Onward

It's been a long time since my last, and first, post. The reason for this is quite simple. I read my last post to children. Immediately upon doing this, I started getting suggestions about what I should say about each of the nine kids who's abridged bio didn't make it into the first post. The entire evening was full of, "When you write about me, make sure you say...", and "don't forget to say how Noah ...", and my favorite, "just make sure I sound cool." I learned two things from this barrage of advice. First, I'd have to let the water settle before I could finish my introductory post, and two, I'd have to finish the rest of the kids in this post lest I get bombarded again. Therefore, I invite you to meet the next nine kids. Forgive me if this post gets a little long.

Joshua is my fourth. He's always been one of those kids who can not resist a "don't touch". Even as a small toddler, if you told Joshua that something was a "No, no", you could actually see his little toddler brain start to process, in a very cognitive way, I might add, "Wow, there must be something really good in there if they don't want me to touch it." He's gotten a bit better at controlling this, the power of the rod I guess, but you can still see those gears turning deep down in his pre-adolescent brain when you tell him not to do something, and the look is remarkably similar to the one on the toddler of old. Joshua loves to write, has a great imagination, and I can't wait to someday walk through the worlds that he creates.

Zechariah talks too fast. I could stop there, but my fear is you won't be able to read into that statement all of the truths about Zechariah that are hidden there in. I'll make a list.
1. Zechariah is relational. He loves people and can not resist a conversation, which he will usually dominate.
2. Zechariah thinks all the time. You know how people get that look on their face that shows the world that there is not a single thing going on in their head at the moment. Zechariah doesn't get that look. The gears are always turning and most of it comes out of his mouth at some point or another.
3. Zechariah is smart. He remembers the little facts that most of us have been taught, but quickly declare useless and therefore ejected. When a topic enters a conversation, Zechariah supplies all of the textbook details at 110 mph.
4. Zechariah fits well in a big family. In our family, it can be a little tough to "get the floor" for any length of time. Usually, we all wind up talking at the same time until the volume reaches the point that blood starts to trickle from the ears some of the youngest at the table, at which point dad yells or whistles, which incidentally completes the auditory damage suffered by the little ones, and the decibel level drops for about 30 seconds from where it starts its climb back to damaging levels. I have found that no one can say more in a limited window of opportunity than Zechariah.
Incidentally, I only catch about one in five words that Zechariah says.

Hannah is my sixth child and first daughter. We have my first poetic words to my first daughter captured forever on video. When she entered the world and I realized that I was holding a stemless apple, I said, "Oh no. Now what am I going to do" Before I can truly describe the impact having a girl had on me, I have to tell you something about myself. I'm a man. I'm a dude. I'm a guy. I don't say that as though it were an elevated thing. I am simply stating a fact. I'm dirty, smelly, and gross. I like blood and guts in my movies with a strong dose of masculine loyalty or patriotism or sacrifice thrown in for good measure. I love boxing, MMA, or anything that pits two men against one another in a battle that ends with a clear winner, especially if the two gladiators hug afterward and go have a beer together understanding that violent battle doesn't have to be evil. The feminine form catches my eye. I love John Wane. I'm a guy. I was at perfect peace being the father of five boys. I looked anxiously towards my sixth boy. Then came Hannah, and it looked like someone had vomited Pepto Bismal all over my house. Everything was suddenly pink. Hannah awakened my heart and immediately upon looking at her, i knew that she would break it. And she did. My stony, masculine rock of a heart was shattered, and I was left with this soft, mushy, fleshy thing in it's place. Hannah is a Tom-boy. She has five older brothers and two directly younger ones. She loves the outdoors and no longer likes pink, but she is still utterly feminine. She's is and will always be my girl.

Noah is number seven. He has blond surfer-dude curls that I envy. Noah caught wit, sarcasm, and joking at a remarkable early age, and always gets a twinkle in his eye when he is teasing, which is most of the time. He is very intelligent and hates when he can't figure something out. He, like his father, wears his emotions on his sleeve. When Josiah and I dropped him off for Kindergarten, the first and only of my children to go to public school kindergarten (long story), the teacher started by putting the kids in a circle and having them give their name, and favorite color. Noah was not at all happy about having to be there, a fact that was clear by the look on his face and posture of his body. Each of the new Kindergartners proudly stated their names and rattled off a barrage of "pink, blue, pink, red, purple, blue, green, pink, blue." Then comes Noah's turn. Incidentally, he was the last one to go as the teacher had sat him next to her since his mood radiated "I'm not digging this new arrangement". With all eyes on Noah and silence in the room, Noah says with obvious resentment in his voice, "I'm Noah, my favorite color is black." How he knew that black was both the appropriate color to fit his mood, and that it was also the perfectly rebellious response to the "cheesy" opening activity, i have no idea. But that's Noah.

Samuel is the family pet. He's my eighth child. I will fill many blogs with Samuel stories before his childhood is finished I have no doubt. We bought him a t-shirt that says, "I do my own stunts" and that is probably the best description of Samuel. He is high energy, all boy, and only has two speeds, 1000 mph and sleep. He is a practical joker, a clown, and he's that one little kid that ALWAYS catches the one mature joke that Disney sneaks into every movie to keep the parents laughing. Incidentally, he catches that joke and then repeats it frequently. Despite this, Samuel has an innocence that catches you off guard and he gets along with absolutely everyone. He loves people and they love him back.

OK, so I lied. I will not be able to finish the last four children in this post. It is getting to long, and I need to let my brain rest. Besides, I will need to gear up for the next phase because it has a remarkable feminine tilt (three out of the next four are girls), and as you can see by my paragraph on Hannah, the girls pull a lot out of me. So, until next time...