Joy is a gift!!!

Jake came home today and taught me a song he and a friend composed. The very last line was "Joy is a gift. But this isn't the box it came in." He had me laughing so hard at dinner. I don't know if he came up with that on his own or if it's from a song he knows, but that line is an absolute classic!

Jake turned 10 the weekend before my sister's wedding, so it was completely neglected. I figure, we had fairly elaborate birthday parties when I was working, including a Chuck E. Cheese birthday, a bowling party, a couple of trips to Disneyland, mom gets a free pass from the parties this year. He did get the video game he was desperately wanting, and got to have cousins come to the movies with us. We saw "The Guardians of Ga'hule" in I-max & 3-d. The movie was very good--especially for boys, and I had 4 with me. It was beautifully drawn and imagined--I think I could have the backgrounds for this movie hanging in my house. I don't see 3-d effects (I think it's because one of my eyes is stronger than the other, or I'm just lame) so most of the effects were lost on me. But, I could see my nephews and sons dodging and trying to grab things, so I think they enjoyed it.

My 10 year old boy is a middle schooler, he bikes on his own to and from school every day. He's so bright, and he has so much potential. Sometimes I look at him, and I see all the ways my BAD parenting could screw him up, but it hasn't yet, and for that I'm grateful. Joy is a gift, and that kid is a box of it, all on his own!