Eleven!

Zach is 11, which makes both of us feel old.  Perhaps the fact that he is taller than I am and wears size 10 or 11 shoes contributes to this fact.  Either way, Mr. Zach is growing up.

Zach was lucky enough to skip school on his birthday, since parent/teacher conferences were happening this week.  He still started the day early; he woke me up at 6:00 a.m. to see if he could open his birthday presents.  Mean mom that I am, I made him wait until his siblings woke up.  He only had to wait 38 minutes.  It was still dark when the party started.

This year we gave Zach a Ripstik, Boy Scout uniform stuff, and a little mp3 player.  His siblings gave him flat-brim hats, which have kind of become his trademark fashion accessory.   He received cash and gift cards from his grandparents. He was thrilled with all of it.  Later in the morning I took the kids to the Y and Zach and Tyler swam for two hours.  He spent some time mastering the Ripstik. Then his buddy Trace asked him to go to a pumpkin patch in Canon City, and he got home at 10:00 p.m.  He had a great day!

Because of Zach's impromptu field trip, we postponed his birthday dinner, but it didn't disappoint on Saturday.  He requested lasagna and French bread.  His birthday cake [from Costco!] and mint chip ice cream were delicious.  He blew out his candles with gusto.

Zach is growing up to be a fine young man.  He can be sensitive and helpful and cheerful. He is becoming quite responsible about his school work and has been known to go the extra mile a time or two.  His math class at the middle school is going very well.  Zach is starting to babysit a little for the family; if I take Kate with me I can leave him home with the other three kids for an hour at a time. He is also venturing out in the kitchen.  He mostly likes to make breakfast, and can whip up a batch of waffles, French Toast, and "poofy pancakes" when he wants.  I love it.  We are all happy about his growing maturity.

We sure love our firstborn.  Here's to another great year for Zach.