HAYDEN

I'm just going to brag a little about Hayden here because I CAN.  :)  I've just been thinking a lot lately about how SMART this child is.  We like to tell the boys bedtime stories (though, recently we have switched to reading chapter books instead).  On some nights I'm not feeling particularly creative so I'll try to tell a short "story" about the boys going camping, having a good time, and then coming home.  When this happens, Hayden will often say, "Mom, there needs to be a problem!"  He already understands that good stories need some sort of conflict.

A few months ago I started teaching Hayden to read.  Really it didn't take much teaching.  I worked with him for one day (Green Eggs & Ham, a book he knows well).  Within a couple days, he was reading other Dr. Seuss books.  He is now reading at a 1st or 2nd grade level.  It's so fun to see him reading books on his own and enjoying it.  I've never been a big reader.  I wish I was, and maybe someday I will be, but now I just don't have the time or ability to focus on reading. Anyway, I'm glad Hayden got his dad's brains.

I think Hayden will also be good at math.  (This is one thing he gets from me).  He's able to add and subtract pretty well in his head and he can count past 100.

Hayden is SO good with Grayson.  He just adores his baby brother and thinks he's the cutest thing EVER.   This is a big change from when Torrin came and all Hayden wanted to do was hit the baby.  Of course, he was two then, and now he's 5.  Hayden & Torrin are good buddies, but they also have VERY different personalities and fight a lot.

Hayden has a strong desire to do what's right and please others.  He still has his sneaky 5-year-old moments, but I can see him learning to distinguish right from wrong on his own.  The other day Hayden was telling Allen something his friend told him.  He said that if Hayden doesn't want to sleep at night he should pretend to sleep walk and go play the Wii because "that's what (he) does".  LOL  Hayden told Allen this and then said, "But Dad, I'm not going to do that."

This fall Hayden will start Kindergarten.  I came very close to putting him in preschool or pre-K this year, but decided not to.  I don't regret my decision to keep him home.  I have enjoyed having him here with me and will miss him when he starts school.  I know he will do well and thrive.  I am just so proud of him.  It's hard to believe that in August it will have been 6 years since I held a little 8 1/2 lb baby in my arms for the first time.  I remember a strong feeling that Hayden was a very special spirit, and that is certainly true.  I look forward to seeing what kind of man he becomes someday.