Seven.

He is seven.  And he seems big.  Yet he still seems a little bit little.

This year has seen so many changes for our family and for this amazing boy.  He is in first grade, and he is thriving there.  His teacher is brilliant and he has learned volumes and volumes about geography, science, reading and math.  I cannot tell you how much fun it is to hear the conversations between the two boys as Jonathan "teaches" Caleb about things he has learned, and Caleb tells him about his days.

He is still a big brother but now he is a big brother to a little sister, too.  He has taken such responsibility to help with little things and be a caring and protective big brother.

Things I just love about J-man at seven:

 - Our car conversations.  The hard questions, the amazing insights, the funny stories.  I have all but stopped listening to anything in the car because I wouldn't want to miss these tidbits of life according to him.

 - He eats.  And eats.  He is now willing to try so many things.  He still has fairly mild tastes, but he will try almost anything.

 - Listening to him read to me.  To his brother.  To his sister.

 - His crafts.  This is something I love about both little men here.  They do crafts/construction.  Just about anything can be configured into a crafting/constructing project.  I do love it, but the mess is quite messy.  Thankful for the Dyson handheld to clean up the piles of paper and cardboard.

 - His questions about faith.  They are honest.  And we are straight shooters around here.  So I love the honest questions.

 - That he knows himself quite well.  He told me at one point, "Mom, I like my friends better one or two at a time and not all together at the same time."

 - The long standing sense of style.  It morphs over time but still has a unique flair to it.  You may remember the shirt below.  Last year it was the taped turban that he wore to meet his Kindergarten teacher.  He still loves it.

I actually could go on and on and on about all of the things I love about my sweet guy.  Reality is - I love him because God gave me the gift of being his momma.  I love him just because he is my J-man.  Happy Seven!

The Patch

Pumpkin Patch, that is.  We had only been home for about two weeks, but we headed to our beloved pumpkin patch on a nice day when J-man was out of school.  Eliana spent the whole time sleeping in the wrap.  The boys loved the pumpkin launcher and the giant jumping pillow.  We came home with an excessive number of pumpkins that we just finally put in the trash this weekend.  The squirrels were most appreciative of the easy meal.

Field Trips

It isn't often that I get to attend a school event for just one of the kids without the others in tow.  Eliana's first stay with the beloved Aunt Carla was the morning of Caleb's field trip to the farmstead.  I got to enjoy a sweet time with just Big C.  Talking, playing and having a good ol' time.   Eliana charmed Aunt Carla and the two boys at her house so a good time was had by all :+)

Dating

Big C and I had a date a couple of weeks after we returned home with Eliana.  Jonathan and Jamie had their date, too, but Jamie forgot to take photos.  Big C had a great time because we ate outside at the table right beside the fountain.  This seemed to be a big highlight for him.  After all of the crazy changes of travels and a new sister, it was fun to spend the night with just him.

Jamie and Jonathan had a great time eating BBQ because that's what Caleb did with Daddy.  Jonathan was thrilled because they got to eat outside, too.  Every time we drive by that restaurant, he reminds us that he and Daddy ate on that patio.

On another date related note... our social worker was at our house for a post placement visit before Eliana's adoption is finalized.  She asks questions about our family and such.  She was asking how Jamie and I were doing with three children.  The next question, "have you had a chance to go on any dates?" was excitedly answered, "yes" by Jonathan and Caleb.  They proceeded to tell her all about both of their dates with each of us.  Certainly wasn't exactly what she was meaning by "date" when she asked about our marriage, but a sweet glimpse into our little people's world.

Some Other Celebrations

It is official.  Fall is our season.  Eliana in September, Anniversary and Jonathan in October, Jamie in November, Caleb and me in December.  All that to say, things have been a little nutso around here.  I have fun photos from Jman's birthday and some fun things about him at SEVEN (gasp!), Halloween photos and some other random fun.

For now, I'll leave you with our family of five...

Visitors from the North

I didn't know if they would be able to come.  But I asked and they came.  So very thankful they could meet her when she was still just a peanut.

The older four were playing in the basement when they came up and Caleb was wearing this get-up.  He was wearing oxygen (made out of string), "just like Grampie".

Home.

After being gone for nine days and living in a hotel, this was a blissfully welcome sight.  So, so many folks were so kind to bring food, mow the lawn while we were gone and help out with the boys.  Jamie and the boys left a day and a half before Eliana and I were given clearance to travel, but when she and I arrived home these sweet signs and decorations for Eliana's room were waiting for us, thanks to Carla and her littles.  They are still up.  I did think the other day that likely we need to take them down so we can decorate for Christmas. :+)