Nine

We had an early start this morning. I crawled out of bed when it was still dark to make sandwiches and get the boys' school bags ready early. Why? Because my youngest son turned 9 today and we had presents to open and cake to eat of course! There was a special card from Mummy too. My eldest son had been begging to see it for several days but I kept it well hidden. Both boys have learned to expect them and anxiously wait to see how I have portrayed them that year. This year's card seems to have been a big hit!

My son is a creative little guy. He loves to draw and has written some great short stories. He reads and reads and reads as well. Inside his special birthday card I wrote "Keep drawing. Keep writing. Keep reading. But please stop chewing your pencils and please stop spilling your food!!!". You see, with the creativeness comes a messy personality! There isn't a pencil in the house which has not been gnawed (any tips on how to get him to stop would be very much appreciated!) and he is forever spilling food on his clothes. Not everything is rosy! However, I love that he appreciates art and craft and so we'll not worry about the chewed pencils and ruined clothes for today!

So, how does the birthday boy look on his card? Well, I have shown him wearing his absolute favourite piece of clothing - his "leather" jacket which make him look so cool! He has his bullet necklace - purchased with his pocket money at The Ayalon Institute clandestine bullet factory some time ago - round his neck, and has a book in one hand and the aforementioned chewed pencil in the other. In front of him is one of his better drawings, a Doctor Who one, which I scanned and rotated a little so that it looks like he is working on it. My son thought that was great! A big orange number 9 declares his age and a favourite toy, Cookie the hamster, is perched on top of it. Finally I added some coloured Lego blocks - another favourite activity - and a big pile of books to the picture. I think it all just about sums him up!

My son's passion for creating means that he very much appreciated the couple of homemade gifts I made for him. He was fascinated when I sewed this little cross stitch, so I made him one for his room too. This one was a counted needlepoint kit and I am happy to report that, even though his bedroom walls are covered with scary looking Doctor Who posters, he seems excited to add this little cat picture to his collection. I put together his very own book as well, full of his own stories and illustrations, but am going to save that for another post.
And what's a birthday without cake? Happy Birthday to my crafty and creative 9 year old. I can't wait for your sleepover next week...

* If you would like to see some of his previous birthday cards, click here, here and here.