Solomon is 9!

Each year I try and do a little blog post about our kiddos’ birthdays.  This blog serves as not only a place for me to write, but also as a bit of a scrapbook for our family.  It holds precious memories and often reminds us of things we’ve long forgotten.

At the start of February we celebrated Solomon’s 9th birthday.  How on earth can that be?!?!?  He and Hudson we’re just tiny babies making all kinds of trouble together.  I remember when Solomon came home Harper was a fresh 2-year-old and Hudson was just 9-months-old.  When we would go out to run errands I would carry Hudson since he couldn’t walk yet, wear Solomon in a sling and hold Harper’s hand trying to keep her from making a mad dash into parking lots.  Those we’re the days that felt easier and yet completely chaotic.

Sol has always been the most detail oriented child.  When given the chance to choose meals and desserts and plans his mind goes into over drive and his choices are made so carefully and deliberately, but not before visiting all of his possible options.  Birthdays are at the top of his planning list.  This year Josh Kelley and I had a good laugh after Josh proclaimed he wanted to start doing his birthday like Sol does his.  Go big or go home is definitely his motto.

Solomon is our most adventurous eater and always has been.  Now granted the kid doesn’t like cereal or the crust of bread, but give him all the peppers and onions and exotic foods of the world.  Good food is one of his love languages.  While we we’re in China, Josh and Sol we’re the only ones to try donkey.  Still makes me smile thinking about it.  Nothing scares Solomon off…except Cheerios 🙂

We usually do birthday doors, but since Everett died we actually took a year off of the doors.  We hope to start back up with Hudson’s 10th birthday at the end of this year.  Kind of weird, but in the mean time we have been making up our Letterfolk board for the birthday kid.  It started with Hudson and now it was Solomon’s turn.  Josh and I had fun picking out all the words and character traits that describe our special guy.

For breakfast Solomon requested cinnamon rolls and bacon.  We actually let him pick two dinners…one on his actual birthday and one on the weekend for an extra birthday celebration.  He chose supreme pizza with all the toppings one night and a hot dog bar with all the toppings…again…for the other night.  He wanted my chili, cheese, bacon, peppers, two kinds of jalapeños, ketchup and mustard.  No topping was left unturned.  The hot dog bar was accompanied by “the good chips”…aka BBQ Lays and Spicy Nacho Doritos.  Gah I love this kid.

Solomon is quite the desert man too.  He wanted to look online for a good chocolate dessert and finally landed on this Best Brownie Pie topped with ice-cream.  Well done son!   He also loves iceream and when he couldn’t narrow his iceream dessert choice down he concocted his own.  He asked me to layer my big pan (9×13) with ice-cream sandwiches, then a layer of Oreo ice-cream, followed by a layer of crumbled Oreos and then topped with a layer of whipped cream.  My accomplishments as a mother have now been fulfilled. 🙂

Sol’s a giver so there we’re also candy treats and chex-mix involved for his classmates and all the members of his rhythm squad…aka dance team…aka pep rally leaders…to celebrate as well.  This kid lives it up on his day to say the least.  It’s one of my greatest enjoyments as a mom celebrating them on their special day.

We ate lunch with him at school and when I brought out my phone to take a picture he grinned ear-to-ear.  He really wanted a little point-and-shoot camera for his birthday and Josh Kelley and I made that happen.  Hudson got one for his birthday too so it was quite hilarious watching Hudson video and photograph Sol on his birthday.  These two have a special bond.  They don’t remember life without one another and I couldn’t love it more.  Amon tried honing in on all of Solomon’s birthday action as well and Sol obliged…nevermind Amon stood in the corner sulking while we sang happy birthday during Sol’s birthday breakfast because he was unhappy about the plate he was given.  Kids…hahahahahaha.

When anyone asked him what he wanted for his birthday he told them money.  He has been saving and saving for a Playstation 4 and he was hoping this birthday just might complete his savings.  Sure enough, it did.  Dude saved up all his cash monies and handed every last dollar over to me as I made his purchase VIA the internet.  Josh told him he’d buy him an extra controller, but it had to be just for him.  Wink, wink.  Not sure who’s more excited about his PS4 purchase…Josh or Sol.

Solomon is just quite the kid.  He keeps us on our toes and keeps us thinking.  He is always up for helping and can find anything anyone has misplaced.  He is complicated and resillent and lovable.  He’s beyond special and is likely on his way to being voted The Funniest Kelley.  He can walk on his hands and can almost land his self taught front handspring…he seriously needs to be in a gymnastics class.  He gives amazing hugs and a key to his heart is good food and a glass of milk.  He misses Everett deeply and we’re working together so hard on his healing.  He was the best big brother to him.

His birthday always makes me think extra about his birth family.  I reminded him how so many things I love about him he got directly from them and how much we love and respect we have for them.  When I tucked him in that night I reminded him of how for the longest time when he was tiny instead of saying “I love you” he would say, in the most endearing way, “Happy Christmas”.  I hugged him tight and asked him if he had a good birthday.  He assured me he did.  I hugged his little body once more and he whispered in my ear, “Happy Christmas.”  I laughed.  This is our boy and goodness are we forever greatly to be his parents.  We are simply the luckiest!

Happy 9th birthday Solomon!

6 Comments

  1. Happy! Happy Birthday Solomon!!

  2. Happy Birthday Sol!!!

  3. Happy Birthday Sol! I want to come to your next party because I would LOVE to have that stack of cinnamon rolls! At least maybe one of them. You can keep all of the hot things like the peppers and spicy chips. Just give me the cinnamon rolls and I’m happy. I love you!

  4. Happy birthday Sol! I love his hotdog bar dinner!

  5. Andrew Marsh says:

    Whoop, whoop, Sol!! Hope you’ve had the best day, full of love, laughter, family and friends!! Big up, big man!!

  6. Such a sweet, special boy. He’s going to do amazing things, that one! 🙂

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