T is Ten (and a birthday interview)

I really wanted T to have a good birthday this year for the same reason that I really wanted James and I to have a good anniversary last year, because a decade of marriage, a decade of life, a decade of anything really seems like such an accomplishment. Sure, other than entering the world of double-digits turning ten is not so different than turning nine, but there is something about turning ten that feels so different and seems to welcome my sentiments. I look back on a decade of shared history and, well, I just sit in it for awhile. Sit and think and remember and reminisce. Time is so beautiful and memories so special and a decade of anything finds me grateful. So grateful.

There's something about my T turning ten though that feels extra, well, extra finite. It's like we are turning the page on his childhood and welcoming adolescence and I'm dizzy trying to wrap my head around it. T's first ten years found him nursing and potty-training, learning to ride a bike and read. We moved a lot, he traveled the world and most importantly he became a big brother again, and again, and again. He was all mine for these first ten years, and I his trusted guide through life. The next ten years will find him in middle school, high school, even college. He'll be learning to drive, learning to date, learning what he wants to do with his life and making big decisions with his own big, beautiful soul. He's still mine and always will be, but this next decade may find him falling for someone, serving a mission, leaving my nest. During his first ten years of life I have been teaching him how to share--toys, books, my attention. During these next ten years I'm going to have to learn how to share something way more valuable. Him.

Oh Talmage Scott, I love you more than you can imagine. You are capable and determined and have a heart that matches your brain in size and I'm proud to be your mom in this decade, the last and all to come. Happy 10th birthday, baby boy. I hope it was everything you hoped it would be!

BIRTHDAY INTERVIEW:

What is your favorite...
Color: Yellow or orange. Mostly yellow, don’t worry. That’s not changing.
Food:  Hm, pizza. Not pepperoni, cheese. Or ice cream, just any flavor of that. Preferably French vanilla.
Game: Ipad, board or card? Your choice. Clash royale, asphalt 8 or gin rummy.
Book: Probably Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus or maybe harry potter. Strange, all these years and I don’t even know.
Toy: Bey blades, my lazer tag or my hot wheels.
Treat: I really like caramel, but I can’t eat that because of my stupid expanders. Ice cream is relaly good too.
Song: Song…well, I don’t really know but lately all the Teen Titans songs have been stuck in my head and also The Lord is my Light has been stuck in my head, I don’t know why.
Thing to learn about: Lately I’ve been liking science a lot. I really liked earth science but lately we’ve been learning about the human body and that’s fun too, like the circulatory system.
Animal: Peregrine Falcon or red tailed hawk. Very specific!
TV show: I haven’t been watching much of it lately, but Pokemon. Sun and Moon preferably.
Thing to wear: My Spaceman pajamas and my CIMI Sweatshirt. Definitely  my CIMI sweatshirt!
Holiday: My birthday or Christmas. Maybe Easter because we usually get to spend it in Utah.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Still haven’t really decided on that but maybe a mechanic. Or an engineer. Or an inventor, something like that.

If someone was being mean to your brother, what would you do? Is it ok if I’m a bit violent with this? I’d get a bunch of grenades, pull out the pin and boom!

Who is your best friend? Lucas, Ayton and Drake.

What is something you want to learn to do this year? I want to get better at my flip-turns, and I really don’t know, I think that’s it!

What is something that you are really good at? I’m good at gin rummy and pogo sticking, and many, many, many other strange things. Like snot rockets, making obnoxious noises.

If you had a million dollars, what would you buy? I would invest in Amazon. And I would buy a bunch of stuff that I don’t need but I just want.

If you were an animal, what would you be?  Maybe not a peregrine falcon because they eat mice. Maybe I’d be a herbivore, like an elephant.

What do you want someone to invent? Something that can make humans fly, like a potion.

If you could have a magic power, what would it be? I would want to fly or have the power to talk to animals.

How many kids do you want to have when you grow up and get married? Two to seven. That sounds like a reasonable number.

What kind of house would you like to live in: an igloo, a tree house, a castle, a cave, or our house? Can I have a combination of castle and tree house? Like a castle hidden in trees in the jungle.

Who is the prettiest girl in the whole world? I don’t like this question. Do I have to answer it? How about you…I’ll just say that.

Where do you want to go on your mission? Somewhere where there’s food that I know about and like. I’ve always wanted to go to Utah because a lot of family lives there. Maybe Hawaii, or Alaska…I’ve always wanted to go there. Maybe England?

What's your favorite scripture story? Well, this one I just heard about. It’s from the bible. You won’t like it. There was this king, and he was like, super fat. And even in the book it says he was a very fat man. And this guy, he hated the king for some reason so he got an 18 inch long knife not including the handle and stabbed the king and then pushed the handle in so he couldn’t pull it out. And he was so fat that it only barely comes out his back. That’s like 2 feet and it’s not out, he’s got to go on a diet.