Peek-a-boo

How cute is this kid? I know he's mine, but really,c'mon, he's cute, huh? I was trying to take a picture of Cora sleeping beside Craig while riding the train at DollyWood and Tate thought it was quite funny to poke his head out in front of my view. Lucky for him (and me), it turned out to be a really good shot. I know nothing about taking good pictures or editing them. But, I played around with Picasa which was already on my computer and thought this picture turned out kind of cute with all the background blurred and Tate spotlighted (is that a real word?). I'd love to really learn how to use a camera and get a really good editing program but I'm afraid my intentions of learning how to use them, using them, and actually doing it might get all mixed up and I will have wasted money on yet another good intention.

Back to the cute kid pictured above. Tate is a real joy to be around when he is in a good mood. But, sometimes he is not in a good mood and the joy disappears. Luckily, for us, we love him so much that even when the joy isn't there, we can still remember the kid in this picture, the happy, goofy one who would never talk back to us or roll his eyes at us. I think (and hope) the talking back, the rolling of the eyes, thinking he knows everything and is always right about everything is just a stage he is in that will quickly disappear. And, I'm sure will reappear again and again. But, really, though I could do without the attitude, I wouldn't have it any other way because it's just part of him growing up. And, watching him grow up is a good thing. Sometimes, it is kind of sad because my baby is now so big I can barely pick him up and when I do it is only briefly before my back and arms and legs start screaming at me "what are you thinking??? this kid is half your size???" Seeing him grow and become a big boy is really a lot of fun. His growing interest in all things sports related, his fascination with "bugs" (volkswagon variety, not insect variety), his daring bike/scooter/skateboard tricks, etc. are just a few of the things that point to the fact that he is growing up and becoming more of a "big boy" as opposed to a "little boy".

Tate had a bit of an adventure this week. He fell off of a moving golf cart (my fault, not his) and got a really nasty bump on his head, a few scrapes on his arm and his shoulder was banged up, too. It was not pretty. In fact, it was really scary for us. He's a tough kid and he is ok. We confirmed that with a cat scan that told us he is, in fact, smarter than all of us, and that there was no damage done to his brain or skull. It could have been a lot worse and we are very grateful that it was just a few bumps and scrapes. It was a lesson for us all - not to become lazy about safety, not to take our kids for granted, and most definitely do not go fast on the golf cart - no matter what!