Bub

When Thomas was born I thought that he'd naturally bond more easily and quickly with Wayne since they were the boys of the family now.  Yet, I vividly remember holding Thomas for the first time in the delivery room and literally feeling love at first sight.  He was a beautiful, perfect baby boy and I didn't think my heart could feel more full.  I can honestly say I have loved being Thomas' mom from day 1 of his life.

Thomas was still a babe when Wayne started calling him Bub.  I love watching these two interact.  They play catch, baseball, work on the cars, do scouting- pinewood derby, homework, camp, etc.  Thomas has a lot of respect for his daddy, and he knows there is unconditional love there.

Thomas has been a loyal, protective, encouraging, and thoughtful brother to his sisters.  During a rather dramatic outburst among the girls in the confine of our minivan, Thomas wondered aloud, "WHY am I the only boy in this family?!  There MUST be a good reason."  His wish for a brother came true when Wesley was born.  Thomas loves Wesley every day.  The ability to bond isn't determined by a certain age gap; it's a choice.  Today, as we celebrated Thomas, Wesley opted out of his a.m. nap.  He wanted to be with Thomas.  Wes finally fell asleep when Thomas left for baseball practice.  Wesley woke not long after Thomas got home and he didn't go to bed until after candles were blown out after dinner.  Thomas loves being Wesley's brother as much as Wesley loves Thomas.

Thomas has taught me about faith.  He prays as if he is talking to a Father in Heaven he has known forever.

When we talk through issues or struggles, Thomas comes to know what is right and does his best to make things right.  I love and admire his honesty and his desire to do what's right.  

Thomas has some girl admirers, but he's endearingly clueless about these things....

Last year Thomas came home from church and told me that a couple girls were drawing pictures and then throwing them at him.  I told Thomas that they probably liked Thomas but didn't know how to show it, so they threw the pictures at him out of fun.  Thomas was incredibly confused by this.  Soon afterward these girls came by to deliver dinner with their mom and wanted to know if Thomas was home.....Ha ha, mom was right:)

Last Halloween Thomas was Aniken Skywalker for the second year in a row (Thank you, Thomas!)  Before he set out trick-or-treating with Wayne and the other kids, he said, "I hope I don't see a Padme tonight. (Padme was Aniken's wife) If I do I'll feel weird inside."

A year or so ago I was talking with Thomas and Christina about Wayne's mask he wears at night for sleep apnea.  Thomas said, "Since dad has breathing problems is that why you give him CPR a lot?"  What?  I had to think for a minute before I realized he was confusing a kiss with CPR.  So when Wayne got home from work that day, in front of Thomas I ran to Wayne and said, "Honey, you're not breathing!" Much to Thomas' disgust I planted a kiss on Wayne's lips.  That's been a running joke for us ever since.  Thomas isn't too cool to hug me and say, "I love you, mom," or walk arm in arm with me when I pick him up from school, but kisses?  Not his thing.  I think it's pretty darn funny.

So, I couldn't resist sharing (when I showed Thomas this post we were crying laughing at this photo)...

WE LOVE YOU, THOMAS!