7.

Last weekend, Declan turned seven.  He had been counting down the days for weeks and was so excited with the anticipation of it.  Luckily he's still young enough that the reality didn't disappoint.  Chris and I surprised him the day before by taking McDonald's to him at school for lunch.  There's something special about having lunch with the kids at school.  They're still young enough to appreciate our presence and be thrilled to see us.  Their friends think we're supercool (I know!) and they love to talk with us and play silly games until it's time to go to recess.

Having family living out of town means that birthdays and holidays come with lots of love through the mail.  The boys know by now to watch to see what arrives at the house, their eyes extra concerned with who things are addressed to.  My mom mailed a check to Declan this year, something he was not familiar with.  When Chris told him what it was, he looked at it and gasped, "TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS?!" with the excitement and wonder that kids his age can muster.  We corrected him and told him it was actually twenty-five dollars, and he was mildly disappointed at the difference.  He got over it quickly and told me a few minutes later, "That was really, really nice of them!"  We suggested he could spend his $25 buying dinner for the family, but he declined that particular option.

We had a small party in our backyard with a few of his select friends.  They had fun on the trampoline, slip'n'slide, and running around and around the yard.  I made what can only be described as the ugliest cake ever.  Dex wanted a blue cake with orange icing and unfortunately, that's what he got.  He thought it was awesome though, and that's what matters, I guess.

At 7, Declan's personality is pretty much the same as it's always been, just a little more ... something.  Some days I think to myself, "What have I done to deserve this kid?" and some days I think to myself, "What have I done to deserve this kid?!"  He's totally into science, trying to figure out how things work, asking tons of questions, destroying things, etc.  He loves cooking and is always asking to be let loose in the kitchen.  Aunt Andrea let him create a dish totally on his own one day when she was babysitting.  He made some noodles (buttered noodles is, like, his favorite thing ever) and mixed them with garlic, curry, Mountain Dew, cinnamon, and caramel.  I'm told he was quite disappointed when he tasted the concoction.  But it was really fun for him to be able to put his favorite things together and hope for something awesome.  He does that with Legos a lot and I think with better results.

In conclusion, Declan is a land of many contrasts.

Here he is not enjoying some roast beef:

Hanging out in a laundry basket:

Room-cleaning attire:

Cuteness: