max at nine

Who gets nine candles today? This guy!

Max has had a pretty great birthday this year. For starters, he got to spend the weekend with Barb and Kevin while his brothers stayed home. I am so glad he got to do this because I feel like sometimes it's hard to see how great the boys are when they are all together. With all three of them in one place, it's inevitable that fights break out, and it's hard to see much past the constant bickering. But this weekend Barb and Kevin got to do that, and what I'm sure they saw is that while Max is "the quiet one" (a relative term, as it's hard to be anything but when Liam and Henry are so loud by comparison), he is also the sweetest, most thoughtful, and most curious of the boys. So in that spirit, and for those people who only ever get to see the boys together as an unruly mob, let me tell you a few things about our Max.

Max really likes to take his time with things. When we go to a museum, or the aquarium, or a botanic garden, or really anywhere with new information to absorb, the other boys run from exhibit to exhibit, eager to feast their eyes on the next shiny thing and then wait impatiently for it to be time to go home. But Max likes to really focus on things, to take the time to admire them and ask questions and follow-up questions. The last time we went to the Field Museum, for example, Mike and Max spent a whole hour in the dinosaur area while I struggled to keep the other two entertained by going through basically the entire floor of the museum at lightning speed. This year, he has developed a new interest in plants, so we've been taking him to every available botanic garden, arboretum, and conservatory so he can wander around and check things out. (At press time, however, he still wants to be a chef when he grows up.)

At nine, Max is still very affectionate, but he's outgrown the kiss-his-mom stage. I take solace, however, that the first thing he does almost every morning is give me a hug. He feels things very deeply, whether happy or sad, and his feelings can get hurt easily, but a little dose of affection is usually all it takes to fix it. (If only it would stay that easy!)

Lest you think he's only got a sweet side, I'm here to tell you that he's also quite subversive, though it takes (mostly) funny forms and it is really hard to keep a straight face while delivering consequences sometimes. A couple of examples spring to mind. First, during the school book fair this year, Max got it into his head that he wanted to be a high roller, though he didn't actually have the money to bankroll it. Fortunately (at least in his mind) he had observed me squirreling money away in a hidden location (my vacation/fun fund, people!) so he helped himself to $40 and spent the day buying Minecraft guides and novelty erasers for all his pals. He also earned some notoriety this year by starting a "cuss club" with his friends. The sole membership requirement was apparently the ability to whisper cuss words to each other when the teacher was out of earshot and then dissolve in fits of giggles. I'm thinking he should have gone for a loyalty test for admission, though, because one day they got the bright idea to write down all the cuss words, and when the paper was inevitably found by the teacher, all the others immediately rolled on Max and identified him as the true culprit. Whoops!

Max's favorite pastimes include playing soccer and going to guitar lessons every week. He has mastered all the basic chords, and works on learning classic (1970s) rock songs with his teacher. I don't expect him to be the next Eric Clapton (but yay if he is!) but he has fun, and more importantly, it's a thing he has all to himself, a special way to put the focus just on Max for a little while each week. Things he doesn't enjoy so much include reading, which obviously breaks my heart (though I cling to the stubborn hope that he just hasn't found the right reading material yet, so I keep on trying), and homework. I will leave you with Exhibit A, an essay that I believe truly gives you a better picture of Max than any words I could write.

To Mrs. Price,
I do not want homework, so may you please throw it in the trash. I will tell you why you should. I don't like homework because it is boring and takes time. I would not be as cranky if I did not have any homework to do. Everything you are trying to teach me, Mrs. Price, I already know. My point is homework is easy and I need harder work to do. Homework takes time to do. I could be playing with my stuff I want to play with. If I get to play with my stuff, I will be happier. I do not like homework. That is why you should throw it in the trash.

Happy birthday, Max! We love you so very much.