To Owen on his 8th Birthday...

Happy birthday, Owen!!  I can't believe you are 8 years old!  Each year seems to go by faster and faster.

It has been quite the year for you!  You finished up the 1st grade and will soon be a big 2nd grader.  Your best pals are Ahdi and Ryan.  You are a handsome little man with a killer smile and already have the girls in your class crushing on you.

You became a big brother for the second time.  You are a proud big brother and love telling all your friends about your journey to Colombia to get your sister.  You think having a sister is pretty great, although you have a strong aversion to anything pink and girly and are not afraid to voice your distaste.

You are becoming more and more independent and have a mind of your own when it comes to nearly every aspect of life.  You are full of opinions and know what you like (and what you don't!)  You enjoy being silly and sarcastic.  You are quite a bundle of energy - leaping from couch to couch, jumping on cushions, or running around the house in circles with your brother chasing behind.

For your birthday this year, you decided that an outing to the Como Zoo and Conservatory would be fun.  It's one of your favorite places to visit.  You could spend hours enjoying nature and observing animals. You brought along your new camera to take pictures.  I think you took even more photos than Mom!

Enjoying the tropics

Taking a photo of the sloth in the tree

Owen walking around the Conservatory 

Loving the outdoor gardens

You love exploring nature, whether you're at a park or just in our back yard.  You'll often get dressed up in your outdoor gear so you can be properly prepared for your adventure.  You're often in search of some sort of creature, most of the time it's ants.  You enjoy watching them work and will even let them crawl all over your arm.  You are an animal rescuer (you take after your mom!)  When you find a worm or frog in danger of being stepped on or mowed over, you are quick to transport it to a safer location.

You still love dinosaurs and know just about every fact about each species.  It is a bit of an obsession.  This year the 4th Jurassic Park film was released, "Jurassic World".  I had no clue there had been 4 Jurassic Park films until you informed me. You begged and pleaded to see the new film while it was in the theaters.  Unfortunately it's rated PG-13 so you'll have to wait a few more years before viewing it.  You love watching dinosaur documentaries and reading up on dinosaur facts.  You are like a walking encyclopedia when it comes to dinosaurs.

Speaking of reading, you have become an amazing little reader, impressing me with big words like "prehistoric" or "significant".  Your favorite books are the Magic Treehouse series and any books about animals.  You especially love National Geographic books.  You love learning about animals, looking at the photos and absorbing all the facts like a sponge.  Your absolute favorite animal of all time is the orca.  While most of us refer to the animal as a "killer whale", you prefer to call it by its correct name "orca" because after all, it's not actually a whale at all but a member of the dolphin family.  You know all there is to know about orcas!  And someday, when you're all grown-up, you want to be a marine biologist so you can get up close and personal to a real live orca.

Nana Bev and Owen reading National Geographic books

You are a chatterbox.  And you have an amazing memory, especially when it comes to animal facts.  You enjoy spewing out fact after fact that you've read.  You can go on and on!  And you are not fond of other people interrupting your stories.  Because you truly do have a lot to say!

You enjoy being creative - drawing and painting the most beautiful works of art.  Or making sweet notes or cards for your loved ones.  You can spend hours completely absorbed in a project, transferring what is in your head onto paper.  You love cutting, gluing and creating one-of-a-kind projects.  It's not unusual for the entire kitchen table to be covered with paper, makers, colored pencils, crayons, you name it!  You are quite the little artist!

Owen with his orca

Owen's creative version of a boy

A card for Mom

Owen's Toy Shop

You love water!  You always have.  Whether you're swimming in a pool, taking a bath or spraying water out of the hose, you are one happy thoroughly drenched boy.  You could spend hours watering the flowers or spraying water on the ant hills. You truly can't resist.  If you see the hose, you've just GOT to turn it on!  You just may be part fish!

You've become quite the little swimmer.  You passed yet another class and can swim completely independently.  You've mastered many different swimming styles - the back stroke, front crawl, treading water, you name it!  You make your instructor (and mom!) nervous at times with your lung capacity.  You are able to hold your breath for a crazy long time.  You are one great swimmer!

You are not a huge sports fan.  Although you do enjoy snow skiing and golf.  They are two of your favorite activities to do with Pa.  The two of you love going to the driving range to practice your golf swing.  And you both can easily spend an entire day on the slopes.  You are even skiing down the more advanced hills now (the ones that make Mom nervous!)

William is still your buddy.  He loves you as much as you love him.  He happily sits on your lap and doesn't even mind when you pick him up around the waist and carry him to and fro.  You are definitely his favorite person.

Your little brother and sister look up to you so much.  Cole often times listens to you better than he does to Mom!  You are definitely the oldest of the bunch, wielding your power over the wee ones.  But you can also be the kindest teacher, showing your siblings how to do something new or helping them out when they need some assistance.

A very happy 8th birthday to you, Owen!  You add so much joy to our family.  We are so blessed to call you our son.  We love you forever and for always and can't wait to share another exciting year with you!