Matthew Barnhill: Decade #1

Well, Decade #1 for Matthew is in the books, and what an adventure so far!

10 years ago today, I gave birth to a beautiful 7lb. 11 oz. baby boy. He entered the world screaming and flailing his arms and legs and letting us be aware of his presence! Little did we know that blessed night that there would never be a time when we weren't aware of his presence in a room!

Matthew was a funny, precocious, friendly, and energetic toddler. There were moments when I thought that only one of us would make it out of that stage alive! Matthew was always happy, but never wanting to stop. He gave up his naps at 2 years and 3 weeks, and never looked back. There was just too much to do and see in this big world of his!

From an early age, Matthew became a student. He was fascinated by the world around him, and always wanted more. I will never forget the day a woman came by our house when Matthew was 3 years old. After spending a few minutes with him, she told me, "That child needs to be in Montessori!" This was one of the best decisions we made for our curious little boy. He discovered new concepts, learned to read, and was reading chapter books by the beginning of kindergarten.

School has always been Matthew's passion. He can't wait to go every day and keeps on top of everything. Honestly, I have never had to look over spelling words or homework with Matthew. He loves homework and has always gotten his business taken care of on his own. Of course, I have already mentioned in previous posts about his love for reading. Matthew and I have devised a challenge that he gets a prize after reading 30 books that I had bought for him over the years. He keeps adding more to the list, because there are so many he wants to read!

Matthew loves challenges. We set high goals for him with reading, sports, and school work. I realize that not every child is like this, but high goals turns on his competitive spirit, and he always rises to the challenge. He thrives on these activities!

Matthew seems very comfortable in his own skin. He is always the same, whether he is playing with the "in crowd" at recess, encouraging a boy who doesn't have as many friends, playing sports, or at home with us. He likes being an individual, and never tries to fit in with the crowd.

Matthew loves the role of protector, and is a great big brother. He also adores his younger cousins, and they seem to light up when he is around. He is a softy for babies!

I love that no matter what a tough guy he is, he is very affectionate with me. He will still sit on my lap from time to time, which is getting a little uncomfortable. My 7lb.11oz. baby has turned into 97 pounds of love! Ouch! He is quick to hold my hand, hug me, or put his head on my shoulder.

Matthew is incredibly intense, and he can get angry from time to time, but he is never in that state for more than a minute. All I have to do is look at him a certain way, and he busts out laughing! Always!

Matthew always stands up for what he believes in. He came home from school a few weeks ago just heartsick. He said that he was watching a movie in science about how lava helped form the earth. This angered him, because "God made the earth, not lava!" When he told his teacher this, several kids started laughing at him. He said it didn't bother him one bit because he was standing up for what he had learned in the bible and this was part of God's purpose for him!

I absolutely love being with Matthew. He has such an interesting perspective on life, and I hang on every word he says. We feel so blessed that God entrusted us with raising Matthew.

Given the events of this week, we were again reminded of what a gift our Matthew. I look forward to what Decade #2 has in store!