Happy 4th!

"Mom, do you want to play blinking?" asked Neil.

"Blinking?"

"Yeah. You stare at each other and you can't shut your eyes ever," he explains.

Ah, the kid wants a stare down. This I can do. I'm a champ. I have three younger brothers. I can totally stare someone down.

"OK. 1, 2, 3!" Neil yells. He opens his eyes as wide as possible. My eyes are open and staring the little man down. But he's not blinking. He's good.

Neil moves in closer. Closer. Closer. Closer. We are nose to nose.

Nose to nose with a sweet little 5-year-old. I'm staring at the soft pink cheeks of a boy who left babyhood not that long ago -- the perfect complexion and the roundness of his face. His long, little boy eyelashes are fluttering just slightly. His eyes are bright blue like his daddy's. He smells of chlorine and sunscreen from playing in the pool all afternoon.

I'm thinking that this is amazing. He is amazing. I really love being a mom. I am so blessed.

And then he pokes me in the eye. I blink.

"Ha, ha. I won!" He makes a fist pump and he is off...