When I was a girl, my mom would settle disputes between my brother and I by arbitrating a guessing game. She would pick a number between one and ten, then invite each of us to guess what the number was. Whoever guessed closest would win the dispute. This was her way of choosing who would have the first turn at a game, with a toy, or in the kitchen. Randomness was, supposedly, more fair.
The only problem with this game was that my mother always picked the same number. Patrick knew it and so did I. So rather than having these inconsequential issues resolved randomly, victory always went to the quickest contestant. The first person to blurt out mom's number would win.
That number was 8.
When I lost the blurting contest, I would whine. "That's not fair. You always pick eight."
My mom would smile--how could she smile when life was so unfair?--and say that eight was her favorite number. "You can get baptized when you are eight," she would remind me.
Back then, I thought that was a pretty lame excuse for letting Patrick sit shotgun. Now it makes me smile. I also love the number eight. It's not a sterile integer for me anymore; it's a potent symbol of rebirth. And I tell my kids, "You can get baptized when you are eight."
Now, my firstborn son is eight.
He has grown so much this past year. He has come to understand himself and the world in new ways. Some of that process was uncomfortable for both of us. But I look at the boy he is today and I am so proud of him my heart could burst. He is more humble, more considerate, and more capable than he was a year ago. He has faced his fear of swimming, discovered and overcome ennui, tried out entrepreneurship, learned a few social graces, and shared his testimony with neighbors. He's eight and he's great.
So here's what we did to celebrate Soren:
1. The day before his birthday, Soren went on a camping trip with Scott and the Young Men. He was very excited about that. Apparently, his favorite part was playing Pictionary, although it doesn't sound much like any Pictionary I've ever heard of.
2. While he was gone, the younger boys and I made birthday cards. They had science jokes on them. He liked them, although he did point out to me that I had misspelled "neutron". I left out the "t", which made it a confusing joke about neurology rather than a clever joke about chemistry. Oops.
3. When he came home, he brought donuts to share with the family and we ate donuts while he opened some presents. Scott gave him a raspberry pi, which was probably the most exciting present. They worked some on getting his first computer up and running, a project I am sure they will revisit many times in the next few months.
4. I gave Soren a game called SushiGo, which was the most used present of the day. It's a card game and its quick but interesting. We played SushiGo all day.
5. Then, inspired by the game, we went out for sushi at dinner time. Nan and Poppy came and it was amazing. I love sushi and I'm glad my kids do, too.
6. Both Soren's grandparents got him chemistry sets, which was awesome. He was thrilled to have enough gear to do the experiments with his brother; they are so cute together in their goggles with their test tubes. We did a couple of experiments that involved mixing and fizzing, which was exactly what Soren wanted.
7. For cake, Soren requested Christmas frosting so we had a green and red cake at the end of the day.
8. But that was not the end for Soren. I informed him that his bedtime was being extended until 8 pm. Eight-year-olds get to stay up until 8! Of course, they also have to help with the dinner dishes ...
A couple of weeks after Soren's birthday, on January 1st, he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He wanted it to be on the first of the year because he knows (better than I did at his age) that baptism is a symbol of rebirth. He wanted his fresh start to begin with 2016.
Since Soren's baptism, he has been just glowing. He said to me the other day, "There are so many things I can do now that God wants me to do!" And he's right! He has started keeping a journal and has his own scriptures for personal study. He opened a bank account so he could start saving money for his mission. And to teach him about the path of discipleship that he has chosen, we are reading Little Pilgrim's Progress together. Soren is my valiant Little Christian.
He is happy to be eight. And after a tumultuous year seven, that happiness is like a rainbow.
The only problem with this game was that my mother always picked the same number. Patrick knew it and so did I. So rather than having these inconsequential issues resolved randomly, victory always went to the quickest contestant. The first person to blurt out mom's number would win.
That number was 8.
When I lost the blurting contest, I would whine. "That's not fair. You always pick eight."
My mom would smile--how could she smile when life was so unfair?--and say that eight was her favorite number. "You can get baptized when you are eight," she would remind me.
Back then, I thought that was a pretty lame excuse for letting Patrick sit shotgun. Now it makes me smile. I also love the number eight. It's not a sterile integer for me anymore; it's a potent symbol of rebirth. And I tell my kids, "You can get baptized when you are eight."
Now, my firstborn son is eight.
He has grown so much this past year. He has come to understand himself and the world in new ways. Some of that process was uncomfortable for both of us. But I look at the boy he is today and I am so proud of him my heart could burst. He is more humble, more considerate, and more capable than he was a year ago. He has faced his fear of swimming, discovered and overcome ennui, tried out entrepreneurship, learned a few social graces, and shared his testimony with neighbors. He's eight and he's great.
So here's what we did to celebrate Soren:
1. The day before his birthday, Soren went on a camping trip with Scott and the Young Men. He was very excited about that. Apparently, his favorite part was playing Pictionary, although it doesn't sound much like any Pictionary I've ever heard of.
3. When he came home, he brought donuts to share with the family and we ate donuts while he opened some presents. Scott gave him a raspberry pi, which was probably the most exciting present. They worked some on getting his first computer up and running, a project I am sure they will revisit many times in the next few months.
4. I gave Soren a game called SushiGo, which was the most used present of the day. It's a card game and its quick but interesting. We played SushiGo all day.
6. Both Soren's grandparents got him chemistry sets, which was awesome. He was thrilled to have enough gear to do the experiments with his brother; they are so cute together in their goggles with their test tubes. We did a couple of experiments that involved mixing and fizzing, which was exactly what Soren wanted.
7. For cake, Soren requested Christmas frosting so we had a green and red cake at the end of the day.
8. But that was not the end for Soren. I informed him that his bedtime was being extended until 8 pm. Eight-year-olds get to stay up until 8! Of course, they also have to help with the dinner dishes ...
Since Soren's baptism, he has been just glowing. He said to me the other day, "There are so many things I can do now that God wants me to do!" And he's right! He has started keeping a journal and has his own scriptures for personal study. He opened a bank account so he could start saving money for his mission. And to teach him about the path of discipleship that he has chosen, we are reading Little Pilgrim's Progress together. Soren is my valiant Little Christian.
He is happy to be eight. And after a tumultuous year seven, that happiness is like a rainbow.
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