Happy 8th Birthday Boys!
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| GBA turn 8! |
Well, I am officially sinking this blog. I still honestly don't know how i was able to keep up as much as I did when the boys were so small and needed us to do everything for them. Reflecting on that time, we were always tired, and while we had help with the stuff around home for cleaning and laundry, we also had three little ones who needed us to do EVERYTHING for them. . . . Now I have 8 and a half year olds I meant to write about 205 days ago who are smart, funny, caring, charming, rambunctious, thoughtful, naughty, sneaky, loving, and all around wonderful boys. I could not be luckier.
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| Aidan and his dog Caramel |
Aidan, at 8 years old you are still the performer in the family. You LOVE singing funny songs and dancing around getting a reaction from everyone around you. You are confident, sweet, kind and so concerned for justice in the world. You also still love snuggles with me and your brothers and you are still our peace keeper. Your spirit of adventure and your love for all things rocks, gems and minerals have taken off this year. You absolutely love going out into the woods, with friends or on your own, and exploring. You told me the other day (so not right when you turned 8) that you loved playing "Survival" in the woods. When I asked you what you did when you played "Survival" you said you went out into the woods and found a base and climbed trees and logs and jumped off of them and survived! I love seeing you suit up in all of your gear (sometimes a vest, boots, gloves of some sort and one of your many backpacks with various hammers or pick axes in them) as you head out into our wilderness. You always seem to have a kind word for others (except when you are pestering your brothers - that has become a thing in the past month or so) and are so loving. Your reading has taken off in the last couple of months and I can see how proud you are of yourself, as you should be. I can see when you are deep in thought and I am so curious about all of the things you are thinking through, even though you are reaching an age where you don't always want to share.
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| Brady and the skim board he got for his bday but has yet to try out |
Brady, you are still very sporty and still have a significant awareness of whether or not people might be watching you. You don't mind it when you are trying to perform, but you don't want to be the center of attention unless it is on your terms. You thrived playing soccer this fall and when you picked up TaeKwon Do again in November, you really took off with it. I can see that you have really paid attention to Mr. B and are taking the things all of your instructors share to heart. You did your first fantasy football league with the Kenoyer family and WON this year! Even though i didn't want you staring at the screen all the time, I could see this was something you really loved thinking through and learning about, much like your brothers' unique interests. You have made some really wonderful friends and you have shown compassion, care, and generosity for your brothers (most of the time). You have a quick wit and are a strong student in school and you are enjoying everything about your class. I love that you have a teacher who is an artist - I think Mrs. Nadeau has allowed you to explore that side of yourself more. You have very high standards for yourself and others, much like your dad. You took up snowboarding this winter and have worked hard at it. It was so fun watching you learn a new skill, even when I could tell it was hard for you. I'm very proud of you. You have a variety of interests that you like to read about - animals, science, sports, fantasy - much like your mom. I think you are the most aware of how your interactions with others impact them, and you are often the first to come to me if we have had a difficult interaction to apologize. That is not easy to do, but you are very good at it. You love cooking and most of all helping in a way that feels meaningful for you.
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| Gavin enjoys a day at the beach. and a little sand. |
Gavin, you just can't stop reading! There are so many times that I can't believe I am asking you to stop reading, simply because we need to get ready for school, TKD, etc. You have a voracious appetite for books that is so wonderful to see. You are also gifted in math (Aidan actually shared that observation about you today in the tub) and you light up at that challenge! You have a photographic memory and your interests in space and in drawing and writing books amazes me daily. For awhile you were drawing the same picture (of the solar system) over and over again with the hopes of beginning to sell copies to people - I love your mind Gavin! You have so much energy and spirit, sometimes a little more than I know how to handle, but I know it's something we are working on together. I love how much you have been enjoying gymnastics classes and I feel like after you achieved yellow belt (because that was a great achievement!) I saw your confidence in TKD increase. Your teacher has shared how you are such a wonderful addition to the class and an active participant, who is also a good friend for kids when school doesn't come as easily for them. You still love Legos and can both create from scratch and build from extensive instructions on your own. You are silly and strong willed and I think you are incredibly sensitive to others. Sometimes this combination can be difficult if you haven't read the cues from friends or your brothers, but this is something we are working on together. You are so wonderful with little kids and have made some really good friendships with kids who love reading and math just as much as you! This spring on one of our last days skiing, you decided to teach yourself to ski backwards. I don't know where you got the idea, but within minutes you were doing it in a really controlled way! You even shared that you were as good as the ski instructor at skiing backwards! Now that is confidence!
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| Cool scooters from Grandma and Grandpa K! (GAB) |
After writing these posts, I am inspired to get back to this . .. maybe I will do a fall 2016 summary next!
