The makings of a man....

Nope the Dunbars didn't fall off of the planet. Daddy was home for almost a week and we spent lots of good quality time together so I just didn't get to the computer much. I am back now and have a lot of thoughts to get down. It is almost 1 am though so may poop out and have to write more tomorrow.

Remember the pictures of the kids that I posted awhile back playing in the leaves? Yeah well, those were the teasers. Check out the above pictures!!! For those of you who have visited Dunbar Manor you know that we bought a lovely home on a lovely couple of lots full of lovely oak trees. Do ya know what happens to oak trees around October/November in Kansas????? Holy crap, they start dropping their leaves faster than college freshman drop their bikini tops on spring break. I swear to you that we started raking leaves at 11 am on Sunday morning. At around 6 pm we finished. That was just the front and the side yards!!! I had done the back yard the day before. I could stand up in the pile and it went up to my shoulders. Thank goodness Osage City lets you burn leaves so we didn't have to bag them all. Although, I am pretty sure there is a hole in the ozone with our name on it!!!

Anyway, before we burned them we of course played in them. The kids got a kick out of burying me clear under the leaves so that they couldn't see any part of me. I would lay really still and then sit up and scare the crap out of them. We were all dirty and covered in leaves but laughing our crazy heads off.

Abby also finally got brave enough to try Jamy's helmet on. When he first brought it home the kids were scared of it. Not anymore!! Abby had a good time wearing it around the house.

So now that you know what the pictures are about I thought I would write some about Weston today. Hence, the title of the post.

For some reason lately I have been thinking about our little man and how different it is raising a son a lot lately. Now notice I didn't say better or worse just different. There is something about a son that really tugs at a mommy's heart. I suppose Daddy's and daughters have the same sort of thing going on. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying I love him any more or less than the girls it is just a different feeling. I guess you mommies that have one of each will understand what I am saying.

Weston is amazing. He is funny, smart, sensitive, and just enough ornery to keep me on my toes. He loves hugs and kisses. He can lay on the floor for an hour by himself just pushing his train and watching the wheels move. He loves silly things. Daddy's airplanes sending him into shrieks of delight. And most of the time, he thinks his sisters are something pretty special.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about what it means to raise a little boy. How do you teach them to have the backbone to stand up for what they believe, the manners to always be a gentleman, the integrity to be known as honest, and the sensitivity to make the world a better place?

Every mother has dreams for their children. I have been thinking about what I wish for Weston. I am not into wishing for him to be president (good golly, I wouldn't wish that on a kid I didn't like), a doctor, a lawyer or even the local trash man ( love ya Matt!). I don't really care what he is when he grows up as long as he is an honest, caring man. I want Weston to grow up and be known as a gentleman. I think there are just not enough true gentleman around anymore. I want him to shake hands with a firm grip, look people in the eye when he is talking to them and even open a few doors here and there. All of my feminist friends are now rolling their eyes and cringing. Before you guys think I have lost my edge since moving out of Lawrence hold on. These are the same things I want for my girls as well. It is just that I believe sometimes boys have a bit of a harder time developing that sensitive side.

I see Weston's beautiful spirit now and I want to put it in a bottle and save it. Keep it stored away for those dreaded teenage years when he is struggling to find his place in the world. Just this morning he held open the door for me and put his little hand on my leg to "steady" me as I went down our front steps.

What I do know is that Weston has so much going for him. (This is the part where I brag on my amazing husband so skip down a bit if you don't want to read the mush.) Weston has a role model who admittedly is a great big two year old, but who is also a gentleman. I know there are those of you laughing right now because you have seen Jamy act like a total goon. There is another side to this man though. For example, I have never made a meal that Jamy hasn't eaten and then said, "Thanks honey." Even the turkey meatloaf! Yikes!! He hurries to help me carry stuff in the house when he sees I have my hands full. Lots of time he brings me flowers for no reason. Even when he hasn't done anything bad!! He offers to clean the bathrooms! Score big points there!! Probably most importantly, the man has never hung up the phone, left for work or gotten home from work without saying, "I love you baby!" He says it out of the blue when we are alone or in a crowd. He isn't afraid of who is around to hear him or what the guys might think. He treats me with respect and love at all times. He has this amazing ability to take care of and protect or family without ever making me feel like anything less than his equal.

The point of all of this lovey talk is to show that in a world full of lots of bad influences, Weston has a strong plus on his side. He has a daddy who isn't afraid to show him what it really means to be a man. Jamy shows Weston a thousand times a day in all of the little things he does. As the mom, I sit back and watch. I see Weston watching his daddy and taking note of how Daddy handles himself. Which, yes, means that I am having a heck of a time teaching him to say he has to poop instead of he has to "drop a dog log", but it also means he has learned to open the door for a lady and offer her his hand when she needs it. Even if that lady is just his mommy!