Shane Roman

A caveat: this will be picture heavy. It's Shane. I don't have a more photo-worthy child. Or, at the very least, I don't have a more visually entertaining child. He's now 9, which boggles the mind, how quickly he seems to romp through his days...

Sunday birthdays are the absolute worst, but this little man soldiered through without a scratch. Here he kneels before his homemade personalized sports quilt courtesy of Grandma Norma: check the square boasting his mad swimming skills.

Just a pricelss pic - you never have to guess with this fella. Does he like his new catcher's gear received as a present earlier that evening? Ya think?

His only gift request. So perfect for him - he's a good hitter, he can chase down your grounder, but what he really wants to do is stop you from scroring, because to allow you to do so would render his own accomplishment as worthless. I know, I know, we're working on it. But, really, I've learned with him: it's much more about how you do than how he does. Let's embrace it, shall we? If you're too busy judging him, you don't have time to love him.

So back to that Sabbath birthday...we have that horrible 8-11 a.m. block for church. Which we hate directly before it occurs and while it's slogging on, but once we're home at 11:30? Suh-weet! All day to ourselves. And when your birthday falls on Halloween Eve, hey now, festivities abound: carving pumpkins, eating garishly decorated cupcakes, roasting seeds, watching Linus and the Great Pumpkin as well as 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'...which he loved because of the core violence and creep factor, but one which I really should have checked more thoroughly beforehand.

Great Pumpkin Meet in Longmont, birthday eve. Which he swam with Eve. But once he was dry, the whole lot of us headed downtown to Elitch's for what is turning into the annual Crawford family boys' birthday party - this year Grace could ride most of the 'big kid' rides with Dad and the fellas. I took one early turn on the teacups and was out for the duration. No rejoicing.

Without this kid, it would just have been another routine drive up to Aspen for a swim meet and just your average death-defying trip through blinding snow and ice up Vail Pass in a vehicle without an operating defroster. See the joy he brings to all occasions?

If his career playing Halo in our basement doesn't pan out, he's all set to be a cartographer. Here he navigates the corn maze during his field trip...

dares to pretend he is cowed by his buddies' fervor at his party...

and pulling the poker face at the Pack Meeting wherein he scored all this bling through Scout Camp and proudly advancing to the Wolf den. Ah, Shane, seriously? All of your siblings are fantastic, and I adore them. They make me cry and laugh, I love them with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. But without you...? Can't even consider it.