liam at 10

It is really interesting to watch as Liam goes from being a little kid to being a tween, or at least an almost tween. He is moody and rolls his eyes at us A LOT, but he can still be really sweet when the planets are aligned.

 

Today was kind of the best of times and the worst of times for Liam. He got an iPod shuffle for his birthday, and was super excited to put on his headphones and dance around. But then he went to the dentist for a regular checkup, and unexpectedly got two teeth pulled! (We knew the teeth would have to come out because the orthodontist said they were causing his adult teeth to come in at weird angles, but we thought it wouldn't happen until his appointment in two weeks. Whoops.) So he was sore and unhappy for part of the day, but he recovered quickly.

In the afternoon we met up with Erin, Lucy, and Richie at the Taltree Arboretum, and spent a couple of very hot hours exploring the train garden and the children's garden. It was their first visit, so the boys were pretty much tripping over themselves to show Lucy all the wonders of the place. After that, we all went to get noodles for dinner, and then we parted ways with the other Forts and headed back to Hamlet for ice-cream cake at Bethany's house with my parents and siblings. He is for sure a boy who does not lack for people who love him.

 

I have a feeling that 10 is going to be a frustrating age for Liam. He wants so badly to have extra responsibilities (which in his mind means more electronics and possibly contacts), but he's just not ready to take on a lot of them. He is sometimes patient with his little brothers, but more often he is frustrated and brusque because they don't know as much as he knows and they can't process things as quickly as he can. It is hard for him to see that, for example, Henry has the emotional and physical limitations of a four-year-old and can't be held to all of the same standards as Liam. At the same time, Liam himself remains emotionally a little behind his peers at school (because he is one of the youngest kids in his grade), which has really presented some challenges this year. He's working on things, though, and he's excited about starting a new school (we have an intermediate school for grades five and six) in August. He says he wants to join the drama club and that if they had a "fantasy club," he would join that too (whatever that is). 

Liam is still really into video games (I have a feeling that will be a lifelong love) and recently discovered Harry Potter. He got a full set of the books for his birthday (thanks, Barb and Kevin!). He also spent about a week making and perfecting a set of wands for himself and his brothers using tree branches from our yard, then we surprised him with an Elder Wand (Professor Dumbledore's wand from the books/movies) today, so he's been casting spells on anyone/anything within range.

When he grows up, Liam's goal is to live in Delaware (why, we don't really know, but it's been an obsession of his for months now). He says he would like to be an astronaut, but that's out since there's no branch of NASA in Delaware, he will settle for being a chemist at DuPont. I thought we had better document these goals now since they're so specific and detailed. Of course, it'll be a while before we see how it all turns out.

In the meantime, we are happy to let our Liam keep on being a kid, spending his summer reading, riding his bike, playing baseball, and having some interesting adventures. There's time enough later for growing up.