The Boy is 8!
...as of September 17. I'm late on my posting...

That can't be right. Seriously--My baby boy is 8? I went back through 8 years of pictures, just to check. Sure enough. He's 8.

And what an awesome 8-year old he is! We LOVE him SO MUCH!

A look back (mind you, these aren't even close to all, or even the best, but you'll get the idea):

7 lbs. 7 oz.

He got stuck after pulling all the toilet paper off. I left him in there screaming while I got the camera. This picture made me think of two things: 1st--"That is hilarious!" 2nd--"Wait a minute, do I really want to deal with these sorts of things again?" I know--too late.

Things he loved--Balls and...

...toilets. Or, even better, Ballsandtoilets. Toilets make a a really fun, wet "hoop."

We have numerous photos of him with his arm like this. When some kids see a camera, they immediately smile. When the boy saw a camera, it was his cue that the camera person was going to play "catch" with him. When I approached him with a camera, he would huck whatever ball he had in his hand at the time--full speed--at me. Note: It is hard to catch a ball and take a picture at the same time. I got hit more than once (thinking, "he won't throw it this time").

Another picture with the "throwing arm." You will also notice that on this particular occasion, I managed to capture the ball coming at me--not by trying, mind you. As I recall, I managed to move just in time. A golf ball would have hurt me or the camera, or both. When I looked at this picture afterward, I couldn't believe I managed to get both the boy AND the ball IN FOCUS, as I remember moving very quickly out of the way.

The other funny thing about this photo is what was transpiring at the time. We had gone to the golf course to look at the ducks in the pond. The problem was that the pond is also right next to the practice putting green. We could not keep the boy at the pond. He was not interested in ducks. What he was interested in was picking up people's balls and dropping them in the cups for them. I'm not sure people were amused. We left shortly after this picture was taken.

No explanation needed here.

Love that little face--ice cream and all. (Actually, I love both faces)

Love that little face too.
Those of you who lived here the first summer we moved into this house, may remember that this was the age the boy was when you would see his naked, tanned, little body with it's white, white bottom running around the back yard, swimming suit in hand--trying to find me to help him put it on.

TOUGH KID--the boy is one tough kid. His determination to overcome his challenges is HUGE!

Spinal Surgery:

His cool scar--he now has cool scars on his arm and leg, too.

In his wheelchair before he re-learned how to walk.

Thanks to Derrick for the following snow pictures:

I could not have been more proud at this moment. The boy decided to enter the school's race last year. He worked hard to prepare and did his best. To think of all the years of physical therapy work he had done previous to this, so he could run at all, is mind-boggling!

4th of July this year--he wanted a mohawk for the children's parade--we made it awesome!

Lookin' Cool!

He still loves balls with hoops and water.

He also loves his siblings. The imagination frequently runs wild around here.

Happy Birthday, my Sunshine!

Found these of S when I was looking at the Boy's photos for his birthday post...

Seriously Classic.

Kitty turns 11
When this child was born, her older sister called her Kitty for a couple of weeks. Not because she thought Kitty was a great name, but because shortly before S was born, R informed me that she didn't want a baby sister, she wanted a kitty. When she got a sister instead, she wasn't angry--in fact, she loved her sister. But, she called her "kitty," and when people asked her what her sister's name was, she would say "Kitty."

This lasted a couple of weeks, and then R started calling S by her real name.

I can't believe it has been 11 years since our lives were blessed by S joining our family. I remember her birth like it was yesterday: she came into the world, screaming her head off, and didn't quit screaming for an hour.

Now I realize it was probably some vocal exercise, since she started singing before she could even really say words, and hasn't quit since. And those of you who know this child, know that quiet, subdued songs are not her favorite. Case in point: for their last vocal recital, each girl chose her own song. Here are a couple photos of S, belting out "Let's Hear It for the Boy:"

"Maybe he's no Casanova, still his kisses knock me ovah"
(my favorite line)

She brought down the house. Which she loves to do. She loves to make people smile and laugh. She wants everyone to be happy all the time. She does not like sadness or contention. What a wonderful addition to our household--who can't benefit from someone who is consistently happy and looking to cheer people up?

Anyway--we love you Kitty, and are glad you are in our family. Happy (late) Birthday!

Scenes from the birthday party:

This year was a "friends" party. We invited extra friends because it was Labor Day weekend. This way, if some didn't show up, we'd still be able to have a good turnout. I think all but 2 or 3 came. We had 20--20! girls. I guess my line of thinking was a little flawed.

It was a little chaotic for my taste, but everyone had a great time, and party animal S was in HEAVEN! She really could have invited the whole 5th grade and been happy as a clam.

Actually, based on her first list of people to invite, I think she really is friends with everyone in the 5th grade. Daddy made her scratch off the boys from the list as a start. S is friends with a lot of boys, too. She is very put off by the idea that people think you are in love with a boy if you are friends with him. "Mommy, how come we can't just all be friends without other people thinking you are in love with them if the person is a boy?" (Too bad this gets even more complicated as they move toward High School, huh?)

One of the fun things about 11-year old girls, is that they are easily impressed with any sort of creative cake endeavor. They LOVED the flip flop cake.
Crowding around the cake.

I was finally able to worm my way in to the crowd to take a picture
of the birthday girl before she blew out the candles.

This darling girl moved over by us and is in S's class this year! Yay! She is actually S's cousin...well first cousin once removed, but it's all confusing in this family...S's father and I are E's mother's uncle and aunt, yet E's mother is the same age as S's father. Hope that cleared it all up for you. Either way, we LOVE having E around, and let me just tell you, based on the reception the other girls have given her (and according to S), E is a hit, and everyone at school and in the new neighborhood loves her, too.

A party is not complete without a pinata

S made sure everyone was appropriately decorated with leis
Chewy didn't mind because he got to eat all the cake that dropped--which was a lot.

Thoughts on Baby Boys

A telling moment in my life:

I was at the store the other day, and walked by the cute little Halloween costumes for babies. I got kind of sad and thought, "Baby won't be here to dress up in a cute Halloween costume." Then it hit me: "Oh YEAH! He'll be here next year to dress up in a cute Halloween costume! How fun!"

It was weird and made my insides wonder about the emotion of it all.

I have had three other babies who have all been able to stay with me to wear Halloween costumes; but somewhere along the line, because my last baby didn't get to stay long, my head took this information and filed it under "Babies don't get to come home from the hospital with you."

You have them, and hold them for a little while, but then you go home empty-armed. And then you go through all of the stuff that happens after you have a baby, but no baby is there to help you with it. And for a long time you walk past cute little Halloween costumes and get sad and think, "Baby isn't here to dress up in a cute Halloween costume."

And sometimes even still, though the pain has dulled significantly, and you have a healthy one in your belly, you walk past cute Halloween costumes and remember.

And you are grateful that you will always remember and love your son, even though he isn't here right now, and even though his brother, who you also love, is coming and will stay.

And you know you will see that son again, and that he is excited for his little brother to join our family.

And he will probably look down from Heaven next year at Halloween, and laugh at the costume his mother is putting on his little brother.

And he and his mother will both know that this really has nothing to do with Halloween costumes.

Resolution by the Senate for the President to "proclaim a national day of prayer and fasting?"

I had the opportunity to learn about Abraham Lincoln while I was at Education Week. What an amazing, amazing, God-fearing man.

He called on our country, multiple times, to repent and remember God--remember that He is the one who blesses us--He is the one who has made the country great and prosperous. Not ourselves. As Pres. Lincoln put it: "we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!"

I hope that President Obama, as he speaks to the children at school today--without bogging them down with the messy details--they don't need to know about all of that--they need to be children and to believe that this country is wonderful place (which it is);

I hope he simply tells them to pray to God for this country and for the leaders of this country. I hope he tells them that he, and the other leaders, needs their faith to make good decisions for the people of this country. I hope he tells them to go home and tell their parents to remember God and pray for the leaders of this country--that he needs their faith as well.

Since it is a school setting, he probably won't. Separation of church and state and all...but I'm still going to ask them about what he said, and hope. And pray a little harder.

You can read one of Pres. Lincoln's repentance speeches here.