Project 18 to 18: Day 17

A Creative Spirit

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” – Steve Jobs

From an early age I have marveled at the Boy's creativity. And as he does with most things, he tends to jump into the deep end of the pool with little regard for the steps that most folks take when picking up something new.

After months of watching YouTube videos on Spray Paint Art, the spring break pictured below was spent trying his hand at this art form. He didn't start small, he picked up his paints, set up a table on the back porch, donned his mask and gloves and got to work! It was a fun experiment! I was impressed with even his earliest of attempts, but ever the perfectionist, the Boy would never claim any skill with a spray can.


I simply cannot explain how much it pleases me when the Boy gets creative at the piano! You just haven't lived until you've heard his ragtime rendition of Ronda a la Turca!

Whether is it altering a piece from one key to another or, like in the previous example, changing up the rhythms in sometimes not so subtle ways to mimic another style all together than what was conceived by the original composer, the Boy has always had a knack for improvising at the keys!

I suspect he would never claim this as a creative expression but rather some form of problem solving or at least just changing the landscape of a particular puzzle. However, I can see it for what it is - his creative juices spilling out into everything he touches!

Project 18 to 18: Day 16

Mr. Thrifty & Nifty

It's Day 16 and today I want to mention something I don't believe I have ever mentioned before... our Wonder Boy is innately thrifty!

He was never the type of kiddo to ask for everything under the sun as we strolled the isles of the Toy Store at Christmas or reach for a special treat at the grocery check out. In fact, we have to cajole and coerce just to get him to give us ideas for Christmas and birthday gifts! It is seriously rare when he asks for something specific at the grocery store or wants to go out to eat. He just doesn't put a lot of thought into those kinds of things.

We have had to be very careful to not let him know how much something costs - if he perceives it as being excessive, then he will start making excuses for why the funds should not be spent. Summer camps come to mind. We were blessed to be able to send him to a couple of really great camps over the years. He especially enjoyed STEM camp and Mathematical Problem Solving camp. But we were very careful for him to not know the full cost of attendance because, regardless of the educational value, he would have been most uncomfortable with the price tag. And since we wanted him to focus on the educational side of things, we never disclosed the financial side.

The end result of this behavior is that when he DOES make some kind of request, we almost never answer in the negative. Case in point today - this little gadget has a hefty price tag by most standards, but the Boy had a need for class and researched the most reliable version of this thing and then you could see him physically tense up as he made the request. It is a LITTLE hard to justify this particular model, but .... it DOES have an educational value and, again, he so rarely requests anything that it is just hard to say 'no', so we didn't!


In our look back to 2016, we get to see a fun side of the Boy! This was just a particularly good day, a little family time tossing around a frisbee in the hours just before sunset. Wonder Boy was keeping Wonder Dad and I in stitches with his antics as he would chase down the frisbee. He caught it between his legs and behind his back. He acted like a punch-drunk clown when he missed or when his return toss went sailing over Wonder Dad's head. I carry the ring of our laughter to carry me through my darkest days. It was THAT good. Not some big event or major milestone. Just the perfect way to pass the time with my two favorite people on the planet!

Project 18 to 18: Day 10

Movie Madness: the numbers game

I had a different idea for today's photo theme, but it didn't come to pass. BUT ... as luck would have it, when waiting for Wonder Dad to get off of work yesterday, the Boy and I struck up a round of what is currently his favorite "game" to play. We call it "The Numbers Game."

Over the past couple of years, the Boy has become a big fan of Anime. He keeps a numbered list of all of the titles he has seen. So, at random, I will give him a number and he will pull FROM MEMORY all of the details about that particular series or movie. He tells me the plot line and gives a brief critique of the animation, story line, musical score, and anything else that has stood out to him.

There are literally hundreds of titles on his list so far and he still manages to keep a mental account of them all!


Looking back, we see our Wonder Boy adorned with 3-D specs. This was so he could enjoy his favorite movie of the day: Spy Kids 3 (3-D).

I always enjoyed watching him watch the movie. I'm not a fan of 3D productions in general, but Wonder Boy was enthralled with the whole Spy Kids franchise and his favorite was Spy Kids 3. I suspect that this was due at least in part to the fact that the subject matter was concerned with a video game - an evil game, but a game none the less.

While the Boy's taste in entertainment has evolved over the years, I am thankful that he doesn't mind sharing it with his family!

Project 18 to 18: Day 9

Canción Bonita

I highlight it every year because it is truly an integral part of Wonder Boy's life and this year is no different. Today we're talking about music, of course!

From the very earliest of days, long before he even realized he was listening to music, the Boy was instinctively drawn to a catchy tune. We would catch him bouncing along to some melody coming from the television while he played with his toys. I recall a day when the Boy was still barely a toddler; we were looking at speakers in an audio-video store and the Boy put on a one-man dance show while we sampled the various options in the shop, completely oblivious to all of the adults in the room. He was in his own world, engulfed by the music used for the demos!

In our look back to 2009, we see our Boy getting into the swing of things as part of his elementary school's sing-along program! We found a cowboy hat at Goodwill that fit, a western-themed bandana, and a snap-up plaid shirt in his favorite color (blue!) and sent him off to school. I was so thrilled to see him with a paper guitar for the show! He and his classmates strummed out some good, ole fashioned country tunes that afternoon and put on a show I am not likely to forget any time soon.


Catching up to today, we see the Boy picking out a tune before school to the delight of myself and the dogs! His guitar is rarely far from hand when he is at home. It has become his go-to instrument and I have noticed that he puts not only more time into honing his skills on this instrument, but more of himself into each piece when he practices his guitar.

A few months ago, we spent a lovely Friday evening listening to the Boy practice. And at the end of his session, he allowed me to take a short video of one of the pieces he had been working on for his instructor. It's truly a lovely piece and I am glad he let me capture it!

Project 18 to 18: Day 8

PKS: A public service announcement ...

Most folks probably have never heard of PKS, or Photographer's Kid Syndrome. I'm not really a photographer, but I am a very proud MWAC (Mom With A Camera) - I have a camera and I'm not afraid to SHOOT YOU!

Seriously though, I've had a camera in my hand pretty much since the day Wonder Boy come into this world and I can't imagine doing things any other way. So ... for almost 18 years he has had to endure countless snaps from mom. It started off well enough ... of course, he was too small to protest, but at least 4 days of out each 7 for the first two to three years of his life, I had camera in hand to capture every smile, every grimace, every milestone, and every precious moment I could capture.

I was able to keep up my photo-journalist tendencies through the preschool and even into elementary school. But by the time we hit the mid-way point of preschool, I started having to get creative with my bribes or the Boy would run and hide (or at least refuse to look in my direction) every time I pulled the camera out of my bag. One bribe (that didn't involve high quantities of sugar) that often sealed the deal was to allow him a few moments of silly time. Snaps of him sticking out his tongue, crossing his eyes, bending over to look through his legs ... well ... let's just say I have more than my fair share of these images! But it worked! Often he would crack up at his own antics and then I was able to snap away until I was able to capture that perfect natural smile!


There came a point where even silly snaps were not enough and I was lucky if I could get him to agree to let me pull out the camera. But there were two exceptions: (1) I was allowed to take as many pictures as I wanted at events like soccer, orchestra, and judo, but I could not as him to look at me. I was generally only allowed to capture action photos at these events. But at least he didn't mind me and my camera on the sidelines. and (2) pictures with the dogs were allowed on occasion as long as I didn't go overboard and ask for it 4+ days a week.

Again, this fell somewhat to the wayside. Once his judo and soccer days were done, opportunities for action shots evaporated too. And even the suggestion of a snap with one of the dogs was met with eye rolls and protests.

BUT ... every now and then, I am able to catch Wonder Boy in a moment where he is willing to let me grab a quick snap or two. Generally, I have to agree to keep photo taking to a very limited time span - and it still doesn't hurt to involve the dogs and allow a little silly time!

This morning before school, Wonder Boy was cuddling with his Puppy Princess when Wonder Mutt got jealous and tried to worm his way in between them. The Princess was not impressed and went from cuddles to fussing in the blink of an eye and Wonder Boy couldn't resist joining in. I'm just glad he didn't object to me trying to capture the moment so we can all look back and laugh about it in years to come!

Project 18 to 18: Day 5

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens - Ecclesiastes 3

Verse one of chapter 3 of the book of Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a "season for every activity under the heavens" including, in verse 7 a time to tear and a time to mend.

This verse strongly reminds me of these first few weeks of school for Wonder Boy. The first month of school, at least since he started high school, has always been this way, but as it has done every year, the workload has yet again increased. And as such, the Boy has found himself with hours of homework every night of the week.

Unexpectedly, this weekend marks a start departure from that pattern! He has a few small assignments, but nothing taxing and so today is a day of rest and renewal - in other words, a time to mend.

For the Boy, that means some alone time surrounded by a few of his favorite things: his guitar, his phone, his PlayStation, and his laptop along with some snacks and a Gatorade for refreshment.


Back in 2005 he was ALL ABOUT play time! In fact, most of his day was play time. Of course, in 2005, play time was also his time to learn and discover. Wonder Boy always gravitated to building toys most often. He liked to create, to tear things down and figure out how best to put them back together and then how to make something entirely new by combining old ideas and materials.

Today is a day of rest. A time to turn off his brain or at the very least to engage it in a completely different manner than what happens with the demands of academic life. And that is A-OK with us! We know that this time of rest is what prepares him for the next onslaught of assignments!

Project 17 to 17: Day 4

I read an author state once that he was amazed that people were able to communicate at all since we all see the world from our own unique personality.

I think of that often when I sit back to marvel at my favorite young man.

Our flashback photo for the day is one of those that has always struck me as such. You see, when Wonder Boy was about 2-3 years old, he developed a love for puzzles that has continued through today. Watching him assemble puzzles was one of those first moments that struck me on how differently he processed the world around him.

I know I've told this story before, but it has always struck a chord with me, so I hope you won't mind my repetitiveness.

One day, much like the one pictured below, we were working on a nice, big puzzle sprawled across the dining table. He was working on a section in the middle while I was trying to get the border pieced together. At one point, I turned to watch him work away and I noticed that he had two pieces that were obvious to me that did not belong together as they were colored differently. So I asked him why he he thought they would go together? He pulled them apart and showed me that the shapes did indeed look like they MIGHT just fit. And I asked him if he looked at the color and he said no.

It was a very simple exchange, but it has stayed with me all of these years. I think it was the first time I understood just how differently he was looking at things! Where I was looking at colors, he was contemplating edge geometry. Neither was right or wrong, just different. It was a wake-up moment for me. This child who seemed such a huge part of his father and I ... he was unique, he was all his own.


That little realization has grown exponentially over the years! Our Wonder Boy has grown literally and figuratively into a perfectly unique version of himself. His eyes look a little bit like mine, but are not some exact copy. He has a mischievous grin that so reminds me of his father, but again, it's not exact. He's a home body while Wonder Dad likes to be up and about and I fall somewhere in between.

These days, it's no longer a surprise to me that his mind works in ways I can barely grasp. In fact, most of the time, I love for him to sit down and tell me what he's working on and why and what he gets out of it. Take this morning for instance. Most mornings, he prefers to lounge with his pups until to get ready for school, but today I found him focused on his computer as soon as he finished his breakfast. When I asked him what he was working on he showed me the graph you see above. In case you do not automatically guess what that is about, he told me it was "a representation of a 3D function on a 2D plotter." You see, he's putting together a presentation for some junior members of the Computer Science team at school so they can learn how to code these types of algorithms for competition.

Personally, I just thought it was pretty.

And THAT made him shake his head when I told him.

It's a wonder that we are able to communicate. Our minds do not work the same. But I am oh so thankful that we can because then I get a glimpse into a whole different world!

Sixteen!

Project 16 to 16: Day 16

I had always planned to take this photo for our last day of this project. It was planned to contrast with our last post from our P15-to-15 last year. As you can see, we have traded places in the car ride to and from school.

The Boy got his learner's permit back in January and starting in earnest this summer, has worked very hard to be ready for his driver's test. Due to the upheaval in our schedules, it will be another couple of weeks before we take him to the DMV for his test, but he's ready.

On the other hand, *I* am not ready! Yes, I have every confidence in his driving, but I do not trust everyone else on the road and it's like a knife in my heart just THINKING of him pulling out of the driveway without his dad or I at his side.

However, I have a couple of more weeks and I'm going to push the thought from my mind and enjoy the status quo while it lasts.


In our look back, we see one of my all time FAVORITE photos of Wonder Boy! He's always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but I think white water rafting may just deliver the biggest rush he's had to date!

Even though he was tossed from the boat, got stuck underneath it, and nearly gave me a heart attack waiting for him to reappear, he L-O-V-E-D it! He loved it so much that he begged us for another day on the river after this excursion, in a more difficult class of rapids even.

I am thankful we got to share this wild ride with the Boy (though I would have preferred he stayed in the boat the whole time). I know the day is coming when he'll be off on his own for this kind of adventure.

And it is on this note, that I close out this project for the year.

As happens every year, as I look back, I simply marvel at how far our Boy has come, how much he has grown, and fast he has changed. He is my all time favorite nearly-16 year old in the WHOLE HISTORY of 16 year olds!

And I hope he knows how much he is loved and cherished!

Project 16 to 16: Day 14

Here on Day 14, I wanted to show the Boy's stack-o-screens. And of course, this doesn't count his computer at home or the ones used at school. But at any given moment of the day, it's a pretty fair bet you'll find the boy on one of these screens. I'm actually a pretty big fan of the digital revolution (thus far). For the boy, this little stack of screens means that information is always at hand and he uses it fairly wisely. It seems he's always researching something or another.

Of course, he's not ALWAYS learning. He also loves watching videos of just "random stuff" (as he puts it) - things that make him laugh. And I'm glad he has access to THAT material as well.


In looking back to 2014, we see the Boy with perhaps his favorite family on the planet outside of our own. These kiddos are as close as family for him (and for the rest of us).

There is so much I love about this snap. It was taken on the day we first got to meet their new baby brother, born 2 months prior. We had a great meal and then made a quick stop at Buc'ees before we had to part and head back to our separate corners of the great state of Texas. It was a good day and looking back on it always brings a smile to my face.

But what I love most about this snap is seeing the silly side of our Boy - IN PUBLIC!

Everyone needs someone (or someONES) with whom they are so comfortable that it's OK to be silly, even when out and about in public. And I'm just glad the Boy chose this particular group to let his silly side shine!

Project 16 to 16: Day 13

For day 13, I wanted to hit the lighter side of things when examining our Wonder Boy. And honestly, this is something that tickles my funny bone on a daily basis.

BATH TIME!

Yes, I'm serious. Bath time. Or, more specifically, shower time.

Not a day goes by that the Boy doesn't put up a fuss when we tell him it's time to get clean. We get the stereotypical exasperated sigh, usually accompanied by an eye roll, and the ever constant question "Do I have to...". Every. Single. Time. *sigh*

But once he's in the shower, he steps into another world! We don't really know what is going on in there - some kind of one man play is the best we can guestimate - and it's probably best that we DON'T know what is happening. Even when we warn him to "be quick about it," his showers rarely run less than 20 - 30 minutes as he sings and chats and who knows what else the time away. And while I am so pleased he is squeaky clean, it's something that makes me shake my head and giggle just a little every day.


In our look back to 2013, we see they Boy and his dad on the hiking trail - one of our favorite places to be! This particular snap was taken on Good Friday that year when we visited the Huntsville State Park.

If you were to ask Wonder Boy straight up, he would tell you that he doesn't enjoy hiking. But his actions on the trail usually speak louder than those words.I find there is something really wonderful about unplugging and spending time outside. And while he may not want to leave his screens behind, he always seem to relax and have fun once we are out and about. I hope that, as he matures, he will understand that these trips are the kinds of memories that feed our souls.

And who knows, maybe one day, he'll drag a reluctant teen of his own on the trail as well.

Project 16 to 16: Day 11

In years past, I've talked about the Boy's "uniform." On any given day, you'll find him wearing just about the same thing: khaki cargo shorts, t-shirt (blue, red, grey, or black with very little decoration), black crew socks, and athletic shoes.

I've got no problem with this "uniform." He's comfortable. He makes sure his things are clean and well cared for. And it makes getting dressed a quick affair since there are not a lot of decisions involved.

But I *DO* have a problem with one article of this uniform ... his shoes.

Since he was very young, the Boy has always hated getting new shoes. Like his uniform, once he finds something that works for him, he doesn't want to put in the effort to find anything else. So he will wear his shoes out until they could get up and walk to school on their own.

Now, let it be known, he HAS many pairs of shoes from which to choose. We like to have at least a couple of pairs to cycle through to keep the shoes fresh and make them last longer. But even with a closet full of shoes, these are the only ones the Boy wants to wear.

His orchestra is doing a shoe drive as a fund raiser for their trips and this particular pair will most certainly be in the donation pile before all is said and done!


In our look back today, I couldn't resist sharing this little snap! That is my sweet little Wonder Boy snuggled up on the couch one frosty morning with his Sack Boy. For those that are not aware, Sack Boy is the hero of the Sony Playstation game "Little Big Planet." LBP was *B*I*G* for Wonder Boy when it came out. He fell in love with the game and with this adorable character, Sack Boy.

This photo was taken right as the game makers released the sequel, Little Big Planet 2. Wonder Boy was *so* excited that he saved his money and paid for his own "special edition" copy of the game that came with this prize, a stuffed plush version of Sack Boy.

Wonder Boy took Sack Boy everywhere with him (that we would allow - sadly, Sack Boy was not allowed at school). But in the mornings before school, he would crawl out of bed and snooze on the couch before breakfast and I routinely found him cuddled up with Sack Boy just like this.

This little Sack Boy came into our lives as Wonder Boy was moving away from being drawn to fictional characters like this. He was pretty much done with his super hero phase. And he didn't want us to pick out backpacks, lunch boxes, school supplies, or even t-sirts with any characters on them. But Sack Boy was an exception to this new rule. And as such, it served as a reminder to us that, despite the fact that he was trying so hard to grow up, Wonder Boy was still a young man. It was a chance to hold on to that part of him and I, for one, held on to it for as long as I could.

And in some way, I'm not alone in that... even today, Sack Boy is one of the few plush toys from this era of his life that STILL has a place of honor in the Boy's room!

Project 16 to 16: Day 10

Double digit day. That officially marks the end stage of this project, but I can only say that in a whisper as I am still in some serious denial!

Today I had the Boy pull out a stack of his various notebooks. He has the white boards in his bedroom, but that is for only the most recent ideas floating around his head. He needed a more permanent solution for holding onto his thoughts. So he has a stack of notebooks. He has some small journals, some bigger notepads, and a closet full of old spiral notebooks. And in these books, he records proofs for various formulas and math theorems. Others hold programming notes he wants to have at his fingertips come competition time. And some are just random logic points he wants to work through.

I wish I had been this organized in my thoughts at the same age!


For our trip back down memory lane today, I wanted to share this little snap with you! What do you do when you live in an area of Texas that has you wearing shorts and shades more often on Christmas Eve than a sweater? You create your own snow storm, of course!

This snap was taken in December 2010. We had just finished painting the Boy's room. We painted it blue because he had read that the color blue fosters creativity and we were happy to oblige. The painters finished right after Thanksgiving and to give his room a "holiday feel" we spent days cutting out giant snowflakes to adorn his walls! The whole family jumped into this project and we left it up until early spring the next year.

Looking at this photo makes me think we might need to do something like this for our holiday decorations this year too!

Project 16 to 16: Day 9

Today has been a long day. We've all been battling some kind of a virus. The Boy and I are finally on the mend, but Wonder Dad is still somewhat under the weather. And even though I am feeling better, I am certainly not ALL better just yet.

But with that said, it's been a long day for us all. And to top things off, the Boy has a very full study schedule for tonight! Assignments in 3 classes and his first cumulative exam of the semester!

We are learning that the secret to a successful night of school work is the proper FUEL for the Boy's brain! Now, don't get me wrong, we make sure he eats plenty of good-for-you-foods during the day. But we don't mind indulging him these kinds of snacks if it helps him focus on the work at hand.


In our look back for today I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite snaps of our sweet boy! I wanted these photos to use as a special gift for Wonder Dad. But by this age, Wonder Boy was very tired of me pointing my camera at him at every opportunity. However, I was in for some serious luck this afternoon! The Boy was in a mood to tell me knock-knock jokes. And while he really needed to work on his delivery, just the act of telling the jokes had us BOTH in stitches throughout the little photo shoot!

This is one of those afternoons that I will never forget! Just the sight of his smile in this snap and I can literally HEAR him giggling as he tried to surprise me with the punchline for his next joke. He laughed before he ever got the words out and that made CERTAIN that I too would double over with laughter!

Sometimes looking back on these photos is bitter sweet, but with a memory like this one, it's just plain sweet!

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 16 to 16: Day 6

This is the stage of this project where, when you see the Boy in our "look back" photo, you can see at least a little bit of the "big guy" he has now become. It starts right around the time of his 5th birthday, around the time he started "grow up" it seems. It strikes a chord with me that it would be his fifth year where that he had so many milestones (the "Big 5" birthday, graduating preschool, starting martial arts and team sports) that his "big kid" personality would start to shine so brightly, but it certainly does!


I'll be honest, this was not the photo I had planned for today. I really wanted to see if I could bribe my guys into re-creating at least the pose from our flash-back photo. But in the end, I think this is the right look at today.

I snapped this right before bed tonight. The Boy had a full day. He's been helping out a whole lot around the house as both his dad and I have been under the weather. And he had a viola lesson this afternoon. And top all of that off with a good-sized stack of homework (which is certainly becoming the norm for this school year) and really, this was always going to be the photo for today.

I think it has surprised Wonder Boy that the course work has increased by SO MUCH this school year. It increases every year. He's come to accept that. But I truly don't think he was prepared for a jump in workload of this magnitude. He is beginning to adjust. We all are. But it has taken a bit longer than any of us could have anticipated.

In the end, we know this is a good thing. He needs to be prepared for when he goes off to college where the workload will be considerable, but there will not be anyone "cracking the whip" to make sure he gets it done. While I would love to lighten his load, I am thankful that working for the grades he wants to achieve will not be something new when he moves on to that next level.

Our flash back is one of my all time favorite photos of my guys together. It was taken on Father's Day 2006. Wonder Boy was at the height of his fascination with "the Incredibles" and he dubbed his daddy "Mr. Incredible" just as quickly as he assumed the role of "the Dash." We couldn't find any "Incredibles" shirts for Wonder Dad that summer, so we made our own! It became Wonder Dad's soccer jersey that fall and that made the season that much more special for Wonder Boy and for us all really. Wonder Boy really DOES have the most Incredible Dad ever!

Project 15 to 15: Day 13

On Day 13 of this project, the Boy decided all he really wanted to do was chill.


Having a "chill day" at home is pretty high on the Boy's list of favorite things. But I never know exactly what that will entail. Some days it's spent cuddling in the couch with his pups. Other days, he parks himself in the computer room and only comes out for meals. For today, he mixed it up a bit. We enjoyed some family movie time. He got lots of snuggling in with his pups. And he spent a good bit of quality time with his computer. But to close out the day, he went upstairs for a bit and enjoyed a bit of Playstation time. A little fun and games to wind down the weekend sounds like a good plan to me!

In looking back to 2013, we see a bit more ... animated ... version of Wonder Boy:


This snap was taken during his free-running/American Ninja Warrior phase when every object around him was a physical challenge! And while I'm glad that I am not losing my mind watching him "body prop" his way up the stairwell, I do miss this outlook on life. We could hardly go anywhere without him trying to jump up on or over everything in sight. He could still do it today if he wanted, but these days, it's just not very cool to do that out in public.

Project 15 to 15: Day 11

For Day 11 of our big birthday countdown, I wanted to brag a bit on the Boy's organizational skills:


It's a simple little thing, but he uses a note pad area on his phone to mark which classes do/do not have homework. There is enough room to also title the assignment and even add a due date. It's simple and to the point. Nothing flashy, but incredibly useful! I have been so proud of the effort the Boy puts into making sure his academic responsibilities are met. And I am so glad that he found something, all on his own, that works perfectly for him!

In looking back to 2011, we see the Boy acting out his adrenaline seeking behavior once again:


This snap was taken a few days before the Boy's 10th birthday with one of his best judo buddies beside him. The 2 of them raced to the top of this climb a number of times that Sunday morning before the crowds made the lines too long. And when they weren't on this wall, they were racing go carts or smashing bumper boats. It was a very fun day for us all!

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 15 to 15: Day 4

It's Day 4 of my favorite photo project, but unfortunately, I'm quite a bit under the weather and just didn't get around to taking a snap for today. So instead, I'm going to back up about a week or so and show this little snap I took while visiting with friends recently:


There is so much I love about this little snap - mostly the fact that it is just filled with laughter. I sometimes worry that, being an only child, Wonder Boy might have trouble fitting in when we are around large families like this one (our two closest sets of friends have 4 and 5 kids each). Wonder Boy has a number of cousins, but not any that live close by so we don't see them regularly. But it really is something I have never needed to worry over. The Boy seems to do well with older and younger kids alike. And in this instance, both brothers got a kick out of the big boy who didn't mind getting down on the floor and playing with them.

In our look back to 2004, we see the Boy and his dad at a traveling carnival that had come to town:


Like most kids, Wonder Boy loved the flashing lights and colorful sights of the traveling carnival as it set up in the mall parking lot each fall. And even better were all of the adrenaline inducing rides! This particular ride was pretty tame, even for a barely 3 year old Wonder Boy, but he loved it regardless! I still think about this evening when I see the carnival set up in the fall. Now days, the Boy sees the carnival as a "kiddie" thing to do, but he's still an adrenaline junkie at heart - he just prefers to get his kicks white water rafting or full sized theme park roller coaster rides in lieu of this simple airplane ride.