Ten!

Happy 10th birthday, son!

Our big boy was up at 5am this morning. He managed to wait 15 minutes before waking his sister and opening presents together. 

We stole him out of school at lunch (making sure not to be seen by the little man) and took him to Taco Bell for burritos, on his suggestion. My first taste of Taco Bell in NZ.

We went out to ramen for dinner and came home to cut (jelly hearts) cake.

Our first born. I've been puzzling over this one for awhile, trying to figure him out. He's grown in patience and self control for our youngest ones over the past year. He's the one who is honest to a fault, and the one who strives to do the right thing even when it's hard. He's our truth-seeker, who will say things as he sees them, even though it might not sound pretty. He's also the one who scrutinises the teeny tiny details of my parenting... Looking for loopholes sometimes but mostly in the name of clarity, which is hard for me because I paint in broad strokes and also tend to forget what I've said. 

He keeps us on our toes, makes us laugh and cry, and we're blessed to have him in our family.