a handful of hatchlings: Mark in the Middle

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Mark in the Middle

I look at this picture and that old Sesame Street song: "One of These Things is Not Like the Others" runs through my head. As my one and only brown eyed boy, it is a well known fact that Mark takes after his dad, from his temperament to his beautiful skin tone, to the weak enamel on his teeth. He's his Dad's boy.

Look at this side by side of Mark and Jotham at the same age.

Different hair and ears, but there's no denying whose kid he is.

So, imagine my surprise when after family prayers the other night, I looked down at the hand I was holding and couldn't figure out which thumb was mine. Even now, I have to take a minute. It helps that I'd just broken my nail that morning. (I'm on the left, Mark's on the right).

Its nice to know there's some of me in him.

For PTA this year I volunteered to be in charge of the reading awards. Mark set a goal to Rock the Halls, for which he read a ton and worked hard to accomplish- we were so proud of him! Jotham even took work off to come watch.

The next award level was to earn a Picnic with the Teacher but time was running out. Some time ago, I'd told Mark I didn't want to cater a school picnic my own kid wouldn't get to attend. Second graders have to reach a smaller number of RC points so Hollie had already earned it but I realized it was a pretty steep goal for Mark especially this late in the game and had resigned myself to just be happy with Hollie. But then Mark decided to work even harder, and read even more and went into school early and stayed up late reading and wouldn't you know it? He earned that award.

So proud of him!

He really knows how to make his Momma happy.

Seriously happy, for instance last weekend Jotham took him riding up High Creek, and that sweet boy picked his Momma that bouquet of wildflowers he's holding in his hands.