Big boy, little boy

One thing I love about my kid is watching how much other people love him, too. I've always thought he was pretty great, but then again, I'm totally biased.

Today was kinda cool because Mark got to be both the younger, admiring kid, and then the older, cool kid little kids look up to. Talk about parallels!

We went to lunch with my good friend Jill, and her awesome son Gillen, who I refuse to admit is going into high school this year. (I still think of him as a laughing 2-year-old running through the halls at work.) Jill's a totally cool mom who always lets the boys get their own table, and I'm always the shocked mom who can't believe they really behave when they aren't sitting with us. (They actually behave better.)

I'm always glad to see Jill, and thankful when Mark gets time with Gillen. Gillen's great, a real boy's boy, into all the things that Mark loves (clothes, music, drums, Boy Scouts, guns). And Gillen is fantastic with Mark -- patient, interested, a good role model who falls into wrestling matches outside the restaurant after he's okayed it with his mom first. He's everything I want Mark to grow into -- and Jill, the wonderful mom who raised him, is everything I want to grow into as a mom!

After lunch and some errands, we returned home. I'd agreed to watch my nephew Johnny for a couple hours, and at exactly 4:30, he was knocking at our door. He ran into the house, right past me as he always does, shouting out, "WHERE'S MARK? WHERE'S MY COUSIN?"

Mark had hidden behind the couch, and Johnny turned to me, concerned, unsure. He wasn't here for playtime with Auntie Heather.

Mark finally popped out from behind the couches, and Johnny's eyes lit up. "There's Marky!" he said, and ran to punch him (he gets a little overexcited when he sees Mark).

And then I got to see a recreation of the scene at lunch -- happy little boy following patient big boy around. Only this time, the roles had switched, and Mark was now the big boy. Johnny was staring up at him with the same expression Mark had bestowed on Gillen -- the look that said, "You are the coolest kid I know!!!"

It was such a trip -- you see your kid one way during the day (look at my baby boy with Gillen!) and then, as the people around us change, so does the context (look at my big boy being so good with Johnny!). It's just crazy.


So that's it...no funny stories today, or deep thoughts. Just an observation of an everyday type of day, and the little things that make me happy. :-)