. . . when he sits in the front seat and gets his hands on the ipod his music of choice right now is Rumor Has It (the Glee mash-up)
. . . the odd lunches he packs for school. There is never a sandwich. Usually it is a mish-mash collection of whatever is appealing to him that morning: a fruit cup, go-gurt, chunks of cheddar cheese, a bagel (with a small container of jelly or cream cheese for dipping), sometimes carrots, and Sweet & Salty bars. And sometimes he just fills his lunch with fruit and is stoked about it.
. . . his growing rock collection and how each one brings him such joy.
. . . his love for his stuffed animals Beary and Octopussy (a bear and an octopus). For Christmas he asked for a rubber fish. We had no idea why. This boy is pretty random, so we didn't think too much of it. When he found the rubber fish in his stocking on Christmas morning he ran up stairs to fetch Beary (who is a polar bear), brought him downstairs, and then "fed" the fish to him. All this time Beary has been hungry and we didn't even know it! :)
. . . the funny things he writes in his Diary of a Wimpy Kid Journal. That one is a keeper.
. . . that he has the best random quotes. Like this one, "Rule number 872 . . never give a chainsaw to a bear."
. . . the way he recognizes and appreciates good design. He likes things with nice patterns, order, symmetry, and colors that are pleasing to the eye. One day while in the car, he looked down at my iphone and commented on how nice it looks. Adding, "Ya, that one button looks so much nicer than other phones that have 2 or 3 buttons." What 9 year old notices these things?
. . . he is such a comedian. As if Brian Regan didn't provide enough material for him, every episode of Phineas & Ferb, Ninjago, Wipeout, and now Strongbad (the 6-DVD set came to our house this Christmas) just keep adding to his act.
. . . that he is such a happy, giggly boy. Nearly everything sentence or story ends with a laugh. I've actually heard other boys ask him (on several occasions), "Why do you laugh so much?" It's because he is HAPPY!
. . . that he can also go from 0 to -60 in no time flat. He responds quickly and emotionally to loss, mistakes, and hiccups in the day. I'm trying to teach him to breathe, stay calm, and don't freak out.
. . . his wild imagination and creative story telling. He has started writing a book about Aser (pronounced "ay-sir"), a character that he and Conner came up with. They have spent a year or more telling "silly stories" about her each night in their bedroom. Aser is an acronym for: Acrobatic Supergirl who Eats Ranch. She hatched from an egg and she likes to blow things up. Each time he finishes a chapter he likes to read it to me, but he can barely make it through because he is laughing so hard. I'll let you know when he publishes his book.
. . . when we went to the dentist for a cleaning last week and all he did was talk and talk and talk. The hygienist and I were laughing so much because we couldn't get him to stop talking and just open his mouth!
. . . the time we were driving in the car, just he and I. I reached over and held his hand. My hand was icy cold. His was piping hot. Upon grasp we both let out an "ahhhh, that feels good." I told him that we were a good match.
