A Decade Ago

10 years ago I became a mom. I was just barely old enough to drink. Not that that mattered to me, I don’t drink. But the point is, I was young.
Looking back, I was too young.
Which begs the question… If I was too young then, wouldn’t that mean I am too young to have a 10 year old now?

Yes

I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m totally clueless.
I’m unfit to be the mother of a 10 year old. 
I call Jefferson my little guinea  pig because he’s my test child.

Luckily, he is the most resilient child with an optimism and positive personality that makes my job easier.
To be honest, he has been the easiest child to raise over the past 10 years.
But he’s not the easiest to photograph, I’ll admit.  

Happy 10th Birthday!
He spent the morning making funny faces and fart noises at my camera while laughing hysterically.
Never a dull moment with this boy!

In fact, if you are ever experiencing a dull moment with Jefferson, he must not be feeling well.
He is a chatterbox, talking non-stop about, well, just about ANYTHING!
You name it, he can talk about it. Today he’s been chatting my ear off about: Greek Mythology, Blacksmithing, Red Coats, Bows/Arrows, Minecraft, Muskets, Legos, Cheesecake, American History, Tree climbing, and Strange Animals.
That’s just today.
I get an earful everyday.
I predict that he will be a contestant on Jeopardy in the future. His mind is an encyclopedia.

And when he’s not reading or talking to me about what he’s learned… he’s on some sort of adventure.
Sawing wood, building a bike ramp, climbing a tree, shooting a gun, creating a fort in the woods, biking around the neighborhood.
And all of these things with his imagination. He’s never just “Jefferson” building a fort, he’s an “Indian” who is being chased by soldiers and hiding in the woods.
And he never just rides his bike… he’s on a challenge to bike around the entire world, from the tallest mountains, to the deepest canyons. 

His enthusiasm for life is addicting.

I asked him some questions for his 10th birthday: 
What is your favorite book? – Hard to say. I like all books. I like books that Battle of the Books have chosen. Gary Paulsen books are good, and I like Brandon Mull’s books too. His Fablehaven books are good. There’s also Harry Potter. 

How does it feel to be 10? – I feel older, bigger, and stronger. I have more responsibility now

What is your favorite thing to do on a Saturday? – I like to play outside. I play wizards, army, survival, Olympics, lots of things

What do you want to be when you grow up? – A police officer or Air Force pilot

Who is your hero? – Man, that’s a hard question. There are a lot of people. I like singers, authors, Dad, prophets. Geez. I would say Dad, because I want to be like him when I grow up.

If you could eat only 1 thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? – Hamburgers

If you could travel back in time, where would you go? – To the Revolutionary War. I would want to sign the Declaration of Independence, I’d just sneak in there and sign it. And then I would want to cross the Delaware River with George Washington and his soldiers.

If you could travel to the future, where would you go? – When I graduate high school, no, when I get married, no, when I have children.

If our house were burning and you could only grab 3 things, what would you take? – A book, a pocket knife, and some clothes.

My ham


He spent his birthday playing outside with Grant and his neighbor friend, Trent.
When Shawn came home he opened gifts and then we went out for dinner. He chose Myabi Jr.
He wanted to see “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” at the theater. Afterwards we came home for cake… cheesecake (his favorite).  

Showing off all his wonderful gifts.


Blowing out his really long candles

I think (or at least hope) he enjoyed his birthday.
He never told us what he wanted for his birthday. He would say, “I trust you guys to get me something I like.” Wow, no pressure or anything. But luckily he is very easy to please and truly likes everything. He looked happy to me.   

I love you, Jefferson. And even though I got mad at you for not giving me 1 single normal smile when I was taking pictures, I adore you. I realized, these are your normal smiles. You could give me something cheesy and fake, but that wouldn’t be you.
You are the fart-noise-making, jittery, jumping boy I captured in these pictures. And I wouldn’t want to capture you any other way.

Thank you for being the best guinea pig. You make every day better than the day before. You’ve been my sidekick for 10 years now, and I’m better because of it.
You are truly amazing. I can’t say it enough. I’m just bursting with pride.