He Can't Be 11

Colin turned to me in the car a couple days ago and said "Hey, Mom!  In 5 years I'll be driving!!"  When I told Bo the story later, he furrowed his brow and said "No, he won't."  Then, his face changed as he realized that . . . yes, he will!  (Well, if he's like his father he will.  If he's like me, he won't drive until he's 21.  But that's another story.)

My sweet, intelligent, emotional, intense, considerate boy turns eleven today.  What to say on such a day?  I could tell about my pregnancy (brief though it was -- well, my knowledge of it anyway), or I could tell his birth story (a bit dramatic, but the end result was a red-headed bundle in my arms), or I could tell stories of his first few years (always a tale to remember!)

Instead, this year I think I'll talk about the young man he is just this moment.  I have fond memories of the past 11 years and I look forward to the future.  Right now, though, I want to cherish.  Because he will never be 11 years old again.

At 11, he loves to read.  He prefers fantasy usually, and he especially likes books that come in a series so he can continue reading about the characters book after book after book.  That doesn't stop him from reading other types of books, though.

He loves Pokemon cards, and recently has started with Redakai cards. He enjoys playing games on his Nintendo DSi, and lately he has been building animations with FlipNotes more than actually playing games on it.

He has no care for fashion, or his hair, or anything like that.  It never crosses his mind to brush his hair or plan his outfits.  He'll take care of these things when prompted, but he really has no interest.

He has strong likes and dislikes, and knows his own mind. He is particular about how he likes his food, but mac & cheese remains one of his favorites from when he was tiny.

He is a strong student, but I think he finds himself a bit bored this year.  I need to help him find something to be passionate about (beyond Pokemon).

He loves his family fiercely, and enjoys his friendships.  He likes to be around people and is never shy to share his opinions.

He has a strong sense of right and wrong.  He is extremely sentimental and believes in following family traditions.  In fact, the picture you see is our traditional birthday picture in this family -- when he was 4 he saw this cake at the store and wanted it desperately.  Now, every year, each kid has their picture taken by the inflatable cake.

I'm a bit in shock today that I'm the mother of an 11 year old. I always wanted children, and we went through a time when we weren't sure how our family was going to grow. He was a surprise, a blessing, a miracle -- and he continues to surprise me, bless me, and remind me of miracles each and every day.

Happy Birthday, #1 Son!

It's Been Colin's Week . . .

Colin has had a pretty full week.  He decided to run for student council late last week, so this week we created his poster and he wrote a speech.  The speech was videotaped and will be shown before the kids vote next week.

Thursday afternoon he performed in his school's orchestra concert where he had a small solo during Old McDonald.  He wasn't able to perform in the evening concert because we attended the school district awards ceremony so he could receive recognition for his short story that won first place.  He also received a copy of the book that includes all the winners' poems and stories so he can say that he is officially a published author.  The books will be placed in all district libraries this week.

Saturday found us having Little League pictures taken, rushing off to the last Spring Strings Project class so we could return again that evening for the Strings Project Concert.  This semester, he has taken group viola classes each Saturday at ASU with some very talented music education students.  The concert was made up of all the Strings Project classes, and they put on a great show of music.

This school year has been pretty amazing, and I'm relieved to be wrapping down for summer.  Somehow, though, I imagine our summer will be pretty busy as well!

First Reconciliation

C made his First Reconciliation today. It was supposed to happen in early February, but one of our priests was ill, and it was pushed back. He attends RE (religious education) at our parish, but we also do RE at home. I couldn't understand why they never had them learn the Act of Contrition during class, or even went over the form of Reconciliation -- but we covered it at home so I was confident he would do just fine.

C was very excited about today, and had been disappointed when it was postponed last month. He knows it is one more sacrament, and one more step to receiving Holy Communion. He has been practicing the Act of Contrition for many months, and had the entire prayer down pat. We had also practiced what would happen and what he was expected to say.

When I picked him up from class this morning, his teacher said "Tell your Mom what Father said!" Apparently, Father said "Are you sure this is your first time? You're like an old pro!" He was beaming with pride.

He couldn't believe that he wasn't able to say his Act of Contrition. They gave the kids a small card with a one-line Act of Contrition prayer and that was the one he was expected to say. He told the priest he knew the full version, but I guess they were pressed for time.

This afternoon, we went out and found him a suit for his First Communion next month. (I'm hoping that it will fit N next year for his First Communion!) We found a nice outfit w/vest and tie for N to wear for Easter & C's First Communion and dress shoes for the both of them. I just need to get C a dress shirt and tie to complete the outfit. He was very pleased with the day.

Suddenly, he turned 8!

My sweet, oldest boy turned 8 today. He outgrew his bike months ago, but I kept telling him that a new bike wasn't in his future.

So, this morning, we headed out for our morning walk. DH asked for his help finding a tool that he thought he left in my folks' garage. C headed over to help look for this mysterious tool. DH encouraged him to lift a blanket to see if it was on the shelves behind the blanket.

He lifted the blanket and said "There's just a bike here. A brand new bike."

I said "Hmmm, who do you think the bike is for?" at about the same time he was saying "It's a bike that is just my size."

Finally it dawned on him that it was HIS new bike. He was thrilled. I hope you can see his excitement in the pictures!

He had a lovely day of bike riding, eating off the birthday plate, receiving many fabulous presents, and having his requested birthday dinner. He requested ham -- and real ham, not that stuff you buy to save money (that would be turkey ham), and fresh -- not leftover!, with scalloped potatoes -- from a box, not from scratch, but from a box like Grandma makes, and cooked carrots -- but plain cooked carrots -- not with anything added to them, and garlic bread. With a bakery cake, because Basha's was kind enough to send him a birthday card along with a coupon for a free cake. He declared it a wonderful dinner.

Our boy is intelligent, kind, thoughtful, considerate, friendly and a joy to be around. He's an eager student, and a joy to teach. He's a great big brother to his siblings and a steadfast friend to his friends. He loves to read, build with Legos, ride his bike and spend time outdoors. It's hard to believe that in 8 more years we'll be taking him for his learner's permit!

(For those curious, this is the bike C received: Mongoose 20-Inch Gravity Games BMX Freestyle Bike (Gunmetal) We didn't pay that for it, though -- more like 1/3 of that. I got an awesome deal!)

Lego Themed Birthday Party

C celebrates his 8th birthday on Friday, but we had his birthday party with friends today.

He requested a Lego themed party, so I made a Lego cake. When I asked him what color he would like, N chimed in with "Clear!" Thankfully, C was a little more realistic and chose orange.

The cake is 2 layers of 13x9 cakes, topped with 8 cupcakes. I should have used a knife to flatten it out more, but it was late last night. He was happy with it, and that's what counts.

Last weekend, we visited the Lego store and filled up a cup with their open stock. I really love this option to get interesting bricks and pieces! We carefully counted so we would have 8 of everything, and then I threw in a few extras for the boys. We created goody bags with the bricks and a package of Lego-shaped fruit snacks.

We decided we'd set out the boys' bricks and have contests to see who could build the highest tower, who could create a car the fastest, a co-operative building game where they would add a brick and then pass it to the next kid. I also filled a jar with Legos and had the kids guess how many were in the jar.

In the end, only 2 of the invited guests were able to come and one of those had to leave after 45 minutes. One had car trouble, and 2 were sick. We were expecting 7 kids total, and ended up with 4. (That included my 2 boys.)

They decided to play Wii instead of the Lego games I planned. When the dad of one of the guests picked him up, he did tell his dad I made a neat cake.

C had fun even though most of his friends weren't able to attend. He was very understanding and I'm proud of him! He wrote out his thank you notes right after the party, without prompting!

milestones

Last Wednesday, C lost his other front tooth while at his enrichment program. It has left him with a delightful gap-toothed smile.

Around the same time, L sprouted her 6th tooth -- giving her 4 across the top.

L's favorite game of the moment is peek-a-boo and she will spend countless minutes covering her head with whatever is nearby in hopes someone will squeal "peek-a-boo!!" Thankfully, her brothers are still enamored of her, so they comply quite regularly.

She showed me today that she knows how to climb when she climbed the stepstool someone had left in front of the pantry. Not 10 minutes later, she escaped out the back door and was crawling over the rocks to find the boys. I think she may be a little monkey.

She prefers sleepers without feet, mainly because she likes to hold onto her toes while she's nursing down at night. Footed sleepers frustrate that desire. Unfortunately, I bought a pack of 3 on clearance and can't find any more.

N is blossoming academically. He recently started a 1st grade math book and a 1st grade spelling book. He is clearly ready for both. His handwriting has gotten much better and he's willing to write in lowercase. His reading is getting better each day and he is able to get through early readers with very little assistance. He also complains MUCH less than a few months ago about doing schoolwork.

C well child visit

Since this has been such a good saving place for milestone information, I'm posting about C's well child visit today.

It's a couple months late (he turned 7 mid-November), but there have been doctor changes, and maternity leaves, and illness in our own house that kept us from earlier appointments.

He is 47 lbs, and 48" tall. That puts him in the 25% for weight, and 50% for height. He has charted like that since birth, although his weight sometimes creeps closer to 50%.

His asthma is well controlled and we made only minor adjustments to his medication schedule.

His hearing is perfect. The enrichment program he attends is part of the public school system, and they recently sent home a letter that he needed further testing for his hearing. I'm guessing they caught him on an off-day, because there was no issue at all with his hearing today.

His eyesight is terrible. They actually did the test 4 different times, because they couldn't believe the results. I felt like a bad mom -- but I have KNOWN that we needed to get his eyes checked, but finances and his lack of complaining allowed me to put it off. I need to call around for the best deal and get it taken care of this week. My eyes have changed since L's birth, but I guess I'll squint for a few more months yet!

While there, I also put L on the scale. She weighed 15 lbs, 15 oz fully dressed - so she's at least over 15 lbs undressed these days!