Poor MM. I seem to inevitably blog about his darling sister a lot more than I blog about him. It’s partly because she’s home with me for more hours and requires MORE of me in nearly every way. He is becoming more and more self sufficient as he gets older and she continues to be a very demanding four year old girl. Also shhh… she’s often more fun to photograph and a large portion of my posts here revolve around pictures. So.

It’s not his fault. He’s a funny, handsome, charming, sweet, intelligent boy with gorgeous blue eyes and a great smile. He poses patiently for pictures and, like his father, he excels at pretty much everything he sets his mind to excel at. He is a beloved student to every teacher who has met him, he works hard and plays nicely and aims to be friends with everyone he meets. I’ve compared him to Olaf from Frozen a lot and though my husband and I like to joke that it’s because Olaf tends to overstate state the obvious, the truth is that is not why MM reminds me of him.

Like Olaf, MM sees the best in everyone. MM is truly an eternal optimist. Every moment is the best moment and every person is his friend. He is unfailingly nice and kind a quiet hero to the people around him. He is wise beyond his years and often seems to understand things on a deeper level than his age would suggest. Undaunted by his age and size, MM believes the world is full of amazing opportunities and that hard work and kindness are all he needs to succeed in the world.

Now, yes, I’m exaggerating. Though Olaf never seems to be in a bad mood, my son is not perfect. He can sulk and whine with the best of them and, no, he isn’t always nice to everyone (just ask his sister). He is tender hearted and his feelings are easily hurt, so every now and then you witness the happy bubble burst – but he bounces back quickly after each sad moment, his smile never far behind.

I hope he never changes. I know hard times will come his way as they do for all of us – harder than anything he could imagine at eight years old. I know this world is going to test his spirit and that some of that optimism may fade as he gets older, but I hope he can hold onto most of it and that he will always be the kind, smart, charming, intelligent, caring, optimistic, friendly, hopeful boy that he is today.

MM, you are cursed with a sister who seems to be effortlessly posing for pictures at every moment and captivates the attention of everyone she meets. It may seem like she is the center of the universe sometimes or at least the center of my camera’s attention most days, but know that I love and adore you equally and that you make me so, constantly proud.