MADDOX KANE, YOU ARE OFFICIALLY 8 YEARS OLD!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT..TODAY, MADDOX KANE TURNED 8 YEARS OLD...I KNOW EVERYONE SAYS THIS...PROBABLY 99% OF ALL MAMA'S DO..BUT, SERIOUSLY!!!...I CANNOT BELIEVE MY FIRST BABY IS 8 YEARS OLD!! THE TIME HAS FLOWN BY SOOOOO FAST AND IT'S NOT SLOWING DOWN AT ALL..I LITERALLY REMEMBER EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM BEING BORN....I REMEMBER WAKING UP DURING THE NIGHT AND GOING PEE-PEE (T.M.I. I KNOW) LIKE 30 TIMES..IT FELT LIKE EVERY TWO MINUTES..AND COME TO FIND OUT THAT WAS MY WATER LEAKING AND NOT BREAKING..BUT IT WAS MY FIRST PREGNANCY...I HAD NO CLUE WHAT TO TRULY EXPECT OTHER THAN THE HORROR STORIES PEOPLE FOR SOME REASON LOVE TO TELL YOU WHEN YOU HAVE A  BABY :) AND BEFORE YOU KNEW IT, I WAS HAVING BACK LABOR..FUN TIMES!!! I HAD THE BEST NURSE EVER..HER NAME WAS KERRI...AND SHE ALLOWED ME TO PRANCE AROUND ON MY TIP-TOES BECAUSE EVERY TIME I HAD A CONTRACTION THAT SEEMED TO HELP..SHE LAUGHED AT ME..BUT THAT WAS OKAY BECAUSE SHE LET ME TIP-TOE...I HAD AN EPIDURAL AROUND 9 OR SO..AND BY 10 A.M., I WAS AT 10 CENTIMETERS BUT THE DOCTOR WANTED MADDOX TO COME DOWN ON HIS OWN... AS FAR AS HE WOULD NATURALLY BEFORE I PUSHED HIM OUT...BY 1:16 PM..MADDOX KANE JOHNSON ENTERED THIS WORLD..AND WE HAD THIS NEW LIFE WE WERE SUDDENLY RESPONSIBLE FOR...MY HEART WAS IMMEDIATELY FILLED WITH SOMETHING I CAN NEVER ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN...

MADDOX, YOU ARE EIGHT YEARS OLD TODAY....YOU WEIGH 65 POUNDS AND ARE FOUR FEET FIVE INCHES TALL...YOU HAVE 12 TEETH ON THE TOP...AND 12 TEETH ON THE BOTTOM...FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS YOU HAVE HAD AN OBSESSION WITH LEGOS..BEFORE THAT IT WAS THOMAS THE TRAIN...WHEN YOU LOVE SOMETHING, YOU LOVE IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART....YOU ALSO LOVE HALO MEGA BLOCKS...BUT LEGOS ARE YOUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE..WHEN EVER ANY HOLIDAY ARRIVES YOU ASK FOR LEGOS..WHEN WE GO TO TARGET, YOU WANT TO BE ON THE LEGO ISLE...YOU LOVE TO COME HOME FROM SCHOOL AND IMMEDIATELY GET ON YOUR NANA'S COMPUTER..YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT THE COMPUTER THAN NANA DOES..YOU GET ON AMAZON AND BROWSE FOR ALL THE LEGOS YOU WANT TO BUY..YOU MAKE LONG LISTS WITH THE LEGOS ON THEM..SOMETIMES THESE LISTS ARE FOUR PAGES LONG...YOU GET ON YOUTUBE AND LOVE TO WATCH THE VIDEOS THAT PEOPLE MAKE USING LEGOS..YOU COULD WATCH IT FOR HOURS AND HOURS IF WE WOULD LET YOU..WHEN MOMMY AND DADDY COME HOME FROM WORK AND PICK YOU UP...YOU IMMEDIATELY TALK ABOUT LEGOS...YOU ARE STILL THE SAME TENDER-HEARTED CHILD THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SINCE DAY ONE...I TOLD YOU LAST NIGHT ON THE WAY  HOME FROM DINNER, THAT KATIE SHOULD ALWAYS BE YOUR BEST FRIEND...AND YOU INFORMED ME THAT SHE WASN'T YOUR BEST FRIEND, SHE WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND...AND YOU HAD THE BIGGEST GRIN ON YOUR FACE...YOU NEVER GO TO BED UNLESS I COME UPSTAIRS AND SAY YOUR PRAYERS WITH YOU AND KISS YOU GOODNIGHT...EVEN WHEN YOUR DAD TUCKS YOU IN, YOU STILL WANT ME TO COME TELL YOU GOODNIGHT...AND THAT MELTS MY HEART...YOU AND SAYLOR ARGUE A LOT BUT YOU LOVE HER...YOU DID GIVE HER ALL YOUR GIRL LEGO PEOPLE RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS AND NOW YOU ACTUALLY LIKE HER PLAYING LEGOS WITH YOU...YOU TELL ME THAT YOU WATCH AFTER HER AT SCHOOL AND YOU TOLD THIS ONE LIL' BOY.."I'M WATCHING YOU!!"...THAT MADE ME LAUGH HYSTERICALLY!...YOU EVEN SHOWED ME THAT YOU DID THE MOTIONS WHERE YOU POINT TO YOUR EYES THEN YOU POINTED TO HIM...YOU LOVE BEING A BIG BROTHER AND YOU ARE A GREAT ONE AT THAT!!! YOU LOVE HISTORY AND LEARNING FACTS ABOUT ANYTHING...AND YOU CAN RETAIN THE MOST INFORMATION...IT BLOWS MY MIND...YOU STILL REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOU WERE THREE WE WERE AT THE BEACH ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF A MOTEL AND I DROPPED MY DIAMOND DOWN THRU THE BALCONY FLOOR..AND YOU REMEMBER YOUR DADDY GOING DOWN THERE AND SEARCHING FOR IT..AND YOU AND GRAND-DADDY FED A RACCOON SOME PRETZELS OFF THE BACK OF THAT SAME MOTEL DECK...FIVE YEARS LATER YOU STILL RECALL THAT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY...SOMETIMES YOU WILL SAY..."HEY MOM, DO YOU REMEMBER THAT TIME YOU DROPPED YOUR RING OFF THE BALCONY AT THE BEACH?"...AND MOST OF THE TIMES I HAVE FORGOTTEN UNTIL YOU REMIND ME....YOU ARE LEARNING TO WRITE A LOT OF CURSIVE THIS YEAR IN SECOND GRADE..I'M AMAZED BY HOW AWESOME YOU WRITE..YOU WRITE BETTER CURSIVE THAN YOUR MOMMY (IT WAS NEVER MY STRONG SUIT)...YOU STILL ARE A VERY PICKY EATER..I DON'T THINK THAT WILL EVER CHANGE..AND YOU SURPRISE ME THAT YOU LOVE JAPANESE LIKE YOU DO...BUT YOU COULD LIVE OFF MCDONALD'S CHICKEN NUGGETS  AND TACOS WITH JUST MEAT AND CHEESE!!!..AND YOU LOVE SOME CHICK-FIL-A!!! BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT MOST DAYS...YOU DO NOT LIKE TOMATOES AT ALL...AND YOU WILL NOT EVEN TRY ANYTHING THAT REMOTELY LOOKS WEIRD TO YOU..YOU DESPISE LONG SLEEVE SHIRTS AND LONG PANTS...IT COULD BE SNOWING OUTSIDE AND YOU WILL STILL BEG ME TO WEAR A SHORT-SLEEVED SHIRT...YOU LOVE GOING TO CHURCH ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS WITH YOUR NANA AND GOING TO YOUR ROYAL RANGERS GROUP...LAST QUARTER YOU WON ROYAL RANGER OF THE QUARTER FOR HAVING SUCH GREAT BEHAVIOR...THAT SAYS A LOT...YOU WILL UNDERSTAND ALL THIS WHEN YOU GET OLDER..BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW PROUD WE ARE TO BE YOUR MOMMY AND DADDY..I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GLAD THAT GOD DECIDED TO LET YOU BE OURS...YOU WERE OUR FIRST BABY AND YOU WERE THE FIRST ONE TO CAPTURE ALL OF OUR HEARTS...HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY MADDOX KANE!! WE LOVE YOU!!

                                           LOVE,

                                                       MOM