Project 18 to 18: Day 1

Firsts and Lasts

Hip, Hip, Hooray! Today marks the start of my all-time favorite annual photo project - the countdown to Wonder Boy's birthday!

This year, more than any other, I often find myself lost in nostalgia, remembering so many firsts. In contrast, Wonder Boy is focused much more on all of the lasts that are looming on the calendar. He recently had his last-first-day of high school, for example! He's counting down the days until he can cross off his last orchestra concert, his last fight out of the school parking lot, his last summer at home.

Personally, as we wind down the last days of him being a minor, I am in total denial to all of these lasts that he so gleefully crosses off the calendar. And while I enjoy looking back over all of the firsts, I'm shaking in my shoes about a new set of unknowable firsts to come - the first day at college, the first serious relationship, the first taste of adulthood and freedom.


Today, however, I'm thinking about our first first - our first day together! The photo on the left was taken just a few hours after Wonder Boy made way his into this world. It has at once been SO LONG since he fit in my arms like that and yet if I close my eyes, I can still feel the gentle weight of his head on the crook of my arm like it was yesterday.

The picture on the right may well turn out to be a last - the last start to my favorite photo project of the year - since I am unsure if I will be able to continue this tradition once the Boy is out of the house. And you will note that these days I fit better on his arm than he on mine.

I know I'm starting off the project this year looking back, but while I might miss those early days on some level, I have no desire to return to that time. The young man so willing to give me a place to rest my head is an amazing guy and I honestly DO look forward to seeing just what paths he might take over the next few months and years!

And on THAT note, I will offer my last thought for this day: Let's roll!

Sixteen!

Project 15 to 15: Day 6

Day 6 is here and I wanted to show you where you can most often find Wonder Boy these days: at his computer.


When in doubt, we know to go looking for the Boy at his computer. Sometimes he's working on school assignments. Sometimes he's pounding out a new program (he's working on making his own scientific/graphing calculator program right now). Occasionally we'll find him drawing on his Wacom tablet. And every now and then, he's just watching Youtube videos for fun. I am not sure if it is a generational thing or just a Wonder Boy characteristic, but this is his happy place. And since he, more often than not, uses his time for learning and expanding his mind, it's hard to begrudge him the time he spends on-line.

As we flash back to 2006, we see our Boy on his 5th birthday with his first favorite teacher:


The Boy has been blessed with an abundance of caring educators from preschool all the way through to his first year of high school. But this special lady was the first teacher who really connected with him. When he was at the height of his super hero phase, she let him wear his mask to class and even let him sign his papers as "the Dash" as long as he spelled it correctly. She encouraged him to express himself openly, regardless of what others might say or think. She played such a huge role in preparing him for the start of his academic career. She "graduated" from preschool with the Boy's class and we lost track of her for a number of years. But I am thankful that we now see her regularly around town.

Fantastic Fourteen!

It's here. Wonder Boy's big day! He's knee deep in the waters that make up his teenage years now. And we are as proud of him as ever!


Wonder Boy ...

Your big day takes us back to the day you were born,
Like a little angel you opened your eyes, your beauty they adorned.

You looked at us and gave us a smile so divine,
even in the darkness, your sweet smile did shine!

Today when we see you, the smile seems much the same
As are the deep chocolate eyes, from Heaven they came.

But even more than your looks, we love your precious heart,
we love also your keen mind, so probing and smart.

No one else can touch us like you do,
And we hope you know just how much we truly love you!

Happy Birthday Wonder Boy!

Project 14 to 14: Day 13

Day 13 has arrived and it's GAME DAY once again! Wonder Boy's team is off to a FANTASTIC start to the season as they picked up their second win (4 to 2) over another very tough opponent! Wonder Boy didn't score this week, but he had a GREAT assist and took some pretty nice corner kicks as well!


We got a breath of fresh air for this game too! It's not what I would call "cool" just yet, but the more moderate temperatures sure made a noon ball game more enjoyable for all involved!

In our look back to 2013 today, we see the Boy enjoying his 12th birthday!


This "balloon prank" might be one of his all time favorite birthday pranks. The night before his big day, Wonder Dad and I stayed up quite late, huddled in our closet (in order to keep things on the DL) blowing up more balloons than either of us ever imagined we would be inflating! Then we filled the alcove outside of the Boy's bedroom with said balloons. When he opened his door to start his big day, the balloons went flooding into his room. I don't think we've ever managed to surprise him that much before or since!

I think this might have been one of the Boy's most memorable birthdays. We started with an epic prank, followed it up with ANOTHER prank (we re-gifted a still un-opened Christmas gift), watched the Boy and his soccer team win in spectacular style, and ended the day at dinner with his 2 best friends at his all-time favorite restaurant. It was a GOOD DAY. And I know Wonder Dad and I enjoyed it as much as Wonder Boy!

Project 14 to 14: Day 12

It's Day 12 now and for today's look we get a look that one day will surely be called the classic millenial look:


Phone in hand, Wonder Boy is just like almost all boys his age. He likes to keep his phone handy for those times you need to text a pal, google some interesting fact, or work his way through the latest Crossy Road level.

I think cell phones are to the Boy's generation what big hair and neon clothes were to mine.

I wonder what the in-thing will be for my grandkids? (not that I am in ANY rush to find out!)

For our look back, today we flash back to the Boy's birthday in 2012 (his 11th birthday):


In case you can't tell, that's a pile of brand new underwear wrapped up with paracord bows and a cute little card. These little "gifts" were scattered throughout the house while the Boy was at school that day. Each card had a cute little poem which revealed a clue leading to the next little surprise!

You see, the Boy had been not-so-subtle in letting us know EXACTLY what he wanted for his special day. And the ONE THING he really did NOT want to receive was underwear. SO ...

being the loving, supportive parents that we are, he got a HUGE pile of new underwear and a string of frustrating clues that actually DID lead him to his heart's desire.

Wonder Dad and I MAY have enjoyed this more than the Boy. But only just a bit!

Project 14 to 14: Day 11

On Day 11 of this count down to the Boy's big day, I wanted to show you a glimpse of the Boy in his happy place - sitting at the computer.


Not only is he at the computer, but he's working on a game project. This particular game project is for school, but this is something he would never consider "work." No, this is the boy at his happiest these days. He loves piecing together all the moving parts and creating something he can't wait to share with his friends (and teammates on the Robotics team at school)!

I am always in awe of his creations. And I can't wait to see idea he works on NEXT!

Our look back today, to the morning of his 10th birthday, is one that always makes me laugh out loud!


Come on - you laughed too, right??

Does this look like the face of a boy with one of his favorite foods on the morning of his BIRTHDAY?? NO! It looks like I feel on the morning of an extra early meeting before my first cup of coffee.

But the reality is that this is what the Boy looks like most mornings - including birthdays and even Christmas! He is just not a morning person and never has been. By the time he finished his milk and started in on the cinnamon rolls, he was good to go and ready for a day of fun and celebrations and PRESENTS! But he needs that blood sugar boost like I need my morning caffeine.

Project 14 to 14: Day 10

For Day #10 of this super fun project, I wanted to show off one of my favorite times of the day: BED TIME!


So what is it about bed time that is so special? Well ... I would say that the truly special part is that on most nights (schedule permitting), we still have reading and/or cuddle time with our favorite Boy before lights out. And how many parents of a nearly 14-year-old get to say that?

I really savor this time of day night.

We're a family of avid readers. Wonder Boy has a book he's reading for school and another book he keeps loaded on his e-reader for fun (or long car trips). He has a book he's reading with Wonder Dad. And yet another book he's sharing with me. Yay for books!

So the first part of our nighttime ritual involves quality time with the Boy and a beloved book.

The next part of the process depends on which of us is in there with the Boy: when it's my turn, reading is followed by cuddle time and a discussion of plans for the next day. I find it a great way to wind down and to know that we're all set for the next day. When Wonder Dad has tuck-in duty, serious silly time starts as as the book is closed. I LOVE listening from the next room as the sound of uncontrollable laughter rings out.

And THAT is what makes bed time such a vital part of our routine.

In our look back today, we see Wonder Boy at school on his 9th birthday.


Just look at the glee on his face! Almost every picture I have from this day (and from the party that followed on Saturday) show the boy just like this: bursting to the seams with joy and excitement!

It's an expression like this that just warms me all over. Seeing this kind of joy on the face of your child ... well ... there just are not many things in this life that can top that kind of happiness, imho.

Project 14 to 14: Day 2

On day #2 of this project, I want to look at Wonder Boy and Wonder Mutt. I really love seeing these two together! The Boy loves his mutt and the Mutt adores him in return. They play and rough house together. The cuddle on the couch. Wonder Boy plays an active role in feeding and caring for his special Mutt. And the Mutt looks after the Boy, even sleeping in his room to guard against ferocious storms, savage dust bunnies, and any other perceived threat to the well being of his favorite teenager.


This particular scene ALWAYS makes me chuckle just a bit. The Mutt actually willingly submits to this - he lets the Boy grab him and cart him off to whatever couch is close by so that they can sneak in a few extra snuggles before school in the morning.

Mind you, if I were to try and lift the Mutt like this, he would wiggle and squirm and do his level best to get all 4 feet back on the floor. But when the Boy scoops him up, the most the Mutt will do is try to lick him all over - he just can't get enough!

For our look back today, we see our Boy on his first birthday. He had SO much fun that day as all manner of friends and family came to celebrate with him. There was cake (his first taste), games both inside and out, and, of course, a stack of presents higher than the Boy could reach.


I know Wonder Boy doesn't have any real memory of this day, but I sure do. It was just one of those great days that I hold onto deep in my heart. The kind I pull back out when I need to focus on something good and pure. And that, for me, is the greatest gift of all.

Project 14 to 14: Day 1

Goodness gracious, it's happened AGAIN! I turned around and my Wonder Boy is approaching ANOTHER birthday!

Last year we were facing the start of the teen years and I'll admit to a fair bit of trepidation. And while, yes, these are some very new waters in which we find ourselves swimming, so far we are treading water together as a family. And really ... who could ask for more?

So ... like we did last year, we're on a count down to the Boy's big day. And as he is turning 14, we're going to start 14 days out and look at where he is TODAY as well as a flash back to the "good ole days."

Let's start with a look at today:


Life with a teenage boy, at least life with THIS teenage boy, is an adventure to say the least! He is this wonderful mix of serious, sappy, silly, sometimes sullen, and smarts all rolled into one big, tall ball of big-guy-in-training. He can be as silly and carefree as a toddler on a playground or as serious, confident, and focused as a PhD student who just defended his dissertation. And he switches back and forth between these facets of his personality on a dime.

If you are not careful, it can take you by surprise - give you whiplash, but the journey really is a fun one at this age and I am truly trying to soak it all up.

Looking back, we get a small glimpse of us with the Boy on his actual BIRTH day.


Talk about a WILD RIDE - bringing this boy into the world was the stuff of (family) legend. But at the end of 16 hours of labor, Wonder Dad and I both just basked in the glow of transitioning from couple to a family. I can say that, nearly 14 years into this chapter of our lives, there is no other way we could be. This one special, miraculous, magnificent day has shaped every day that has followed it and that ever will follow it.

And we couldn't be more blessed.

Birthday Blessing

Today, our dear Wonder Boy turns 13 years old! I have been sitting here trying to come up with the words to capture all that is going through my heart and mind, but I just can't seem to find the right words.


So ... for now, at least, I will borrow these words - from an anonymous source on the web - with a few modifications of my own - in the form of this birthday blessing for Wonder Boy:

Happy Birthday! You're now thirteen,
It's such a special age,
Choices and plans, what will you be,
A doctor, an engineer or sage?

It's quite okay if you don't know,
It's more important to live each day,
Take each challenge one step at a time,
Learn and enjoy, your work and play.

Live each moment, do all things well,
What's inside you, are things that last.
At home, at school, wherever you are,
we are so very thankful you're growing fast.

Happy Birthday Wonder Boy! and many thanks,
You've been blessed in many ways,
We pray He bless you all through your years,
And guide and guard you all your days.

Today we have enjoyed a family-focused day, which is what Wonder Boy requested. We slept in. He opened gifts. We had great food. Watched fun movies. Played games - inside and out. And just did our best to make this day last as long as possible.

Happy Birthday Wonder Boy! We love you more than you will ever know!

Birthday In Da House!

Today Wonder Boy turned 12 years old. Twelve!

There is a large part of me that would like to focus on the nostalgic side of this birthday, wondering where my baby has gone. But the truth is, this was such a FUN birthday, that even nostalgia gets put aside for this sappy mom.

The day actually started several days, weeks in advance. Or rather, the planning and prep work for the big day started well in advance.

You see, Wonder Boy and Wonder Dad have a bit of a friendly competition where birthdays are concerned. They each try to top one another in terms of creating "memorable moments." And this must be a dominant gene because they are both quite fantastic at this particular skill!

Past birthdays have seen pranks, poems, birthday zombies, special meals, and even underwear scavenger hunts! Birthdays in this house are NOT to be missed!

For the first big event of the day, Wonder Dad and I spent several nights blowing up balloons in the secret halls of our bedroom closet. We blew up over 100 good sized (12") balloons that we then used to fill the alcove outside of Wonder Boy's bedroom! We managed to stack them about 6' high! So when we called the Boy to breakfast this morning, he opened his bedroom door, and the balloons came flooding in!

It was quite a sight to behold!

But that was not the end of the birthday hijinks! Oh, no! We went right into Prank #2.

A few weeks before this auspicious day, Wonder Dad noticed that there was still one yet unopened present from Christmas. I am not sure if Wonder Boy is intimidated by it or what, but Wonder Dad thought (& I agreed) that it would serve the Boy right to wrap it up again and give it back to him. And who knows, maybe that little jab would be enough to get him to tear off the shrink wrap and give it a try finally.

So ... after splashing through the deluge of balloons, Wonder Boy was ready to get down to the business of opening presents. He grabbed the box waiting for him on the fireplace hearth and went to town ripping the wrapping right off.

And then he stopped.

He stared at the box a bit.

And like a good little minion, turned to us and said "Whaaaaa?"

"But I already have this one!", he continued.

He looked to Wonder Dad for explanation, clearly confused. At which point, Wonder Dad launched into a VERY convincing pitch regarding the newness of said gift.

For those that don't know ... Wonder Boy is not what you would call "a morning person." And as such, is not the most clear headed first thing in the morning, even on his birthday.

So ... just as he was beginning to question himself, Wonder Dad spilled the beans and brought out the real gifts (much to the relief of our dear Wonder Boy).

Surprisingly, Wonder Boy took it better than I would have thought, laughed along with us and didn't hold a grudge for the little pranks. In fact, as the day wore on, it seems his favorite thing to do was to tell others the torture we had put him through that morning, but he did so with a big grin on his face, so no hard feelings!


This really is a good picture of how the day shaped up in general - just fun and laughs and lots of good times for us all.

After opening gifts, we settled down for breakfast. Then we got to enjoy a FANTASTIC soccer game where the Boy and his team came away with a 6 to 2 victory (Wonder Boy had an assist)! After that it was home for a sinful lunch of bacon shell tacos (for the Boy anyway). Then a bit of time to start playing with new toys. And then we capped off the day at a special dinner, where we were joined by Wonder Boy's two best buds.

The boys laughed, one of them danced, and we all ate to our hearts' content.

As we drove home, a much anticipated cool front blew in, and we enjoyed a cool walk with our Wonder Pup as the perfect end to an INCREDIBLE birthday!

Wonder Boy should turn 12 every day if this is the way things are going to go!

Bacon Day

There is always so much to look forward to during the summer months. We are blessed in that there are several celebrations to bring a little spice to the hot months.

The two that Wonder Boy and I seem to enjoy the most are Father's Day and Wonder Dad's birthday! And as luck would have it, these dates fall within a month of one another, so once we start ramping up for Dad's day in June, we get to keep on rolling all the way through mid-July. It makes for a lot of fun!

Like with Father's Day, Wonder Boy is generally "in charge" of gifts and cards and that kind of thing while I take the lead in the designing the menu for the day.

This year on Father's Day, we tried out a number of Paleo recipes in an attempt to keep our celebrating on the healthy side of things. The two biggest hits of the day were the chocolate strawberry donuts and the bacon-shell tacos, so we vowed to include them in Wonder Dad's birthday preparations as well.

I mention this because another facet of Wonder Boy's planning for his dad's birthday is the theme. He likes to have a theme when designing cards, picking out presents, and planning any special activities. Last year, he picked "Zombies" as the birthday theme. And the year before that he did up a special Angry Birds theme.

In our planning discussions (usually in the car on the way to work/camp each morning), Wonder Boy was struggling to find a theme he could sink his teeth into (yes, there is a pun there ... wait for it). But by the time we got through Father's Day and the bacon-shell tacos had been such a big hit, Wonder Boy knew what he wanted to use for this year's theme.

...

You guessed it!

...

BACON!


You can't go wrong w/ bacon, right?!

So we started the day w/ those chocolate strawberry donuts and then 'bacon-ified' them by sprinkling them with bacon pieces while the chocolate glaze was still warm. Wonder Boy designed a bacon birthday card. We found bacon-ish gifts (a t-shirt featuring bacon and a board game for the whole family to enjoy called Mr. Bacon's Big Adventure). For dinner we tried the bacon-shell tacos again, but I'm afraid I learned a hard lesson - don't use thick cut bacon - and they fell apart. But we made the best of things and just had tacos with the bacon added to them. Then we took some of the extra pieces of bacon, chopped them up, and used the bacon bits to top a big bowl of ice cream! YUM YUM YUM!

So that's the story of Wonder Dad's Bacon Birthday! Wonder Boy must have really enjoyed himself, celebrating both his dad and his favorite salted meat, because he asked for the same treatment on HIS birthday this fall.

Happy braaaiiinnnsss day, I mean, Birthday!

It's Wonder Dad's birthday! And Wonder Boy looks forward to it every summer (we all do, but seriously, I think Wonder Boy has the best time of it!). As soon as Father's Day winds down, it's time to kick the birthday presentations into high gear. Presents must be considered, food and drink must be decided upon, and most importantly the design for Dad's card must be planned and executed.

I have to admit, watching the Boy come up with his card idea and then put it into play, is my FAVORITE part of the preparations. It's a taxing job for us both, but the end result is NEVER a disappointment. And this year is no exception.

Like last year, the Boy chose a video game theme as the starting point of his design. I was a little surprised when he chose Plants vs Zombies as his theme. I mean .... birthday Zombies?! But zombies it was. And the execution really WAS a gem, let me tell ya!

The card reads: (outside)
It's your birthday,
so scream and shout ...

(inside)
It's good for the plants
(& they keep the Zombies out)!

How cute is that?!

Wonder Boy reminds me more and more of his dad every day. And it is special days like this where it truly shines through.

Happy Birthday Wonder Dad! We love you!

Double Digits

Ten years. A decade. It's kind of hard to wrap your brain around - how 10 years can fly by so fast and drag all at once.

For some, ten years can seem like a life time. For others a mere blink of an eye. How is that possible? I can't explain it, but I am certainly feeling it right now as we celebrate Wonder Boy's 10th birthday!



When Wonder Boy was a baby, a more experienced mom told me (after a long and sleepless night) "the hours are long, but the days fly right by." I took her at her word that day because all I could feel at that moment was the exhaustion and the weariness of life with an infant. But today, her words speak right to my heart.

Life does fly right on by when you are busy living it. And while it seems to me that our Boy was an infant just a few days ago, my memories of what life was like before he came into our world feels like ancient history.

I suppose that is how things work in this world. The Earth keeps spinning and we keep living. And from time to time we stop and ponder where time has gone as well as look ahead to all there is yet to come. Birthdays are a good time for that.

Happy Birthday to our big kid! These first 10 years have been amazing and the next 10 promise to be an even greater adventure for us all! Thank goodness we get to do it together.

Birthday Birdies

Birthdays are big in this family. Preparations begin weeks, if not months, in advance. No detail is left to chance... except there is always *something* unexpected with each event. But I guess that's just life.

So ... back to THIS birthday! It's Dad's turn this month. We did start plans nearly a month in advance, basically as soon as we were done with Father's Day activities. And the theme chosen this year (to no one's surprise) is 'Angry Birds.' After all ... we all enjoy playing from time to time and those birds got angry about some stolen eggs, so family values are big among birds just like our little clan. What can I say? It just feels right.

Wonder Boy truly ran with the theme, picking out an Angry Birds t-shirt, helping to design and assemble an Angry Birds birthday card, and even putting on his own Angry Birds skit! He spent days working on the skit - he made all of the props himself behind closed doors. He did need a hand in the enactment (you can't do all the parts at one time, I guess), but otherwise the production was entirely his own creation and it was the hit of the evening!



I think Dad enjoyed the evening as much as we did. It was the perfect way to kick off a celebration that would last almost an entire week (more on that later too).

Happy Birthday Daddy Bear! Here's to another great year! We love you!