Sunday, December 16, 2012

Hudson's birthday number nine!

Dear Hudson,

Happy 9th Birthday! You have been busy this year. Mostly growing. And growing. And growing. Do you remember being little and me reading you the book, "The Very Hungry Caterpiller"? "On Monday he ate through.... AND HE WAS STILL HUNGRY." That is pretty much you right now. And I think this is only the beginning. You are one tall kid and you are only getting taller. Your feet are bigger than mine now (a kid size 5 1/2) and you are 4 feet 9 1/2 inches tall as of this morning.

You've also been doing lots of growing in other ways. The way you think has changed some this last year. You don't always tell us what you are thinking about though. You are the quietest Pate kid, although that isn't saying much. You are a loud, chatty bunch. But you are more likely to need a little prompting to tell us what you are thinking or wanting to do. That evidently isn't the case at school, however. Mrs. Manzella told us at conferences that you are VERY social in class and she often has to remind you to not chat. That seems to be a bit of a family pattern.... starting with your parents. So sorry about that to all your future teachers!

I know I wrote last year about how much you like to play outside, around in the neighborhood with your friends. That hasn't changed. We feel really fortunate that because of where we live you and your siblings get to experience a pretty traditional childhood. You love playing out at the playground, riding bikes, climbing trees, and planning all sorts of intricate battle fields. You spent tons of time this summer setting up little army figures in all sorts of formations. You especially loved getting to use water balloons as little bombs. It provided hours and hours of entertainment. You are in general a very happy, and fun loving kid.

Legos continue to be your favorite toy. The new obsession this year is Lego Ninjago. I honestly don't get it at all, but you love the things so much. Your one request for your birthday was the Lego Supersonic Raider. It is a big Ninjago set and you didn't really think you would get it, so when you unwrapped it this morning you were thrilled. Your birthday party theme today was Ninjago. This was your friend party year. Consequently we had a houseful of boys this afternoon. You all had a great time making ninja headbands, ninja stars, playing lego games, and finally putting together a ninjago set that each of your guest got to take home. You were a busy, happy bunch of boys.

Sports have changed for you this year. You have always liked to play, but this year you found a new intensity. You are a total competitor now. You are focused and work really hard. You started out the soccer season not really knowing if you wanted to play soccer, and ended up loving it and doing really well. You are now even doing futsol (an indoor soccer game) and loving it. You never get tired and really run hard. I think back to just a couple years ago when we would say you were great in the first half, and then checked out in the second. That is not the case anymore. You have great energy and are really strong. Basketball hasn't started for you yet, so you have been going and practicing with Ainsley's team every practice. You never complain about doing it, and are doing really well. It is going to be fun to see you play basketball this year. 

Hudson, you are a sweet, good kid. I think about some of the things I have read about the different types of personalities of men and I believe you will fall into a "strong and steady" category. Your not super emotional, although you do have a temper that can flare sometimes. Daddy and I talk and pray about how to make sure we are reaching your heart. We want you to grow into a man who does great things for God, Hudson. We pray that you would be a strong leader, and yet gentle and kind.

Every line of Proverbs 10 is so valuable as you are becoming the person God intendes for you to be. I love how each line gives two choices. One clearly following God's ways, which are always smart. But the world makes the foolish ways look so appealing, especially in the years you are approaching, Hudson. We pray you would choose wisely. Here are the first few verses of Proverbs chapter 10:

A wise son brings joy to his father,
    but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
 Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
    but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
 Lazy hands make for poverty,
    but diligent hands bring wealth.
 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
    but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
 The name of the righteous is used in blessings,
    but the name of the wicked will rot.
 The wise in heart accept commands,
    but a chattering fool comes to ruin.
 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

Hudson, daddy and I pray that you would choose God's way each and every day of your life. Better is one day in the courts of the Lord than thousands of days elsewhere. We love you so much and want you to experience the riches of living a life that is pleasing to your God. We make so many mistakes everyday, we hope that in spite of our mistakes you would see God's love for you and he would draw you to him. We love you so much Hudson. Thanks for being such a special, and wonderful boy. 

Love, mom

Excitement over opening your super sonic raider. 

All set up and ready for your birthday party.

You had everyone learn how to fold ninja stars. Folding paper is an obsession for you right now. I'm certain a big portion of the world has been deforested thanks to your fascination with ninja stars, paper balloons, and other origami. You were super excited about a star wars fighter jet folding book we got you for your birthday. 


The great 9-year-old! 

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Camden = Six

Dear Camden,

I'm going to steal Grandma Seaquist's line and say, "I love you with all my heart." Today you turned six. Six years ago when I was holding a tiny baby boy I had no idea what an amazing person you would become. The best thing to say is that in so many ways you never cease to amaze us. You have a great vocabulary. In fact, that is one of the things your teacher is impressed by. When I think of how to describe you a whole bunch of adjectives pop into my head. What is funny is how some of them are opposites of each other. Here is a list:

Inquisitive
Clever
Intense
Gentle
Fast
Volatile
Bright
Kind
Fun
Thoughtful
Loving

In the past year you  have grown up so much. You started kindergarten this year and FINALLY got to ride the bus to school like you have wanted to do pretty much your whole life. You love school, although it surprises me that some mornings you complain about having to go. I think you don't always want to leave what you are doing at home. You always come home from school happy. Your teacher is perfect for you, although getting her involved some drama. We thought you would have Mrs. Manzella, but then she got moved to 3rd grade. So not only did you not get her, Hudson did. So then school started and there were 40 (!) kids in your class so they spilt the class and you had a different teacher. After some issues there they ended up getting Mrs. Brier who taught for 30+ years at Deep Creek to come and teach your class and she is wonderful. You love her and she is great with you. At your conference she just talked about how smart you are and how she can't believe the words you use. Her only concern was that you and your friend Richelle hold hands and hug too much in class. Cute. Richelle is super sweet and fun so we get why you like her as a friend. She also looks a lot like Eleison who you adore so it makes sense. We had a little chat after conferences about not holding hands in school though.

Your plan for your birthday party was awesome, although I must admit I was worried. You wanted a "tinkerers" party. Basically you wanted to take stuff apart. So we collected a bunch of old machines, DVD players, remotes, power tools, cameras, etc and let the kids take them apart. It was great. I have had so many of the parents of the kids who came tell me later how much fun their son had and how they just loved it. It was all your idea. You also wanted to give everyone protractors and have them measure angles, and I shut that idea down. There is always next year.

You still like to dig for gold in the yard. And your sure one of these days your going to find some.

You still adore Reagan. You bring out the best in Ainsley. You and Hudson can fight like crazy, but I see the glimmers of a deep friendship between the two of you. The pattern between the two of you is for him to bug you, and you to overreact. Seeing the pattern doesn't help me shut it down often enough though.  I pray for the two of you would be best friends. I know God is going to grant that request and you will be blessed with a great relationship.

Camden, God has given you great abilities. When daddy was talking to Mrs. D (your preschool teacher) earlier this year about how kindergarten was going she said, "that kid will be a millionaire before he is 20." While I don't know about that, and I don't really care about you making money, I agree with her point that you are going to do great things. You are unique and God has a very special plan for your life. I am so lucky that I get to be your mom. I love you Camden.


Jeremiah 29:11


 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.


Your machine cake.
Taking stuff apart.Intense workers.

The party kids.