Jman turns 11 ...

Happy 11th Birthday Jackson!

My middle child turned 11 on the 5th. He stretched the celebration out for two days ....

He went hiking on his actual birthday and the next day he and a few friends from the neighborhood went to Mr. Bigg's in Colorado Springs. A fun house full of arcade games, laser tag, go carts, etc .. they had a great time. And no one got hurt. That was important. Eli went as well .. and STILL no one got hurt.

Jackson's had a good year. Typical for this kid though. I've always said it's a good thing I've got Jackson to balance the other two. Unfortunately because the other two are so .. so ... high maintenance it's easy to overlook this kid.

I have noticed lately though .. that he might be aware of this. Aware to the point where he takes advantage of it to benefit him. He's a little sneaky. Pushes buttons .. and then quietly walks away. And he's quiet when he pushes the buttons which makes him even less noticeable. I've only noticed this lately but I wonder if it's really been going on for longer than I realize...

I'm gonna list a bit about my Jack-man .. what makes him tick ...

**His favorite thing to do is play the xbox. He's good. Too good. I'm sure his hand-eye coordination is above average at this point. I worry however, that he could become one of those guys who lives with their mother's at age 35 and STILL plays video games.

I even have to remind him to eat while he plays. If uninterrupted .. he quite possibly could play for a week straight. He would dehydrate rather than stop to get a drink. There have been many a sleep over this summer where I get up at 2am and he's STILL playing.

What games are his favorite? Call of Duty and Halo. Age appropriate of course. When I bought one of these games at Target .. with Jackson by my side.... the sales associate gave me the friendly reminder that this was NOT age appropriate. "ha silly man .. clearly it's MY game"

**He loves to read. He's good at it. I like that about him.

**He's got the softest heart ever. Sensitive. Carefully making sure everything is 'fair'. The other night when Hayley's bunny died ... he was distraught. Mostly he was worried about Hayley coming home and her reaction. When she pulled up in the driveway .. he was waiting for her. Just to simply mouth the words "I'm sorry Hayley".

**I never have to ask this boy to do anything twice. That amazes me. Actually .. it's pretty sweet.

**He's still not big into sweets. Nor does he care for chocolate. For his bday cake he wanted vanilla cake with white frosting. Gag - THIS he does NOT get from me.

**This year we have discovered he's a fast runner. I'm super excited about this. Track is so in his future.

I love you Jackson ... you're a simple kid. A great big brother. A terrific little brother. A good kid. A kid everyone wants to be around. Life is gonna be good to you. Mostly because of the positive outlook you have.

Keep spreading your sunshine ... it sure is warm!