Westmoreland Asays

My sweet boy Ian has aged another year on this planet. He continues to grow rapidly, especially when you look at where he was one year ago , and adds new elements to his new personality, like when he wipes off any kisses that you plant on his body. I wanted to film Ian's yearly interview at the Seattle Convention Center, since we were in such an exotic spot right on his birthday , but he melted down and refused to answer any questions. A week later he granted me access into his world and he spoke at ease and revealed much into his five-year old view of the world.

The man in the middle has added another notch in his belt. Edward didn't get the celebration of his dreams (that will never happen when his birthday falls during the week), but we still tried to make him feel special--I even baked him a cake, which he protected vehemently (I still snuck some pieces through my eating hole). Meg was on the wrong coast attending her sister's wedding for the boy's actual day of birth, but she made it up to him by spoiling him the rest of the week. I sat down with Edward a few days after his birthday to ask him a few questions and listen to his animated responses.

My oldest son, Aaron, has turned 11 years old, so we sat down for our yearly interview of irrelevancy (see video at end of post). To celebrate his birthday, Meg let him invite five friends for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, Catching Fire at one of the larger cinemas, and a sleepover at our house. After they came home from the movie, I wowed them with how easy and fun it was to Chromecast videos onto our TV. Having so many kids over, however, contributed to a headache and illness that besieged me for the next couple of days. Aaron continues to grow physically and develop his mind and hone his talents. He is responsible enough to manage his brothers for short stints and for getting to and from various places in the neighborhood--almost always by bicycle, his preferred method of travel--whether going to school or a friend's house or to the grocery store or the bank. He still likes going to Pokemon League, loves playing Minecraft, thrives at building complex creations with Legos, and ...

Ian has survived four years being the baby in the family. He has progressed much this year, from learning to talk to completing his toilet training, although he doesn't quite get how to manage going number two--boy-oh-boy what a pill he can be about that. Ian eagerly expresses his love for his friends and family, and little can compare when he spontaneously wraps his arms around you, gives you a peck on the cheek, and tells you how awesome you are and that he loves you. Ian sat down for a few minutes to answer some mostly meaningless questions that showcase his personality and demeanor.

Edward has now experienced eight years on planet Earth, and he continues to grow and develop. He remains a boy full of mystery and intrigue. His sense of humor continues to delight and entertain us with his fresh and deep insights of the world. Thinking of Edward's potential for greatness excites and motivates me to treat him with love and to show forth a little more patience than perhaps a person deserves. Edward agreed to answer a few questions on camera, but only if we ventured into the attic--a place of extremes and mysteries and a reprieve from little rascals and opportunistic photo-bombers. I failed to set up the scene properly, so you can't quite experience the full glory that is Edward. May your glimpse reward you handsomely.

I still remember the birth of Aaron and how worried I was about not knowing how to take care of him. Contrast that to today, when I let him ride his bike to the neighborhood game shop a few miles away to play Pokemon League with his friends, and didn't think twice about it. A lot can happen in ten years. Aaron celebrated his birthday with a dozen friends at Cloud Cap Games , a place he loves to hang out most Saturday mornings (see above) and which Meg knows the owner well. We used to live on the same street as the shop, but we moved shortly after they opened their doors. Aaron and his friends played games; feasted on pizza, homemade cake, and ice cream; opened presents, and made a ton of noise. It's hard to brag too much about Aaron, since I'm his dad and he is my first-born, as it comes off the wrong way. But I really enjoy Aaron. I love spending time with him. I like playing games with him (usually he is a good sport, but he still has his moments when he quits be...

Today is Edward's birthday. Even though he told his primary teacher at church a few weeks ago that he is turning eight this year, he actually only turned seven. Eddie still loves all things Pokemon, and his favorite gift was a large Charmander doll, which instantly become his new best friend and cuddle companion at night. He's also very protective of Char-Char. Eddie and I sat down and had a man-to-man conversation (similar to what Aaron and Meg did on his seventh birthday ), which I recorded of course. Ed asked that I not publish the video to Internet, but he was fine with me publishing it here on the blog (shh, don't spoil it for him). Meg also hosted a party for Edward and some of his friends from school a few days ago during Spring Break. She made two Pokemon-themed cakes and a batch of cupcakes for the little boys to devour (although they left behind too much for this old man to eat).