B

B...
I am so thankful for this little guy! He keeps me on my toes with all of his questions. Although frustrations run high as he tries to 'wear me down with his reasoning', I know that God has something special for this kid. He has been given a mind that does not seem to ever slow down. He is always planning and thinking about his next move. You can see it in his eyes. You can hear it in his voice. He is trying to figure out how to get what he wants.
I love to watch him work a 100 piece puzzle.
I love to hear him sing songs.
I love to watch him play his board/computer games.
I love to hear him 'rev' up his little engine (feet) as he prepares to take off running.
I love to watch him wrestle with J.
I love to watch him get excited about something and exclaim "you have got to be kidding".
I love it when he wants to help me in the kitchen.
I love it when he comes up with a better solution to a problem than I could have.
I love to see his independence and desire to do things by himself.
I love to see his problem solving skills, as he tries to figure out how to get the ball out of the tree.
I love to watch him teach J new things.
I love to watch him try to close his dresser drawer when he has crammed all of his clothes in there.
I love to watch him decide it is best to pull them all out and fold them properly.
I love to get on the computer and find cool things to show him, like astronauts in outerspace and how things float around, to which he exclaims "that's incredible".
I love to hear him call people, whose names he cannot remember, "Dude".
I love to watch him get excited when we go to the arcade and he 'plays' all the games, although I don't put any money in the machines.
I love to listen to him play with his Rescue Heroes and all the pretend conversations they have.
I love to watch him cross his arms and get a pouty face when he is upset with me.
I love to watch him run across the playground at the end of each school day and give me a hug.
I love to hear answer a question about the bible - the things he retains.
I love how he can recall events and details from things that happened 6 months ago (things that I don't even remember).
I love to hear him answer the phone now when it rings.
I am so thankful for his unconditional love even when I discipline him and his willingness to forgive when I lose it with him when I should not have.
I love to watch the expression on other peoples faces when we are out in public and overhear the two of us talking/negotiations.

I love some of my most recent interactions with him....
"Mom, I want to buy this"
"Sorry. I told you we are not going to buy any toys this trip"
"But Mom, let me explain to you why we need to buy this. You see, Luke has this and so does Ian so it is only right that I have it too...."

At the checkout stand...
"Mom, I really need this"
"I have already told you no"
"Mom, why are you so mean to me. You don't EVER buy me ANYTHING"
"Sometimes I tell you yes and sometimes no. Today it is no"
"That is not fair" with the folded hands and pouty face.

I love how his mind is always thinking...
Today we were riding in the car listening to a CD about the creation story. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." As the story went on, he quietly listened. Then it was
"Mom, can we go to outerspace sometime?"
"No, just a few people ever get to go to outerspace."
"Why?"
"Because you need a really big spaceship to go there and they are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very expensive"
"Well....if dad worked hard everyday we could get one."
"Oh, I don't think that would get us a spaceship. Maybe you should be an astronaut when you grow up. They get to go into outerspace."
"Well, I just don't understand...." and he trailed off on a long list of things he does not understand about outerspace. He was just so frustrated that he could not wrap his 5 year old mind around it.

There is a lot about my oldest to love and I look forward to the many more things I will discover.