Taylor, Matthew & Brayden: Matty is Nine

My Matty,

You are nine years old today! Next year you will be double digits. Be still my heart. You are growing ever so fast. You are loved by so many but no one loves you more than your daddy and me.

We spent your 9th birthday in quarantine (well, sort of). When we started quarantining on March 13th, I never would have imagined that we would still be in quarantine for your birthday. Today, our state begins Phase One of re-opening, but that only means that golf courses, public parks/trails, and lakes are open again. We could not go out to eat on your birthday. I let you pick every meal today, so you chose donuts for breakfast, Panda Express for lunch, and Chipotle for dinner. We had chocolate cupcakes too, of course! After opening presents and having nothing but sugar for breakfast, we powered through your homeschooling activities for the day. After lunch, you played your new favorite video game, Fortnite, with your buddies for a couple of hours before Lucas and Kyler came over. Then you played basketball on the driveway until your birthday parade at 4:30 (see next post for details on the "parade"). Lucky you, you got to see many friends on your special day including, Lucas, Kyler, Danny, Jack, Clay, Carsen, Quinn, Blake, Nathan and Casey. Grandma and Pop Pop came over for Chipotle (and they even came into our house this time - during previous quarantine visits they stayed on our patio). You opened some thoughtful gifts from your friends, we sang "Happy Birthday" to you, and we capped off the night by playing Taboo. I don't know about you, but I would call this an epic birthday. Today was all about you!

Here are my observations about you at nine years old:

You are strong and solid! Still built like an Akers. Sometimes when we wrestle around, you hurt me! Big time. You do not realize your own strength. I believe you are over 70 pounds now and I can barely pick you up.
Your fingernails grow faster than any I have ever seen. Daddy and I feel like we have to clip them every other night.
You have a huge cyst on the left side of your neck. It is called a Branchial Cleft Cyst. It needs to be surgically removed. Because this surgery is considered "non-essential," and because we are still living in the midst of the Coronavirus, I have no idea when we'll be able to schedule the surgery. I know you are self-conscious of the cyst because you wear hoodies whenever you are on video or out for a walk in the neighborhood. I took a video of you on your birthday (I interview you every year to note your interests/hobbies/friends/etc, and it broke my heart that you wore a hoodie and angled yourself in such a way that we could not see your neck).
You have many friends. I love watching you interact with the other boys - I can tell that they look up to you.
I had to give you a crash course on the Birds and the Bees two nights ago. We were watching a commercial for Cascade dishwashing detergent, and it showed several couples saying "We do it every night," and "We do it right after dinner." Taylor was quick to point out that the commercial was inappropriate and you asked why. So, when I tucked you in that night, I told you about the Birds and the Bees. You were grossed out. One of the first comments you made was, "I am so glad Uncle Ryan is not married so he does not have to do that." It cracked me up! You then had trouble falling asleep because you said you could not stop thinking about what I said. Just as I said to Taylor, this is an important conversation for parents to have with their child, so I implored you not to talk about this with your friends. But of course, I am waiting for another mom to tell me that her son heard about sex from you.
You still love baseball. And basketball. And all things sports. I asked if you wanted to play select soccer in the fall as some of your friends are going to play select, but you made it clear that you do not want to play professional soccer so rec is just fine.
During our quarantine, you've become addicted to the Xbox. I finally caved and downloaded Fortnite for you during "spring break," and you have played a ton ever since. The good thing about Fortnite is that Brayden loves it as much as you and you will coach each other; the bad thing is that only one of you can play at at time. We are in the process of moving the Xbox out of my office and into the living room because I cannot handle all the gaming while I am trying to work.
Your favorite food is Mexican. Hands down. You love burritos/burrito bowls from Chipotle. Your new favorite food from Tapatio is Carne Asada, which is $18.99! That's a big difference from the kids' bean and cheese burrito you used to order for $4.99. You are becoming an expensive child to feed.
You LOVE candy. We find wrappers all around the house because you will sneak candy from the pantry in your hoodie and then leave wrappers in your bedroom, the playroom, the family room, etc. I even find them as I am folding your laundry! You had your first cavity last summer and I fully expect there to be another one or two when we go back to the dentist again.
Recently, you have started watching "Dance Moms" with me and Taylor. In fact, this is our "go-to" show before bed on many nights. Tommy is appalled but I love that you will watch it with us. Granted, there are no sports to watch on TV right now so the pickings are slim.
You, Taylor and Dad have been watching "Survivor" together and love it.
You also love watching YouTube videos. I am very wary of this because I worry that you'll come across something inappropriate soon. You love watching Brent and Lexi Rivera's videos - they are a brother/sister duo that make videos with pranks and challenges. I find them all stupid but you will watch them while you sit on the couch and eat lunch. You also watch Dude Perfect videos on YouTube.
You asked for (and received) a gold chain for your birthday. I am dying to know where you saw someone wearing a gold chain and why you wanted one. I hate gold chains! I wish I could have captured the huge smile on your face when you opened the gold chain, though. So cute.
You have terrible handwriting. Maybe it is not terrible, but it is painful to watch you write. There is something about the way you hold your pen that looks uncomfortable. I am wondering if you may need occupational therapy?
You no longer give me kisses. When I kiss you, you turn your head so that I kiss your cheek. It kinda breaks my heart. However, you still ask me to lay beside you every night when I tuck you in. And you will still put your chubby feet against my leg.
You ADORE Annie. I love hearing you whisper to her "You are the best dog ever," and "I am so glad we have you, Annie."
You are sneaky with your brother and sister. You know how to push their buttons, and you do it at the worst times. For example, if I am having a discussion with Taylor about something she should not be doing, you will chime in and make matters worse. You and Taylor still fight way more than I would like. Taylor is vocal about her hatred for you and you are the silent sneaky fox. You are not vocal in front of me or daddy but then you get your licks in behind our backs. I am on to you and you are given consequences more often now.
You are very competitive and are not fun to play games with. You love playing card games but you cry when you lose. We always remind you and your siblings before a game that someone is going to lose, but you still have a hard time with it.
You are getting a bit of a "tongue." What I mean by this is that you make snarky comments every now and then. I went away with my best friends Emily and Sara in January for a weekend. When I called from San Diego to check in, you said, "Are you having fun drinking wine?" While I know you are teasing, I sure hope you do not think that's all I do. You have a way of saying things in a very funny manner but I wonder if there is an underlying meaning?
You have lost 8 teeth. Brayden has lost 2 and Taylor has lost 19!
You have started questioning Santa, the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy. I think you know the truth about them, but you are smart and know that if you ask this means less presents. So, you played along very nicely on Easter morning.
You still want to be an athlete when you grow up. I ask you what your backup plan is if you get hurt, and you say that you won't get hurt! Yeah, okay, sure.
Your favorite subject is math (besides recess and gym).

Matty, I adore you. Always have and always will. I am so grateful that God chose me to be your mommy. It has been one of life's greatest gifts and joys. I pray that your sensitive and loving heart is never tarnished and that you treat others with respect always. Let me remind you of your life verse:
"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33.

Happy Birthday! I love you,
Mom