think about where I was at this age. I was a basketball player and lived and breathed everything about the game. I set a goal when I was 9 that I was going to play college basketball(yes, I was kind of a freak of nature). I had someone ask me if it bothered me that Charlie wasn't into athletics as much as Ric and I were(don't get me wrong, he has a ton of ability...just not that into sports)...my answer is a quick..."not for a second". You see, I have said it from the day he was born that my prayer for him is that he knows what's important in life and that He lives for Jesus. All that other stuff is really just stuff!

I hope that he grows up to be a Godly young man. A young man who stands for the things of Christ...no matter what the circumstance is. A young man who tells people about Jesus....and lives Jesus in front of them. A young man who treats others with respect. A young man who trusts God in all things. A young man who always loves his family. A young man that is willing to say "here I am....send me". I pray that God would make him a leader...take him to ends of the earth to tell people about Jesus. That Charlie would live and breath everything about Jesus...I'd much rather that be his passion than a leather ball.

I love you Eric Charles Blazi III....I know God is gonna do big things through you...and I can't wait to watch your life unfold before my eyes. Happy 9th Birthday you big, handsome goofball....hope it's grand!!

Yes...9 is fine indeed!