Sweet and Sour

It's no surprise that our Gavin is a challenge. You say go left and he goes right just to see what happens. He is a rebel, a trouble maker, and very dramatic. But would it surprise you to know that he also has a softer side? Like when he does something very wrong, like push his little brother out of the way causing an injury, he apologizes for days at random times, showing true remorse. Or when I find him sharing his dessert with Mason saying "One for me, one for you" as he shovels bites of food into his mouth and his eager brothers. He is the one in the house to give our dog Aspen the most attention, sometimes too much, but he loves that pup. He will hug her, pet her, and ask to give her treats all the time. A boy and his dog, those two are quite the pair. Ask him to clean up his toys in the basement, he will fight you tooth and nail, but if you ask him to get you a drink or help you make dinner, he is more than willing to comply. He thrives on one-on-one attention, when he doesn't have to compete with number one and number three. It is in those moments that I think he would be so much happier as an only child, with mom and dad all to himself. He loves all things truck related, and creates his own construction sites and farming fields and he wants to be a rancher when he grows up, complete with horses and elephants, and his little friend Ashley that will have a pink horse because it's her favorite color. He can be very polite, he remembers his manners better than his older brother and he feeds off of the attention he gets when adults recognize him for it. He loves to sing, in the car, in his room, at the store, everywhere he goes, especially Christmas songs which he knows now drive his mother crazy- but he loves to do that too. After hearing two children sing at church a few weeks ago, he came home determined to practice his own song and was off to the basement to find his "instruments" to accompany his voice. He is a definite leader, for better or worse, he will coerce his little friends to do what he wants, which hopefully some day will be an advantage. He loves to tell stories about cowboys and trains, and candy. He loves to have his back (and belly, and arms) "itched" and would sit for hours with a willing scratcher. Gavin is a great eater, he loves fruits and vegetables and usually gobbles them off his plate first, but he will eat most anything you give him. I'm not sure where it goes though because he is thin as a rail! It's hard to find pants that don't look ridiculous on him because he is also tall and even with those adjustable waist pants, he still looks silly. He also has a long torso which makes finding shirts that are long enough a challenge as well. He is our little string bean. This boy loves to read books, the library may in fact be his favorite place. I love having him sit and snuggle with me as I read him stories, but I will find him pouring over those books just studying the pictures for hours on his own. Life with this little one is not always roses and rainbows, there are plenty of thorns and thunderbolts, but it is always an adventure and he has taught me to see the bigger picture which is a blessing. Gavin has taught me more about myself than my other kids and he is making me into a better mother and a better person overall. It's a good thing I like the sweet and sour flavor he brings in our lives.