A Perfect Ten

Dear Max,

I'm so glad you decided to join our family a decade ago! It's been a wild and exciting ride--sometimes terrifying, but mostly a lot of fun! You are such a special person, and it's truly a privilege to know you.

In the last year, I have seen so many changes in you that indicate you are truly becoming a young man. You seem to be maturing before my very eyes, and it is such a neat transformation to watch and be a part of. I see you honing your leadership skills, mastering your emotions, helping and respecting others, showing gratitude, powering through difficulties, making choices to ensure your happiness, and developing skills that serve you now and will continue to serve you in the future. I'm very proud of the young man you are becoming, and I'm thankful I have the opportunity to learn from you every day.

We spent three months this summer traveling through the western U.S. and Canada in our tiny RV, and we had a blast. You had your special platform bed in the front and would make yourself a nice little nest every night. You are such a great traveler and always have plenty of books and activities to entertain yourself. You were very proud of yourself for suggesting two of our stops (The High Desert Museum in Oregon and Old Trail Town in Wyoming), which you learned about in your Spelling book before we left. But, you seemed truly happy with all the places we visited, and you enjoyed every activity along the way. You were tickled that we visited some places that still had snow in the summer, and you loved all the hiking and outdoorsy things we did. You learned how to curl in Park City and got to see your first rodeo in Calgary. And you solidified your love of hot tea at the Celestial Seasons factory in Boulder.

In addition to our summer trip, we also had two other amazing trips this year. One was to Nashville for the total solar eclipse, which was such a spectacular thing to behold. And the other was to Washington D.C. where we saw and did so many interesting things. Your favorite things were Lincoln's Cottage, the Lincoln Memorial, and The Building Museum. The last you stayed at from the time they opened until the time they closed. No doubt you would have stayed longer if you'd have had the opportunity.

Speaking of which, you love to build and are constantly constructing structures out of whatever materials are available, but you are especially obsessed with Legos. You really love building and will happily spend hours creating masterpieces out of the little pieces. That is why we decided to give you tickets to the Legoland Discovery Center for your birthday.

You decided to try baseball in the spring, and you did a great job and had a lot of fun. But by the time fall came around, you were ready to try something new. Inspired by our visit to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado over the summer, you chose a gymnastics class and a tumbling and trampoline class. You have really enjoyed these classes and are clearly becoming stronger and more flexible as you learn to make very controlled movements with your body. You are sticking with the TNT class this semester, but you have traded in the gymnastics class for a Ninja Warrior class, which is a fun new challenge. I never cease to be amazed at your astounding athletic abilities and the overwhelming need you have to move your body. You often do sit-ups and push-ups just for fun, and you have some crazy big muscles for someone your age.

A few days after school started, I tore my ACL after convincing you and Weston to teach me how to ride the Ripstik. I ended up having to have surgery, and the recovery took quite a long time. From the moment I got hurt, you showed the utmost care and concern for me. You hardly let a moment pass without asking me how I was doing or if I needed anything, and you helped out with so many things while I was incapacitated. You have such a kind, compassionate heart. You are also incredibly sweet with Clay and with your younger cousins and, really, any younger kid. You are such a good guy!

You love to learn new things, and you usually take your school work seriously. You love to gather new facts and then share them with the rest of us, and you eagerly embrace new challenges. You are especially excited at the moment to be studying Spanish and feel that it will help you while we are traveling in South America this coming summer. This is your first year to be enrolled in CC's Essentials class, and you are loving it and are doing well.

Some of your favorite foods include pizza, pickles, and pistachios. You are also crazy about sushi, and you are very proud of your chopstick skills. Your love of cooking continues, and you have been perfecting your scrambled eggs this year. It's so cool that you enjoy a wide variety of foods and that you are becoming self-sufficient in the kitchen.

Max, you are such an amazing 10-year-old! You make me proud every day, and you are constantly teaching me important life lessons. You are clever and sweet and full of passion. You have an adventurous spirit and a curious mind. You are a delightful person to know and do life with. I love you more every single day. Happy birthday, and welcome to the double digits!

Love,
Mom