Wait, I'm sorry dear reader. Was that too much? Were you able to handle that much adorableness in one photo? I'll move on...
But what I have gladly thought about quite a bit over the last few days is just how blessed I am to have a son like Ellis. It's really hard for a mother to describe her love for her kids. There are just too many facets of that love and too few words in the English language. I tried to do it once here, on my other blog, but I'm not quite sure anyone has ever been able (or ever will) to put it into words.
On his birthday we had a celebratory dinner of pizza, salad and homemade birthday cake. And I don't mean Tombstone or the Walmart version thereof. I'm talking Domino's, y'all. Believe it or not, this was a special treat in the Byrd house. And the cake?? Well, let's just say I earned myself some Pinterest Points (a.k.a. tiny morsels of justification for spending too much time pinning on that darn website) by creating a fabulously colorful and fun birthday dessert. And, let's face it, homemade box mix cake really is just as good as one of those expensive ones from Publix in all its buttercream frosted glory. Maybe even better. Right?
We talked about how sensitive and caring he is, to everyone around him. He has a wonderful ability to find the good in people, and when people seem to be nothing but bad, he is compassionate, somehow understanding that there are probably reasons they are the way they are.
He is sweet and loving, which makes him a wonderful big brother to his new little buddy, Jin. In fact, he was the first of us to hold and love on Mr. Cutiepants on the day we met him.
Sidebar: Speaking of Jin, you may be wondering what he was doing during all of this. He was being sweet and cute, sitting in his little booster seat, NOT eating his pizza. This came as a surprise, because he's normally the human food vacuum. So that means the two foods he has pretty much refused since we came home are homemade spaghetti sauce and pizza. I know these foods didn't originate in the U.S., but haven't we all made them typical American family favorites? I hope they don't revoke his citizenship.
Ellis is also very intelligent, imaginative and creative - a LEGO architect, excellent writer and cartoon artist, and a budding musician. He is energetic, and adventuresome. Nobody likes a good make-believe battle or real-life exploration like this kid.
He's got moves, too. Just ask him.
Another thing we love about Ellis is his love for God and the way he takes seriously his desire to serve Him. He ponders spiritual things and isn't afraid to ask questions about the things he doesn't know or understand. He is a boy of great faith and, I know, purpose. Lord, give us the wisdom to help him nurture that faith and discover that purpose.
Of course, one of the things I love most about Ellis is the fact that he still lets me love on him. This very morning he kissed me goodbye at the door before he headed off to school. Don't get me wrong - he's definitely starting to wonder just how cool or not cool it is to love on yer mama. Just the other night, when I went to tuck him in, he said, "Mom, don't you think I might be getting a little old to be tucked in?" I assured him that YES, he is too old to be actually "tucked in," but that's not what I was doing, of course. He's perfectly capable of climbing into his own bed and pulling up his own covers, even closing his own door. But I am totally going to walk right into that darkened room and lean over to tell him "good night" and that I love him and kiss him on his still-soft cheek. I explained that he'll never been too old for that. He agreed, but we'll see how long even this little ritual lasts as he gets older. *sigh*
But honeys, for now I'm milkin' it for all it's worth and taking advantage of every sweet moment I can.
And there's one last thing I love about Ellis. I didn't save it for last because it's the most important or anything like that. It's just one part of his Ellis-ness that happened to show up unexpectedly last night, and I found myself laughing out loud. Ellis is funny. Sometimes he's funny on purpose, and he has a great, smart sense of humor and great comedic timing. Other times, however, he's not meaning to be funny, he's just being himself, but he completely cracks.me.up. Last night was one of those times. He and Tony had just gotten back from his instrument "fitting" at school, where his band director and others help sixth graders decide what instruments are right for them. He showed aptitude on several instruments, which only meant his decision was more difficult. We all talked about it and listened to his thoughts and shared ours, and he finally decided on percussion, which we thought was a great choice. But just as we were finishing the conversation, I came across a worksheet from his band instructor. It was basically a chart listing all the available instruments, with two columns labeled "Before" and "After." He was to write his initial thoughts about each instrument before it was introduced to his class, based only on what he already knew about it. Then after he saw them and watched a demonstration of how they're played, he was to write his thoughts about each one again. Like I said, I laughed out loud. I imagine a lot of kids repeatedly used words like "yes," "no," and "maybe." But not Ellis. My favorites are oboe, bassoon, euphonium (huh?), and tuba.
Have I mentioned I love this boy? Happy Birthday, my sweet son. :-)
1 comment:
I sure do love that boy! The instrument list made me laugh, especially because I could just hear his voice jumping off the page. Happy birthday, Ellis!
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