The Hero in Me

Sometimes I want to climb to the top of the nearest mountain and proclaim the awesomeness of m eldest child at the top of my lungs.  Since today is his birthday, it seems like a good time to do that without embarrassing him too terribly.

First, there's this:

"My Cousin's Hero" - Digital Art Entry in the "Inspirations" Contest

The things I am proud of (specifically):

• His conceptual representation of the theme "The Hero in Me."  
• That he understands and embraces his role as role model in the lives of his brothers and cousins.
• That Red, as Adam consistently refers to him, would happily play right into the photo shoot.
• That Adam quickly and confidently navigated Photoshop, eating everything up as fast as I could teach it to him to piece together the two original photos and then add filters for maximum effect.
• That something as cool as this kid literally came out of my body.
• That my son is ridiculously handsome (and reminds me so much of his dad).
• That he wrote this as his description for the project, "When my cousin Red cries, he comes straight to me.  I feel like a hero because it makes me feel like he looks up to me."

Then, just for fun, there's these tidbits from recent text conversations with my recently annointed texter:

• I asked Adam what cake design he wanted for his birthday, and he sent me a picture of Call of Duty Black Ops.  I responded, "That is not a cake!  I would have to have some mad skills..."  He immediately responded, "You do.  :) "
• After I sent a "Thanks for being so responsible" text, he sent back, "I know I'm awesome."
• The day I left a note that said, "Text me when you wake up," I received a text at 10:45.  It said, "I woke up at 9:30."

I've always enjoyed having Adam around, treating him as much as a grown up as his behavior allows.  I am looking forward to living with a legit 11 year old and excited to watch him enjoy this next part of his adventure.