John is nine. He has never been so happy to be a new age as he is to be nine. It's funny, though -- in my heart, he sort of hovered at five-ish, or six. But, no. He's kept on growing, changing, maturing, all the way to nine. He's huge. And still wonderful.
To celebrate, we had a BBQ. We invited a few families over for the day, and had a truly, completely, utterly delightful day of it. It was such a success, actually, that Smidge said he wants, "the same people, the same, exact group," to come to his birthday BBQ.
We're so thankful for the friendships we've all made. Good friends, which take time to develop. New friends, slowly growing into Good friends. Roots, going deeper and growing richer.
The kids ran down to the creek, up to the meadow, all over the balcony. They played video games for a bit (it was 97 degrees, and eleventy-hundred percent humidity outside - they appreciated the reprieve from the weather), then ran back out and shot their bows for a bit, ran amok a little more. The kids were funny and energetic and polite, and they tumbled from one thing to another seamlessly, moving from one activity to another either in one large lump or a couple of smaller herds. We were really impressed with how well the kids meshed together, and I know Me-Tae and I had just as much fun watching them play, as they did playing.
Granny was still here for the party, and I'm sure it was nice for her to see that the children don't spend all their time locked in a dungeon, doing school work and sweatshop labor. Even when you know that's not how it is, I think you still worry a bit when you live so far, and your son and daughter-in-law have adopted some offbeat lifestyle quirks. So, it's probably nice to meet the friends who influence your children and grandchildren. Plus, we enjoyed showing her off. She's a Very Cool Granny.
So now, having been duly celebrated and christened into being nine, he's feeling pretty big. Pretty happy. Pretty good. Last night, as he drifted off to sleep on the twitchy haze of a great day, he told Zorak it was his best birthday, ever. That's always nice to hear. Every year is special and precious, but for a parent, it's more momentous than the children will ever know. One year older, one year wiser, one year closer to the fledgling years. *sniff*
Next up, Smidge. But I have a couple of months to brace myself for that, thankfully.
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
6 comments:
How wonderful ~ it does sound like a perfect day. You write beautifully, and evocatively, Dy. Thanks for sharing.
Pamela
Wow. Nine. Yes, that makes sense since we just did a number nine birthday here too, but it still amazes me.
A belated happy birthday to John! Sounds like a wonderful day!
Oh Dy.... My youngest is off to college at the end of August ... it's both a happy and sad thing all at once.
It doesn't seem that long ago that my three were babies. Now they are adults with hopes and dreams of their own which they have set off to pursue.
Time is a fleeting phenomenon.
But if we understand that, then we can fully appreciate and savor the time that we do have.
Your blog is such a wonderful reminder to me of the treasures of family and growing up.
Thank you.
I hope one day you will compile your posts into a book.
Happy B-day John!
mere and family
9 is a good time. Josh just turned 9 in March. So, does that mean that your John is in Webelos too now?
If he needs a pen pal, you know where to look.
~sdwtmer
Post a Comment