Happy Birthday Willboy!

Happy Birthday Will. Tomorrow you will be 8 years-old and just typing it makes me teary eyed. I guess we get caught up in the now and the joys and challenges that the now brings with it. So all of the sudden, 8 years have gone by. And let me say that you are a delight. Please do not misunderstand that you do have your moments of totally irrational behavior when our only but best option is to fall on our knees in prayer but really, you are a great kid.
This past year has been full of adventures and discovery. This past year, I think you figured out that currently, sports do not come as easily to you as many other things. And because of that, you have little patience for them. Unfortunately, I am sure Dad and I both see your point that things that are frustrating are not a lot of fun and really why do something not required if it is just going to frustrate and maybe even cause a blow to the ego. But, we can't say any of that to you right now because you, your body, and your mind are constantly changing and the world still has a million possibilities for you. And we want you to be able to grab onto any and every one of those that you desire.
So sometimes you were willing and other times resistant but this past year you played soccer, basketball, tee ball, golf, and competitive swimming. Some of these lasted a season, some a month, and some a day which is why we could fit it all in a year. Some of these were a great fit, some with a little practice would be a good fit while others were just not your game. I will tell though you that one of my proudest moments as your mommy was during the swimming tryouts. Within the past year, you became a really confident swimmer so you were ready and willing to give the team a try. In the tryouts, you had to swim each of the 4 strokes required for 2 lengths of the pool. (That is 8 pool lengths.) I didn't even know you knew a stroke. But you got out there and worked and worked. The last lap back, your were pretty much dog paddling to not drown but you never gave up or took the smile off your face. I can't even tell you how big I felt inside seeing the strength and determination of my Willboy.
You know the areas in your life that require a little more work but you also know the areas in which you excel. You didn't care much for 1st grade. You loved your teacher and the social aspect of it was right up your alley but academically, you were done around Halloween. You are like your father. You know things that I have no idea how you know them and that which you don't know, you pick up quickly. So yes, you were bored out of your gourd for most of the year but you learned some valuable life lessons: 1)Most of the time in life, you have to wait on others. It stinks but you do. 2)Everyone has a gift, you may just not appreciate it as much as they do 3)There are rules to follow. Whether they make sense or not, there are rules. 4)Some of the things you do just seem like a waste of time but you have to do them anyway. That is just part of life. 5)Everyone is special and unique. Love them anyway:)
You are an amazing boy, Will. You have a sweet heart, and I fear the day it gets broken for the first of many times. You are a good person who sees the good everyone. You don't see differences in people but potential. You are extremely good to your brothers and probably more responsible with them than Dad or me. (I have been typing this for a few minutes now but stopped to get you some cold medicine. I walked in the the living room to find you tucking Isaac under a blanket on the chair and giving him a sippy cup you had just filled with milk for him.) That is who you are. You are great. Yes, you have moments when the world defeats you and you crawl underneath your bed in frustration. But for the most part, you are my easygoing, even tempered Will. You are funny and mentally challenging. You are a teacher and a student of life. You are my Willboy, and I am so of the boy you have become.
Happy Birthday Will!
Here are some other highlights from this past year:
-Camp Invention - you loved the challenges that it provided and the quest for thinking outside the box. You have already asked to go back next summer.
-Guitar Lessons - you are doing really well with this. You could be great if you actually practiced:) I have been trying a few different motivational techniques to encourage practice. So far, I have been unsuccessful but I am still trying.
-Pokemon - Neither Dad nor I understand this game/cartoon and maybe that is why you like it so much. Gone are the days of Handy Manny and The Backyardigans. But, you still will sit and watch Veggie Tales or Tom and Jerry with me and the boys.
-Scootering from school - You are dying for independence right now. You would love to ride all the way home alone but I just can't do it. Yes, it is only about 6 blocks but it still 6 blocks. So right now, I run your scooter up to school before the ending bell and then you scooter with a friend 1 block to a friends house where I meet you. It is not ideal for either of us but a compromise we both can live with.
-Silver Dollar City - You think this is one of the best places on Earth. I decided to include this highlight because you are practical and I know pretty soon you will change your mind and see it more as the slightly expensive haven for bad crafts that it really is. But the funnel cakes and frozen lemonade are delicious!
-Clifford - Best friends come and go but Clifford is still the tops.
-Pictures - You are my picture kid. I never have to ask twice. I just say, "Smile" and you do. I have lots of great pictures of you but you are always willing to give me a grin!
-Ice Cream - You eat ice cream with such abandon. You get it all over your face but you don't care. It is about getting every last bite! (You get that from your dad too!)
-Swimming - This was the summer that you dove right in. You have been swimming for awhile but this was the first summer when you just let yourself go and even did it without the swim mask:)
-Sight Words Folder - This year you had to recognize 1,000 sight words, 100 at a time. I guess you were getting tired of the process because one of the times I noticed words that I hadn't seen before but had "signed" my name to. Well, you can figure it out.