Paper Dreams Taking Flight

3 weeks and 4 days ago Warren came home from school with a new interest; no, that word is not strong enough. Maybe fascination, passion or life's purpose is more appropriate. Paper airplanes. We immediately went to the library, where we checked out 3 books on the subject. Truthfully, he didn't do many of the designs in the book, but he loves to look at them, make the same few models over and over again, occasionally try a new one from a book, or make up his own. Watching this process is like watching a step-by-step tutorial on how to develop creativity: start with the basics--the things everyone knows, and do them over and over again. Then when your mind is free from having to think about the basics, the creativity flows. All of these "creations" are taped to Warren's headboard, where, I imagine, he dreams about paper airplanes at night.
He likes them so much that 2. weeks ago, he bought a ream of paper with his money. I saw it tonight, and I think only about 1/3 of it is left. Then when you add in all the paper he uses at school--he has brought home 3 bags FULL this week--you begin to get an idea of how much he loves paper airplanes. His second purchase was a paper airplane book from Amazon.com. I'm grateful that he has something worthwhile to spend his money on--as opposed to the Dollar store. And we are learning about basic principles of flight. And it really is fun to throw paper airplanes, and even more fun to see his face light up as they take flight, a vision in his mind, now soaring through the air.

In other Warren-related news, last week he spontaneously challenged Andy to "race him reading the Book of Mormon." He delightedly commented, "Yeah dad, I am so going to beat you, because I could read at recess, at reading time, at school, at night and you have to work all day!" Well, he has yet to read at school--it's pretty complicated reading for an almost 6.5 year old to do alone and silently--but we read together every night. He reads a verse, and then I read four. He loves that multiplier, and thinks he is getting the best of me when he reads 4 verses and I "have to" read 16. I think I really get the best deal of all: a time each night to practice reading, snuggle close and share my testimony. Another paper dream taking flight.