Charlie turns 8

 This is a collection of the photos that, I think, really sum up Charlie. He's turning 8 this year!

  He's careful and meticulous in his thinking.


He's a goof.

He adores being with friends and family, it's like candy for the sweet tooth of his soul.

He's a bonder. He latches on to people and REALLY loves them. He would leap through fire for his uncle and his cousin-- and I'm not talking, to save them, I mean he'd leap through it just to merely hang out with them for an afternoon.

There's never a dull moment in his head.

Above is the family picture we won't be using. Zoom in on Charlie...  I have cartons of pictures like this. Imagine the caption on that Christmas card: "Hope you've been good this year! Or else!"

 And on top of being a wild man, just barely tamed and living in suburbia, he has the gentlest heart.

I once read a book about people who have a near death experience and the things they learned.  There were two. First, is all that matters is how you treat people. And the next is that the individuals always wished they had had more fun when they were living.
             Charlie is living right.
  I should take a picture of his closet; there's hardly a toy in it. Not because we don't buy him loads but because he's constantly giving them away. Whether it's his brand new birthday present RC car or a stuffed bear or a pair of shoes.  He'll make these "gift baskets" and put them on his neighbor buddy's doorsteps or he'll send his playmates home with something they showed an interest in. The first few times he did this I was happy and proud for him, but last year it got extreme when he was giving away video games he'd never even opened. So, one dayI sat him down and talked about limiting his generosity to small tokens of friendship. That night he went out sledding with a neighbor girl.  She didn't wear gloves and guess who gave up his? He came in that night with frozen, chapped hands and when I asked, a little angrily, where his gloves were, he bowed his head like he was confessing a great crime and told me what happened.
    From that day forward, I don't get in the way of Charlie's big heart anymore. Charlie is my best friend and I firmly believe he is here to teach me to be a better person.