More Snow and A Birthday

I couldn't resist taking a picture of these beautiful pine trees that line our driveway! The snow we received was exquisite but meant that Mark was gone a lot for the past week. The boys love playing in the snow together. Until someone unkowingly throws a snowball with a stone in it. That just ruins all the fun!

On Friday my son turned a whopping 9 years old! I remember so vividly the night he was born! I was so shocked at how dark he was! My very first comment upon his arrival to Mark was "people are going to think he is not your son!" He was just beautiful with his head of dark hair.

Judah said to me recently, "You are the best mom. Even though we have our problems." I told him thank you, turned around and continued working in the kitchen. I mulled over that comment for a while. It is true. We have a somewhat tumultuous relationship at times. We have had a season of being "in the thick of it" with him. There just seemed to be this inner struggle in him. Like he was trying to figure out if it was still ok to be sensitive towards me. There was a lot of attitude, some backtalk - typical behaviours but it was making my heart ache. Something happened over the past two weeks though. I feel like I have my boy back. Even Mark mentioned the tenderness he was noticing in Judah.

One of my favorite stories within the past few months involving Judah was his attempt at trying to convince us to let him watch a movie that we felt had some inappropriate content for him. We had not personally watched the movie so we were going on reviews we had read. He was doing his best to assure us that if there was inappropriate language that he would not say any of it. He said, "Mom, mom. I won't say any bad words. I promise. Like....just let me demonstrate. I am only demonstrating. I would not say, "I will kick your a**" (keeping in PG folks) or I would not say "What the hell."

I must have had a somewhat shocked look on my face because he rapidly assured me once again that he was only demonstrating. I thanked him for choosing to speak appropriately but also told him that he was still not going to be watching said movie. Mark and I had the hardest time not laughing. He was being so sincere and trying to win his argument but to no avail.

Then a few weeks later he was telling me about the presidential report he was doing. He chose to do a report on Harry Truman. We were sitting on the couch one evening and he told Mark and I that he had no idea when he picked Harry Truman that he had a bad nickname. We asked him what the nickname was and he said, "It is what the hell Harry." But on his report he wrote what the heck harry! If you want to see his 10 second speal you can go to www.beasd.org and he will be on the home page. His principal called me last week to tell me he was featured on the website. He was pretty excited!

This picture is highly prized! Judah and Eden have such a love/hate relationship. She antagonizes him almost constantly. Or as he says, "She is boogering me again!" It starts at the breakfast table and picks up again as soon as he walks through the door after school. She gets such a grand reaction from him! Capturing this moment was priceless.

Every night when Eden goes to sleep she wants hugs from the "guys". So they go to her room and give her their mandatory hugs. The funny thing is though that Judah is becoming a little softer towards her and no longer gives her reluctant stiff hugs. They are becoming more gentle and seem to have some meaning to them. I am really glad Eden had the pink gloves since everything else she was wearing used to be the boys. Is that horrible?

The kids in the snow pile that their dad plowed for them.

Notice Eden leaning into Judah? I know she adores him but cannot help picking on him. Oh the dynamics of children and their differing personalities! Such fun!