Austin at 8!!!

Oh man... our oldest turned 8 on January 24th! I feel like this is the age that I'm really starting to get sad about him getting older. I like older kids (so much fun to go do things!) but we are verging on tween territory here soon... and I'm dreading the mood swings, attitudes and possible "ugh I hate my parents" type feelings tweens tend to have. 

Lets not think about that too much though... and just enjoy Austy James (he wants to start being called AJ!) at 8 years old!!!

He's just the most handsome little dude. Seriously! He loves adventure and thrills and our annual Enchanted Forest day is one of his favorites!!

He wears his glasses all the time now, which I think makes him even cuter. He loves his Daddy... but is a Mommy's Boy for sure. He and Neal have a more interesting relationship. He pushes Neal A LOT. And pushes back, tries to defy him, gives him attitude... none of which he does with me. It puts some of the more serious parenting on my shoulders with him, because he will listen and respond more to me usually. 

Austin is a CHARACTER. He loves to dress up and play pretend. He wanted to be a dinosaur to send Auntie Lori home on the train. 

Austin is almost always happy.. he's a little bundle of energy and joy. Most of the time. I mean we all have our bad days, and he does too. He's happiest when he's using his imagination, building, and leading others.

He is obsessed with stuffed animals. I don't even want to say how many he has because it's embarrassing. He names each one, gives them a personality, cares for them, babies them, loves them and makes sure the first time he brings a new stuffy home, the stuffy is given a full tour of the house and shown where it will sleep. 

I think we feed into his stuffy obsession because it brings out a tenderness in him, and I want something in his life that encourages that.

His best friend is still Evelyn, and has been since Kindergarten. He plays really well with girls and gravitates toward them more than boys. He still thinks he and Evelyn will get married someday, and they exchange little notes and gifts throughout the year. 

He loves everything scary/creepy. Halloween is his favorite holiday, and if there is a skull among the options of something, then he'll pick that. We have a funky Halloween store in downtown Oregon City that we wandered into once and Austin never wanted to leave. So far nothing has really scared him either, other than the Haunted House at Enchanted Forest. That creeped him out about 30 seconds after he walked inside. :-)

Austin has been a super active kid from the moment he was born. He is strong and wants to move all the time. We signed him up for some Ninja Warrior gym time and even though the gym is meant for adults, that didn't slow him down at all. He tried and tried and tried until he succeeded (at most things). He is nothing if not determined, that is for sure. 

Neal and I lovingly call Austin our little dweeb... because he is. He's just kind of dorky in a really innocent endearing way. Just a bit of a dweeb, and we love that a lot about him. We went to dinner one night and he decided to clip a pen to his shirt collar so he could keep it safe while he ate. He's one step away from a pocket protector. 

Austin has big dreams. He wants to be on American Ninja Warrior, he wants to be on Chopped Junior... even though he doesn't really have an interest in cooking. I try and get him involved but without much success. He helped make cranberries for Thanksgiving though!!

I am trying to convince him he needs to be in theater or something like that. He's a poser... a dancer.. he's theatrical, dramatic, with BIG expressions all the time. He claims he has "stage fright" though, and refuses to try children's theater. There go my Stage Mom dreams. 

He is still my carb kid. He's been like that since a toddler... crackers, bread, rice, noodles... he wants all the carbs!!! We went out to Mexican and he wanted just a plate of rice. So.. that's what we ordered him. At least it wasn't wasted money! Other fav foods include: chicken, shrimp, fish, broccoli, peas, corn, carrots, chicken noodle soup, apples, pecans, pepperoni, hummus, cucumbers. He's a veggie kid and will always eat veggies, but isn't a fan of fruit (other than apples). You can't win them all I guess!

Austin is happiest being a helper. He LOVES running errands and spending 1-on-1 time with us. He's at the wonderful age where he is actually helpful on errands too, so I try and take him along as much as I can. 

His imagination is always churning... always making forts, making "motorcycles"... making pretend shops, stores, restaurants, etc. 

He marches to the beat of his own drum, and is the most self-assured little kid. He liked this knit headband of mine and asked if he could wear it to school. I said "sure" and he wore it for a week straight. I remember as a kid being SUPER aware of other kids, what they thought of me, if something I was doing/saying/wearing would get me teased... and he just doesn't have that in him. He just doesn't think about that and does what he wants. All the time. 

Our little reader... he is just BLOWING through easy chapter books, graphic novels, and comic books. He really has an introvert side to him like me, where he steals little moments of quiet by burying his nose in a book. The greatest escape. 

We are not 100% sure how this came to be, but Austin is obsessed with owls. He started collecting them, and now has (in his words) an "owl squad." We got him a snow owl figurine for his birthday and she quickly joined the squad. He has an owl calendar, owl shirts, an owl holder for his glasses, owl books... they are definitely his thing!

After taking a break last Fall and not playing traditional soccer, Austin decided he missed being part of a team and playing indoor soccer, and now basketball. He loves being on a team, and will whoop and holler and jump up and down whenever his team scores. He doesn't really care if he personally scores... he just loves the excitement of being a part of things. He's a good team player and is doing good handling frustration and disappointment. Very proud of the little man!

Well, that's our Austin at 8 years old!!! He's quirky and quiet, yet loud and dramatic. He's just BIG in everything he does... attitude, energy, passion, emotions. What a cool little dude he is.. and we just love him.