{12} I love...

Opposites.

Shawn and I are opposites in so many ways.  I've loved throughout our married life how he has naturally stepped in to do things that do not come easily for me, and I being able to do that for him too.  I admire his bold way of living, and he appreciates my more simple approach.  Opposites!

Today was Christian's Birthday PaintBall Party.  He planned.  He made the invitations and passed them out.  He took his Birthday money allotment we give each of the kids for birthdays and budgeted out each and every penny.  He went to the grocery store and bought lunch food to cook over the firepit.  And he said no less than 100 times yesterday that he could not wait for today. 

I love the ways Christian is like me:
creative,
silly,
very tender-hearted.

I love the ways he is like Shawn:
outgoing,
brave,
go-getter.

And oh how I love the ways Christian is himself:
funny... I tell him all the time that our family is happier with him in it, definitely!,
brilliant,
outside of the box thinker,
sleepy head,
mass peanut butter consumer,
LIVES for seminary, Wednesday night Youth activities, Youth church dances,
the very last word one would think of when thinking of Christian is 'grouch'.
Christian jokes that he has to put up with his entire families' up and down moods
yet he never makes us return the favor.  True.  Very true. 

I love how each of our children each have traits from Shawn and I.  Yet each have a different  combination.  A blend of opposites that somehow mix together in the most amazing children. 

I am sick today.  I think I can no longer deny the fact that I have the flu.  So I sat in our TV room today since it has the largest window and watched Christian and all his friends do paintball in the front pasture.  I laughed at all the strategies playing out.  I laughed when guys screamed like babies when they were hit and finding out a girl perfectly perched behind a tree was the 'great shot'.  I smiled for hours on end watching my son, 15 years old now, having a blast, not a timid bone in his body... living life to its fullest!