I can't believe he's 8!! Where did our little baby go? It really is true that if you blink you'll miss it. I have a love/hate relationship with time. There are so many reasons I love the passage of time. I love that wounds heal, stages pass, maturity and wisdom increase, etc. But I also hate saying goodbye to those sweet moments when an infant will cuddle up on your chest or a toddler will hold your finger as he/she learns to walk. I miss the innocence of life and the way their world wraps around you. Jonas is an amazing little man. He is way more mature for his age than most. He thinks deeply and loves just as much. He is honest, kind, obedient, smart...and so much more. It is a privilege to watch him grow. Sure, there are plenty of things I wish I could have done differently. I am constantly questioning my parenting practices and whether or not I'm screwing him up for the rest of his life, but I keep showing up. I keep trying. And I keep loving...deeply. For Jonas's actual birthday, we took him to Youth Conference with us (see Jam-packed July for more details). I was worried that he would feel slighted because he had to share his birthday with our church responsibilities, but he loved it! Plus, we had already celebrated his birthday with a themed party when Nichole and Kate were still in town (see 4th of July and Beyond). To top it off, Jeff and I gave him his birthday present a few days earlier. Jeff has been wanting to get him a motorbike for awhile now. Danny had one before he turned 8 and Jeff was worried if we waited any longer, our cautious son may not be bold enough to want to try it. We wrapped up a little Lego motorbike for him to open on the Saturday (July 22nd) before his birthday. He was excited when we told him that little Lego represented the real gift we wanted to give him. We then took him to a couple of stores in Provo/Orem before he found the bike he wanted - a blue and white Honda 110. I honestly don't know the difference between a 110 or a 50 or a 125, but I know he loved it and it was just the right size for him to start with. He spent the rest of the day learning to ride it around our yard.
Like I mentioned before, Jonas shared his actual birthday with our ward's youth conference, but we had a family birthday dinner to celebrate him once we returned (Sunday, July 30th). He chose to have hamburgers and homemade mac and cheese with a milkshake bar for dessert (that was a hit!). And yes, there was the traditional wrestle to blow out the candles. Jonas is a well-loved little boy! It was fun celebrating him all month long!
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