Birthday Boy

How is our firstborn 8 years old already?!?

Happy birthday, Judah Johannes!!!

This last year Judah has learned quite a bit. He’s learned to ride a bike, whistle, and blow bubblegum bubbles (he was really excited about that one). He’s learned to read by himself and to do sums in his head. He’s learned about how to be quite independent on an airplane. He’s learned how to bottle-feed orphaned kittens. He’s learned about George Washington and Winslow Homer and Shakespeare. He’s learned about topics like slavery and war and oppression and cancer. He’s learned how to take care of his baby brother and how to cheer him up when he’s cranky. He’s learned to be more courageous in many ways. He’s learned more about Aesop’s fables and fairy tales than I will probably ever know (thanks to his love for audio books). He’s learned to show compassion and be a helper when Mama just needs some help. He’s learned that goodbyes are painful and tears are okay. He’s learned that home is a place hard to define for a child like him. He chose to be baptized and has learned more about what it means to follow and trust his God and Savior.

We are truly humbled to be Judah’s parents and are so grateful for our son (who is growing up and losing teeth way too fast). To remember what he was like as an 8-year old, here’s his annual birthday interview!

1. How old are you? “8”
2. How old is Mommy? “33?”
3. How old is Daddy “35?”
4. What is something mommy says to you? “Schatzilein” (a German term of endearment)
5. What makes you happy? “What makes me happy is when you wake me up and when you give compliments to me. And I’m happy when I get presents; and I’m happy when Mommy and Daddy kiss me.”
6. What makes you sad? “When people say mean things to me, or when I do a really bad thing. And when I accidentally hit someone but they say I did it on purpose.”
7. What makes you laugh? “When Elias toots and when Elias starts laughing because I can’t help but laugh, too.”
8. What’s your favorite thing to do? “Three things. Actually, four: reading with Mama, watching a movie, getting presents, and eating candy.”
9. What’s your favorite thing to do outside? “Building stuff with sand, playing capture the flag, climbing trees, playing soccer, playing by the ocean, and catching crabs.”
10. Who’s your best friend? “Jonas and Elias and Willy.” (cousin, brother, and neighbor in Tanzania)
11. What are you really good at? ” I think… drawing.” (Elias quickly added “AND swimming AND being the best leader AND sneaking like a ninja!”)
12. What’s your favorite Bible story? “David and Goliath, because I like how brave David is.”
13. What is God like? “Everything good!”
14. What superhero do you want to be? “Batman or Hawkeye. Hawkeye because he always hits his target. Always. And Batman because he doesn’t really have a power. Only Ninja skills.”
15. What’s your favorite food? “Can I pick desserts? Good. Donuts or ice cream.”
16. What’s your favorite book? “Well, I have two: The Green Ember, and, right now, The Hobbit.”   
17. What’s your favorite movie? “Ohhh, that’s a hard one… I think Narnia, all of them!”
18. What’s your favorite song? “At the end of the Green Ember audio book, there’s a music that I really like.” (starts singing it)
19. What’s your favorite color? “I have four. Green, black, white, and red.”
20. What’s your favorite animal? “I have two very, very, very favorite animals. My very, very, very, veeeeeery favorite animal is a lion. And my other favorite animal is a wolf. Oh, and I like cheetahs and leopards.”
21. What’s your favorite toy? “Legos and Playmobil.”
22. What’s your favorite thing to learn about in school? “History! Like learning about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and stuff like that.”
23. What do you want to be when you grow up? “Be an explorer and find fossils and make videos of animals. And be a zookeeper.”

Happy birthday, big boy!