Evan at Eleven

I’m sitting here looking at my son play with some of his birthday presents.  Evan turned 11 today.

Eleven amazing years that have flown by.  I can remember 11 years and one day ago when Julie first started feeling contractions.  To pass the time until the contractions warranted going to the hospital, we went out to dinner.  Afterwards, we went to the mall – I needed to buy some shoes.  I remember thinking that I needed to buy these shoes tonight, because after having a child I could never justify buying something for myself again.  Sounds extreme, but in some ways it was accurate.

When you get married you have to adjust to life not just being about you.  Having a child takes it to a whole new level.  There’s that overwhelming feeling of having this little life that is completely dependent on you.

I heard someone the other day talking about the need to enjoy life before having kids, because once you do, you won’t be able to do anything for yourself until they graduate college and are on their own.  The implication is that it’s a bad thing.  But the majority of people who have kids, would say the joys outweigh any “inconvenience” of not being able to do what you want, when you want.

Any empty-nester will tell you to enjoy this time, because it does go fast.  There are days when it definitely doesn’t feel that way. But when I see how quickly these 11 years went, I get it.  In another 11 years, he’ll most likely be graduating from college and ready to start his “life”.  But when I even look at the years in between now and then, I realize how little time there is to soak this in.  He’ll be a teenager before you know it … driving and the freedom that comes with that … hanging with friends will become a lot more fun than hanging with mom and dad … and then off to college.

Sheesh!  I’ve managed to depress myself!

As I look at him, my heart just bursts with happiness.  He’s an amazing kid, who truly is one of a kind.  He’s tender-hearted, yet all boy.

He gets his great looks from his mother.  I’m sure his intelligence, too.  And he can talk (another trait he gets from his mom). I can remember one of his first report cards that was great, with the only “negative” being he tends to “socialize” a lot in class.

He gets his love of sports from me.  I love the fact we can watch and play sports together and how he seems to check espn.com every morning when he wakes up.

I love the way he loves his little sister Olivia and how the two of them are like best friends.  They genuinely like to play and laugh together.

I think the thing that I love the most about him is his zest for life.  He never does anything half way.  He soaks in every moment of every thing he does.  And everything he does, becomes an event.  As a toddler, it wasn’t enough for Julie to simply take him on a walk – he had to take snacks and supplies.  There’s no such thing as simple football game with his friends in the neighborhood.  You need to wear a jersey, have team names, keep stats and make brackets for a tournament.

He has taught me a lot. I want to live with that same kind of zest when it comes to being his dad.  To not parent half way.  And to soak in every moment.

When he was born, I remember saying, “Baby Evan, sent from Heaven.”  And it’s true.

Baby Evan, sent from Heaven is now eleven.  Happy Birthday Evan!  I’m proud to be your dad.

You are an amazing boy, that has made me a better man.