Happy Birthday to Our Awesome 11 Year-Old

Here we are, August 11th.  Today, Lewie turned 11 (at one o'clock in the afternoon), and I'm left  scratching my head once more, wondering where these precious 365 days went...

Surely, we had lots of fun this year.  Our big ticket item was going to Yellowstone (in June), but we managed to take smaller trips to Battleship Cove, Santa's Village, and the Maritime Center.  We also enjoyed annual traditions like going to Lake Quassy, snow tubing, hiking, and hosting our annual Easter Egg Hunt, to name a few.

As I scan through all this year's pictures, however, I'm reminded of a year that was both silly and charming.  Silly because this boy still loves pineapple memes and Uranus jokes (oh yeah...my husband and Lewie can go on for hours, days, and weeks about Ur-anus).

Charming because Lewie is a love bug.  When he first turned 10, Lewie, like most kids, would give me some resistance when it came to doing homework and chores. Over the past four months, however, his demeanor has changed.  He tells me that he loves me daily and does everything I ask without hesitation.  At times, he even offers to do chores without me asking...Where did this new kid come from?  (When my husband and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on June 11th, Lewie used his time after school to make us an anniversary card!  We couldn't believe he thought to make one for us without anyone prodding him to do it.)

This year has been a year of milestones, too.  First-time events included running a 5-K (back in April), wildlife viewing with binoculars and scopes in Yellowstone (in June) and boat tubing (this July).  He's also shown more interest in new things like "the Running Club," arts and crafts (especially painting and pottery at a place called the Clay Date), and making music.  He will take four-mile, weekend walks with me in nearby towns like Woodbury and Bethany.  (He used to complain about long walks.)  He'll also beg to stay up with us, so he can watch stand-up comedians like Jim Gaffigan and Demetri Martin.  (This boy likes stand-up comedians because he, himself, likes to make other people laugh.)

Yes, spending days with this 10 year-old is pure joy.  Sure, I do miss the days of taking Lewie to the Shore Line Trolley Museum for his birthday, but I do have to say that each new year brings amazing experiences, blessings, and memories.  This year, it was about inviting friends (we had nine boys) to celebrate at our pool.  Who knows what next year will bring?  In Lewie's own words, "You better bet" I love this wild ride called parenthood. 

Lewie and his "besties."

The ice-cream cake Lewie designed...

Some of the boys: Lewie, Ryan, Corey, Hunter, and Tyler.

Here is this year's interview:

Q:  What is your favorite color?
A:  "Orange." (This is the same as last year.)

Q:  What is your favorite book?
A:  "The Humphrey Series." (as in Humphrey the Hamster)

Q:  What is your favorite cartoon?
A:  "The Amazing World of Gumball."

Q:  What is your favorite movie?
A:  "My favorite movie is 'Avenger's End Game.'"

Q:  What is your favorite song?
A:  "'Megalovania' by Toby Fox from the UNDERTALE Soundtrack."  (This is the same from last year.)  However, he has been listening to "Stolen Dance" and "Crab Rave" this year, too.

Q:  What is your favorite board game?
A:  "Probably, Sorry.  Yup, definitely Sorry."

Q:  What is your favorite computer game?
A:  "Holy smokes!  I mean I have a lot....TABS (Totally Accurate Battle Simulator)."  (This is a pretty funny game!)

Q:  What is your favorite place?
A:  "Probably Yellowstone."  (This was a complete surprise!)

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do at school?
A:  "P.E. (Gym)." (This is the same as last year.)

Q:  Who is your favorite teacher?
A:  "To be honest with you...still Miss Drayton, my second grade teacher."

Q:  What is your favorite sport?
A:  "Dodge Ball."

Q:  What is your favorite food?
A:  "French Toast." (This is the same as last year.)

Q:  What is your favorite ice-cream flavor?
A:  "Sweet Cream." (Last year it was birthday cake.)

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy?
A:  "Walking with you."

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A:  "A media producer."

Q:  What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
A:  "Throw the football with him."

Q:  What is your favorite moment as a ten year-old?
A:  "I don't really know.  I've had so many good moments....Making MineCraft mods with Java."  (This is what he learned in computer camp this July.)

Finally, one of my favorite moments from this year is when Lewie came home from his camp at the JCC (the Jewish Community Center) with a special pin; it was awarded to him for being kind to other campers.  He said to me very innocently, "Look Mom.  I won an award, and I'm not even Jewish."

I laughed.  "You're right.  You're not Jewish.  But isn't it nice to know that kindness is universally recognized across all religions?"

I learned that day that he also wants to come back to this camp to be a CIT--Counselor in Training.  Thankfully, he won't be learning how to do that until he's fourteen.  There's still time (which now is my new mantra)...there's still time.