Nine is Fine

This past October 12th, the day before the trek, we found another nine-year-old in residence...and of course it's unbelievable, because just last month I gave birth to a whopping 10-lb, 2-oz. boy who didn't cry or fuss and was easy, easy, easy in comparison with his older sister...
Ty has always been so bright and imaginative, obsessed with how things work, a true engineer at heart and in brain, just like daddy (as if he wasn't his physical twin as well). His sense of humor just knocks us out, and he's turning into a case study as to whether those traits are inherited or come purely from environment; either way, he's set to be all quirky and sarcastic. Luckeeee.
Three weeks ago, I'd never heard a whisper about this Power Miners stuff, now it's all he cares about. Ty is the mega-Lego-junkie, but if I didn't think it was good for his neural development and kept him from novacaining himself with video games all the time, I'd never go along with it. A boy and his brother spending hours building? I'll take it every time, and shower him with as many kits as his growing skills demand.
Ty's sad to see his soccer season end, but, maybe, due to the magic of Rocky Mountain autumns, the season can just go on and on, what with rescheduled snow games and all. He's gearing up for basketball, and still dreams of the return of baseball season, especially now that his beloved Angels and his almost-as-beloved Rockies are done for the postseason.
I adore this third-grader with the wide blue eyes...he and I have endless inside jokes and when the day arrives when he no longer runs into my arms every time I come home, or if he no longer tells me I'm the best mom in the world; if he ever gets to the point where he can't quitely whisper to me all his fears and concerns and trust me to either soothe his anxiety or steer him in the right path, I think my heart would absolutely break. Just an upstanding kid, that Ty Clark Crawford. I'll keep him for another two weeks.