166/365 twelve

My boy turned 12 yesterday. I don't know who gave him permission to get so big already. It seems like just last week we were bringing him home from the hospital. He's my middle child. My easy going, sweet, cuddly, smart, loving, helpful, determined boy. When he decides to do something, he does it. He loves baseball, his friends, swimming, music and is getting pretty good at playing the saxophone. He wants to join the honors band in the fall, which has made his band teacher very happy. He's got gorgeous blue eyes and a sweet, sweet smile. And he can drive me insane with the constant talking and asking questions he knows the answer to (or could figure out on his own). He can and will argue about anything and everything. And he is fantastic with smaller kids and he really wants to be old enough to babysit.

We went to family night at camp last night. He's having a great time (I knew he would). He was the patrol leader for his group yesterday and I was told he was doing an excellent job. He kept everyone organized and doing what they needed to do. He did things that needed to be done without complaint, even if what needed to be done wasn't fun. He got up in front of the parents and his troop before dinner last night and spoke about what their days are like, without any warning and without any hesitation. KT, his troop leader, told me that he was looking forward to the next few years, watching Matthew grow up in front of him. He's known Matthew since he started in Cub Scouts when we moved here, in the 2nd grade. There is nothing better than hearing someone else tell you how great your child is. To say that I'm proud of him is a huge understatement.