Doing His Own Thing

 Once upon a time, a tiny baby boy made a grand entrance into this world.    He was the third  child born into his family and had a full head of dark hair.  His parents named him Greyson.

 Greyson did things his own way, even from the very beginning.  By the time he was five months old, he already had a mouthful of teeth.

 And by the time he turned one, Greyson's dark  head of hair had given way to light blonde hair.

He was a chubby, happy child,  just like any other child,  except for one thing:  Greyson didn't talk.

He didn't talk on his second birthday.

He didn't talk on his third birthday.

 Some people wondered if he would ever talk, but his mom knew that when the time was right, his words would come.

When he was 3 1/2 years old Greyson learned that he and his family would be moving to Tennessee.   His dad left for work in Tennessee and two weeks later when he returned for a visit, Greyson was talking in full sentences.  He told everyone that he was moving to Tennessee.

 When Greyson started preschool in Tennessee, his mom worried about him.  Mostly she worried about what he would eat all day at school. Greyson was a very picky eater and she just knew he wouldn't eat the meals they served him.   Her worrying gradually faded away when, day after day, a note came home from the teacher saying that he had eaten all of his food-everything from fish sticks to beets to green beans.  Who was this child?  

The next year, Greyson and his family moved to Ohio.  There he met a sweet little girl named Reagan.  One day he and Reagan were playing down by the river and he gave her a quick kiss.  When he returned home and told his parents what he had done, they were less than pleased.   Greyson looked at them with a straight face and said, "Well now I know what it's like and I can't stop!"   His parents definitely had their hands full with this child.

That little blonde with glasses!

Two years later, Greyson and his family moved back to Michigan.   In fact, they moved back to the same house they had lived in before they had moved to Tennessee.   Greyson got reacquainted with his old friends and made some new friends, too.   They spend their days playing outside and riding bikes and dirt bikes all over the neighborhood.

When the time came to move to a new house Greyson's parents were the most worried about him.  How would he feel about leaving his friends behind to move to the country?   But when Greyson walked through the house and checked out the property that was filled with apple trees and corn and old barns, he saw adventure.  While his sisters and brothers were excited to start a farm, Greyson was excited to have 40 acres to ride dirt bikes on.

 Soon after moving in to the house in the country, Greyson discovered there were other boys on the street who also liked to ride dirt bikes.  Was this heaven?!  

He spent his days riding dirt bikes and building forts with his friends,  but he would always stop what he was doing when his dad needed him to drive the old tractor.

 In fact,  Greyson liked to drive anything. He drove the lawnmower,

and hauled wood behind the neighbor's quad,

and even hauled his brother, on occasion.

 One day, his dad came home with an old, red truck that he had bought for one dollar.  The lights didn't work, it only had one brake, the bed of the truck was nearly rusted off, and it was a stick shift.  Greyson didn't know how to drive a stick shift, but he taught himself the skill very quickly.   If it had an engine, Greyson wanted to drive it.  Sometimes his dad would let him help haul the big, old barn beams around the property...

And if there was no work to be done, Greyson was content to just sit in the old truck.

 Although his love was the strongest for the equipment on the farm,  Greyson found a love for the animals they were raising, as well.  He wasn't afraid to snuggle any of the chickens, even Crazy Pila.

 Sometimes, he'd even sneak a chicken into the house, much to his mother's  dismay.

 When he wasn't driving around, or wrangling chickens, Greyson loved to work.  He learned to use all kinds of power tools, and helped his dad on various projects.

He was a hard worker, and didn't even let injuries slow him down.

 Sometimes he wouldn't have anything to do but sit outside, just waiting for something to happen.

 Last spring, something did happen.  The big tractor came to plant the field with this year's corn. Much to his delight, the driver invited Greyson and his brother into the tractor for a ride. Little did his mom know that it was actually Greyson behind the wheel of that tractor!  That was a day he won't soon forget.

Sometimes, Greyson would spend a day driving a family friend's boat,

or rope swinging at the neighbors' pond,

or fishing on canals in Florida,

or walking on the beach of the ocean,

or playing at the park.

But soon enough he'd be asking to go back home, where he was free to climb trees,

and build forts,

and jump in big piles of leaves.

Now don't go thinking that cold Michigan winters would slow Greyson down.   In fact, Greyson loves the winter just as much as he loves the summer.

He is an avid snowmobiler, and will never hesitate to give you a ride.

And if there's no one to offer a ride to, he's content going solo, riding around and around in circles because his parents won't let him leave the yard at the cabin.

When he needs a break from that, he loves sledding,

and even thinks ice hockey is pretty fun!

Lately, Greyson has discovered even more modes of transportation. On occasion, he helps out at the neighbors' farm, where he is rewarded with horse rides around their indoor arena.

And when all else fails, he'll even take a paddle boat out all by himself.

To burn off extra energy, Greyson also enjoys playing basketball and football.  He is only interested in playing defense in football, where he is exceptionally good at finding the angles to cut off long runs.

 Even though he still thinks school is pretty unimportant, Greyson is doing well in Fourth Grade-his last year in elementary school.

And when he wants to impress his newest girlfriend, he gets all dressed up and puts on his favorite cowboy boots!

I don't know how to tell you this, but Greyson has a love of hot dogs. I'm not sure how or when it started, but he cannot get enough of them, despite his parents' warnings that they are completely unhealthy. Sometimes, his mom takes him to the home improvement store and Greyson goes along just for the hot dogs.

And those visits to the neighbors' pond?  They always involve cooking hot dogs over the campfire there.

When he's not doing "all things boy", Greyson has a sweet side, as well.  He lives life to the fullest and always finds a way to put his own spin on things.

Although Greyson is turning 10 years old today, he has his sights on the future.  He knows for sure that he wants to drive an F-350 truck, and prior to becoming a farmer, he would like to own his own landscaping business.  Right now, he's starting small, passing out flyers to neighbors on his road.

And while that ten year old boy is busy making plans, his mom is there, hoping he stays young for just a little longer.  There are still times when Greyson wants to curl up on his mom's lap and be snuggled just like when he was younger,  and that is just fine with her.  She is there to make sure he gets his happily ever after.

Happy Birthday, Grey.  Mom loves you!