MICHAWN'S MEANDERINGS: Grady Lester

This blog has seriously been neglected. With more and more people using Facebook to keep in touch and hear cute little stories of each others' kids the past couple of years, it's tempting to only, or at least primarily, use Facebook. But, then you can't turn Facebook history into a great book that you have forever, can you? So, I've really been grieving that the past few weeks...that I haven't been documenting things here nearly as much as I used to. Therefore...back to the blog we go. Have to make some changes.

We begin with a great little update on everyone...what are we doing these days...what are we like? ;) We'll start with Grady...

Grady is so cool. I love his individuality. He is very introspective, this one. You can almost literally watch the wheels turning in his head, yet he hardly ever blurts out what those wheels are coming up with. He's very quiet, but does freely share when asked...as long as he gets the sense that that asker for his thoughts really cares. It's going to be very important to keep open communication with him...and to really be sure I stay someone that he can respect.

If not, he will not have time for me. Not that he's not gracious and forgiving...but he is very much watching. Always watching. Staying transparent will always be important with him. If I'm professing to be a Jesus follower, but do something that is not at all what Jesus would do...if I do not acknowledge that and ask forgiveness, he's watching. He's the kind that can spot a hypocrite from a mile away...and has zero tolerance for that. I think because of that, he is not one to just make decisions lightly, go with the crowd, do just whatever on a whim. For instance, salvation. I've written about this before, but it is so very interesting to me to watch him walk this out in his life. It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds for him. He loves (and I mean LOVES) hearing the stories of the Bible...great men and women who have given their all...messed up, yes, but had a heart for God. King David is his favorite...just yesterday he said out of the blue, "King David was the best king ever. He messed up, but he never stopped loving God. All the other kings loved God, but then they stopped." He loves stories of great men and women in general. His favorite book right now that we are doing in school is "Missionary Stories with the Millers." There are no pictures, nothing fancy or captivating about the book itself, except the stories...great stories of men and women who really did give their all. He loves that. Stories of people like that really do inspire him. Just last night he said, "Wouldn't it have been great to live during the Bible...to be like one of those guys?" He's made remarks like that many times. I told him last night that even though we don't live in the Bible, he can make his life a story like that, doing amazing things that someone will one day write about. Love his thoughts and our conversations with him.

It's not all deep and introspective...although that is his main bent. He loves playing with his friends of course. Loves building things and turning things into a work of art...mostly now in the form of buildings or cars or, you know, boy things. ;) He definitely has an engineering type mind like his Daddy. He's always getting the tools out, loves tinkering with things. The other day I couldn't get something to work and I just laid it down. Without a word he got it, went back to Joel's toolbox and tinkered a bit, then brought it back working...I didn't even know he had gotten it. He laid it down all fixed and walked away. Didn't say a word, didn't smile and look at me expecting praise...just acted like it was his job. So cool. He has a great model for a Daddy...he's already taking care of the womenfolk automatically, without them even asking. ;) Love.

He's been asking for a skateboard for a while. Joel's brother, Andre, sent his down with Joel and Grady is LOVE-ing it (thanks, Andre!!).

Grady also still loves his media. Out of all of our kids, he is the one that loves media the most...TV, movies, Leapster/video games. And I love his variety...he loves a wide range of things. He of course has my heart :) because one of his very favorites to watch is Little House on the Prairie (was always my fave growing up...still is). He also loves Anne of Green Gables...I think he just loves a good story in general of real life people...and that's a great story. When the girls are watching a Barbie movie though, he'll join right in (they do have good storylines and good always wins out over evil of course). He loves old cartoons...like really old...like black and whites. And while Joel was gone I gave him a treat. Some of the nights, I would put them down for bed, then I'd let Grady get up and while I took a shower he would watch...Star Wars. He'd been asking for a while so I got the cartoon ones, Clone Wars, for him to watch. He loves them. He is all into the story of it all...his friend Michael has told him lots of what the movies are about. He found out the other day that one of his favorites ends up dying. He went to his room and grieved a little bit...like a couple of tears worth. I love the way he just lets the emotions come and show and isn't afraid of that. ;) Sometimes while reading our books for school, we'll all three have tears streaming down our faces, but esp. me and Grady. ;) (Yes, our homeschool books are really that amazing)

Grady also loves to be really silly, especially with Hadley. And even though he loves his sisters, he does have a deep desire to have a little brother. We shall see how that all unfolds, but in the meantime, he has started to say things like, "I'll save this for my little brother." ;) I'd say he has faith that somehow he will have one someday. :) (which in all likelihood he will somehow, whether biologically or through adoption)

He is so very sweet and completely concerned for the well-being of others. He remarks often about the homeless we see around our city. It hurts him deeply to see someone mistreated or sad or down on their luck.

He has taken up Judo and loves that. Our neighbor and Grady's friend, Luis Felipe, is in the same Judo class, so that's fun. Grady also studies Portuguese at Kumon...a tutoring type place. He goes for one hour twice a week. He is so very responsible...we have never had to remind him or say anything about him doing his homework assignments...truly, we've never said a word. He just automatically does them. He also continues to be very organized and orderly in life in general. :) Very nice.

Right now he's decided that he wants to grow his hair out a little...not keep the clippers cut. People have said it makes him look more like Joel...his hair is curling up a bit being longer. ;) It's cute.

We love our sweet, sweet boy who is also very creative, very much a silent leader, and is just very, very cool.

And now just some fun pictures that have been taken over the last few months...

These Lincoln Logs have been a priceless gift for the past few years, Adam Hough. Thank you so much for that!

Good friends. And so fun that he lives right next door.

A Christmas gift from Papaw. Spent a full 3 days on it, loving every minute of it.

Finished product. He LOVES projects like that.

Some lego action with a little tagalong. :)

He loves smoothies.

Turning 7. He wanted to just go to the movies with a couple of friends, Luis Felipe and Michael, then have cake, ice cream, and gifts at home afterward. So that's what we did. He's a keeping-it-low-key kind of guy.

A wonderful Christmas gift from the Johnsons. Thanks Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Leslie.

:) Love this picture.

After reading about this in school, he tried it out the next day...even though it was about 9am and cloudy at the time of this picture, he couldn't wait. ;)