Eleven Years OLD

Welp, folks.  May 2nd has come and gone again.  Noah's gone and turned 11 years OLD.  Like, old enough that he's run out of fingers to represent his age and old enough that he's too cool to supplement with toes.  I know, because I asked him if he would.  He wouldn't.  As we scrolled through baby pictures of his today, I was struck by how many years have passed.  His baby days feel like another lifetime ago.  My eyes get watery to think how foreign those days are to me now.  It's some kind of amazing ... all these years piling up.

But it's some kind of wonderful to watch them pile on my first-born kiddo who I am so, so proud of year in and year out.  You know, fun fact, he just passed 4000 days old a couple weeks ago.  Apparently Josh has an app that notified him of this.  4000 days! 

Since his birthday landed on a Tuesday this year, we celebrated the weekend before (which felt so wonky to me since that was April still and he is a May b'day, but there ya have it).  He just wanted to invite over our squad of closest friends we've had for years, the Williamses, the Lewises, the Graffs, and the Jeffses.  We saved our family b'day gifts to give him on his actual Tuesday birthday, but let him open two gifts ahead of time that were sort of needed for his shindig with friends that day - a nerf gun and wrist-wrap bullet holders. 

 

 

Then it was time to wait for buddies to cut the cake with.  We picked up some balloons from Dollar Tree to pass the time.

Josh and Anna worked on Noah's cake for this year ... a Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake (per Noah's request) that was delicious, as all things cinnamony are. :)

The backyard was set up with some barricades for Nerf Wars.

And Noah layed out the supplies, eagerly waiting for friends to arrive.  When they did, they pretty much played Nerf guns for three hours straight.  Noah was in heaven.

 

Pizza was scarfed,

Pics were snapped,

Candles were lit, bunny ears were given,

Birthday Boy's happy face melted my heart,

Candles were blown out and presents were opened.  I assured these friends that this wasn't a real party and that presents were not needed, but when you have kind friends like ours, presents get brought anyway.

It was a lovely night with our faves.  We love these friends and are always so glad to be with them.  Double bonus when Noah feels like the special guest at one of our gatherings.  

Then we waited for Tuesday, May 2nd, to come.  Birthday Boy was pretty eager to mark the official day.  Look at that bright smile. 

He was on the edge of his seat waiting to open presents when Daddy got home from work and he also was really, really looking forward to FaceTiming with Tania and Justin.  Normally we'd have presents displayed on the fireplace, but toddler changes that lineup so we shoved them all over the mantle and, you know what?, I sort of loved that!

Every. Single. Gift. was a long-awaited day-maker for our brand new 11 year old.  His birthday hopes were fulfilled with a drone, a watch, more Nerf gear, a back brush (yes, a back brush), and Rogue One.  And because his daddy and I know what all else would really rock his world, he was ecstatic to also receive a new board game, some war-related chapter books, a slack line for the back yard, and a fidget spinner (which was a very last minute gift that ironically has sort of been the best one!).

Normally, I launch into a list of birthday boy details, but I really, really feel like he's too old to be described those ways anymore.  Well, most of those ways.  I am not gonna list his height and weight and such, though my documenting ways really, really want to!!  Instead, I will offer a shorter, sweeter list of things this boy is like these days.

• He's still into Legos, but he's had some new interests.  Obviously, he is back into Nerf. He's into You Tube videos of Nerf play and now wants to create his own video with special effects.  He's also asked about 3D printers, and obviously he is now into drones.  This one he got does photo and video so between that and the YouTube vids for inspiration, I see him getting into a little movie making here soon.  As listed in his birthday survey, he is pretty interested in special effects being added to his videos so he and his Daddy have found an app for that.
• He's just not much of a recreational reader, but if it's about real-life war details and weapons and such, he can be swayed to read for pleasure.
• I picked up his first ever facewash last month.  And he's let me know he would like some deodorant.  But you don't stink yet, I said.  "I don't care," he said.  "I just want it!"  And to be fair, he is very into being clean and getting showers, so it fits his style.  Deodorant, it is!
• This year, he FINALLY outgrew kids meals.  They just don't fill him up anymore.  That was a long time coming! 
• As you already know, he has completed his first round of braces and is rocking the routine with his retainers. 
• He is a great help with Lasa.  But he is also a real problem upsetting her and bugging her.  What to do?!
• He is so on the verge of being a big, big kid ... and then he uses a word like "standed" or "tooken" and I just grin to myself ... before correcting his verb tenses.  He is a great big kid, but he holds onto just enough of the little left in him.  He still calls me Mommy. ❤️
• He may be getting older, but he's not too cool to have a heart of gold.  He spent his own money on a gift for Anna's b'day, all of his own accord.  And when Anna spent HER money on HIS birthday gift, he was so touched at her sacrifice, he offered to pay her that money back so she wouldn't be flat broke again.  And it's not like money comes his way easily or anything. It takes work and time.  So for him to be so selfless with it when it comes, well ... this momma swoons inside.  I also swoon when his teacher texts me well after co-op has let out to tell me what a great kid Noah is how and polite he always is.  
• When Valentine's Day rolled around, Noah made Anna's lunch as a valentine.  How precious is this kid?!!
• This year Josh has gotten regimented and has Noah save 20% of the money he makes (in a car fund), tithe 10%, and get to keep the rest.  I feel like this is a big bummer for a kid, but he rolls with it.  He's also rolling with our thrifty spending ways.  He said to me one time, " I wanna buy [x, y, z] but I want to buy it used so it won't cost as much."  So we are often comparing prices on GTP, Amazon, eBay, and Bargain Hunt before buying whatever thing he has his eye on.
• This fall and winter Noah was in a solid hoodie-wearing phase, with his hood on allll day long.  The kid likes his head wear.  Now that it's spring, he is back with his visor from morning til bedtime.
• On the swings with his sisters not long ago, he said, "I think of Anna and Lasa as friends who get to spend the night all the time."
• He also often drops the hint that he would like for us to adopt a brother for him.
• It's so funny to hear him analyzing all the toddler cartoons that get watched around here these days.  He and Anna both get drawn in and watch them start to finish, even when Lasa has long-since abandoned the show.  He points out that the tails on the Peppa characters are really just cursive e's, he ponders why they don't get muddy when they jump in muddy puddles, why the puddle instantly gets bigger when the parents get in them, and why, oh why,  they fall down when laughing.  He also has gotten good at noticing when the voice for any character is new with a new actor playing the part.
• He had some FUNKY smelling shoes that he needed me to wash.  He asked me if they make deodorant for feet.  This one is all about the hygiene!
• He and Anna love Lasa's naptime every day as much I do.  He said last week after I came back down the stairs after putting her down, "Nap time is when you can do anything you want to. It's like this special time!"  So many things they like to do have to wait til there's no toddler around to interfere.
• When pointing out a mosquito hawk on the porch, he called it a Mosquito King. 
• Have I told y'all about the hair thing?  He is suddenly very much wanting to get his hair in the front to sweep to the left or right on his head like has been the trend in boys' hair for awhile.  It is so telling to me that he cares about this sort of thing now.  Bless his heart, though, his curly hair will not cooperate. 
• Speaking of his hair, goodness gracious he is a tender-headed boy.  He says my brushing and working with his curls hurts every time.  To which I roll my eyes.
• Have I mentioned how good he is at antagonizing/annoying his sisters?  It's making us all grumpy.  It's pretty much the only think he gets jumped on for lately. 
• He stilllllllll lets his toes get so crowded inside his shoes before I realize it and get him bigger shoes.  Also grows really long toenails before he has me cut them. Yes, I am still clipping them for him.  He does not want to have anything to do with clipping them.  I will probably cut him off from that service when he is 12. Ha!  Seriously though. 
• And my favorite descriptor of this season of his life is that we have started testing out leaving him home alone for short spurts of time when needed.  Have done it for up to 45 mins at a time and always while Lasa is napping, so I don't have to wake her up for a quick errand or to drop Anna off at a class.  I would not leave him home alone with Lasa up yet.  But I look forward to the day when I CAN trust him to be the full-on babysitter!
• He's been SO excellent with being careful about foods and peanut risk over the last year.  So excellent.  Not a single slip up.  In fact, at his check up at the allergist this year (whom we haven't seen in two years) his blood test revealed at FIFTY PERCENT drop in his allergen level.  50%!!!  He is still in the severely allergic range, but that sort of drop and in that direction is really, really encouraging.

Noah Brown, you are just such a genuinely pleasing child ... excuse me, PRE-TEEN that is likable in every way.  You impress people, you charm people, you please people, you help people, you comfort people, you just improve the space around you everywhere you go.  I have never not been so proud of the character you possess and the personality you maintain.  You are mild, unassuming, quick to see need and fill it, unselfish, social, oh-so-friendly, overly cautious, sometimes anxious, curious, so so patient, silly and playful, in tune with people's feelings around you, energetic, competitive, always up for new and exciting things, and just as sweet as the come!  I really don't know how we got so lucky to have such a great kid, in all your ages!  We are praying up the days to come as you continue to mature in more ways than one, but in the meantime we are soaking up the last of these big kid days of yours.  You are the best, Noah.  You are a delight.  We are so proud of you.  We like you so much.  We love you to pieces. Celebrating you is easy! 

Happy Birthday, my precious boy,
Mommy