nine

Joel and I went to the boys' parent-teacher conferences the week of Milo's birthday. His teacher told us that when Milo told his class he was turning nine, no one believed him. They all guessed eleven. She was quick to say that it wasn't just because he's 5'1" and 110 pounds, but also because he's well-spoken and sure of himself. He's the youngest in his class (he started Kindergarten a couple of months before his 5th birthday), but he's also at the top of his class. He is in the accelerated math group, and was just designated TAG.

Superlatives are required to describe Milo because he stands out - and his fourth grade smarts are only on piece of that. He's also known by his friends as being fun, fair, and good at foosball. He's goofy and sweet. He's a good athlete, but doesn't get emotionally attached to winning or losing, and chooses sports experiences based on how much fun he'll be able to have.

Sometimes in our family Milo gets caught in that "middle child" no-mans-land between baby and big kid. But in many ways he's also the glue that holds us all together. He reminds us to play board games and Uno in the evenings. He takes Lucy out to the trampoline or to the couch with a stack of books when she's grumpy and dinner needs to be made. He's our good natured, sweet, smart boy, and he makes us all better people.

Joel made an ice cream cake for Milo's sleepover birthday party.

Nine boys played capture the flag and watched two movies

before finally falling asleep at midnight...