William

     Last but by no means least, my little willie may. William Mason is our youngest boy. He's the baby. Although he was our only 'surprise', I think he's turned out to be the crown jewel. He completes us. Easy going, fun loving, almost never serious like his older siblings, William is by far the sweetest boy I know.
     Since the day he was born, I've felt that he's going to be a big kid. Linebacker size if you know what I mean. Hes a little over a year younger than his sister and almost 3 years younger than his brother Brody. He probably is weighs more than Ella already and will soon catch Bro. William is of course the youngest and he suffers through all the drama that comes with that. When they play, it's always a bigger kid calling the shots and William just playing along. When they're outside running around, William is just trying to keep up. He's a follower for sure when he's home, but I think he will grow to become an excellent leader in life. He has three excellent examples to study and follow as he grows up.
     I think what amazes me the most about William is his patience. When he was tiny and barely talking, he would sit on my lap and if we had to wait for the computer to catch up (which happens frequently with the computers we've had), I would talk to him about patience. We would just tap our fingers on the desk and wait. He is by far the most patient person in this house. If he hides somewhere, you have to find him. He will not give himself away. I've personally been on the verge of panic several times, looking for him inside and outside. Checking with the neighbors and everything before finding him under the bathroom sink or in his closet, grinning with pride that he hid so well....
     My favorite story to tell about William happened when he was 3. I was in the kitchen and Brody came in to tell me something that William had done. I never found out what it was, because as Bro started talking, William came from behind him and punched him in the stomach. I believe to this day that William knew he was going to get in trouble if Brody told on him so he did the only thing he could to keep that from happening. Of course he got in trouble for hitting Brody, but he knocked the wind out of Brody and whatever Bro was going to say was never told.
     William, like most youngest siblings, watches and learns. He sees his brothers and sisters make mistakes and he is able to learn from that. He's also pretty good about not letting them talk him into doing things that will get him in trouble. I think he will do good in school and I think everyone will love him just like we do at home. He would never be a bully, but I suspect the bullies better watch out for him. He's definitely not afraid to throw a punch. He takes a lot of crap from Brody and Ella, but I've seen him stand up to both of them and the only thing that scares him is the stories they tell him about what's in his closet etc.... The only person he's even a little afraid of is me and I don't think I scare any of my kids much.
     Of course, he will always be our baby. Even when he's bigger that both of us.