Last birthday post, I swear

Normally, since it's already September (yay!), I would just skip over this last birthday post of Noah's. Except that a moment at this party caused Brad and I to want to cry (for a good reason). So I have to document.

We meet at my grandparents' house with the majority of my dad's family once a month to celebrate everyone's birthdays. In August, we have Noah, my little brother, and my uncle.

This is my dad's "baby" brother. He's about 6'4" and the youngest of the four of them. Crazy, huh? haha

 

After dinner, we usually gather around in the kitchen and sing happy birthday. All Noah wanted was some ice cream, so my dad had already gotten him set up in the dining room when it was time to sing. They went ahead and sang to my uncle and brother. And instead of just moving on and assuming Noah would be fine, they picked up his cupcakes, gathered around him in the dining room, and sang happy birthday again, just for him.

 

He just looked around at everyone, amazed that they were singing to him. It was such a sweet moment. My family is awesome.

Outside, they have a wooden porch swing attached to my granddaddy's workshop/garage. We've been working on strengthening his core muscles. He hates to use them, but that swing? It's the best workout for him, and he doesn't even realize it. He no longer leans back the whole time. He now holds himself up, even when it changes direction.

And he's finally letting some of the family members love on him beyond just a quick hug and kiss. My cousin's wife Breanne soaked this moment up for sure. She told me how she's been waiting so long for Noah to let her love on him and this totally made her night.

So now you see why I couldn't just skip this one. There's just too much sweetness to ignore. My family has just amazed me with how much they love Noah and accept him for who he is. We're all pretty country, and several of them didn't know anything about Autism when he was diagnosed. But instead of being weird around him, they've done the exact opposite. Even my granddaddy, who is a total strong-Southern-man type, tries to interact, love on, and encourage Noah anytime he can. It's really sweet.

My family is awesome.