HE'S 10!!!!

Tegan turned 10 today! It's hard to believe. I miss the sweet toddler he used to be, but it has been so amazing watching him grow into the young man he is today and I wouldn't trade that. His sense of adventure and adaptability to circumstances are joys. He can remember or make up any detail you might possibly have a question about when recounting an exciting time or retelling a story. He devours books like a wildfire - it is so hard to keep a quality supply within his reach. When having to work at home or in school he may not work the hardest or fastest, but he keeps a good attitude and knows the rewards of getting his work done. His ability to grasp new concepts and memorize facts continues to astound me. He is a big brother who thinks he is always right and can do things better, hence the reason he is starting his 11th year on play-date probation until he can treat his brothers as he treats his friends. Tegan is a quiet, contemplative guy who will chatter on and on about the stories he makes up, but doesn't necessarily want to talk about the tough parts of his young life. He takes it all in though and processes it so someday it will come out. He's an awesome guy, who is a joy to hang out with.

Tegan had a very special day just for him today. First, he requested that all his presents be hidden and found through a treasure hunt. Then he spent all morning assembling Legos and playing a new DS game. We had to take a brief break from the festivities for volleyball class, but that was a great time too. Then we went to what I think was my most favorite birthday party we've thrown so far. It was also the biggest one we've ever had, in terms of guests invited. At Tegan's request, and after months of planning on his part, we had 15 little boys playing Capture the Flag in a huge filbert orchard here in town. Fun was had by all and they were exhausted after almost an hour of play. It also worked out that Tegan brought in the winning flag which was cool. We ended the party with some delicious cheesecake. I love it that the boys love this as much as I do. I had never made cheesecake before, but decided I would for his party because I didn't want to buy one with all the refined sugar in it. I had intended to practice on one before I made the party cake, but alas, no time to do so. My one and only attempt was the official Birthday Cake. Thank goodness it turned out incredible. There was only one tiny slice left to bring home, for Tegan to enjoy tomorrow. The ingredients weren't slimming, but they were all natural and sweetened only with 100% pure maple syrup - oh so good!

We returned home for his requested birthday dinner of bacon cheeseburgers, potato chips and Juice Squeezes. I'm so glad he thinks homemade burgers beat those fast food ones. One of the gifts he asked for and we gave him was permission to watch all three Spiderman movies. We borrowed the movies for the weekend, wrapped them up and now Andy and I are switching off watching each one with him. They just finished the first one and he loved it! He has grown and matured over the past year in so many areas that we think he can handle the content in these movies - we'll see.

What a wonderful day for such a special boy.