Chase Patrick: NINE

 NINE whole years!!! I cannot believe it! And I know I say that every single year but I am truly astounded at how fast each year passes by. It's always harder with you being the oldest. I truly love watching you grow. Seeing your interests change from year to year, seeing you physically grow, and seeing your individual personality develop. 

The growth in your confidence this past year has been remarkable. You are becoming so sure of who you are. You know what you like, what makes you uncomfortable and how to deal with those situations. Your humor is incredibly dry and you crack jokes all day long. You especially love to tease Daddy. 

You are beyond amazing with your brother and sister. You always step up to help them out, be patient with them, entertain them and sometimes keep them in line. I'm so glad they have you to look up to, you make an incredible role model for Asher and Hayley, they really do think you are one of the best things in their lives. 

You are doing great with homeschooling. After dealing with your anxiety that affected your whole health, Daddy and I thought it would be what's best for you, so far it is proving right. You are incredible smart, even though sometimes your try me on doing your work. I love to teach you, to see how proud you are once you figure something out. You prefer English over math, but your absolute favorite is art. You are a great artist and love to see what you are going to come up with. 

You started playing soccer again this fall and are loving it. You have always been so timid and would never really get in the middle of a soccer game in the past. This year you are in there tackling. You love playing goalie but you are doing so good out on the field. I love to watch you play, make friends and just have so much fun. You are still riding, the current horse you are riding is Gunsmoke. I am eagerly awaiting for you to come off the lunge line. One of your favorite places to go is Ryerss, and see your favorite horse Diablo. The two of you really do get each other. It's sweet watching you both interact. 

I love spending my days with you, whether it be doing school, playing soccer, sharing cuddles, watching movies, building Legos, playing outside. I love doing it all with you.