What Kind of Man Will Skip Be?

Skip cuddling with his new cowboy belt (with silver belt buckle!) from his Granddaddy Hal and Grandma Denise. The Wrangler jeans are from his moms.

Skips's new shark helmet from Grandma Linda. You can also see the planes he got from Aunt Susie.

Skip turned four last week and we had another Polaris birthday celebration. I've been thinking this past week about what kind of guy he'll become. It's impossible to predict, but here are some of the things I know about him so far:

• Big-hearted. Of all my kids, he's the most likely to share a toy or give a bite of his ice cream to another kid. He especially looks out for his little brother.
• Loves the pack. This is Linda's saying, but it's true that Skip is most happy running around with a bunch of other kids. He's extremely social. By the same token, he's the least interested in quiet time or independent play.
• Runs wide open and sideways. His energy level is significantly higher than the other kids and his favorite activities are tackling and wrestling. I think (and hope) he'll love team sports. 
• Call him Steady Skip. All kids have their ups and downs, but you can count on Skip to be as consistently happy as any child I know. He almost always has a big smile on his face.

Skip got his first report at pre-school the other day. The results weren't too shocking -- basically he got really high marks for all of the social categories (shows empathy, takes turns, etc.), but didn't do so hot in categories about his ABCs and numbers (more from a lack of interest than a lack of ability!). I'm perfectly happy with the results. His teacher wrote "Skip is very imaginative and friendly!"

He says he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. He already thinks he's a cowboy. We'll see about that, but I do feel confident that he'll be a kind, loving, and a little bit bad-ass.