Caelan Matthew

When I wrote about my son Jaden last week, my 9 year old said, "I always knew he was your favorite." Not to worry, I told him, "you will be my favorite next week."  And so today, I am blogging to tell you why my 9 year old son Caelan Matthew is my favorite son.  At least for this week.

Cael, as we call him, was almost never born.  When I was 15 weeks pregnant, I woke up in a pool of blood.  I went by ambulance to the hospital.  The doctors told me I would be fine, but the baby most certainly would not be.  I was sent home to miscarry.  When it became obvious that the doctor was wrong, we named our son Caelan which means victorious.  Matthew is after my husband, and means Gift of God.  Cael continues to be both of these things.

Cael is a go-getter.  When he wants something, he gets it.  Whether it is 100% on a test, which Cael gets frequently, a goal in soccer, or a particularly difficult rhythm on the drums, Cael works until he gets what he is after.  As someone who is frequently deterred by obstacles, I admire this quality in my middle son.

I also admire Cael's intellect.  He is most definitely a thinker.  At 8 years old, he was asking questions about theology that I didn't wrestle with until college.  He couldn't accept things, as much as he wanted to,  just because he had been told them.  Cael had to understand truth for himself, which I know in the end will create a much stronger faith.

Cael is also a funny kid.  Impeccable comic timing.  Witty.  Hilarious. He makes me laugh out loud just about every time I talk to him.  He and his brothers are planning to be in a band when they get older.  Cael (let me remind you, he is only 9) told me the other day that he was going to be the brother whose picture was tattooed on every girl's butt.  You laughed, didn't you?  Cael is definitely the comic relief around our home.

And he is gentle.  There was no one more excited than Cael to have a baby brother when our Toren was born.  From about the time I was pregnant, Cael asked every day if he could help rock and feed the baby.  He is still the most gentle and patient with his little brother.  He usually has even more patience than me.  Toren is almost 2 and can be quite a handful but Cael dotes on him.  Cael is going to make a great dad in the distant future!

Cael with Toren

A few more things I love about Cael; he is rambunctious, rowdy, a great reader, a great speller.  He loves grammar. When someone uses 'a' when they should use 'an', it bothers Cael.  That's my boy!  He also is willing to try new things.  He is the only one in our family who will eat sushi with my husband.  It gets me off the hook!  Cael is affectionate and sweet.  He has the cutest dimples, and the most mischievous blue eyes.

So that's my Cael.  I cannot imagine our family without him.  What a gift of God he has been!

Jaden Delon

My children hear about their faults all the time.  I don't want to be one of those mothers with her head in the sand thinking my kids are perfect.  You know the kind of mother I am talking about.So anyway, I correct my children constantly, because they, like me, need constant correction.  But I have to be careful that I do not crush their spirits; that besides  correction, I am doling out affection and affirmation..  I remember hearing once that you could tell a good mother, because each of her children thought they were her favorite.  I want this to be my legacy.

In light of this, I thought I would take one blog post each week for the next four weeks to explain why each of my children ARE my favorite. I figured I would start with my oldest, Jaden Delon.  Jaden means "God has heard." I prayed for a little boy, and despite being totally unprepared to be a mother, God gave me Jaden.  Jaden was sensitive from birth, the littlest things would make him upset.  But now that sensitivity makes Jaden a genuinely kind and good person.  He is the first of my children to be upset when someone is being mistreated.  He looks out for those who are weaker in size or intellect.  He befriends people who need a friend.

Jay, as I call him, is extremely strong-willed.   I have worn out the book, How to Raise the Strong-Willed Child.    Jaden knows what he wants and goes for it.  This quality drives me crazy when what he wants is different from what I want.  But truthfully, I am glad he is strong-willed.  He will not be living under my roof forever, and I am confident that when Jaden is grown, he will make the life that he wants for himself.  He won't be hiding behind indecision and insecurity.

Jaden is also brave.  Jaden made a commitment to follow Jesus this year.  And because of that commitment he has faced tremendous pressure at school.   I know my Jaden well enough to know he probably doesn't say much about his religion at school, but the other kids have noticed his devotion anyway. A few of them have been picking on him because of the Christian bracelet he wears.  When Jay told me this, I expected him to not wear his bracelet again.  But do you know what he did?  The next day, he wore his bracelet and a cross necklace.  10 years old.  I am so proud that my son knows what is important and doesn't allow small people to take that from him.

Other things I love about JD (as my two year old calls him).  He is goofy.  He has a cute little smirk that he gives you when he thinks you are semi-funny.  He is loyal.  I don't believe Jaden has a back-biting or gossip bone in his body.  Jaden is honest, if he ever tries to lie, it lasts all of 10 minutes before he is telling you the truth and that he is sorry.  And he is sweet- Jaden blows his dad and I a kiss every morning before school.  How sweet is that?  He is also sentimental and loves tradition.  If we ever try to do things differently for Thanksgiving or Christmas (or Valentine's Day, or St. Patrick's Day, etc) Jaden will set us straight!!

Jaden is a natural leader and a natural singer.  And as his brother Cael says has natural "glamour", a heart-breaker to be sure.  Also Jaden is the only one in my family who indulges me when I am excited about things. The other boys, to include my husband, look at me like I am a completely different species when I get excited about "girly" stuff.   But Jaden lets me be excited and says, "That's cool, mom."

There are really a million things I love about my oldest son. You would probably get bored reading them all. So I will wrap this post up with, he is pretty awesome and I am so thankful he is in our family!!