max at eleven

This year, Max wanted one thing and one thing only for his birthday: a phone of his own. The end is upon us, friends! These kids keep taking steps away from us and into their own bold futures.

So, do you remember when Liam turned eleven and I wrote about how he had abruptly turned the corner into being a moody preteen? Yeah, apparently that wasn't a one-off. Max is right there too. He is so crabby about everything lately! There's no telling what will set him off: a good morning greeting, an attempt at a hug, a raised eyebrow. Wish us luck, people. I'm not sure how we are going to successfully shepherd these three into adulthood.

But behind his moodiness, our Max still shows his sweetness ... sometimes. He LOVES babies, and he's thrilled every single time he gets to spend an hour or a day or an overnight with his younger cousins. His patience with them knows no bounds, and we think he would make an excellent pediatrician, though he tells us he would rather be a teacher. This is, I'm sure, not at all related to his hero Mr. K, who was his teacher last year and continues to host Max and a couple of other boys in his classroom after school on Mondays to do homework and play board games.

This year, Max graduated from elementary to intermediate school, so he has to ride the bus to school in the mornings, an event he dreads each and every day (trust me, I hear every morning how unfair it is). I pick him up in the afternoons, and almost every day he can be found hanging out by a big bush with a group of friends. Our Max is the type of kid who makes friends easily and comfortably. We're not sure how that happened because the same can't be said for either of his parents, but we're so glad. He doesn't really schmooze or glad-hand people; he just has this effortless charm and a willingness to listen to people, and those make all the difference.

Speaking of listening, when all five of us are in the car together going somewhere, and Mike and I get caught up in conversation, thinking the boys are all occupied in back with video games or movies, Max (who sits behind me) is almost always listening to us quietly, all the while giving the impression that he's not. But inevitably, he won't be able to stop himself from asking a question or offering his opinion, and then the truth comes out. I'm sure he learns a lot that way, probably sometimes more than he bargained for. Watch out for him; he's a sneaky one.

I asked Max what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, and he requested all the chocolate. So I made him a chocolate layer cake with chocolate chips and a Hershey bar baked in, frosted with chocolate and with more chocolate chips on top. It made my teeth hurt just looking at it, but he was pretty happy.

Have a wonderful birthday, Max, and may you always be so easily pleased. We love you!