Hi, my name is Andrew and I live in Oklahoma. Today is a very special day for me. Today, I'm finally having my birthday. Today, I am officially seven years old!

Getting older is like magic, because last night when I went to bed, I was only six years old. And this morning, when I woke up-BAM!- I was seven. Just like that. That's how growing up is sometimes.

To tell you the truth, yesterday I was a little nervous about turning seven. My stomach felt a little jumpy inside when I started to think about going into a new grade at school next year. Would I get to be in class with my old friends? Will my new teacher be nice? Will the work be too hard? It just sneaked right up on me and I was kind of nervous. I didn't know if I was ready for all the extra responsibility of being seven.

I told myself that everything was going to be fine, but inside, I wasn't so sure. It wasn't just about school, but about everything in general. My whole life was going to be different, now that I am seven.

Then I began to realize that I would probably know lots of kids in my class next year, because I'd been going to the same school for a couple of years now. And so what, if my best friends weren't in my class with me; I would be able to make new friends because I am smart and kind and fun to play with. Now that I am seven, all kinds of kids will want to pal around with me.

Yes, now that I'm seven, I will make more friends, because I'm more grown up than before. Grown ups have lots of friends. I will have more friends than I had before, more than ever.

So, then I started thinking about what else I could do, now that I was seven.

And guess what?

There's a TON more stuff that I can do now that I was too little to do before!

One of the coolest things about being seven is that instead of having my Daddy read me a bedtime story; I can read it to him. He's really proud of me for being able to read so well. I couldn't read very well when I was just five or even six, but I'm pretty good at it now. I can be in charge of reading the bedtime stories every night now.

And do you know what else? I can go camping in a real tent. Before, when I was little, I was too young to sleep outside all night, but now that I'm seven, I can sleep in a tent, just like my Dad. I can't wait to sit around the campfire and tell spooky ghost stories and roast marshmallows. When we go hiking in the woods, I can be the trail guide because I can read a compass and the trail signs so we don't get lost.

I can go fishing, too. My dad has a boat and now that I am seven, I am old enough to ride in it. I could even drive it, if he will let me. I can't wait to put a worm on my own hook and catch the biggest fish in the lake all by myself! I won't need anyone to help me reel it in or take it off the hook. Won't my dad be jealous when my fish is bigger than his! Later, he can show me how to cook it and we can do it together.

I think that I might even be old enough to ride a horse, too. There are lots of horses where I live and I have always wanted to ride one. Not one of those little, baby horses, but one of the big, strong, pretty ones. I'll bet that I can even get on one all by myself! How awesome would it be to ride on the back of a horse and see everything from all the way up there? And I can ride fast, like the wind.

Sometimes when I think about turning seven, I feel sad about giving up some of the things that I am getting too big for, like riding on my Daddy's shoulders when we go to the zoo. My legs used to get tired when we walked so far, but now they are stronger and they don't get tired as fast as they used to. When I was younger, it was hard for me to see the animals, too, but now I am so tall that I can see over almost anything. I will miss my nightlight, but I don't need it. I'm not scared of the dark anymore.

I like drawing and painting pictures for my family. I hope that for my birthday, my mom or dad gets me a real art set so that I can make the best pictures ever.

Now that I am seven, I can play baseball and run really fast. I am tall enough to ride the biggest roller coaster at the fair. I can make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that anyone has ever tasted. I can ride my bicycle without anyone helping me. I can do so much more than ever before. And best of all, I can do all these things better than I ever could before because I am growing up and gaining experience.

Yes, I am glad that today is my seventh birthday. I'm proud of the fact that I can take care of myself, like making my breakfast, picking out my clothes and taking care of my chores. My mom and dad are so proud of how big I am and how much I can do. Now that I am seven, even though I can do most everything for myself, I think that I'll still let my mom and dad take care of me sometimes, so they won't be too sad that I am growing up so fast!

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Copyright 2009, Daniel Wells