And Now He is Eight

J was born and celebrated his first two birthdays in Canada.  He celebrated the next five in Europe.  This past weekend he turned eight in Australia.  This is one well-travelled kid who has been nothing short of heroic in his adaptation skills, his sense of adventure, and his glass-half-full perspective on life.

The Number 8 birthday cake

As an only child,  J doesn't have another with whom to share new school fears, or to kick a footy around with after school, or to share bunkbeds with.  He has learned to be self-sufficient, curious, and has developed a confidence that I never had.  He embraces friends as brothers and sisters, and thankfully, has been socially brilliantly successful.

The "J" club - Josh, J, and Jules

J's favorite gift was a Geelong Cats Footy jersey.  The team he barracks for.

J loves his extended family, enjoys hanging out with his parents, spends a lot of time in the company of adults, and never forgets a friend.  He is a cool kid who has spent loooooong hours travelling on airplanes without complaint, is learning a love of reading, and speaks French beautifully.

He is strong-willed (not surprising, as my sista reminds me "two goats don't make a sheep"), opinionated, hard-headed, argumentative, occasionally mouthy, funny as hell, and adores his Grandma and dog.  I am very proud of this kid, love his heart, and am privileged to be his mother.

He LOVED the birthday party we threw him this past Friday night at a local adventure venue.  All the kids he invited showed up and had a ball; there was much laughing and hollering and some very odd Haka thing that followed the 'Happy Birthday' song.  I cannot believe J is eight but also cannot wait to live the next year in his company as we embark more fully on our Australian journey.