henry at ten

Friends, it's official: We've managed to shepherd each of our children into double digits, because today Henry is 10. Can you believe it? We certainly can't.

At 10, our Henry is a walking inquisitor. If there's a topic he's interested in, he asks all the questions he can think of, and then comes up with some follow-up questions for good measure. And believe me, he is interested in a LOT of things. He'll ask about politics, current events, lawn maintenance and gardening, history, the benefits of using a credit card versus a debit card, and of course, video games. He's so eager to learn anything and everything he can get his hands on and wrap his mind around. It's a joy to watch, even if it is a little exhausting to participate in.

Henry is just starting fourth grade, making him one of the elder statesmen in his (k-4) school. He's come so far from the kid who led a warring faction against another group in first grade. Now, for the most part, he's kind and helpful to his fellow students, and he loves nothing better than helping a friend figure out how to solve a particularly challenging problem in math (or any other subject, really). He has the same teacher this year (Mrs. U) he had in first grade too, and she has remarked more than once on how much he's grown (she means figuratively, though he has grown quite literally too).

Henry's favorite things are spending time playing video games and watching YouTube, riding his bike, playing with the dogs, and building Lego Architecture sets. Every flat surface in his room (shelves, bookcases, dressers, his wardrobe) is covered in treasures, including the Lego sets, model cars from Gramps, oversized chess pieces, folded paper stars, and paperweights. You name it. His room is basically a garage sale waiting to happen, and he loves it.

Like any younger brother, Henry spends a lot of his energy trying to keep up with his older brothers. It's frustrating to him that he can't do all the things they do, or have the same freedoms. It's doubly frustrating because Liam and Max's best friends are brothers, but there are only two kids in their family, so Henry feels like the odd man out when the older boys have friends over. Henry hasn't quite reached that stage of having sleepovers and friend parties yet (though he's getting to be about the age Max was when he started), but he's definitely aware enough to feel left out. We're working on it.

As you can see from his green mop of hair, Henry's not afraid to try new things. He's bold and brave and smart, he loves to travel, and he makes us laugh every day. We're so proud to be the parents of this outstanding 10-year-old, and we can't wait to see what his second decade brings.

Happy birthday, Henry!