Growing...no pains yet.

It is interesting to watch as my kids are maturing in different ways.  Thomas is really beginning to change and I know that I have said it before, but he is blossoming and I am loving the changes that I see. He seems to be more aware of the needs of others and he is acting on his impulses to do something good without being prompted or let's be honest, bribed by me.

Yesterday, I went to Costco with Sophie and Christian.  The car was loaded up with the over-sized boxes and food items.  On the way home, we picked up Thomas as he walked home from the bus stop.  As we pulled in the garage and the kids ran in the house, you can imagine how my heart swelled, when Thomas returned after taking his backpack inside and immediately started helping me with the groceries.  He came back twice to easy my burden and then when I got inside, he asked me where things needed to be put in the pantry.  Wow.

And then, to top it off, he has been taking a home economics cooking class at school and he asked if he could make dinner for me.  He made a South American dish called "Picadillo."  He chopped the onions and minced the garlic...himself.  He cooked the meat and then helped me to set the table.  The meal was delicious and we all enjoyed it...especially me.  (Romney is out of town, so you can imagine how nice that was for me.)

I was so touched by his simple acts of kindness.  His attitude about everything lately has been remarkable.  I am so proud of him.  I guess that I am just so grateful that he is maturing and finding his place and I know that he will gradually need to voice his independence and pull away from me (hopefully only slightly), but for now his effort to take a step closer to me is melting my heart.  Thank you T!