Cullen turned 7 today!! Looking back at his baby and 'small kid' photos, I am amazed at how quickly he has grown. He's also matured a lot over the last year and that could be a result of starting Kindergarten as well as just being a year older.
Cullen is so much like Warren in that he is a loner and will often go off by himself to explore. Warren did that a lot as a child. Cullen will sit for ages playing by himself - like with his Thomas Train when he was younger or sitting in the middle of a courtyard, putting leaf after leaf down a storm drain.
He has an incredibly tender heart and will worry about a bug crawling across the driveway, a limping dog, a rabbit hiding in a yard or a friend at school who fell during recess, talking & fretting about it for days afterwards. The other morning he saw a moth on the road while we were stopped at a red light - it was struggling to fly and Cullen quickly prayed "Dear God, please don't let the moth die. Amen!"
Cullen's hair is a mystery to me - with everyone else having dead straight hair, its a wonder that Cullen's hair is so wavy. In the morning his head looks like a 'tumbleweed' (as Jordan put it yesterday) and I love that it bounces around his face.
My favorite saying of Cullen's is: (excited voice) "Mom, my cheeks wobble when I run!"
My favorite thing to do with Cullen is to snuggle with him. He is the BEST snuggler in the world and will often crawl into our bed during the night, wrap his arms and legs around my arm and fall asleep that way.
I'm betting that his love language is 'gifts' or 'giving' because whenever we're out walking, Cullen will stop to pick weeds, flowers (sometimes with the roots dangling) and even small bushes to give to me. Needless to say, there have been times when I've hurriedly replanted the uprooted flowers in our neighbors' yard or in the flower beds at the park.
When Cullen came out of my body, he looked like Jordan's twin. I thought "this is going to be easy because I already know how to deal with Jordan" and although Cullen looked like his brother, he is nothing like Jordan and I love that about him. Having these 2 incredibly different souls under my roof and in my care is the most precious gift I have ever received and I will protect them with my life.
...and so to sum him up:
C is for CARING
U is for UNIQUE
L is for LOVING
L is for LAIDBACK
E is for ENTERTAINING
N is for NAUGHTY
T is for TENDER
R is for ROMANTIC
A is for AUTONOMOUS
C is for CUTE
E is for ENJOYABLE
S is for SQUEAKER
(nickname from my sister)
T is for TEARFUL
O is for OBLIGING
N is for NONCHALANT
E is for ENERGETIC
L is for LONER
O is for OBSERVANT
T is for THOUGHTFUL
T is for TEMPERATE
E is for EMPATHETIC
R is for RELAXED
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CULLIE CHOPS!!