Evan is 11!
My Evan is growing up on me. He turned 11 on the 4th. Tonight he is on his first ever Boy Scout campout, and this is the first time he's ever been away from me and not been with family. I hugged him and teared up when we were packing his bags.
So I've been thinking about him and wondering how he's doing, and I thought I'd put that energy to good use and write about his birthday a few weeks ago.
When I asked Evan what he wanted on his cake this year, he thought about it for a long time. He didn't want to repeat any he'd had before. When he finally told me he'd made a decision, I didn't expect him to say Trogdor the Burninator. I introduced the kids to Homestarrunner.com awhile back, and he LOVES Strong Bad. He wanted to be Strong Bad for Halloween, actually, but I told him he wouldn't be able to wear a mask at the church Trunk or Treat, so he changed his mind. He walks around singing Strong Bad songs all the time. He knows more about that site than I do, and I'm the one that taught him about it.
Anyway, I laughed at first, but then I thought, dude, that's super easy. It's a crudely drawn picture of a dragon. That's right about my skill level!
Behold, Trogdor the Burninator!
Burninating the Birthday! Burninating the Presents!
Lauren helped me with the sprinkles. Oh, and the 'S' is for "sucks."
Here's the birthday boy with his cake.
I thought his candles were funny. I don't know if anybody else did.
We had his birthday party in Alabama because we were going to be in town that weekend for my niece's bridal shower. He was happy to have it with his cousins. Now that I think about it, he celebrated with his Brown cousins last year in Arkansas. We travel a lot for his birthday, I guess.
Anyway, we invited all the family over and sang happy birthday and had cake and ice cream and PRESENTS!
Here are some of the presents he received from all of us.
A book from Lauren. (That she got from the Shop of Granna right before the party.)
A chess set from us. He made the chess team at school, so we got him a nice wooden chess set to practice.
This crazy sleeping bag from Amy. He sleeps in it every night now. It's so soft.
Helicopter spinners from the Walkers. These spin really high and are pretty cool.
Coloring books from Marion's family and an apple pie, which he ate up delightfully.
Clothes and a yoga ball from Papa and Granna. He asked several times for a yoga ball. Such a funny thing for an 11-year-old to ask for! But he's loved it!
After cake and ice cream, Evan wanted to play "Pin the Muscle Arm on Trogdor." So I whipped up this poster using my MSPaint skills and Voila! Instant fun!
Doesn't he look so tall? Geez, man.
All the kids drew their own muscley arm, and then they had to spin blindfolded the number of years old they were. It was all fun and games until my niece and her friend came over, and they were 15 and 17. Ha! They didn't make it all the way to their age. :D
After the party, Evan got invited by his big boy cousins to go play video games, and he was in heaven. We were going to take him out to eat for his birthday, but when I heard that they offered, I knew we were going to get booted. haha I'm happy they let him hang out. I know he loved it!
It's been surreal watching Evan grow up. He's my first born, so everything that's new for him is new for me, too. Part of me thinks he's still that little chubby cheeked baby I used to snuggle with so long ago. But he's not. He's growing into such a good young man. So full of kindness. So intelligent. So funny! So tall! I love having conversations with him. I love that he tries to make me laugh. And I love to make him laugh. It's fun having an older kid I can joke around with. He's such a good boy, too. He really tries to choose the right. He wants to. I love watching him grow, and even though I miss ole chubby cheeks, I'm grateful that I get the opportunity to experience life with my handsome young man, Evan.
My sweet chubby cheeks baby. I remember loving this picture because he was walking away, and I thought it was a perfect depiction of his personality. Always moving forward. :)
So I've been thinking about him and wondering how he's doing, and I thought I'd put that energy to good use and write about his birthday a few weeks ago.
When I asked Evan what he wanted on his cake this year, he thought about it for a long time. He didn't want to repeat any he'd had before. When he finally told me he'd made a decision, I didn't expect him to say Trogdor the Burninator. I introduced the kids to Homestarrunner.com awhile back, and he LOVES Strong Bad. He wanted to be Strong Bad for Halloween, actually, but I told him he wouldn't be able to wear a mask at the church Trunk or Treat, so he changed his mind. He walks around singing Strong Bad songs all the time. He knows more about that site than I do, and I'm the one that taught him about it.
Anyway, I laughed at first, but then I thought, dude, that's super easy. It's a crudely drawn picture of a dragon. That's right about my skill level!
Behold, Trogdor the Burninator!
Burninating the Birthday! Burninating the Presents!
Lauren helped me with the sprinkles. Oh, and the 'S' is for "sucks."
Here's the birthday boy with his cake.
I thought his candles were funny. I don't know if anybody else did.
We had his birthday party in Alabama because we were going to be in town that weekend for my niece's bridal shower. He was happy to have it with his cousins. Now that I think about it, he celebrated with his Brown cousins last year in Arkansas. We travel a lot for his birthday, I guess.
Anyway, we invited all the family over and sang happy birthday and had cake and ice cream and PRESENTS!
Here are some of the presents he received from all of us.
A book from Lauren. (That she got from the Shop of Granna right before the party.)
A chess set from us. He made the chess team at school, so we got him a nice wooden chess set to practice.
This crazy sleeping bag from Amy. He sleeps in it every night now. It's so soft.
Helicopter spinners from the Walkers. These spin really high and are pretty cool.
Coloring books from Marion's family and an apple pie, which he ate up delightfully.
Clothes and a yoga ball from Papa and Granna. He asked several times for a yoga ball. Such a funny thing for an 11-year-old to ask for! But he's loved it!
After cake and ice cream, Evan wanted to play "Pin the Muscle Arm on Trogdor." So I whipped up this poster using my MSPaint skills and Voila! Instant fun!
Doesn't he look so tall? Geez, man.
All the kids drew their own muscley arm, and then they had to spin blindfolded the number of years old they were. It was all fun and games until my niece and her friend came over, and they were 15 and 17. Ha! They didn't make it all the way to their age. :D
After the party, Evan got invited by his big boy cousins to go play video games, and he was in heaven. We were going to take him out to eat for his birthday, but when I heard that they offered, I knew we were going to get booted. haha I'm happy they let him hang out. I know he loved it!
It's been surreal watching Evan grow up. He's my first born, so everything that's new for him is new for me, too. Part of me thinks he's still that little chubby cheeked baby I used to snuggle with so long ago. But he's not. He's growing into such a good young man. So full of kindness. So intelligent. So funny! So tall! I love having conversations with him. I love that he tries to make me laugh. And I love to make him laugh. It's fun having an older kid I can joke around with. He's such a good boy, too. He really tries to choose the right. He wants to. I love watching him grow, and even though I miss ole chubby cheeks, I'm grateful that I get the opportunity to experience life with my handsome young man, Evan.
My sweet chubby cheeks baby. I remember loving this picture because he was walking away, and I thought it was a perfect depiction of his personality. Always moving forward. :)