Growth

He's grown so much this year.  Not just physically-although he started school at 45" and 48 pounds and is now 48" and 54 pounds-but emotionally as well.  I can't believe how much our baby, our Rusty, has grown in one year.

I am so thankful for the journey he has had this year.  Rusty has always been an amazing kid, but this year I can pinpoint three major areas of growth that I can focus upon:  his confidence, his social skills, and his love for God.

When Rusty was little, he was often overwhelmed in situations where there were a lot of kids.  He liked his friends, but a for instance is Sunday School.  We attended a wonderful but very large church, and the preschool class often had 20+ 3-5 year olds on any given Sunday.  Poor Rusty got so overwhelmed, and started to not want to go to church.  We decided to attend the sister site of our church and it had a smaller group with which he became much more comfortable.  This year, however, in school we have seen him completely blossom.  I happen to teach at the school he attends and get to sneak a peek at him as I walk by down to the staff room or to run an errand.  I love seeing how he is so comfortable and confident interacting with his classmates.  He enjoys talking with them-sometimes even a little too much!-and he is a great addition to that class.  That confidence he has gained there has spread to other areas of life.  Even today he was at a soccer camp and he just easily struck up a conversation with the kids around him, participated in all activities without wondering where we were, and was just super comfortable and confident.

His social skills kind of relate to what was mentioned above.  He now seems like he can strike up a conversation with just about anyone, anywhere.  He is able to ask thoughtful questions-thanks a lot to Kev's training in this area!  He is a question king!-and he is just so fun to chat with.  The other day he arrived at school late because he had a doctor's appointment.  It was so neat and fun to see the excited exclamations of his classmates as he entered the classroom and to see him greet each of them in such a fun manner.  I love seeing this side of him, because when he was little he was often so shy he wouldn't even face people.  I am a pretty shy person by nature, and it took me much longer than it has taken him to become comfortable in his own skin.

The last area, his love for God, is such a gift to see.  It makes my mother heart so thankful.  He has grown to love to read his Bible, we have amazing conversations about God in the car on the way to and from school, he has so many songs memorized relating to God that he just starts singing randomly as he works on something, and his prayer life has become so intimate and personal.  I absolutely love hearing his nighttime prayers to God and the trust and belief that he has in Him.  I pray that this relationship and love just grow and grow.

I absolutely love this little man, and I am so thankful to be his momma.  I learn a lot from him and our conversations, and I can't wait to see what the future brings for him.  Enjoy these pics of this sweet guy!  He's pretty incredible!