Gaffner Chaos: Chaos Spotlight- The Comedian

***blog disclaimer***

As author of this family blog I must apologize for the excessive pictures.

I mentioned that Dean Kelly is my weakness and the proof is in this post.

On November 17 of 2006, I entered a new stage of motherhood.

I discovered the joy of mothering a son.

It's unexplainable and by no means implies that I love my sons more than my daughters, it's just different.

I think the love a mother feels for her children is different for each kid, not more or less, just different.

I love that Tyler is a leader and understands what it means to be the oldest child.

I love that Sierra experiences all emotions deeply and understands what it means to be high maintenance.

I love that Christopher is rambunctious and knows no limits or boundaries and understands the joy of a good hug. And I love that Dean is my humorous three year old (almost 4) comedian and that he understands what it means to find joy and laughter in every aspect of life.

Being a mom to daughters means talking them through their drama and emotional highs and lows. It means being patient with the process of picking out outfits and fixing hair.

Being a mom to sons means talking them through their "boo-boos" and tantrums. It means being patient with the process of forced bathing and using "inside voices".

It's different.

And with Dean... well, he reminds me of his daddy. And thus, my weakness is explained.

Dean's comedic abilities are famous in the Gaffner household. He never fails to make us laugh, although not always at appropriate times. His sarcasm and joke punchline is quite near perfection. The kid is funny and that is an understatement.

He held the position as baby of the household for almost three years and sometimes that spoiling comes through but despite his sister's best efforts to shower love and affection endlessly on him from birth to present, Dean is not as rotten as you might expect. Though he does manage to weasel his way out of punishment because he knows the exact words and looks that make his mommy laugh. He has discovered her weakness which will certainly not bode well for him or her.

His sister, Sierra, may be my mini-me in many ways but Dean carries one character trait that his mommy does as well... the love of the spotlight. Dean never shys away from an opportunity to be the center of attention and has accompanied me several times up on stage at church just for kicks. In every other way, however, he is his father's clone.

Dean carries himself like he's grown, talks to people with confidence, doesn't let his sisters push him around, and loves his baby brother (well at least when they are taking a break from fighting).
He is always opinionated and honest and never turns away some cuddle time with his mom. He plays independently but has learned the joy of sharing and in spite of his solidarity, he makes friends pretty easily.

(as seen in this picture with his best buddy, Jaydin)

Dean is my oldest son and almost four years later, he still has me wrapped around his little baby finger.
I enjoy his humor, his style, and his smile and I have big dreams for his future as he continues to grow into the man that God already knows He will be.