They grow so fast: 8 Years Old

To inaugurate my new blog, I thought I’d start with a post of my baby.  My first.  He had a birthday this month and is now 8 years old. E-I-G-H-T!  Where did those years go?

He is my creative mind.  He builds. He draws. He designs.  Once a task catches his interest, he takes it up with enthusiasm. Whether it is learning to play the harmonica, rock identification, or most recently origami, he will pursue it with passion, until he has conquered it to his own satisfaction. Then, he moves on.  He loves to learn and to explore.  He wants explanations and challenges.  He wants to be quizzed on math problems.  He baffles me, and inspires me.  

I held him tight when he was born, a long awaited gift from God.  Since then, he has filled my days with delight, challenge and amazement. While he isn’t my one to give affection without abandon, the tender moments we do have are extremely precious.   I love this boy dearly.

He got a huge scratch on his right cheek before we went out to take his 8 year-old pics.  When I asked him what happened, he nonchalantly replied, “Oh, I fell out of a tree I was climbing.”  I could have “Photoshopped” it away of course, but it is him.  It is life with an 8 year-old boy, and I’m pretty sure down the road, I will want to remember it.  As old as eight seems right now, when our world is high school, driving and girls, I’m sure I will look back a little longingly on the days of playing with friends and climbing trees.

Eight years.  They have gone so quickly.  I miss the infant in my arms, the amusing toddler, and the precocious preschooler, but I’m thankful for each new year.  I’m so grateful that I get to watch him enjoy new conquests. New adventures that can only come to pass as time moves on and he continues to grow.