adj. slang. very impressive: "that new transformer is totally awesome."

Simeon has turned 5 -- we had a great birthday celebration last week, complete with two friends from preschool and a fabulous spiderman cake. (of which I completely forgot to take a picture.) It was a whole week of festivities, really, including a second annual trip to the Tacoma zoo and a 3 day/2 night camping trip with just S and Francois.


It's funny, I was trying to think back over the year to ponder how Simeon has grown and changed, when I realized that only a few weeks after his birthday, he became a big brother, and then... then... then everything is foggy for the next 6 months or so. I have a couple memories that stand out against the haze, but I could probably count those on my fingers and other than that I feel like I didn't really exist for awhile. It's as if I was a zombie, a cloud, a little wisp of a dream, ... a sleep deprived mama.


So. If I can't even remember my own, it's obvious that my reflection on Simeon's year is a little truncated. I do know, though, in the way that someone knows who has memories preceding an accident and wakes up from a coma a distant time later to find that life has continued and others have changed in her absence, that he has taken his new role and RUN with it. It's hard for me to distinguish my boy's growth of his own accord from his metamorphosis from an only child to a brother of twins. In the beginning, the girls weren't much fun (to anyone!) and there was a time he wished them gone. But that period was surprisingly short, and nowadays I'm hard pressed to tear him away from "the sisters". They are his comrades in mischief, his best audience, and the only ones in the house who appreciate his screeching silly sounds and repetitive antics. He knows all kinds of things about what they need, and for the most part is the epitome of understanding when their schedule and constant needs trump his own requests for time and attention.


He has grown, of course -- taller, faster, stronger, leaner, more confident on last year's bike -- but I'm so thankful that he's still not afraid to cozy up and be my little one every now and then. At 5, Simeon still loves a lap, and gives a GREAT morning hug. His conversation continues to be both impressive and unstoppable, and he's taken on all kinds of new vocabulary like the valley girl "like", "what the heck?", and the title word that we heard about a zillion times on his special day: Awesome. Said like the word itself, full of reverence, excitement, and near disbelief at his birthday windfall.


Yesterday we were both worn out (and I was CRABBY in the morning) so we took a rest during the girls' nap to lay down and read for awhile (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator). S fell asleep, a *rare* occurrence these days, and it was so nice to look over and see him so peacefully asleep. Because as much as he wants to be a little man and wonders all the time about which shirt is the Coolest one, he's not too big to take a nap with his Mama. And let me tell you, it was enough to change my perspective for the rest of the day; instead of the crabby self of my morning, I was for once a grateful, sweet, loving self whose heart was full to bursting. It was awesome.