liam at eight

While we were on vacation this past week, it came as a little bit of a surprise to me that Liam was the child who was the most homesick. From our first day on the road, he talked about how much he missed our house, the pets, his aunts and uncles and grandparents, and just the general feeling of being home. Not that it stopped him in any way from having fun the whole time: He was always the first to run into the ocean, to suggest taking a walk to look for shells or going on a bike ride. Being in a new place and on the move can be pretty stressful, but Liam mostly just smiled and threw himself into every new adventure.

It's been another year filled with changes for our Liam. He got his first pair of glasses (sorry, buddy!), he's getting geared up for braces (I'll let Mike apologize for that one), and he continues to grow tall and strong and proud. He rides his bike by himself now, and he doesn't have to sit in a booster seat in the car anymore, which is a Very Big Deal for him. He still loves soccer, but this year he decided to try baseball too and has discovered that he loves it. He swims every time he gets the chance, and he likes nothing better than to go out and help Mike in the garden, picking up plenty of fun facts along the way.

With his brothers, Liam is equal parts benevolent teacher and impatient dictator. He is easily frustrated by Henry especially, which is no wonder since Henry seems to have reached a fever pitch in the terrible twos (please, please, let this be the peak!) and is constantly taking (and often destroying) Liam's toys, games, books, and anything else he can get his hands on. Though he still fights with Max on a regular basis, there are long stretches (by which I mean whole hours) when they get along perfectly well, playing video games together or going outside to play, and I keep catching these little glimpses of a future where maybe they can all get along and Mike and I will be more parents than referees. Liam is leading the way on that score, (most of the time) showing his brothers a better, more peaceful way to be.

Like last year, we celebrated Liam's new year with a party at the local pool. He invited all of his classmates and teammates, along with the usual crew of family members, and quite a few kids showed up for a couple of hours of swimming fun, with a brief break for cupcakes and drinks. He was in his element the whole time, horsing around with his friends and going off the diving board and down the slide fully one million times. He opened presents, and when he thanked his grandma for her gift, she hugged him and kissed the top of his head. "Grandma! That's embarrassing!" came the immediate response. Don't worry, Barb — it's not just you. This year the kisses have pretty much shriveled to nonexistence, and the hugs are rare and precious. When they do happen, they're bright, happy bursts of energy that let us know that at least we're doing something right along the way.

Happy birthday, Liam. We love you!