Gavin

So many of you that I blog stalk have done this, and as I have mentioned...you inspire me.  So, here is that inspiration put into action.  A separate post/update on each of my kids- ambitious for someone who can't keep up with major events- I know.

Gavin

What to say about my oldest little man?  The problem is that there are too many things that could be said.  Where to start is a better question.

Handsome:  You wouldn't be able to tell it from his picture taking efforts these days, but Gavin really is such a good looking little boy.  Daddy's little clone.  And he has such a genuine sweetness and innocence about him that make him all the more irresistible.  Mom's doing- I would like to think.  Believe you me, this one can cause his share of trouble and torturing, but underneath it all he is such a sweet little guy who desperately wants to please and craves affection.  I tease him that he will always be my baby, and I think a little part of him is just fine with that.  You and me both buddy.  As I said, his picture taking efforts don't exactly reflect this.  Instead we generally get one of the two:

Mr. GQ

or whatever you would call this...

Smart:  I've said it a thousand times, but I could say it a thousand more- this little guy is a smartie.  Here are a few things he is doing/can do (and remember he is just over four and a half!)

Read- not just little words either.  He can read any picture book we own and does so often to his brother.  He reads his own verses (we take turns) in the scriptures and has no problems with words like whatsoever.

Write- loves to make words.  Letters are his favorite toy.  If the needed letter isn't available, he will improvise (i.e. using W sideways makes an E.)  Can write every letter of the alphabet in uppercase without looking and lower with an example.  He wrote his own letter to Santa this year.

Spell- at least once a day Gavin asks me, "is ____ how you spell ____?"  9 out of 10 times he is right.

Count- if patience was exerted, he could count to 100 without missing a number.  He can count by 10's and is working on 5's.

Adding/Subtracting-still working to perfect.  Knows how to solve 1-9 problems pretty fluently.

Time- can tell you the time in hours and half hours.

Money-knows the names and values of all the coins.

Personal Info-is learning his new address/phone number.   Knows his birthday.

And much more.  I just can't think of any more specifics.  To sum it up I will say, at least once a day I am surprised at something he knows that I didn't know he knew.  His current learning obsession:  his math computer games.  They are designed for K and 1 grade math and he had them mastered after two attempts.  Still loves them though.

Creative:  this word doesn't begin to describe the ability this child has.  He is in a constant state of creative play.  Whether it be drawing, painting, sculpting (he made this dinosaur in 5 minutes by looking at a picture on the box)

or his preferred outlet- dramatic play- he is in a constant state of expressing creativity.

Leadership:  Maybe it is a result of his being the first child, but Gavin ALWAYS assumes the role of the leader.  He is VERY particular about details (as shown below- hooking up his "reindeer") and as long as his followers are willing to be directed, he has no problem coming up with the rest.

Accident Prone:  In general, Gavin is our healthiest child.  It is rare that he is sick, and if so, it never lasts longer than a day.  He throws up once- he is done.  He has a fever- a couple of doses of medicine and he is better.  Accidents, on the other hand are not proving to be his strong point.  Already he has had three "stitches" incidents.  One stitches, one glue and one in his mouth that just had to heal on its own.  I am just waiting for the broken bones.  It surprises me a little that he is so accident prone because he is a little reserved when it comes to danger.  Maybe it is because he is so accident prone that he is so reserved.  Who knows?  Here he is having his stitches taken out.  Dr. Dad figured he was qualified and it turns out he was right.

CTR:  At the begining of the year Gavin moved from Sunbeams into CTR 4.  Their first lesson was on Choosing the Right.  They colored shields and got their first CTR rings.  You have never seen a more proud and excited little boy as I saw running down the hall after church that Sunday.  He still wears his ring and his shield still hangs on our display board.  The pictures were posed per his request.  That should show you how proud he was.

I could go on forever about this little man.  He is still his share of a handful every now and then, but for the most part, he is pretty easy to have around.  He makes my day with his sideways smiles, his random thumbs up signs, and his far too mature comments.  No words can describe how much I love my little guy and always will.