the year of eight

kellen
eight was a big year for you.
full of change, and you are a little like me in that change does not come easy for you.
we moved to our new home in june, which meant a new school and friends.
you were very brave. even when i could tell you really didn't want to be.
you always make me so very proud.
you are the kindest most generous boy i know.
you are the very best big brother.  you bring home library books for your sister, even though she is in school and gets to pick her own books, you still choose one for her every week. you worry about your little sister, never liking to see her sad or sick. you 2 are best friends.  no one makes you laugh like your little sister.  you have developed a HUGE love of graphic novels this year which helped you finally catch reading fever!  now you pile books and comic books into your arms whenever you can.  Big Nate, Bone, and Garfield are you absolute faves these days.
you take a comic art class and love it.  you have really taken off in many styles of drawing this year.  you rocked keith haring style dancing people, you love drawing comics, batman is your fave like your daddy. and you also love to create your very own characters as well.
you learned to ride your big bike, to scooter, AND hula hoop.
you still have the best head of soft blonde curls.
you lost tons of baby teeth this year and grew in a beautiful set of big kid teeth.
your favorite food is pizza.  little caesars with pepperoni and mushroom
& otto's plain. you still love your purple. and a menagerie of stuffed loves now as well, henry and sharkey in particular.
you are getting tall and so very lean. (i try to fatten you up some but it never sticks) you were laying in our bed just the other night and your daddy and i both commented on how long you are, almost filling the bed with those legs of yours.  (sigh)
you still LOVE the beach, and you are getting pretty good at swimming this year too.
you love to build with legos. play lego games on the wii. you rode in your first airplane on our trip to FL. you won 2nd place in your cub scout troop's derby race with your purple car. 

i just love you so very much.
happy last day of eight sweet boy.
hoping 9 is full of happiness and health.

love,
momma