Happy Birthday!

Hogan celebrated his 3rd birthday last Thursday with his friends at Going Bonkers. The name of this place is very fitting as it is exactly what happens to the kids while they're there. It is a kid heaven- a climbing, sliding, swinging, jumping, arcade-game playing paradise. I don't think I saw Hogan except for the cake eating and present opening. He was on the go from the time we got there until the very end.

It's hard to believe that he's three. In some ways these past three years have felt decades long, and I'm pretty sure that three years of being a parent is not doing me any good in the aging department. But in other ways it feels like just yesterday that Troy and I got the call from our caseworker giving us the good news of Hogan's birth. We had waited months for that call and years for a child. And when Hogan finally was able to come home with us I remember studying his face wondering who he would be and what kind of little boy he would become. And now that Hogan's three and that little boy is right before me I try to remember what was in that baby face that is still here today. He has the same bright eyes that are always curious and thinking. He has the same strong body that is always ready to try something new. He has the same sweet cheeks that open into a smile (but not too often- we always had to work to get that smile, he was too much of a thinker).

And what does he have now that I could never have guessed no matter how hard I studied that face? A sense of drama, a touch of a Texas accent (where did that come from?), an expressive face that gives away all of his thoughts, musicality, bossiness (or shall we say administrative flair?), and an energetic, but gentle spirit.

So, here's to many more years. I'm sure there is more to discover about Hogan- already there is much to remember.