Where to start when talking about James... James has the most energy of my three children. He is loud and will be the one to talk to loud or make obnoxious noises in a restaurant or simply driving in the car. From the time he was 18 months old, we could not really take him to dinner with us because it would not be pleasant for those around us. Sitting still to eat was a major challenge, as he always wants to be moving. However James is the most likely to sit for long periods of time and concentrate on school work. By two years old he could identify all of his colors and shapes. He could count forward and backward from ten and knew all of his letters including their phonics. He could also do the ABC's in sign language. He was reading before kindergarten started, in fact I think it is safe to say, he started reading before his final year of preschool. He recently took the gifted test through his school district and was tested in the 93rd and 98th percentile for two of the three categories. James is stubborn. He is set on getting his ways and insists he knows more than his parents. I tell him something exciting we are going to do during the day and his immediate response is "I know". I have yet to accept that he can read minds. He asks a lot of "what ifs" right now. When things don't go the way he wanted them to, he will ask, "What if we were not running late?" "Well James, then I probably still would not take you to McDonalds to play because that food is not good for you." "Well, what if it was good for you?" I quickly run out of answers. He is too smart for his own good and as my first child, I am definitely the hardest on him. My expectations are quite high for him and all too often I expect him to act like an adult even thought he is only 6 years old. The most precious moments I have with him are at bed time. It takes him quite a while to settle down to fall asleep so sometimes at night, I will go in and lay with him. It is there that I truly discover what is running through that brain of his. He asks very deep questions about life, how different things work, and many times, about God. He really enjoys reading his Bible for Mothers and Sons. I often find him laying in his bed flipping through the pages. It is these moments when we lay together in his bed that I know I will miss the more he grows.
