The day of Simon’s birthday was a school day, and it was a special dressing-up day where the kids were dressing like adults and the teachers were dressing like students.  

For dinner that night Simon picked McDonald’s, then we came home and opened gifts and had cake and homemade ice cream.  (It was a dairy-free recipe I got from a friend and it turned out really yummy.) 

For his birthday Simon got a space shuttle Playmobil (astronauts and planets are his latest obsession), some dairy-free chocolate and coloring things from Cindy and the fam, some other Playmobil from Baca and Grandpa Hall,  a few books and some football cards.  

If I had to describe Simon in one word it would be delightful. He is just a really pleasant kid.  He has a smile that endears everyone, his subtle British accent is charming, and he loves cuddles and attention.  The teachers at his school all comment about how easily he can be consoled with a quick hug and pat on the head, whenever he is hurt or sad.  At school he sometimes cries about missing his mom, and both Richard and I felt like he had anticipatory displacement. Before Amirah was born it was as if he could sense that things were going to change, and he was especially needy and clingy.  

Simon loves his siblings, he loves to play with his friends at school, he loves Harry Potter, Star Wars and football (soccer). He has a literal bounce in his step when he’s feeling happy and it steals my heart.  He is starting to really test boundaries by ignoring us when we tell him to do something and I think he thinks he can get away with anything.  (Classic youngest child behavior, probably.) He apologizes in such a sweet way when he does something wrong that it almost feels manipulative, and the other day he PROMISED me that he would never wee the bed again.  

He is obsessive about his “homework” from school, he has learned how to read this year, and he has gift for remembering song lyrics and LOVES to sing.  He’s really a fantastic and bright edition to our family and we love our little Si-guy!