10 Kids Who Are Awesome

1. Little Seal. That dude is the happiest baby ever to (almost) walk the planet. Seriously, how many kids wake up from a nap and don't wig when an unfamiliar face goes in to get them up? Just the one, in my experience.

2. Alita. She's starting this new phase of grownupedness where she reads quietly while the grown ups talk and tells more intricate stories with more levels in her opinions. She's a miracle.

3. The Bean. She cracks me up with all the things she does that don't even register with her as unusual. She is extraordinary.

4. Punkin' Chili. She has a strength and surety about her that belies her thirst for knowledge and newness. She is the fire of her gorgeous hair color.

5. The Athlete. I have been so impressed with him this past month. Losing a grandparent is hard and weird and he was defying expectations at every turn. In a great way.

6. Blondie Girl. I will never forget her reaction to her first trip outside of the US. It fundamentally shifted her base and instead of resisting that sort of change the way a lot of us might she used it to spur her onward. She gets better every day.

7. Baby Weekly. He is a huge charmer. Even chock full of new immunizations he was a fabulous dinner companion and made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the room. I shudder to think how charming he'll be once he actually learns to talk.

8. Music Baby. I feel this affinity with him because he travels a lot with his parents' artistic work and I used to do a lot of that, too. He's a ham and a mimic and endlessly creative and he's only TWO for cripes sake. I haven't seen him a long while and I miss him.

9. ProfBoy. I haven't even met the kid yet but I'm going to. (ProfDoc: I got confirmation that it's the 14th, we can make proper plans now.) I'm really looking forward to spending a day with him and seeing him in action.

10. Anonymous Suburban 7 year old. I just re-read that story the other day and it still boggles my mind.