This Time He Turned 8

If you read my blog last year, you know I was a little less than excited about Sam turning 7. It made me feel a little panicked to think of him leaving early childhood behind him...I didn't want him to lose his cuddliness, his lispy squeakiness, his baby-toothed smile, his willingness to do what I wanted him to, his footie pajamas, the way he said "mind" instead of "mine" and still played dinosaurs with his brother.  Six seemed little, seven seemed on the way to B.O. and size 12 shoes and not wanting to get up in the morning and not wanting to hold my hand anymore.

This year he turned 8, and it was a completely different story.  He has done so well adjusting to our new life and his new school.  He is still loyal in his heart to the Fantastic Four from Flagstaff (his group of friends), but he has made new friends and enjoys being a leader in his classroom.  He was invited to be a part of an advanced math group and is really growing as a writer. 

Even more than his success at school, I think Jeremy and I are proud of him for his character and how he has accepted the role of big brother and oldest son in our new life here.  He often has a lot of people giving him instruction, feedback, attention, and yet he continues to be sweet and soft-hearted.  We have expected a lot from him and he has risen to the challenge. 

(He still struggles to finish a meal without spilled milk or crumbs everywhere, but Jeremy said to me, "Inside of Sam is a man making plans to conquer the world.  I don't think paying attention to crumbs and spills fits into the picture."  True point.)  He has grand plans and so much desire to create and make his ideas into reality and not as much patience for the details it takes to finish the project well...and I am learning to really appreciate his process and see that the joy for him is in the doing, not the perfection.  He is so much like me and yet I want to be more like him.

The moment I realized I was at peace with his growing-up came when my sister pointed out that in the picture of us walking on the beach (at the top of this blog), Sam is 3/4ths as tall as I am.  He really is becoming a little man!  I gave up picking him up a long time ago...now I can relish in the fact that he can carry heavier groceries for me or can cross the street with Annie and Evan to go visit their friend Stephen and he is tall enough to be seen by passing vehicles.

I think Sam's 7th year was really a rite of passage in some ways...it was the year that he became aware of more of the hard things in life.  I have learned, from unofficial research with other moms here and there, that the age of 7 is kind of a time when kids become aware of their weaknesses and a little afraid of the world.  A friend who is a family therapist said that she treats a lot of 8 year olds who have been struggling with anxiety and depression for a while and their parents finally get frustrated enough to seek help...it makes sense from what I have observed. 

Specifically for Sam, he seemed to become aware of the world and its woes this year.  He will say it happened when he accidentally got locked in a bathroom in Phoenix and it took him and I quite a while to calm our heart rates down after I found him screaming and almost kicked the door off of its hinges to rescue him.  But in his 7th year he had to say goodbye to his friends, move from the only home he had known in his childhood, start at a new school, watch an election and learn about some of the issues that face society, and even to recently understand the actions of an evil man in Connecticut.

Yet, he remains energetic, compassionate, playful, and hopeful.  He gives gifts generously and remembers to pray for sick friends or Stephen's mom who has cancer or the Bowman family.  We have had fun doing more grown-up things like reading The Hobbit or playing soccer in the backyard or riding bikes for 2 miles.

So we are proud of him and proud to watch him turn 8.  We planned a BMX-themed birthday celebration for him at the park where we spend a lot of time after school. 

The boys had fun putting on biker tattoos, decorating cup holders for their Gatorade, eating lots of red dye #40, and mastering a challenge course of obstacles.  Even I got in on the action in between judging duties and texting a mom whose child disappeared for a little while.  No biggie.

Annie was right in there with the boys...she is a future BMX champion--she can do jumps and stunts that seem unnatural for a 3 year old!  (Don't worry, she wore a helmet MOST of the time)

This boy won the medal for Most Creative riding

Evan could do everything the bigger boys could do also.  Seriously, my kids got their bike-riding genes from their father.

Then we moved on to the race...Sam and Jeremy mapped out a course that included twists and turns and an option to go over a jump. We had heats and ultimately a champion...fittingly, the champion was the birthday boy, but a huge pile-up right in front of the finish line sort of messed things up and ultimately added to the excitement and memories.

Annie can even ride blindfolded!

We finished with cupcakes and medals and lots of playing before it got dark and cold (by Southern CA standards).

Making sure each boy gets a medal Carefully tabulating the results.

We had wanted to have a celebration with the neighborhood kids but it seemed too much to plan 2 events.  The next morning, though, the kids in the cul-de-sac ended up setting up another Challenge Course and we had just enough leftover Gatorade and cupcakes to make another unofficial celebration.

 So now he is officially 8 and officially a biker champion.  He's so proud!  (But not too proud to still hold my hand and play dinosaurs with his brother, phew!)