Eight Years

So how in the world did that happen?  How did we get from here

to  here in the blink of an eye?  I just don't see how it is possible!

 What a wild roller coaster ride this has been.  We are so incredibly lucky to not just be parents, but to be Max's parents.  He is growing into an intelligent, thoughtful, inquisitive, sweet kid and it is a pleasure to watch.

So here are some things I love about Max right now. . .

His perseverance - this is a new one.  In the past Max wasn't wild about trying new things.  He wasn't comfortable doing things if he was 'good' at them.  Wow has this changed.  He went to a skating party for a buddy a few weeks ago and we were a bit nervous about how it would go since Max has never been skating before.  He was far from the best skater out there, but he was on the rink the entire time and had a blast.  I was so proud, not of his skating ability :), but of the fact that he didn't quit even though it was tough for him.  This quality was also evident today when he tried out his birthday present from mom and dad - a new bike!  He pretty much mastered the two wheeler thing by the afternoon and it was so fun to watch.  He just needs to work on getting going without help from mom.  It's spring break so I'm sure he will have that figured out before we know it.

Watching him read - I was a voracious reader as a kid, I still am when I can find the time.  Max's reading has really taken off.  He loves nonfiction and has found a few chapter book series that he loves and just devours.  He asks me every day if I picked up his most recent request from the library.

How he interacts with Jack - he is so incredibly sweet with his littlest brother.  He looks out for him, , helps him anytime he needs it, and just loves him.  It melts my heart to watch the two of them together.

How he plays with Will - don't get me wrong, these two have their moments, but they are playing together more and more.  They head outside and play with the two kiddos next door and it is adorable.  All four kids run between our yards having a great time. I think these two were outside a total of about six hours today :)

There are so many more things. . . He loves pokemon and tells me a millions facts that I can never remember, but it always makes me smile.  Every morning he opens the door to our room to check our clock because he knows he can't get out of bed until 6:00.  He is all excited about baseball season starting up soon and he wanted me to pitch to him in the yard yesterday.  Max is super excited to take a robotics class this morning to help stretch himself.

I just can't get enough of him.  We can carry on real conversations at dinner and it's pretty fun.  There are still times when he wants to cuddle up and feels like my baby, but those times are fewer and farther between these days.  I look forward to the adventures that eight will bring for Max.  It's so fun to watch him grow and learn.

Happy Birthday Max!  Mom and Dad love you more than you will ever know!