Zeke you are13 years old! You have crossed into teenager and we think you are pretty great! Here's some of what you did over the previous year:
- We celebrated your birthday lunch at Red Robin! An ideal eating establishment for a growing boy -- unlimited fries and drinks!! But you did not want a birthday sundae or to be sung to in public, so we obliged.
- It was fun to set out your baby books, photo albums, and some of your collected items which best represent you, at your family birthday dinner. We ate ribs, green beans, and baked potatoes. You requested your favorite cake: Black Forest and Pop-Pop made cherry ice cream. We watched the Chiefs game while we ate.
- Daddy set up a wonderful becoming-a-man party for you! You went over to the Hollis Center for an evening of encouragement and speaking blessings over you as you turned 13, from some of the most important men in your life. You received manly gifts -- tools, guitar strings, books, etc. to set you up for success in the coming years. And then you, Daddy, Uncle Paul, Pop-Pop, and Uncle Gary all stayed the night! I
- We had a fun special time together at the very end of the year -- we went to Rochester for warm, fun drinks while sitting up high in the train car. And then going to Riley's Guitar Studio to check out amps, guitar straps, and more!
- Each Thanksgiving you get better and better at making our family's favorite cranberry sauce! You've begun cooking dinner on Monday nights (Pasta night!) and it has been such a big help to me. And you seem to really enjoy it too -- both the cooking and the fact that you get to choose your own music :)
- You chose a new costume for Halloween this year -- A Giant T-Rex! It made such an impression everywhere we went: for trunk-or-treating and for Halloween night. I think you really enjoyed standing out. Plus it has an air pump inside that keeps it inflated and that made it more fun for you as well.
- Your love of books could be described with one word: voracious! You have them lined up alongside your bed to read and work through at bedtime. If you have any free time between subjects for school, you are often reading. You mostly prefer manuals of any sort, but you also enjoy graphic novels, comic books, and some chapter books.
- You are definitely growing! You continue to get taller and stronger and you are often asking for seconds and even thirds at meals. But I also find, that when you are full, you stop. I am so curious to see how tall you will be! {We shared these nachos at Ixtapa for our summer 'special time'.}
- You purchased your own cotton candy machine for your summer business. You enjoyed making cotton candy to order to any customers who stopped by! And then we'd often finish up business hours with making extra cotton candy for your siblings and cousin. It was a fun summer project!
- Spring 'special time' at Gusto! Coffee shop. We played games, had good drinks and food, and you built a giant magnetic masterpiece!
BIRTHDAY INTERVIEW! 2/24/2025
What is your favorite color? Blue
... food? Jelly Beans and Cake and Pizza and Ice Cream
... movie? "The Adam Project"
... TV show? "Home Improvement"
... book? all Home Improvement Books :)
... fruit? Apples
... animal? Fish
... instrument? Guitar and Piano
... YouTube channel? Wisp because he does very good Minecraft videos
... video game? Factorio
... band or singer or favorite thing to listen to on Spotify? "Daft Punk because I like their songs and how they do their stuff."
... thing to do every day? "Read a book or a few books."
... thing to learn? "Science."
... about Naomi? "She's my youngest sister and that she gives lots of hugs."
... about Zoë? "That she's a good painter and helps me when I have trouble or need help."
... about Levi? "That he's my youngest and only brother and that he's nice, most of the time."
... about Mommy? "That you are my Mom and you teach us school and you make it fun(er) than public school."
... about Daddy? "That he's been there when I needed him and I can count on him to help me when I need it."
What do you want to be when you grow up? "An engineer or an electrician or a plumber."
What do you like most about homeschooling? "That it is shorter hours and that you make it fun. And we can have breaks more often than public school.
What are you most looking forward to this year as a teenager? "Umm, being able to be called a teenager and that I'm learning to be more mature and like an adult."
Ezekiel Dekker, I am proud of the man you are becoming! You are helpful, funny, patient, and hard-working. You help out your siblings, wash dishes, make dinner, and take out the trash regularly! Your music skills are improving greatly! You took guitar lessons, every other week for a whole year! And you continue to practice and improve on piano. You like coming to church with me early on Sunday mornings and assisting with the lights for the stage. You help your youth pastor set up for middle school on Sunday mornings as well. You snuggle with Naomi and/or let her sit on your lap on school mornings when we are reading together. You completed a MS physics class on Khan Academy in the Fall and are working on a MS biology course now. You are very observant and can assess problems both at home and while working with Dad and his sprinkler business. I can't wait to see all the ways you continue to grow, learn, and accomplish in the year to come! Love, Mom
