Marshall At Seven

I cannot believe I have a seven year old.  Marshall Cougar made me a mom seven years ago and they have been the most fun and most taxing years of my life, all at the same time!  He has taught me much, and hopefully we are teaching him some good things too.  Here are some things about Marshall at the age of seven.

Marshall is 47.5 inches tall.  

He only uses milk on his cereal.  His favorite foods are pizza and cinnamon rolls.  The only hot breakfast he will eat is a cinnamon roll, other than that it is cereal.  Finally, within the last year, I find that he can eat a decent amount of food and has started to eat more meat.  He still has picky moments and dinners where all I hear are complaining, but I have noticed a big improvement in the last year.

Foods he loves that surprise me:  blue cheese, blueberry encrusted goat cheese, shrimp, dark chocolate covered almonds, salads with all sorts of cheeses, nuts, fruit, avocados, onions.  

At the beginning of the year Marshall said he wanted to learn to cook.  It has been a real treat to have him in the kitchen with me.  We've just done about one meal a month together, but we both enjoy cooking together and I find him incredibly helpful!

Marshall loves all things sports, and he is pretty talented when it comes to sports.  He has played tee-ball for two summers and this fall is his first soccer team experience.  He has scored four goals and I am incredibly surprised that he is so aggressive in the game.  I am also surprised to see him thinking ahead to calculate where he should be to help out a teammate or who he should pass the ball to.  He frequently entertains himself by playing basketball, football, or soccer in the living room..and I allow it...unless it gets too crazy.

Marshall is also a runner.  Last week he ran 2.25 miles in 20 minutes.  He is also very competitive, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that he is aggressive in soccer.

Marshall is a sponge and very inquisitive.  He asks lots of questions and retains pretty much everything he reads.  I know he is only in first grade, but so far, reading and all academics have come very easy to him.

He and Bridget still fight, but he is way less physical with her than he was at this time last year.  They developed a really fun friendship this summer and spent lots of time playing together in their bedroom and in the basement.  He and Rachel don't interact a lot, but they certainly have some fun moments.  He reads to her on occasion, one day this summer he buckled her in the car seat and now she only wants Marshall to buckle her, and just the other night she sat on his lap and he helped her say the family prayer.

When he is happy, which is the majority of the time, I really enjoy being with him.  He is fun to talk to because he has so many thoughts and so many questions.  I love the one-on-one time I can sneak in with him.  

He has developed quite a good little group of friends here and I will forever be thankful to these boys and their families, even though we will be moving away this summer.  Marshall is never one to initiate play, but these boys always include him, and once he is running around with them, he is right in the mix.  

Marshall has lost four teeth, and has four more that are loose.  He has an aversion to the tooth fairy.  He has kept all four teeth and has only allowed the tooth fairy to come for the first two teeth.  

He is incredibly attached to things, which is part of the reason he can't bear to part with his teeth!

This kid has an incredibly quick mind.  He catches me off guard all the time with his replies and quick wit and problem solving.  

He had a terrible fear of tornadoes and thunderstorms this spring and summer.  He became obsessed with the weather in May and checked it every single morning.  In July he worked himself up so terribly about a tornado warning that he declared he was hardly ever looking at the weather again and he has held true to that.

Marshall does not do well with change and struggles with worry.  Poor kid.  Richard and I both struggle with these things so it seems to be a double whammy for him!  One month into first grade and I feel like we are finally leveling off with his emotions.  I have decided that the beginning of the school year will always be hard for him.  We've had a lot of talks about talking to us about his feelings and that we are here to help him.

His favorite toys are Legos. Angry Birds, and Star Wars.  

He still has training wheels on his bike.  We hope to conquer this next summer!!!

I am thankful for his patience and his forgiveness.  It is not easy being the oldest child (I know) and it is not easy only have siblings of the opposite gender (I know!).  Sometimes I wonder how different he would be if he was an only child, or if there was a five year gap between him and Bridget!  But really, he is a good kid.  I am so grateful he is a part of our family.  He adds energy, adventure, stimulating conversation, and humor to our every day life.  We love our Marshall Cougar.