Double Digits!

My baby turned 10 this month. MY BABY! All I have heard for weeks is "Double Digits!". Evidently this is a milestone in a child's life...I don't think we had that saying when I was a kid but that was many decades ago....let's not go there...

I worked hard for this child...I was 42 when I got pregnant and yes I was *trying*! I spent a lot of that pregnancy flat on my back to keep from going into early labor...occasionally I got to ride around in a wheel chair. Woo hoo! It was a long 9 months. But....was it ever worth it....this is my joy-filled child. He is always happy and it is infectious...he brings a smile where ever he goes. He is...a delight! And perhaps just a wee bit mischievous.

We had a small family celebration at lunch. This year he actually drew me a sketch of what he wanted on his cake. Cakes somehow got to be a big deal over the years...not sure how that started. Each year I pray over what/how to decorate and each year the Father blesses with inspiration. This year Elijah described his cake this way...."I want a forest of trees, with a path down the middle, and a cardinal in flight over the top of the forest, headed for it's nest, with a big 10 coming out of the nest, and logs all around the bottom of the cake with branches crawling up the side of the cake". Whew...what a request!

The picture isn't great but maybe it will give you an idea....



He picked sparkler candles....I don't know if we have had those before but they don't exactly go out when you blow on them....it takes more of a continual gale force wind.



If you notice...they are re-lighting by themselves. It actually became pretty funny!

My favorite picture of the day was this one,



my boys reading an original G.I.Joe comic book together.

That evening, we had a church group meeting here. So we had to have another little party which meant another cake...believe it or not I didn't hear any complaints from Elijah (or anyone else for that matter!). This time I got to pick...carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and decorated with all of our nicknames for our Doodle...uh...Elijah.



He loved it! I did too - quick and easy...the other cake took quite a while. During that party, I was able to snap this picture of one of Elijah's favorite people (mine too!).



And I'll bet a lot of you read her blog too.

It was a wonderful day...and bittersweet. It seems that they grow so quickly...I know... all mothers have this same lament. I still can hardly believe that we hit "double digits"....in a blink of the eye he will be a teenager.... and then a grown man. I already have one all grown up with two fast behind him. Somehow..this one seems harder...I guess because there are no babies behind him.

Happy Birthday Lijah-do!