Ten Years

Hey boy.

I cannot even comprehend that it has been TEN YEARS since we first saw your face. We were so young and naive and convinced we wanted to wait several years before we would begin having kids. However, you and God apparently had other plans and I am so glad He is smarter than we are. I am a little intimidated by the fact that you are, too.

I remember hanging out in the hospital room at Hendrick and watching the stream of people coming in and staring at you in amazement. Almost everyone responded by saying "He is so pretty!" And you were. Many times since I have tried to tell you how pretty you are because it really drives you crazy. I do have to remind you, though, that you won a prettiest baby contest in Muleshoe so it must be true.

Over the years I have been so impressed by you- and like I said before, a little intimidated by:

You are very mature. Often, I have wondered how someone as goofy as I might relate to someone as quiet and serious as you. I think I am rubbing off on you, however, because you are loosening up.

You are extremely competitive. You have even been quoted as saying "Competition is my life." It shows in your interests. You love things where people keep score- sports, academics, etc. Arts, on the other hand, hold very little of your interest. We're different in that, but I love it. I love to watch you play and enjoy sports. You are a very good athelete.

You are very active and as one might expect from someone who constantly exercises, you have zero body fat. Your constant six or eight pack makes me sick.

You are very smart and perceptive. I love our conversations and I love to watch you think. I still remember when you were very young (pre-K I think) and one of our neighbors came over a little freaked out because you were correctly adding three digit numbers in your head.

These are all great things, but there are other things I like about you that do not intimidate me, but bring me great joy:

I love that you are content to do your own thing and not chase the crowd relentlessly. I see some of your buddies trying so hard to impress one another and in doing so already walking out onto thinner ice, but you are confident in your decisions. Hold on to this.

I love how you and your sisters are bonding. I know you like to pester them because you are a big brother and it is your job. But I also know you care about them and have their back. They will be your friends for life and the three of you are bonding in a way that makes me overjoyed.

Finally, I love that you are growing in your concern for others. I was worried that I would never be able to instill in you a desire to help others, but God has stepped in and I have seen you grow in this area in the past several months. A cool element of this has been that a few times you have tried to help others without getting noticed. This is where it's at, my boy, and no other trait can make me more proud because this is Jesus alive in and through you.

So, here we are after 10 years. After a few rounds of stitches, broken bones, fun times, sad times and just life in general I am so proud of you that I could pop. Thanks so much for being a great boy, I look forward to the years ahead and only hope they pass very, very, very slowly.

Happy Birthday, Connor!

Dad