Happy Birthday, Ezekiel! You have made it to the double digits! A decade! We can't wait to celebrate you this year and take you on your 10 year old trip, back to the city of your birth -- Ft. Worth, TX! We hope this trip will be a special time to spend with Mommy and Daddy celebrating you.
- You had a great 10th birthday! You asked for a chocolate, strawberry, vanilla cake that looked like a sledding hill (you remembered your 5th birthday cake). So I made chocolate cake, we switched the filling to cherries because you actually love them more, and vanilla frosting with green rice krispie trees and jelly beans (which you are also very into currently). You received a wind turbine to build, the parts needed to complete your Engineering Academy book, a yo-yo, and some cash!
- We went to Red Robin for your birthday lunch. You ordered an adult meal!
- Our gift to you was a new personalized, adventure duffel from LL Bean. We wanted to give you something for you to keep your whole life, but also to celebrate your 10 year old trip coming up in March! You've grown out of the backpack we got for you in 2016 for traveling because you like to bring so many books when you go anywhere! So now you'll have somewhere to bring your clothes :P I have been pleasantly surprised this year as your desire to read has grown profoundly. You have books stacked in your bed to read at night, you bring them with us anytime we travel in the van, you'll occasionally read to Levi at bedtime if you're both interested in the book and can't wait until the next night to find out what happens, and you'll read to the girls for me as well. I love that you have become a reader!
- At Christmas your family gave you great gifts which tap into your strengths-- building, primarily. Here you were assembling your gecko-bot just minutes after opening it! Ha!
- Your gingerbread house creations have improved greatly over the last few years!
- You are getting good at making our family's cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving each year!
- You enjoyed riding the pony at the Family Fun Night with Restore in October! Look how far your legs are hanging down the sides! You are getting so tall! Your guess is that you will be as tall as me by the time you are 11, I am holding out (hoping!) that it doesn't happen until you're 12, but time will tell.
- Our annual Caramel Apple Party. You love piling on the goodies (as do all the kids!) as you "decorate" your apple.
- We had a fun date together in Parkville last Fall. We went mini golfing, got ice cream, and walked down the photo alley. We had an interesting fellow on the hole ahead of us who was having a distressing day: seemed to be jealous of his brother's birthday happening, and asked us if we liked his new shoes.
- Your favorite ice cream: mint chocolate chip!
- You have been interested in golf ever since you were 5. I believe mini golf wins over playing the large game, but I'd like to try with you sometime and see if you enjoy playing 9 holes. You still talk about golf as a hobby you'd like to take up, so we might see if we can get you in a class or two to see if it takes off.
- You enjoy baking! You keep asking me to make experimental recipes and so far I haven't let you. {I'm afraid it seems like a waste to me to potentially not eat it and therefore throw away all the ingredients.} All summer you helped me make cinnamon rolls as part of your bake sale, you can make pudding, cranberry sauce, and jello all by yourself. Sometimes if I'm making a more complicated recipe for dinner I'll give you a whole chunk of it to complete on your own, such as the sauce or some component and it helps me very much. I'm positive you could do more if I gave you time, so that might be a goal I add to this year to allow you to grow in your cooking abilities which I think you'll be fantastic at!
- You loved the beach at San Diego! You had fun boogie boarding, exploring, swimming, building in the sand. Aside from being a bit stubborn and wanting your own way, you complain very little and I know you want to please your family. You don't have a quick temper and rarely retaliate when your siblings hurt you. You have a sensitive heart and are a quiet thinker. You love to investigate and figure out how things work. You love your new work table that Pop-Pop put together for you downstairs so you can work on your trains and other projects and not have to take them back down every day. It's a nice place for you to escape to when the house gets loud and chaotic. I cannot wait to see the way you will grow and change this coming year! I love you very much, Ezekiel!
BIRTHDAY INTERVIEW!
What is your favorite color? Red and blue
... food? Five Guys
... movie? "Sing 2" {we went to see this in theaters in December with the boys together for their birthdays}
... TV show? "Grizzy and the Lemmings"
... book? "How to Live off the Grid"
... fruit? Apple-pears
... animal? Hamsters
... instrument? Electric guitar!
... band or singer or favorite thing to listen to on Spotify? Music from Sing 2
... thing to do every day? Play the gravitrax game {It's a new app on my phone.}
... thing to learn? Science!
... about Naomi? That she always gives me hugs when I'm sad.
... about Zoë? That she shares her toys... sometimes.
... about Levi? That he's my brother and that he's kind of fun to play with.
... about Mommy? She makes our food every day and my birthday cakes.
... about Daddy? That he makes money for us.
What do you want to be when you grow up? An engineer!
What do you like most about homeschooling? That it isn't as long as public school. And that I can see my family all day long!
What are you looking forward to about your trip to TX? I don't know very much about TX, but to be with my Mom and Dad and see where I was born. And all the sites to see! I think this could go on forever! Hee hee!
