He likes to butt things... with his head.

Happy birthday to Calvin! He's 8 today! Calvin was named after Chris' mission President, Calvin R. Stephens. Part of me thought maybe giving our son a righteous man's name would have made his personality subdued and spiritual. I was wrong. It would be more fitting to say that Calvin was named after Calvin of "Calvin and Hobbes." One side of Calvin is very challenging. Calvin was introduced into the world with a very difficult labor and delivery, (during which he broke his clavicle), became a tenacious toddler, and developed into a child who has no problem finding trouble. Yet on the flip side, Calvin is almost always happy, his intentions are ALWAYS good and you would have a hard time finding a more loyal and truer friend.

Being a third child, Calvin discovered at an early age that he needed to be louder than the other two in order to be heard. He developed a ear-piercing scream that he would use to get my and everyone in a 2 block radius' attention. Even today, the noise that comes out of his mouth seems to be on volume VERY LOUD all the time. He laughs a loud, infectious laugh that seems to come from the tips of his toes.


Calvin also discovered early on that if you run away from Mom while she is tending to Emily and Christopher, she can't run very fast and you might be able to get away. Whether it was down the street or in Sears, he loved to run away.

During a one-week period of his third year, Calvin did all of the following: colored his entire torso, legs and arms with a black permanent marker, swallowed a button, threw Chris' phone in the toilet, shoved an entire set of drill bits through a tiny hole he discovered in the wall so that they were forever trapped behind the drywall and went down the stairs in a poopy diaper one step at a time leaving a nice brown streak all the way down. Because he was so curious, he was always finding things to get into and messes to make.

Once Calvin brought some pill bugs into the house as pets and put them in a drawer to keep them safe. Scared the living daylights out of me.

He has been in the emergency room and to the doctor more times than all of the other children combined. He broke his clavicle at birth, had to be re-circumcised at 1 year old, smashed his fingers in the door at Taco Bell requiring 9 stitches, broke his arm last year and sprained his thumb just this week.

For all his silliness, curiousness and craziness, I love him so much. I love the way he tells a joke and laughs and laughs over it. I love the way he looks like my dad and even has many of his mannerisms. I love the way he does the butt dance. I love how he likes to cuddle and snuggle. I love that he will still kiss me goodbye at school in front of other people. I love that he loves babies and small children. I love that he always wants to help and tries so hard to be good. Most of all, I love him just because he's my Calvin.