Project 19 to 19: Day 7

Who is that Masked Man?!?

Today marks a week into this project and I am so glad that we still have another 12 days to go!

This flash back photo from 2007, brings an INSTANT smile to my face! This was taken the Friday before his first day of Kindergarten. He was taking "Little Dragons" martial arts lessons at a local karate dojo and they held a big blowout to celebrate the end of summer and the start of the new school year. The theme was "Super Hero Training Camp."


As you can see, Wonder Boy was well prepared for the event! He's in his Incredibles outfit and mask. He's donned his Batman cape. And he has his trusty Jedi light saber at his side!

Like every other kid in attendance, he flew around that dojo like never before that evening! He showed off his high flying skills, leaping tall towers (of training mits) in a single bound. His dexterity was on display as he climbed mighty cliffs (played by the instructors). And he gave us all a demonstration of his strength as he knocked out pushups, sit ups, and punched every heavy bag in the building!

A great time was had by all, especially by those of us watching our little Supers run wild.

Believe it or not, every time the Boy leaves home these days, he is also sporting a mask.


While this mask is a fun one to look at, wearing one right now is not a laughing matter.

This is, of course, yet another reminder of life in the time of the Corona virus. On the rare occasion that we leave home, we wear a mask and usually disposable gloves as well. We remain at least 6 feet away from others. All packages/supplies coming into the house go into a 3 day quarantine. And we generally do not have in person visits with anyone.

We have lived like this since mid-March and there doesn't seem to be any indication that things will change in the next few months. This is why Wonder Boy is doing his first full semester of college from the relative safety of our home. All of his classes are on-line.

It wasn't an easy decision to keep him home this fall. But with the number of students on campus contracting the virus, we are all certain it was the right call to make. We are still very hopeful that before long the Boy will be able to attend classes on campus. And our biggest wish right now is that he will be able to live on campus by next fall!

Today's masks may not evoke the same smile or hit that tender spot in my heart, but they go a long way towards protecting us. So I guess in that same way, the Boy is still my favorite Super!

Project 18 to 18: Day 7

School days, school days
Dear old golden rule days ...

Once again, as the sands in the hour glass race toward the bottom of the Boy's time in high school, I find myself looking back to those early days of elementary school.

Only for one little minute on the morning of his very first day of school, did the Boy show any trepidation at being at school. Since then, he's claimed his spot on campus and made his way through the halls of four different campuses around town for elementary school, intermediate school, middle school, and now high school.


In each case, he's waded his way through the murky waters until he was the big fish in the pond. But now, he's headed for an ocean disguised as a college campus! And he is comping at the bit to get his chance to leap off the diving board right into the deep end!

I, on the other hand, am shaking in my shoes a lot more than the Boy did on that first day of Kindergarten. I ask myself if we've taught him what he needs to know. I wonder if he will choose some place far from home. I wonder how empty the house will feel once he no longer lives there full time.

But none of my concerns truly matter. And honestly, I know that he's been preparing for that day for some time. And regardless of which campus he will call home, I know he will make his mark and find his path, just like he has in every other school he's experienced thus far.

Project 17 to 17: Day 7

Safe harbor. That is what Wonder Dad and I have always strived to provide for our Wonder Boy.

It has been quite a while since I could plop him in my lap, engulf him in my arms, and provide the physical reassurance that he had a safe place to shelter. But that doesn't mean that he has lost his sanctuary. It simply means that it is not quite as tangible as when he was tiny and perhaps in the process it has become larger and easier to find.


We have attempted to make sure he has ample opportunity to find safe harbor. Our home. It's a safe haven for us all. It's the place where we can say and do and feel without worry of judgement. That doesn't mean it is free of conflict or consequence, only that we are all committed to working through both of these storms that can rock our collective boat.

The Boy knows that both Wonder Dad and I "have his back" both at home and out in the world. And as he starts to stretch the distances he will roam, he knows full well that he has a port to call home when the roaming is done.

This season of his growth is often trying for Wonder Dad and I.

We both face a mixed bag of feelings and expectations. On one side, we love watching him grow and develop into the man he will one day become. But with that metamorphosis, we also have to bid farewell to the little boy we have so long cherished. We want to see him leave the nest and soar to the highest of heights. But we do so with an edge of worry of all of the good and the bad that is out in the world, so far from our control or even influence.

Though he would never admit to it, I think Wonder Boy must be feeling some of this as well. I can see in his eyes, in the strain of every muscle how ready he is move on to the next chapter of his life. He is chomping at the bit to get started on really living!

But every once in a while I also see a slight hesitation about leaving our comfortable little nest. It is only the slightest of hesitations though.

Though I am far from it, Wonder Boy will be more than ready to spread his wings and fly. And it will come sooner rather than later.

I know he is holding his breath and counting the minutes, I am trying to hold on. Not so tight that he can't fly off ... no, just tight enough to remind him that we will ALWAYS be his safe space. That even once he creates his own little safe harbor somewhere, he'll always be able to find his way home.

Project 16 to 16: Day 7

Today marks the end of the first week of our big countdown. I am glad that I have this to distract me from the realization that my "little boy" is turning 16 in a matter of days!

I'll be honest, again today the photo of the day is not exactly what I had PLANNED to share today. I'm going to hope that I can work that idea in later in the week, but this is still something I wanted to highlight.


Just look at my boys! Wonder Boy simply ADORES his Wonder Mutt. And the Mutt most certainly reciprocates! This snap was taken just before bed tonight. The Mutt is funny, by the time he finishes dinner, he is pretty much ready to turn in for the night. He sleeps in Wonder Boy's room and if we leave the door ajar, he will sneak in there and try to turn in early. In comparison, Wonder Boy is NEVER ready for bed. Now, once he gets to sleep, he is a champion sleeper who can rack up more than 12 hours in the sack with ease (if we let him). But despite that fact, he never wants to concede to sleep. I'm not really complaining as he DOES go right on to sleep. It just strikes me as funny that a kid who likes to sleep so much would fight going to bed.

In our look back to 2007, we see our favorite kiddo doing one of his favorite things - creating! These neat building toys are called "Zoobs" and I can't even begin to tell you how much fun he had with them over the years! He and Wonder Dad were able to build all KINDS of cool creations from helicopters to a great white shark to these cool dinosaurs!

Eventually we passed on these toys to some friends with kiddos who also have a passion for creating. I hope they have gotten as much fun out of them as we did!

Project 15 to 15: Day 7

We've made it to the end of the first week of this project and today I was able to grab this snap of Wonder Boy with his best girl, his puppy princess, Tori.


I love that the Boy loves his dogs so much. He has a "puppy alarm" set on his watch so that he never forgets to feed them in the evenings. He plays with them, he helps us bathe and care for them, and he makes sure they are bundled up warm and snuggly when he can't be there to cuddle with them. Watching him wrap up the dogs in one of his favorite fuzzy blankets is one of those things just makes me giggle. He treats them like his little babies. And they just soak it up! In the summer, when he is away at camp, they miss him terribly. And though he loves going to camp and being out on his own a bit, I know he misses them too (so we text him regular photos to keep him connected).

In looking back to 2007, we get another glimpse of our junior adrenaline junkie in his element:


This snap was taken a few weeks after his 6th birthday on a special family trip to Sea World in San Antonio. We all had a great time on that trip! The boy got to pet dolphins and manta rays. He laughed his head off at the silly antics of the seal and sea lions show. He was amazed by the acrobatics of Shamu. But the highlight of the trip was this Shamu roller coaster built just for kids his size. I think the 2 of them must have ridden that coaster about a dozen times - long lines and all! And to this day, roller coaster rides at theme parks are one of the Boy's favorite special treats.

Project 14 to 14: Day 7

Wow! A full week down already! Usually, it is when I am not paying attention that time seems to have flown by so quickly. But with this countdown project, you KNOW I have been as attentive as I get. But this week has flown by faster than I care to admit. *sigh*

I'm having fun though - and I think the Boy might be enjoying this too!

And speaking of fun ... the Boy and some of his buddies have been trying out something new on Sunday afternoons for a bit of fun ...


Lacrosse!

I'll admit, I don't know the first thing about lacrosse. But one of Wonder Boy's closest buddies got a taste for it at camp this summer. And then, as luck would have it, a couple of weeks before school started back up, the University coach decided to see about getting a developmental team put together in the community.

Wonder Boy and his buddies gave a it a try and decided it wasn't a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon (despite the Texas heat). No games yet, mostly just drills and skill building. I think they may get a chance to see a University game some time next month. Should be fun!

In today's flash back, you get to see the Boy as the Amazing Spider Man!


As you can see, the Super Hero phase lasted more than a couple of years in our home. And I've got to tell you, I enjoyed each and every moment of it! Wonder Boy had no doubt in his mind that he would set right all the wrongs in this world. I know he certainly did in my world!

Project 13 to 13: Day 6

It's Day #6 and a very exciting day at that! It's Kick Off Saturday for Wonder Boy and his soccer team! WHOOP!


It was a VERY exciting game between two pretty evenly matched teams. Wonder Boy and the gang in blue came out with a 5 to 3 victory, but it was tense from start to finish. Wonder Boy played pretty well and had an assist in the first half. We are looking forward to a very fun and exciting season!

Looking back on this same day in 2007, this time we see Wonder Boy kicking back with a good book:


There is so much I love while reflecting on this photo. This snap came about a week before his 6th birthday, near the end of his first 6 weeks as a kindergarten student. The book is one he fell in love with at school: Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? This book led him to others in the same series and really kicked off his push to be a super reader. He had always loved for us to read to him, but opening to door to reading on his own was a whole new experience. And it started largely with this book.