Happy Birthday, John!

 Happy Birthday, John!  You have been counting down since April 1st.  And, yet, here I am still trying to finish this before you wake-up.   

Though I have only posted quarterly for the last few years, I am glad I am doing at least that.  It gives me a chance to see just what has happened in the previous year.  And appreciate how quickly time passes. 

                                            

                                                    

Speaking of quickly, you will outgrow me. Sooner than any other sibling did...but, I I think I still have a couple of years.  I think.

Over the last year, you have watched some great sports.  Or at least the first half of some great sports.  This East Coast Time is killer on sports' fans. 

Not the least of which was the recent NCAA Tournament.  Your bracket won two groups.  It helps a lot that everyone has to pick the Jayhawks to win it all or face severe judgment from parents.  Ok, one parent.  It's me.  Yet, you still came out on top amid a sea of Jayhawk fans. 

You have a propensity to distract siblings (Will in particular) with activities that are not sanctioned school work.  I have come home to the two of you playing army men in intricate battles.  Marble works, magnets, Battle Ship tournaments, building blocks, and Hot Wheel races are also ways that you skirt the lines of what is and isn't schoolwork. 

As you get bigger, so does your willingness to take risks.  You quite proudly showed me how close to the edge you were willing to go at Devil's Den.  I will say now my willingness to watch you take risks is negatively correlated to your willingness to take those risks...

We have had costumes in our lives for 15 years.  I will look at the bin and think it is time to pare it down...and then you get it into your head to dress up. Which gets it into Molly's head to dress up.  And then my motivation to get rid of costumes dries up.  Though...it was always a weak motivation. And Mario will never be on the chopping block anyway.

Another method of procrastinating you have found for not doing your schoolwork is reading.  Which...isn't all that bad.  Especially now that we have discovered Science Comics and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales.  You are learning all sorts of trivia and will drop tidbits every so often.  Sort of like an oral report!  #School

This year we bit the bullet and finally took the family skiing.  After a morning of falling in order to stop, you learned how to stop while standing up, and your confidence went through the roof.  No races were won, nor is skiing likely to be a profession for any of us, but we all gained a greater appreciation for the Olympians we watched a few days later.  As well as the Goofy Short about skiing that we all watched in preparation.

This was the winter that introduced you to a few winter activities that your Florida birth has postponed (as well as your mother's unwillingness to choose to be cold for said activities).  One being sledding down a legitimate hill.  We have made-do with the backyard slope (where your mother can watch from the warm kitchen with her hot chocolate), but this year, we were introduced to a rather larger hill and the smiles confirmed my days of watching from the warmth of the kitchen are numbered.

And, with a trip to the ice rink, the hat trick was complete for the three S's of Winter: Skiing, Sledding, and Skating.  Replacing previous Winter's S's: Snacking, Sweaters, and Sleeping.

                                         

Over the summer, Eric and I thought we might be able to prepare John for First Confession and First Communion in the Fall to coincide with family coming for William's Confirmation.  However, that started to seem like it would not happen and we signed John up for CCD with the plan to follow there schedule.  Yet one week in early October, Eric used a Baltimore Catechism for our Rosary meditations.  By the end of the week, John requested to go to Confession.  Than he asked if he could receive Communion.  After receiving permission from our Pastor, John received his First Communion on October 17th in front of a lot of excited friends.  The one hiccup was we always practiced going to the left after receiving a Ritz cracker in our kitchen...he got confused as he received at church in front of the entire congregation and stepped to the left instead of the right. 

 

And now that he has received his First Communion, he can serve at Mass.  Which he did for the first time on December 24th at 6:30 AM.  Yes, naps were had by all after the happy event.

And now some more pictures from the last year. 

The first snow of the season

There have been a few times I have lost track of John and subsequently found him up a tree.

I have several pictures of John sleeping.  He tries to keep up with everyone, but eventually his little body just needs a rest.  Especially after serving 6:30 AM Mass.

John is always able to strike a pose.

John went back to his roots last August when we visited Virginia Beach as a family.  While it is not uncommon for John to be done with an event in 15 minutes and requesting to go home...that was not the case with the beach.  He loved every minute. When he wasn't in the water, he was playing in the sand.  He was the last to get out both days at the beach. 

Shooting guns at Silver Dollar City

Yoda Impression #1

Yoda Impression #2

                                                

                                                         

                                                                    Yoda Impression #3

  Risk Taker Extraordinare!  He really freaked 

out the neighbors this last July 4th!

Happy Birthday, John Eugene Anthony!  You have had quite a year of experiences and we are about to enter another year of experiences.  You will get to live in the house your siblings all lived in a decade ago and I look forward to more memories there with YOU!  

We love your enthusiasm for the things you love.  Currently that would be racing hot wheels, but prior to that it was making marble runs, and prior to that it was beyblades...and prior to that I am not sure what it was.  But, you played it for hours each day.  

 We love that you give hugs freely...especially when you know someone needs it.  Or when you just feel a need to give a hug.  You don't hold back even if I just yelled at everyone for not picking up...wait a minute, are you just trying to get out of picking up???  Well, it still works to calm me down.  You have a magic touch.

And now, I've put you off long enough.  I have presents to wrap, a chocolate cake to make, and a little boy to hug.  We love you, John, and are so grateful to God that you are in our family!  Now, let's find that wrapping paper and see what you will be playing with for the rest of the day!

Love,

Mom