Silas Michael (age 13)

Silas is such a good kid…. I mean SUCH a good kid. He has always been a good kid. Ryan and I really can’t take any credit for him at all. The Lord began working in his heart at a young age. He has always had a strong conscience and strong convictions. Don’t get me wrong, he is a sinner. He needs Jesus desperately. But he learns from his sins, mistakes and shortcomings very quickly, often before we even have to correct him.

He is our second oldest child, born after Caleb. It is not easy to be the younger brother of a child with special needs. However, our Silas is such a trooper. One of my greatest worries, once Silas came along, was the process of him passing Caleb developmentally. I knew it would happen I just didn’t know when. We delighted in all of Si’s milestones, but in the back of our minds and hearts there was an ache. Then, in God’s perfect provision and timing, Silas did it with such class. He never, never not once, said a word about being able to do something that Caleb couldn’t do. NEVER. Then, there were the endless doctor’s appointments and therapies. Every bit of it geared towards Caleb. Every now and then some kind therapist would include Silas and he was thrilled. But he never asked. Never expected. Never complained. From the beginning, Silas felt responsible for Caleb. Not responsible for his care, but responsible to look after him. He understood that Ryan and I would not always be there. When he was 4 years old he told me not to worry, he would look after Caleb when I couldn’t any longer. As he has gotten older he has never waivered from those attitudes. He has never resented Caleb. I could go on an on about the kind of brother he is to Caleb, but I’ll stop for now.

Silas is the second of our Fabulous 5 by age, but functionally he is absolutely the oldest. He is such a wonderful big brother. He loves them all so much! And they love him so much! They all look up to him. He has such a special relationship with each of them. Silas and Cheyenne are just under 2 years apart. They are goofy together. I mean, wow. The three of us just got back from a night walk. The two of them definitely had a dance competition, a running race and a skipping race. Yeesh. They are nuts. Silas and Collin play together a lot. They are 5 years apart. They both love games. They can wear out some Monopoly Deal. They listen to Christian rap together. They run around outside together. They mountain bike together. Collin always insists that Silas tuck him in along with Ryan and I. Silas and Alexa (6 years apart)…. basically, she just wants him to carry her around or snuggle with her. When he comes home, she is always thrilled to see him. She asks about him when he is not there and wants to know when he will return. She has to be tucked in by “Si-Si” at night as well. They think he is wonderful. I always think it is pretty hilarious when his siblings realize he is “in trouble” for something. They are always so shocked. “Silas made a bad choice? What?” Ryan and I are like, “Yeah. He’s a sinner guys. He needs Jesus too.”

Silas is Ryan made over. They don’t look alike (he looks like his Papa and his Uncle Stretch), but they act so much alike. The older Silas gets, the more alike they are. His humor is very physical like his dad. He says funny, quirky things, but with some dancing thrown in. He is very black and white like his dad. He loves sports and being active like his dad. He LOVES God’s word like his dad. He is so so so protective of me like his dad.

Silas is steadfast. You can count on him. He will almost always put himself last. He will do anything we ask of him…. immediately and without complaining. He looks for ways to help. He thinks to put the shopping cart back, help carry bags, push the cart while I shop, etc.

Silas loves being with his family….even us grown-ups! For his birthday present from Ryan and I this year he wants to hike Mount LeConte and go to dinner…. just the 3 of us. Almost every Thursday he spends the night with his Marmee and Papa and looks forward to it all week. He and Marmee stay up way too late playing games and watching Tim Hawkins on YouTube. He is such a delight to us all.