This Kid...

...makes me smile every day. In exactly one month, he's going to be seven. Weird. I know I'll do a special post about him around his birthday (perhaps even more than one), but I've been thinking about him a lot and all the growing up he's done lately and thought I'd share:
1. His clothes. He definitely has a sense of style all his own (as evidence by his sweet attire in these pictures). We've been talking about matching, but in his mind, if he likes a pair of shorts and a shirt, that should mean they go together. End of discussion. Good thing he goes to a school that requires uniforms. He's also taken to sleeping in nothing but his underwear. I don't know why, but for some reason this seems like such a teenage thing to do. I feel like he's too young to want to sleep in just underwear, but that's what he does almost every night.
2. He's a chef. Or, he thinks he is (and I'm not going to argue). Lately, he's learned how to 'make breakfast'. When he and Noah get up in the morning (and now that school's out, they wake up together almost every morning), they sneak downstairs and Clayton 'makes' them both a bowl of cereal. Oh, he's so proud of this. He tries to act all modest, but I can tell that he thinks he's pretty awesome for figuring this out. You know what? I think he's awesome for figuring it out too!
3. He's so kind to everyone. He's one of those special kids who accepts everyone for who they are and will play with anyone regardless of their gender, race, disability, age, etc. I never have to ask him to include a new kid or befriend someone who might be a little different, because he does that on his own. I get a little sad sometimes because he's getting to an age where a lot of his peers are starting to be clicky and exclusive. Not Clayton. Sometimes other kids exclude him from things that they are doing and he genuinely doesn't understand why one person would exclude another. It breaks my heart to see my tenderhearted little boy feel so sad and confused by this. However, I hope he stays this way, it's one of my very favorite traits of his.
4. Best. Big Brother. Ever! He wrestles with Noah, reads to Josie, and keeps asking me to tell him what he can do to help with Samphiezzie when she comes. I know it's hard on him sometimes because he's the oldest. He can do things Noah and Josie can't do for themselves so I expect him to help out a lot, but for the most part, he does it without complaining. I know he loves his siblings and also genuinely likes being around them (most of the time).
5. Geography. Man alive, he's one smart cookie. Clayton goes through phases where he'll find something that interests him and learn all he can learn about it. It's almost a little obsessive because it seems to consume him, but that's just who he is. When he was really little, it was letters and sounds. Then numbers and counting. Then it was makes and models of cars. Then it was planets. Now it's U.S. Geography. This is a kid who knows his states. He can tell you what state is located where, most of the capitols, which states border each other, etc. He even has Noah learning it too (which Noah can't help but do because it's all Clayton talks about). They play games where they assign each other a state to 'be' and then run around the house. Not sure what the point of that game is, but they love it! (Although they made the babysitter play it with them a few nights ago and it may have confused her a bit.) I need to get that kid a big map for his bedroom wall. It'd make his day!
6. He's trying. This is one of the biggest changes I've noticed in Clayton this year. He has always been a perfectionist. Sometimes it's a good thing, but when he doesn't get something right the first time, he gets really down on himself and wants to quit. The past few months though, he's been trying things over and over again. He learned how to ride a two wheeler (which was very hard for him to attempt because he is also a kid who is constantly assessing the risks), he's learning to swim (slowly but surely), and he's making great strides as a baseball player. Last year, he wouldn't do any of those things (we know because we tried them all). He's trying to take the word 'can't' out of his vocabulary. It's so rewarding to watch him work hard and accomplish his goals!
7. His tastes are maturing. From the books he reads to the shows he watches to the games he plays, he's starting to distance himself from the 'preschool' world and integrate himself more in the 'man' world. He asks me almost every day to check the Cubs scores online and likes to watch them play on TV. He started reading 'The Magic Treehouse' series and loves it, he's also started asking to play games like scrabble, Blokus, etc. It's so fun for me because these (mostly) are things I enjoy as well, so we can genuinely enjoy them together (not that I don't absolutely LOVE Dora and all things Dora-related...). So fun!
I adore this kid. I have a friend who describes him as the "happiest kid ever" and I think that's a pretty good description. We have our challenging times, he and I, but when I look at him I can't believe I get to be his mom. I am so blessed that he's my firstborn, my son, my buddy. I love the little person he's becoming.