Sweet sweet sweet little boys. I love these boys so very much. We decided that they would have a joint party this year. Wow, double the work but double the fun! Ben wanted a bike party and Christian wanted a hunting party. What a combination. I mean really! I tried using my Mommy persuasion powers but they were no good for two strong minded little boys. Hunting party was not too big of a deal , but a bike party? I mean, what is a bike party anyhow?
So here's what we did: Bike party = guests bring their bikes so they could be decorated. The decorating was followed by good ol fashion bike races. The hunting party = guests also come dressed in camouflage. They received a brief gun safety lesson from a dear friend (thank you Ryan). Afterwards they got to try their hand with a BB gun and various types of bows. Later on I gave them all marshmallow guns and ammo. I think that was probably the best part of the party.
Thank you Aaron, Mom, Dad, Lulu, Beth, and Jackie for helping throw all of this together. I wouldn't have be been able to do it without you. At least not without sleeping. I love you all!
NOW FOR THE BABY BOOK:
Christian is growing up to be such a wonderful little boy. We love him for all of his quirks. He loves to be organized and enjoys being in charge. There is definitely a competitive edge to him, but also a kindness. He enjoys learning scripture, but has a tendency to quote it incorrectly for his own gain. Sometimes it's quite comical...and scary. He is also very tidy in the way he dresses and fixes his hair. In school he is a perfectionist, and is easily frustrated if it doesn't meet his standards. He also isn't fond of change. For example, if we change up our school day unexpectedly he gets a little frazzled. He is very bright and his favorite subject right now is probably a cross between art and science. His perfectionism definitely comes through in his artwork. He is easy to teach as long as it is a quiet and stress free atmosphere. That can definitely be difficult in our family. He does absolutely love being the biggest, tallest, and strongest in our family and embraces big brother duties happily. His work ethic is far above his age. This little guy loves to serve. He enjoys Jack most especially and Jack returns the affection. I do think that his future does involve children in some way.
Ben is a real mess. He is almost always a delight to be around because of his positive and carefree personality. He doesn't hold a grudge and enjoys being creative and spontaneous. Because of this, I believe he doesn't take discipline as seriously. Here recently he has also become a ladies man. I think he could care less, but the girls definitely gravitate towards him and draw hearts for him to find. He does want to marry our Pastors daughter and I think she probably thinks he is cute as well....oh my. He is very hard to motivate to clean his room or eat tidy. His closet is always a wreck and I think he changes clothes about 3 times a day (never something suitable for the current weather condition). I think everyday is opposite day in his mind. Most of the time his clothes are on backwards or inside out. In addition, he doesn't seem to particularly care for underwear. In school, he still suprises me with what he knows or how quickly he has learned a concept. Things seem to come easy for him and he does his school work while moving about. Sitting still is torture apparently. Ben has still remained the most affectionate one in the family, and I have no idea what his future holds. As long as he can stay out of jail, I'm happy.
He and his brother couldn't be anymore different. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that they share a room. Partly, I think it's good for Christian to learn to co-exist with a sloppy non-perfectionist even though it drives him crazy. On the other hand, I think it's good for Ben to learn how to organize and be respectful of someone elses space. He and Christian clash the most when working together to clean up their room. For Ben, toys get flung into anything that will hold them while Christian tries to categorize things into their own neat and tidy space.
I love these boys - I see their father and I in both of them. So, what
does God have in store for these two brothers?
Happy Happy Birthday Christian and Ben. We love you so very much, and enjoy every aspect of who you are.
