Life With the Crazies: Half Birthdays, The Talk, and a Skateboarding Drummer

Our party animal gets to celebrate his half birthday on the first day of summer, and the longest day of the year. Lucky guy. I'm finally understanding that parenting sweet spot that those who have parented before me have talked about. Turns out 9.5 years old is the beginning of what I hope will be a long phase of truly enjoying my kid. Simmer down there, it isn't that I didn't like him before, or that I don't like my girls... it's just that parenting littles is physically AND mentally exhausting. I'm imagining the teenage years may possibly be mentally exhausting, but at least I'll be well rested. I hope.

Nine and half years old is a time of starting to see his talents and passions emerge. His sense of humor, which has always been ahead of his time, is more of his own. He surprises me sometimes with his wit. We can have deep discussions with honesty and reasoning, and he still likes to talk to us. Bed time, because it is uninterrupted time, is where he tends to spill his guts and we have the best heart to hearts. Noah is honest, and I never have to doubt his word. He seems physically incapable of lying, his conscience won't let him. I accidentally had THE TALK with him the other day. I wandered into that territory by accident and was completely blindsided. One minute I was listening to his plans to start a band and the next minute he asked what "making out" meant and then blammo. Gary and I had made the agreement that he got the boy, and I got the girls on account of matching anatomy... but alas. Gary owes me big time. By the end of the conversation I pretty much wanted to hide in my closet and gouge out my eardrums, but during the actual conversation, I totally faked being calm like it was totally no big deal to use the "p" and "v" words all nonchalantly like this was the most natural conversation in the history of mother/son interactions. I guess I'm not over it because just typing that out made me squirmy.

Noah is really good at drawing and writing stories. He runs really fast and keeps getting better and better at soccer. He always tries to scam me into giving him back massages every night by playing to my emotions. He is the least picky eater of anyone I know and actually prefers food that is healthy, bless his heart. He isn't good at 8x9 and 8x7, for some reason these two math facts just won't stick in his brain. He is a delightful first born gem. Without him being as awesome as he is, he probably wouldn't have any siblings. Mylie and Presley thank him for that.