To me, it seems as if sometimes overnight my kids become a new person. An older, more mature version of themselves, and it’s pretty neat to be a part of! I know it’s going to happen, but it still catches me off guard.
Gabriel doesn’t get a lot of press time in this blog. He’s a busy kid. He’s a big kindergartener, you know. His mind never quits and he’s too quick for my camera most days. He’s livin’ the dream.
This kid.
Rocket pen, courtesy of Papa Dave’s desk
We went to the BIG Costello Christmas a few weeks ago. By BIG I mean G has close to 50 cousins of choice to play with. We got there and he immediately spotted the older high school boys playing football. “Can I go play football with the big boys, Mom? Can I!?!?” I said yes and didn’t see him till the meal 2 hours later. In the past he’s always been shy at the BIG family gatherings, sticking to the cousins that he was familiar seeing each week in church. This was a big difference! He then proceeded to get his own plate at dinner, sit with the ‘big boys’, and assist one of his uncles with handing out gifts and delivering them to each person. I found him a few hours later sprawled out amongst the jr high/ high schoolers on the basement sectional couch watching a movie. Wow, has he changed!
Gabriel all of a sudden seems to have an opinion on his looks. This kid has never cared a day in his life what is on his body, as long as he was comfortable and I approved it. End of story. All of a sudden he prefers only jeans, no button up shirts, wants to ‘grow his hair’ (he’s only ever had a buzz-cut!), wants to dress up like Daddy on ‘Fancy Fridays’ (ie a suit), and I caught him with a comb and spray bottle in front of the mirror the other day before school. Wowza. What a change!
Cuddling with one of his biggest idols, Uncle Cam. Yes the blanket is a giant picture of the Virgin Mary 🙂
Gabriel is forever inventing things in his head. He somehow talked both of his grandpas into giving him things this week. He now sports a collection of 48 keys on a ring and an old snowmobile helmet. Tonight he was telling me his plan for the helmet: it will have an antenna and walkie talkies in the ears so he won’t ever have to take it off. He can talk to his friends down the street at all times. He’s still trying to figure out where he can snag an antenna from. He also asks daily to build a car, because “it only is some wires, wrap some metal around it, and put on some wheels, Mom, and it’s a car!”
“Nature boy” leads the way
Lucy has always been the one with opinions, many of them. All of a sudden, Gabriel has a political opinion as well {ahem, Aunt Mel}. Tonight he saw a commercial, then reported,”Mom, let’s not vote for Donald Trump. He says a lot of bad words and wants to blow stuff up. Let’s vote for that lady that was on Ellen Degeneres…..Carly Fiorina”. If only he could vote! He also told me immediately tonight when I walked in the door that President Obama was going to be on TV. Future politician or just informed citizen? We’re good either way.
He’s started saying the entire Rosary and can accurately follow along. He doesn’t have to be told to pick up his dinner plate. He aspires to be the next great ‘science guy’. He knows exactly what to do when he wakes up in the morning and almost always makes himself his own breakfast. He did awesome on his first ‘sight word’ test today. He sleeps in the top bunk. He requests to go to work with me and help out. He can fly a remote control helicopter. He gave Amelia a piggy back ride all the way up the stairs tonight. He knows all the phases of the moon and parts of a plant. He went off the diving board without hesitation at his first swimming lesson last week!
Slow down, time. I am seeing a young man emerge out of my little G-man. I like it, but I like my little boy too 🙂
-The {growing up} Costellos
House of Costellos 