henry at eight

This guy!

I swear, our Henry gets more "Henry" by the day. His personality is so clear and defined, and his emotions are written right across his face for the whole world to see. (Tip to Henry: Start working on your poker face now, because your face is just like mine, so it's going to take a little effort.) He is a whirlwind, a dynamo, and sometimes a wrecking ball. And today, he's eight years old.

He's had what I consider to be a pretty perfect birthday, too. Last night he got to spend the night with his Yami and Papaw, and in the course of the evening, he got Loni to take him to throw rocks in the ditch, he played with Jack until the little guy was worn out, and he spent time at Bethany's house jumping on the trampoline and riding a four-wheeler, followed by a bonfire in his honor, complete with s'mores. In the morning, he opened presents (he is now equipped for any Nerf battles that may break out, anywhere, anytime), then my parents took him to the farmers market, then they had lunch at Red Lobster. Once he got home, he got more presents (including a new desk chair from Grandma and Grandpa, which he was super excited about), and there was cake, and he spent the whole afternoon playing with (and getting along with!) his brothers and his dog. What more could a boy ask for?

This year, Henry's worked really hard at not letting his temper lead him into trouble. He has spent time identifying things that set him off, and thinking up (in advance) things he can do to calm himself or redirect himself. He's come such a long way, and we're so proud of him. At school, he has barely gotten into trouble at all, which is a big change from last year and especially kindergarten. He loves reading, and is very into the idea that now he can read and understand the same books his brothers love. He fights for extra reading time every night now (and it's very hard to say no to that). He's good at math too, and very interested in science and experiments, so it remains to be seen where his interests will settle, but this super reader stage is extremely gratifying to us.

Outside of school, Henry's been focused on video games, gardening, Nerf guns, and riding his bike around the neighborhood. He still chafes at the idea of having boundaries, any boundaries, and it's hard to convince him that we aren't just authoritarians bent on crushing his freedom and his spirit. But despite our best efforts at dictatorship (ha!), Henry's boundaries get wider all the time, even if he doesn't realize it. We can only do our best to keep up with him, and we can't wait to see where he leads us.

Happy birthday, Henry! May your eighth year be the best one yet.