Happy Birthday, John: Double Digits!

Happy tenth birthday to John Francis!

Our son is growing to be a wonderful young man. He is an honest person, a friendly goofball, and a peacemaker soul. John likes serving at the altar (which he does between one and three times weekly), playing sports with his friends, wrestling with his brother, Scottish dancing, and playing Legos, and his favorite subjects are history and science. He is an early bird like his mama, so many a dark mornings we spend talking about some of John's current favorite subjects, such as cars, Airsoft guns, and his ideas for inventions.

Opening gifts in the morning before breakfast

It is a milestone for child and parents to have one's firstborn reach the ten years mark. I am realizing that all these long years, these many days that felt (feel) like they'll never end and for which I don't have the energy to get through, are really just flying by and--poof!--they're gone. It didn't occur to me last year when John turned nine that (theoretically) half our time with him at home was by then gone, but that truth is causing somber meditation for me this year.

Breakfast menu: French toast, sausage, eggs, strawberries

One of the gifts John received was a five booklet instruction course in Spencerian handwriting, so we got out our fountain pens and gave it a try (making photocopies of the practice sheets). It was quite meditative and I was amazed to watch all four children (down to the three year old) silently writing letters for many minutes on end.

Adding the final touches to the homemade rolls

Dinner menu: Italian sausage, fettuccine and homemade Alfredo sauce, sauteed mushrooms, green salad, homemade whole wheat bread rolls

John requested a homemade Oreo cheesecake for dessert, so I read up all about the techniques to make a cheesecake: it's no simple process! I warmed the cream cheese, whipped the batter at length, used my spring-form pan, cooked with a water bath, cooled the cake in the warm oven, and moved it to the refrigerator overnight. The cheesecake was a big success!

Ten years old!

I offer a retrospective of many fond memories covering our first decade of parenting and John's first decade of life!