Happy Birthday, Baker!

Happy Birthday, Baker! Today, Baker turns 9. Wow- time is wild. These last nine years have flown. Today I thought I’d share ten random things about the newest, coolest nine year old around.

Baker is active. And when I say active, take your definition of active and times it by 10. This kid is always on the move. He is the fittest person I know.

He is Ruby’s favorite. Baker and Ruby have a very unique bond. She favors him over all of us in the house. He is so gentle and kind to her. When Baker sits down, which is rarely, Ruby is quick to park herself right by his side.

He loves his cousins. Baker’s bestest friends (outside of Benny and Madley) are Ty and Callan. Ty is 15 and Callan is 2. But when he is with them, his world is perfect. Baker is just like that. He is cool enough to hang with the big boys and sweet enough to adore his little cousin. Baker is just so good at being in the middle.

He is competitive. If you’ve seen him play any kind of organized sport or game, this is pretty obvious. The boy likes to win. I am not sure I have ever seen him play a game that I questioned his effort. And if you know me, I am not an easy person to impress in sports. Baker, however, impresses me constantly.

Baker looks like a Kincaid. Baker looks just like my brother and my dad. And he is pretty proud of that.

Baker dislikes injustice. Baker is always keeping score in his head. He likes things to be fair in our household. Maybe this is a middle child thing, but he demands that he gets fair treatment compared to his brother and sister.

Baker is a hard worker. Baker practices when no one is looking. This is one of my favorite things about him. Baker isn’t entitled. He understands, even at a young age, if you want to be great, you have to practice. I’m not sure Martin or I can take credit for this, but it is really cool to witness one of your kids work in the dark. It is inspiring, actually. He works on football footwork, ball drills, cup stacking, jump roping, etc. If Baker wants to do it, he does it.

Baker has amazing friends. Baker has been so blessed to go to school and play sports with his best friends. They love each other, they never seem to get tired of each other, they don’t get jealous of each other, and they have amazing families that do the same.

Baker is confident. He wears pink, he goes shirtless, he cracks jokes, he shows off his tricks. He is confident in his own skin. I hope this never changes.

Baker was named after Jaclyn Baker. She was a favorite basketball player that my dad coached. She was an exceptional girl. Her joy, faith, beauty, and light was undeniable. Jaclyn tragically died in a car accident her freshman year of high school. She wore #41 on the basketball team. From then on, I wore #41. It was to honor her and to remind myself that how you carry yourself, treat your teammates and coaches are always more important than winning and losing. We picked out “Baker” as our boy name because of her when I was pregnant with him. He was born on April 1st, which is 4/1, #41. And, boy, Baker Miller lives up to his name. He is a tremendous teammate. He is coachable. He is loyal. His light is so bright. He is the real deal. It will be so cool to one day see Jaclyn in heaven, finally tell her how she changed my life.

 I hope you enjoyed reading ten random things about Baker. And here are some pictures to enjoy also! I know some pictures are sideways, I don’t have it in me to fix them.

These pictures got me. I see that pregnant belly and I am in awe. God knew that was Baker. God knew he’d have blue eyes, how many freckles would cover his face, and how truly amazing he has and will become. Baker is a gift. We love you Baker.