The Young and the Restless

Ten

I just love this boy. He continues to be such a thoughtful and funny kid. He always makes me laugh with his latest phases. The plant phase will always be my favorite, but I did also love his exercise phase. He constructed his own barbells using a broom handle with two milk jugs full of water attached at each end. He created a whole exercise chart and called it his "get fit schedule" and was quite dedicated to it. I also loved his "cool" phase. I mean, this kid is already cool but it was cute to see his efforts to up his game. He really wanted Vans shoes for the first day of school. We finally found the exact pair he wanted and he was so excited. When we got home he wrapped the box up and wouldn't let anyone get near his new Vans. If anyone wanted to see them then he put on plastic gloves while he gently took them out of the box. He was nervous to wear them to school and every day when he got home he would take a magic eraser to clean the white rubber around the sole. He also asked for deodorant and hair paste and proudly remarked, "I've reached a whole new level now that I've got Vans, deodorant and hair paste. It's Maddox 4.0". I love that he still has an appreciation for the small things in life. Going through the car wash for the first time was the highlight of his year, along with getting new light bulbs in the kitchen. He seriously got excited every time he turned on the lights because it was so much brighter. I love that about him. He also spent a whole afternoon organizing his closet. He made cardboard dividers and labeled them with things like, "cool clothes" and "not cool clothes". He loves watching the King of Random YouTube channel and is always wanting to try new experiments. Mashed potatoes are still his favorite food and he tries to sneak Dr Pepper whenever he can. He started reading the Michael Vey series after Jayden recommended it and has cruised through every book! He has started doing his own hair and is very particular about "the wave". He still claims to be "the baby whisperer" and all the little kids in the neighborhood love him. Claire is still his number one fan as well. His teacher called the other day to tell me how impressed she was with how sweet he is to his first grade school buddy. He spent the recess going around finding caterpillars with her, and it made my heart nearly burst with love. He still continues to be my mama's boy and will randomly throughout the day tell me how much he loves me. So grateful to have Maddox in our family, it truly is a privilege to be his mom! Happy 10th birthday!