Kade is our boy who marches to the beat of his own drum. He is often a part of two different worlds – the one we all live in together, and then the one inside of his head. In Dr. Dobson’s book, Bringing Up Boys, he says, “ . . . Alas, boys have that same ability to ignore their moms. They honestly don’t hear the words that are being poured into their ears. That is why I recommend that you as a mom reach out physically and touch your boys if you want to get their attention. When they turn to look at you, give them your message in short bursts. . . . “ This is Kade. He may look like he is listening. He may be looking straight at me. But he is not hearing. This is a real challenge at times – especially when we need something done quickly or when we are doing homework or memory work with him. I might ask him something as easy as, “Hey Kade, what is 2x2?” He will look at me blankly, hem and haw, look off into space as if thinking extremely deeply . . .and then I will say a bit louder, “Hey Kade!!” and perhaps snap my fingers in front of his face, at which he will shake his head ask what I just said and then blurt out “Four!” Jonathan is recommending a white room with four walls and no windows for study time. I think he’d still be distracted . . .but It might help. So I guess he is a bit of a dreamer. It is neat to see him just sitting there and you can tell his mind is a million miles away. I often wonder what goes on inside his head. I think it is never dull in there!
Kade doesn’t have a neat bone in his body. (except with school work sometimes!) He doesn’t see a mess and if he does, it certainly doesn’t bother him. We have two window seats that open up for storage. You can bet that if Kade is on clean up duty, the next day, I will open those lids up and find everything that was on the floor inside there. (though I’m pretty sure he is not my only child who cleans up like this!)
The three following pictures are just examples of how Kade does things!
Kade puttinghis Sunday clothes away neatly: big messy pile at bottom of closet.
Kade making his bed: comforter on completely sideways, and he probably doesn't even notice.
Kade setting the table: never mind that the table cloth is hanging quite long on either side and that the table itself is quite exposed on either end. This is just how Kade does things!
Kade has a fascination with Calvin and Hobbes. He reads the books over and over. He often quotes lines too . . . I think he has a real appreciation for the sense of humour in these books.
Kade enjoys reading and will sometimes even just sit on the couch with a book. (You’d never catch Kevin doing this!) Both boys always read in bed, but I do enjoy seeing Kade curled up with a book.
Kade also loves biking, going out to the woods to explore, hockey, and soccer. His favorite is still football . . . though I’ll never figure it out. He’s never really played. He’s never really watched, but he has loved the sport for a LONG time, so it’s not just a passing craze.
Kade loves “boy things” like guns and machetes (A LOT!), but he will also often humour Kylie (and he has fun doing it) by playing house, store, or something like that.
Kade still has a soft spot for Karter too. He is the first to feel sorry for Karter if no one is paying attention to him and he is crying (that is . . . if he hears him. He can also tune him out pretty well if he wants to!)
Kade has been a good companion for Kevin in the past year too. He played hockey with Kev pretty much every day over the winter and now baseball. I enjoy watching them hang out. Although they are very different, they usually get along pretty well. They do fight too and it’s anybody’s guess who will win if it actually comes to fisticuffs! Kade is pretty tenacious!
Kade LOVES his friends. Deeply. He also loves his friend’s houses. Immensely. If it doesn’t work out for Kade to go to a particular friend’s house between services, he is MAD, he is SAD, he is GRUMPY! It is ridiculous! We are working on this. We are trying to explain to him that it is okay to be disappointed, but we still need to act sensibly and not let it ruin our entire day. So he is a passionately social kid!
(The next two collages are old pictures . . .from 5 or 6 years ago . . . I included them b/c they are just so cute:))
Kade tends to love science, nature, and seeing how things work. He does not love math or French.
Kade has learned to whistle in the last few months. He hasn’t stopped since. Seriously. And it’s not a normal whistle (which might be a good thing b/c I think this one is quieter). He whistles through his teeth almost all day long. I hardly notice it anymore, but every once in a while it can drive a person (Jonathan) crazy! I wonder if he does it in class??
Kade also loves to sing (though he could certainly do better in church!). I wake up every Saturday morning (the only time I am still in bed when the kids get up) and the first noise I hear from the boys room is singing. I think it is the weirdest thing ever. Last thing I’d do as I lay in bed mere moments after my eyelids flutter open!
Kade still enjoys screens – tv, computer, gameboy etc. We don’t have too many and his time in front of them is extremely limited - perhaps that is why his heart is so fond of them. Movie night is a big highlight over here . . . and Kade is the biggest pusher for “movie night every night that there is not school the next day”.
Kade did an 8 week session of Tae Kwon Do in Jan/Feb. It was pretty fun watching him learn. He enjoyed it, but thought 8 weeks was good for now. Maybe he’ll pick it up again in the fall. He looked pretty dapper in his uniform.
Kade has recently gotten over a pretty big fear of dogs. He still has him moments of distrust, but on the whole, he is doing well and enjoying having one around.
(Birthday party last year! Bathing Suits!)
Kade is a pretty special kid. We absolutely enjoy having him in our family. He brings a different and pretty fun element.
(Birthday party this year - snow!)
Kade we love you very very much. We love your character. We love seeing you grow up and evolve into the person you are. We love watching you learn and grow. Always do your best. Always put God first. We pray that you will love God and His Word more and more every day. We pray that you would always be proud to be a child of God! We love you buddy.
Happy 9th Birthday!
