Dear Elias - you're 7!

Dear Li-Li,

Our super flexible, football-loving, Harry-Potter-mad bundle of fun. You are sweet natured, sensitive and kind bundled up in a flurry of activity and boyish mischief. You are the epitome of an oxymoron - gentle, yet wild - fun, yet serious - cuddly, yet active... you have ridiculous depths to your brain and often startle your Papa and I with the kind of questions you come out with.

You surprised us with an early arrival 7 years ago (6 weeks early - eek!) and you've been surprising us ever since!

This year you have come on leaps and bounds with your gymnastics which you adore. You love to shock everyone with the ease with which you can do the splits, hang upside down and spin every which way... you're proud of your "shrimp thumbs" as nanny calls them, and you love showing all the weird and wonderful things you can do with your body! It's amazing to me how quickly gymnastics turned that little accident prone boy into someone who is so incredibly balanced and your upper body strength is insane!

Your brother is your bestie and the two of you are always together. You wind each other up no end, play fights often go the wrong way and you know exactly how to get under each others skin BUT you also spend vast amounts of time giggling, tussling in some laughter filled wrestling match, speaking your own secret language (its called Sommarlee in case you didn't know - and there is actual vocabulary!) and messing around in the garden with the football.

These days you are mostly found bouncing around on the trampoline - I see you out there practicing over and over again - tuck, pike, straddle, seat-drop, swivel-hips... if you're with your brother on there, you are usually playing "don't touch the ball" with about 6 balls bouncing on there with you!

You also love to read - you are currently devouring the Harry Potter series, but you also love problem solving and any crime, spy or case story!

I'm so fascinated to see what you'll do when you grow up!

Watching you become a big brother has been the loveliest thing... you love your "Anni-bet" so well... and you and Jonas are the first ones into our room in the morning for a cuddle! She lights up as soon as you arrive! I love how having her gives you the opportunity to be a big brother - I always knew you'd be a good one!

Elias - it has been a joy this year to see you grow up and mature, to watch your interests develop and to see you walk through life with so much compassion, empathy and kindness. You have such a heart for others and its a joy to see how that stems from your faith which you take so seriously. You love Jesus, in your own little seven-year-old way... and you don't shy away from big theological questions! We pray you'll always ask big questions, and find every answer to be contained in the Lord Jesus.

You are such an encouragement to us sweet boy - and we love you!

Happy seventh birthday!

Mama and Papa x