Eleven and Eight

Unbelievably, in the midst of the worst week of my life - I was celebrating.

It turns out, no matter what is happening the sun still comes up and the new day dawns.

And a couple of those days were pretty special:

Hamp's & Sam's birthdays!

Having birthdays six days apart lends to a week-long celebration every year! Which I think is perfectly ok. These boys should be celebrated... they are pretty awesome.

ANATOMY OF A BIRTHDAY WEEK:

First, Sam partnered with his buddy Skylar for a joint 8th birthday party out of town at the trampoline park. There were 9 kids and 3 huge rooms of nothing but trampolines = crazy fun!

The next day (on Hamp's actual birthday) we took to the mountain in honor of our best bud Carter turning '12'. It was one of the most perfect ski days ever: sunshine, clear blue skies, good moods all around (not always the case!) and a pack of friends to ski with!

birthday buddies

Then the next weekend (on Sam's actual birthday!) we headed out of town again for Hamp's first basketball game of the season. The team is great, the coaching is excellent, and Hamp played alright for only having 2 practices so far... it's going to be a fun couple of months in the bleachers!

Finally, we made it home just in time to wrap up the birthday week with a small gathering to celebrate Hamp turning '11'!

This has, obviously been a year of incredible growth for both boys.

I do not know if living eleven whole years normally comes with such insight, but for Hamp it has proved an age of equal parts wisdom and insolence. (Fortunately, he uses his wisdom to keep his insolence from getting him in too much trouble! A good balance, I suppose.)

But just when I find myself at wit's end because he is acting inconsiderate or ungrateful, he comes in for a seemingly sincere apology and a hug and I melt into forgiveness.

He has been labeled my 'zen child' because he lives so solidly in the moment. He does not concern himself with old grudges or past problems... nor does he look to much into what will happen next. (Which is where trouble finds him - consequences are relentless!)

Not too long ago, in a moment of feeling sorry for myself I cuddled with Hamp before bedtime and lamented 'I just want to go home'. He responded perfectly with 'We are home. Home is wherever we are together.'

And when he awoke in the middle of the night recently and puked all over our bed (twice) he roused gently the next morning and said, 'Thank you for being so protective of me last night.' When I replied, 'That is what we do for the one's we love.' he came back with another gem of 11-year old reasoning, 'Then that is what I want to do for everyone.'

And then there is Sam.

He continues to be the creative, unique and thoughtful spirit we have always witnessed. He has not wavered in his love for the color purple, for panda bears, or for learning and creating. He has excellent handwriting, is a good speller, and enjoys reading (so... the polar opposite of his big brother!) and even enjoys taking on creative learning projects all on his own. 

In fact, he recently won a prize at school for a model of the solar system that he made at home entirely out of recyclable material. The only assistance he received from any adults was to make sure he had the order of the planets correct!

And lastly, to touch on the resilience of children and how they handle what life throws at them, these are the comments from the boys the day after their father passed away:

When asked how his day at school was Hamp replied, 'I got so many pats on the back I think I got shorter!'

When the principal came to Sam's class to tell them of Jason's passing she offered Sam the chance to excuse himself... he responded, 'It's ok. I'll stay in case anyone has any questions.'