A Decade

To my biggest boy Ethan on a very big birthday: 10!

Ten years ago, I started this little blog.  I began writing and posting pictures of you because I wanted all of our friends and family to see just how perfect you were.  You see, your dad and I were pretty sure you were the very best thing that this world had ever seen, and we just couldn't help bragging about you to anyone who would listen.  I wrote about your first bath,

your first smile,

 your first time tasting "real" food,

 your first time on Stonywood dock,

 your first time playing in the snow,

 your first time sledding,

 your first Pats game,

 your first time playing piano (what a boy genius you were!),

 your first time driving a boat,

 and the first time you met your little brother.

And that was all in the first 21 months!

Looking back at these pictures, part of me wishes I could have these ten years back - that I could do it all over again, that I could rewind the clock back to here:

or even here:

Because someday, when you're a parent, you'll appreciate the bittersweet nature of this job - that every accomplishment, every celebration, every giant developmental leap forward, is also a little step away from us.  But here's the thing, kiddo: even if I could get in my magic time machine and travel back to January 2007 and start all over again, I wouldn't do it.  Why?  Because I'd miss YOU!  I'd miss ten year old you - my buddy, my helper, my strong and vivacious boy, my independent young man, my critical thinker and conversationalist, my partner in crime.  I wouldn't trade ten year old you for anything, even the chance to relive what has undoubtedly been the happiest ten years of my life.  

At ten, as at birth, you are perfect.  The difference is, now, I don't have to tell everyone just how perfect you are.  They know you.  They know who that boy who stole his Mom and Dad's hearts ten years ago has become.  You're out there making your own mark, taking charge of your own story, sharing your special self with the world.  So with that, I will say just a few words about my ten-year old Ethan, and then I will sit back quietly and watch as you write the next chapter.

Ethan, at ten, I can best describe you as well-rounded.  In other words, you are pretty darn good at almost everything.  You are athletic but artistic, smart yet curious and approachable, kind but also cool and popular, strong but gentle, and sweeter than honey, laced with a streak of cayenne pepper.  Because of this ability to be all things, you never get old.  You are so lovely to have around, almost all the time.  At ten, you like nothing more than playing outside with whoever will play with you - Dad is probably penultimate, but your brother or Josh are close seconds.  You have become a strong athlete, with an unbelievable arm and your Dad's eye-hand coordination.  You like watching sports almost as much as playing them, particularly your beloved Pats.  You love reading, especially fantasy and realistic/historical fiction and still love to color when you're in the mood.  You're into Legos, architecture, and anything you can build with your hands.  You are a strategic gamer, and are almost always up for a board game or a puzzle.  You've recently discovered Minecraft on your new Kindle, and love playing Wii with friends.  Fourth grade is "okay" and you'd much prefer to stay home, but you've made a good friend, Joseph, who is so much like you.  You still love movie nights, vacations, and spending time with your family, and we cherish the time with you.  You are honest, hard-working, responsible, confident, kind, strong-willed, earnest, and pensive.  You can also be silly and sassy and moody.  You are a worrier, a dreamer, a thinker, a feeler.  You are everything I could have ever hoped you'd become - more than I could have ever dreamed of when I first looked into those dark soulful eyes upon first making each other's acquaintance ten years ago.  Thank you for making me a mama, for giving me this forever job for which I will always be grateful.  I love you to the moon and back and beyond and beyond, forever and ever.  I can't wait to see where the next decade will take you - with you at the helm, I know it will be nothing short of great.

Happy Tenth Birthday Ethan!

Cards and a birthday breakfast parfait.  And a delay (he was hoping for a snow day).

Reading his birthday blog book, containing all ten of his birthday blog posts.  I think this may have been his favorite gift.

So big!

Ethan and a few of his friends at the trampoline park this afternoon.  Exactly what he wanted for his birthday celebration - trampoline park, pizza, cake, and a movie with his closest friends.

Ethan, Age 10 (age 9 responses in parentheses)

Weight: 72 lbs (64 lbs)
Height: 56.5 inches (55 inches)

 
1. What is your favorite color? Dark green, orange, and blue (Green)
2. What is your favorite toy? Kindle (Lightsabers)
3. What is your favorite fruit?  Berries (Orange)
4. What is your favorite TV show? Star Wars Rebels (Star Wars Rebels)
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? "Thermos food" (Bagel and cream cheese)
6. What is your favorite outfit? Anything Pats or Star Wars (Anything Pats or Star Wars)
7. What is your favorite game? Machi Koro (Life)
8. What is your favorite snack? Pretzels (Popcorn)
9. What is your favorite animal? Elephant (Elephant)
10. What is your favorite song? Stressed Out, or anything by 21 Pilots (Dynamite) 
11. What is your favorite book? Spiderwick Chronicles (The Rookie Bookie)
12. Who is your best friend? Josh and Owen and Joseph (Josh and Owen)
13. What is your favorite cereal? Life (Crispy Hexagons) 
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ski (Football)
15. What is your favorite drink? Hot cocoa (Hot cocoa)
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas (Christmas)
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Wince (Wince)
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal (Cranberry toast)
19. What would you like to have for a special birthday dinner? Mac 'n cheese (Mac 'n cheese)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Lego creator (Architect and builder)