A Tale of Two Sons: Congratulations on 8 Years, Dylan!!!

Hello again, Dad here, a few days later than I should be, but here nevertheless to celebrate OUR Dylan's 8 Year Forever Family Anniversary.

We're already 2 weeks into our summer adventures, and it's already been a bit crazy. Fun, but a bit wild. We're lining up the next few weeks, with a trip to Michigan, and another week away (to ???) sometime later toward the end of Summer.

Dylan continues to grow in his role as Big Brother to Tyler, helping out in many ways. Tyler has bonded with all of his siblings and Dylan takes his responsibility very seriously. He helps to guide Tyler back track when things start to go sideways by trying to be a calming influence. He's also already trying to mentor T-Bone in the basics of Minecraft!

As Kyle is now moving on to Middle School, Dylan will take his place as part of the 5th grade Masters of the Universe! He is looking forward to being in the oldest class and sharing the upcoming year with his large set of friends. Dylan is a good friend to many of his classmates, and he usually shares lots of good school stories with us at Dinner.

He has continued studying and playing the violin and has been quite responsible with his practicing efforts. Nearly every time he practiced this spring, our older cat, Mocha, found her way to his feet and curled up near him as he played. She must have found the music comforting, or interesting - so much that she would relocate herself from wherever she was to Dylan's side. That made him very happy.

Our family (and Aunt Rita) had the opportunity to enjoy the Oak Ridge Elementary Spring Concert, with BOTH Kyle and Dylan performing. A proud day for Lisa and me to say the least.

Dylan had a blast during our spring vacation in Punta Cana. He enjoyed tons of beach time and pool time. The most fun for him was being able to navigate the Breakfast and Lunch Buffets to fill his own plates - and go back for seconds and thirds of the really good stuff.

He's growing taller every day and he still enjoys climbing of all sorts - from boulders in the parks, to the many playgrounds we visit, to our backyard Locust Tree. He loves bike riding, skateboarding and scootering. He's becoming harder and harder to keep up with! He also shares a natural curiosity about all things in nature and science. I can't wait until his math and science education catches up so he can start to understand the hows and whys of what he sees as mysteries now.

We're looking forward to the rest of our summer and to taking on the 5th Grade!

Here are some recent adventures...