Isaac @ 10 Years Old

This weekend Isaac celebrated his 10th birthday. 10! I, just like every other parent in the world, just can't believe how time marches on so quickly. I get equally anxious and nostalgic when I think that he has spent more years in our home than he has left ("How will I prepare him for life?! Time is moving too quickly!" and "He was just barely a teeny tiny toddler, obsessed with all things Lightning McQueen--how did he get to the double digits?!?")

photos by the talented Becky Payne this past summer at our family reunion in Bear Lake.

Here are a few things I want to remember about Isaac at 10 years old:

• He developed a love for basketball this past year. He played on a league with our local YMCA and at one point early on in the season, he just caught fire. He improved immensely and did a good job keeping up with the other players. It is so satisfying watching your children work hard to become better at something they love. His hard work and dedication to improving his skills was really fun for me to watch. And Ryan loved it even more than I did. 
• He does everything fast----he eats fast, reads fast, brushes his teeth fast, runs fast, and gets his work done---fast. 
• He still eats just about anything, but his favorites are orange chicken, pizza, carrot cake, and pumpkin pie.
• He has mastered the art of teasing his younger siblings and it often drives them (and me) crazy.
• He has a kind heart. When choosing what kind of cake he would have for his birthday, he hesitated settling on carrot cake because he knew his sister doesn't particularly enjoy it and he wanted her to be happy too. I reassured him that I'd buy ice cream as well so she wouldn't miss out on dessert. 
• He is a friend to the underdog. I love this about him and subsequently worry at times too. But I wouldn't change it for anything. The other day I ran into the mother of one of his friends from his previous school. When I mentioned to Isaac that I had seen her at the grocery store, the first question out of his mouth was, "Has he made any other friends yet?" 
• I am harder on this boy of mine than any of our other children (really working on that), but I am so proud of him. And so happy that he is our oldest. Our family is what it is in large part to how Isaac has shaped it.