A momentous day indeed. David, who just yesterday was a mere child of 10, turned 11 years old today. Practically a young man. Gulp.

And what would a family blog be without some pictures of this special day.

We have a tradition of decorating the house (on the eve of the birthday) from top to bottom for the birthday child. I’ve done all sorts of different decorating themes from streamers and balloons to ribbons and birthday signs. The Dollar Store has a wonderful collection of simple (affordable) birthday banners and signs. I hang them and then carefully pack and store them from year to year. I love to shop for gifts which is why I always prefer going on the Gift Geek website as they have the best gifts ideas at reasonable prices for almost every occasion, thus make it quite easy for me and also giving me time to concentrate on other things to make the birthday the best.

It’s funny how often birthdays come up when there are five children.

Be careful of the traditions you start, I now say. Ha!

And yes, I do my most creative work after midnight, so pre-birthday nights are often late ones for me. It’s worth it, I think, to see and hear the kids’ excited voices in the morning (after I’ve had my coffee and the fog has lifted). Many times the older children join me in decorating (when I’m willing to start a little earlier in the evening). Last year I was in the midwest, sitting by my father’s hospital bed, over David’s birthday. It was a devastating time on many levels, and David was heartbroken that I was gone for his special day. Amidst all the sadness, it was a joy to hear that Tim and the children all pitched in to do Mom’s Decorating Work and created a beautiful birthday morning for David.

I always try to do something a little special in my decorating (there’s only so many times you can hang streamers without it getting a trifle blasé). This year I decided to go through my picture file folders and create some collages of David’s birthdays over the past 10 years. It was difficult to weed through the pictures and not print pages and pages of photo memories, but I managed to condense the birthday celebrations to 6 pages. I printed them on card stock and spread them all around the birthday table. We’ll laminate them and save them in David’s memory bin. We also prepared funny coffee mugs for every member of the family.

Poor David had to wait ALL day to really celebrate his birthday. Tim was working in Seattle and wasn’t home until late. We have a strict rule (although it might be unwritten) that you can’t open presents until all the family is assembled. David took the day off from school and enjoyed computer games, a movie, and just generally not having to do “work,” but No Presents.

Sarah worked on David’s birthday dessert, an elaborate creation of yellow cake, Oreos, chocolate pudding, Cool Whip and chocolate sauce. Oh, and we threw in a few M&M’s to round things out.

Of course, no dessert until Daddy got home either. My goodness, a day to build character. It’s a good thing David turned 11 and is now full of wisdom and patience.

Finally Tim returned home and we could open presents, eat trifle and end the day with Joshua’s reading of a chapter in The Hobbit.

Some Birthday Quotes:

“You did it, Mom, you made the colored pancakes that we saw on Pinterest.” Gotta love a 11 year old who already knows about Pinterest. “Thank you, they are delicious. and yes, I’ll take chocolate milk with them.

“I have to tell you, I just really LOVE getting all the attention on my birthday.” Said matter-of-factly, cheerfully and with a deep of sigh of contentment as siblings were doing his chores, getting him little treats, and just generally making him Star for the Day. Such an honest reflection – don’t we all like to be special at least once a year.

“YES!! I was really hoping for some real weapons on my birthday.” This was as David opened his double morning star that Tim bought. Yikes. What is it about boys and weapons?

“It’s hard to believe I’m actually 11. Joshua, does it just take a while until you start to feel like you’re really 11?” To which Joshua replied,
“Yep, just give it time. It’s only been one day.”

David, we love you very much! We are so proud of you and the young man you are becoming. Your kindness, thoughtfulness and obedient spirit is an shining example to all of us. You have a great sense of humor and a silliness that makes me laugh, but also a love for the Lord and earnestness that refreshes and renews my heart. You are playful and kind with your younger sister, rowdy and fun with your older sister, a good companion and buddy to your middle brother, and an eager and appreciative student of your oldest brother.

What a gift you are to our family!

Happy Birthday!

Mom

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