Will is 8!

Will is an 8 year old--isn't that crazy?  I have vivid memories of being eight, which makes me feel like this whole parenting thing just entered high-stakes territory.  Now he's at an age where he'll remember our mistakes--yikes. :-)

We had a party at our house on the weekend before his birthday, and I'll let that shindig be a separate post.  John and I both had long workdays on his actual day, but managed to get the whole family to Joe's Crab Shack (Will's birthday request) at the pier, only to find out we'd have to wait two hours for a table.  So Will decided he could celebrate just fine at Bonefish Grill...seafood is seafood...

A shot of the birthday cupcakes I sent to class for Will and Adam (and two other May birthday boys):

Will with some of his presents:

I am really enjoying this age.  Will's intensity has mellowed--some--and his self-control has improved.  I love that I can reason with him now and head off some frustrations; I don't know if that makes sense, but I'm guessing anyone who's raised a high-intensity perfectionist kid is nodding.  But it has made life much better around here.  He is fantastically creative--he still enjoys making books, and right now they are mostly about sea life, especially sharks.  He can play with his Legos for hours at a time; since our recent Disney trip, where he and I talked a lot about the roller coaster rides, he has been making lots of roller coasters out of Legos.  He is doing swim league at the YMCA this summer and has really been enjoying it.  And he's begging to take karate--John and I are still deciding about that one. :-)

He is a great defender of his sister outside of the house--if not within the house!--and loves to play with his friends.  He is very thoughtful when it comes to his friends, and can be very empathic.  He is a not a fan of math, but loves science.  He does well in reading at school, but I'm having a harder time convincing him to read at home--he'd rather play.  He likes comics, though, so I recently bought a few graphic novels for him (Captain Underpants and Star Wars: Jedi Academy), and he really liked those.  And he loves to hear me read aloud--he says that's "easier."

So that's a snapshot of Will at age 8, according to me.  Here's Will on his favorite stuff:

Friend: Adam.

Restaurant: Joe's Crabshack.

Movie: Finding Nemo.

Toy: Three-tip. 

Sport to play: Soccer.

Favorite shirt: The one that Nana and Papa gave me. (A Guy Harvey shirt he's been wearing for at least three years. Maybe four.)

Pizza topping: Cheese.

School lunch: Pizza.

Book: The shark book.

Color: Blue.

Favorite thing to do as a family: Go on the Disney boat!

Breakfast: Pancakes, bacon, and scrambled or boiled eggs.

Favorite thing to play with Anna: Play Legos.

Bible story: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

After-school snack: Lucky Charms.

TV Show: Yoda Chronicles.

Candy: Chocolate bunny.

Ice cream flavor: Vanilla.

What do you want to be when you grow up:  A scientist or a policeman or an archaeologist or a geologist.

Store: Toys R Us.

Board game:  Maybe Candyland.