And in the blink of an eye he turned 9. It is strange how birth order plays in to the raising of children. With the first born it is a celebration at each new stage. The first time walking, talking, hitting double digits. With the youngest it feels like each milestone has a hint of loss with it. The last time I will have a baby, the final time I will have an eight year old. So I find the celebrating of him and this to be a little bittersweet.
With the days leading to the boys birthdays I always say “is there anything left on your list of things you must do while (insert age here). I am always flummoxed by the things they come up with. This year for the eight year old it was “spend a day hanging out at home wearing some of your cozy pants.” Um?? Okay! It also including having a fire while in the hot tub, both new things in our back yard that we are all loving. This ritual I love. The helping to notice that this go around is once and once only and to check in before big milestones to make sure you have lived the year as fully as you had hoped. I am intrigued as time passes to witness just what the year ending adventures will hold for each of them.
I also love how he chose to celebrate this year and how it said so much about who he is and how he is growing. My youngest has always had clear ideas about how he likes things to play out. So it made good sense that he was going to orchestrate the entire day. It would begin with us gathering his presents and waking him up with the singing of Happy Birthday. I did see him wake up super early and check the clock before falling back to sleep. He told me later he was anxious to know when we were all going to come and wake him up. I do remember that it’s my birthday what magic is going to happen feeling of childhood. He was bleary eyed and smiling when we all did serenade him.
He told us this year “I don’t want to have a party, I want to go out to a restaurant like we do for dad’s birthday.” Evidence of growing up indeed. He loved picking his favorite restaurant, sushi, for us all to dine at. He invited his good friend Austin who so fabulously said “I can add that to my fun time calendar.” And the two hugged. A most beautiful friendship moment.
His cake would be designed and decorated by him to showcase a favorite in game squad he had formed with his closest peeps. I was ordered to make the cake and the icing colors after which he would use them to great his masterpiece. He knew what he wanted and believed he could create it.
Watching him grow in to himself is one of the greatest gifts of my lifetime. I love that he knows at the age of nine that he creates his own awesome. That if there is something he wants out of life or an experience he need set out to grab it. I love that he knows his hearts desires and how to make them come to life. He is my teacher on how to ask for and receive just what you want.
At the end of the day, as in all the years I can remember, he declared this “the best birthday ever.” I hope for him that all his birthdays continue to follow that theme, awesome building on awesome year after year, with him at the center as master creator of his wildest dreams.
Recent Comments