Introductions

My good people, I’ve missed my introduction!  I’ve been writing about my kids for a while, so I thought this might be a good time to let you in on the true make-up of their personalities.   We’ll start with the oldest.

Griffin is five years and five months old.  He’s as good of a big brother as we could have hoped for.  He’s constantly concerned with the well-being of his younger sibling, and a very responsible boy.  It’s not surprising for him to see something that needs to be done and just do it on his own without being told (like feeding the dog and letting her out).

If I had to sum him up, though, I’d have to settle on the words ‘Problem Solver’.  I don’t know if it’s inborn or if we fostered this behavior, but this kid is extremely inquisitive and creative.  At a young age, I started teaching him how to use tools to get things he wanted, like using a broom handle to get a ball out from under the couch.  He quickly learned door knobs and handles and could open them from the time he could reach them.  It didn’t dawn on me how much trouble we were in until he picked our bedroom lock one morning.  That’s just not something you want your kid doing at the drop of a hat.

Present him with a problem, and you can instantly see his little mind whir into action, ciphering through all his limited knowledge to come up with at least one solution for you.  Sometimes, they’re really good ideas, too.  He’s a smart one.

Gage, weighing in at two years and ten months, has a few more outstanding features than his older brother.  Where Griffin delights in the occasional round of mischief, Gage absolutely revels in it.  He’s never happier than when he’s being ornery.  He got a generous helping of this gene from both sides of the family, and hopefully we can channel that into light-hearted orneriness instead of mean-spirited.

Gage is also our little athlete.   Before he had even turned two, he could keep control of a soccer ball while running and kicking, he could also shoot a basketball over his brother’s head into their in-room basketball goal, and he could hit anything he was aiming at while throwing a ball.  This caused us a great deal of trouble, since he tended to aim for your face and rarely warned you he was about to throw.

The last feature of his little personality can be summed up into one word, ‘Charmer’.  I don’t know where he gets it from, but he knows how to turn on a smile for the ladies.  He also learned how to wink at a very young age, and has put that to good use.  Speaking from personal experience, it’s a little annoying to have such a lady’s man in the house.  On more than one occasion, Tamara has walked out of the bedroom after getting ready, only to have the youngest pipe up and say, “You look like a Princess!”  Oh, that’s so cute, you might say, but then when your wife turns to you and lifts her eyebrow in anticipation of your response, there’s really nothing left for you to bring to the plate.  “Yeah, what he said,” is about the best you can do.

I love our kids, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what traits our little girl will have.