Happy Birthday Halen, yesterday you turned thirty-five. I mean technically according to your birth certificate you turned eight, but I’m fairly certain your true age is closer to that of a middle aged adult. You are serious and smart, driven and wise. You are so caring, with a giant heart of gold. You are strikingly handsome, and you are mistaken to be years older than you are anywhere you go. You know what you want and you use your competitive nature to get it. You make me proud…every single day.
You are my boy and you love me better than I ever knew someone could love me. A while ago you woke up in the middle of the night feeling sick. I was startled out of sleep by you silently crying on the end of my bed. I jumped up “what’s wrong baby??” and you cried harder. As tears hit the floor you said “I’m really sick Mom, I think I’m going to puke. I came in to wake up but you looked so nice sleeping”. How?! How did I get so lucky to have such a loving boy? Plus, looking at you is like looking into a mirror. The way we look, our emotional side, the way we process the world around us, we are so incredibly similar. This year the first thing on your birthday wishlist was for your Dad to sleep in your bed so you and I could have a sleepover; a whole night of giggling and cuddles. Your wish was granted, the night was so fun and I fell asleep grateful that your gift ended up being my gift too. For your birthday you also asked to forego a friend party so you and Banks could go into the city for a Rush game. You got real hockey blades this year, a new hockey stick exactly like your Dad’s and a red BMX bike. Uncle Conner and Uncle Carter even made it out for your birthday party and you were very grateful to be surrounded by so many people you love.
You are an excellent brother Halen. This year Nicco’s one and only baseball game happened to be when you had the flu. You had been getting sick for a whole day and running a fever but the thought of not being there to cheer him on was devastating to you. I told you there was no way you could go, you looked at me deadpan and said “text Dad and ask him”. Your Dad understood this need for camaraderie so we loaded you in the van, stacks of blankets and puke bucket in hand so you could be there to cheer Nicco on. You two can bicker like crazy but you also play so well together. You go to the park together, play hockey downstairs endlessly, and you even let your little brother play with your friends when they come over. Then there is Charlie, she’s your baby sister and she has you wrapped around her finger. Sometimes Charlie wakes up in the morning instantly asking for lipstick. The routine is: she asks, I say no, she tattles on me to you, and you come find me to plead her case listing all the reasons she should in fact get lipstick at seven in the morning. Your heart melts when Charlie is dolled up and you are the first person telling her how adorable she is with every outfit change throughout the day, encouraging her to ignore my laundry rambles as laundry shouldn’t matter when she looks this cute. You like jumping on the trampoline with her, giving her piggy backs, reading her stories, or playing in her room. Sometimes you will let her snuggle on the couch with you and you are patient as you try to teach her new things like how to putt on the golf course or write the letters to her name. The newest addition to our family was our puppy Lulu. The first time I took you to see her she was so new she couldn’t even open her eyes. You took one look at the litter and knew she was “the one”, you’ve loved every day with her since. You are good at helping to feed her, you love her snuggles and your favourite is when she sneaks into your bed at night so you can play with her quietly while I’m tricked into thinking you are sound asleep.
You’re a big kid, always the biggest in your class or on your sports teams. I love this about you, you’ve got big paws for hands and thick flat feet like Papas. You’re a gentle giant, aware of what you could do with your size, but never using it to intimidate other kids. You are just about four foot seven and you weigh 93 pounds. You wear large or extra large youth clothes which is usually a size 14/16, this year I bought you your first mens small shirt which you were very proud to fit into. You love good outfits and cool clothes. You like to be one the best dressed kids on the golf course and you are certain a good outfit makes you a better player. You have permed your hair twice this year and you love it! You are also growing your hair out in preparation to have the longest hockey hair on your team next year. Sometimes I wish I could chop it all off but I love how you are already so sure of your own style and I want to give you the freedom to be and look how you prefer.
This year a few of your favourite things are, playing mini golf or laser tag, nights at hotels with waterslides, roadtrips, playing your switch, sleepovers with Banks, and riding your bike or going rollerblading. You also enjoy campfires, flying your drone, riding your quad, and going out to the farm with your Dad. For such a serious kid, you have a really fun silly side. You love dancing whether it’s a celebration dance or a funny one to make your friends laugh. You are also starting to show quite an interest in drawing. When we take you out to eat and you get to pick the restaurant, you always choose a breakfast place and order the largest thing on the menu. The waitress comes with our meal, places it in front of your Dad and we all chuckle when she realizes the food is actually for you and no take away box will be required. You still sleep with your lamby in your bed but you don’t cuddle him every night the way you used to. Lamby doesn’t even make the cut for roadtrips or sleeps away from home anymore. I’m not sure why but this alone makes me feel like you are growing up so quickly. You never come into our room anymore at night and you don’t enjoy sharing a bed with anyone as you are more comfortable spreading out and having your own space. You are an early riser, usually up by 6:30 even though it drives me nuts and I try to make you stay in your room until 7:00. You are a smart kid, a really smart kid. You are excellent at spelling and reading and you were already at a Grade three reading level part way through the first semester. Your favourite subjects are Math and Gym but recess still takes the cake. You don’t particularly love school and we actually even contemplated home-schooling during Covid because of how much you were dreading it. Thankfully, you are such a social boy we never had to think too hard about it as you would do almost anything you dislike if it meant you got to be with your friends.
The most difficult part of your year was facing a few health challenges. Over a dozen specialist appointments, a lot of pretty intense fear surrounding the possibilities of what may be going on inside of your body and then your first surgery. It was a lot to handle for all of us. You are healthy now, we are thankful for good doctors and fast treatment but most of all, we are just thankful for you. Time is precious, you are precious, and the two combined – you and time, is the greatest gift we have.
You love sports, and you love to compete. You are one of those naturally athletic kids who can pick up anything and in no time at all, you can do it well. You had a great hockey season playing U9 for the Eston Ramblers as well as on a carded team out of Rosetown called the Ice Bears. Last year hockey was minimal at best which was a deep disappointment for you. The upside was that every game and tournament this year felt extra special. The first half of the season was rocky with games getting canceled constantly but when Covid regulations relaxed a bit, you finally got to experience a (mostly) normal season for the first time in two years. You adored going to hockey tournaments again and being with your buddies nearly four evenings a week. Your Dad was your coach which is another hockey highlight for you. This year your Dad retired as a Senior Rambler and your little heart broke from the minute his skates hit the ice during his last game. You look up to your Dad so much, everything he touches turns to gold in your eyes. You grieved his last game out loud, the way you knew he was silently grieving himself. It was beautiful to witness but tough to see the two of you close what has been such a special chapter for each of you.
Last year baseball was canceled, the year before that you were in soccer, this year you decided to join your friends in ball for the first time. You are a great ball player, you look like a mini pro out there with your permed flow falling behind your hat, your sunglasses on, and your serious look when you head up to the plate knowing full well you are about to absolutely smoke that ball. You also started taking golf more seriously this year, entering into your first tournament and practicing hard to continue improving. Your best score so far this season is a 51 on 9 holes which is really quite incredible! This year the growth in your athletic ability was amazing to watch. You skate faster, shoot harder, know each sport better, BUT, the most enjoyable growth spurt for me to see was the way you grew into an amazing encourager of your teammates. Last year when teammates would get more goals than you, you had a hard time hiding the grimace from your face. This year you are the first to meet them on the ice to celebrate alongside them. Last year, when your teammates would mess up or get intimidated, you would be hard on them, saying things we wished you wouldn’t or making your frustrations clear through your body language. This year you are on the bench, chanting their name, encouraging them to keep trying, and clapping like crazy to let them know you are proud when they do well or try hard. I am so very proud of your growth in this area because although I love watching you excel athletically, there is nothing that makes me more proud than watching you be a good, kind, and caring friend and teammate.
Eight is such a fun age and I am really looking forward to this next year with you. Every year you grow and change so much and it is such a neat thing as a parent to watch. Like peeling back layers of an onion, each year exposes new parts about you that we get to discover as you continuously conquer life. Happy Birthday Buddy, we love you and we are proud of you.
Bountifully Blessed 