nine was... AWESOME

here we are again, the cusp of another year gone by.
oh my heart, seriously getting choked up thinking tomorrow you will be TEN!
10
T E N !
2 whole hands!
your very first decade!
that's big stuff. huge. (where are my tissues?)

kellen nine was, in a word, AWESOME!
(cue The Lego Movie song, "Everything Is Awesome!", totally appropriate for this birthday and year.)

when i think of you at age nine i want to remember:

• pokemon
• soccer (LOTS of soccer)
• you discovered international 'futbol' and Lionel Messi became your favorite player. Go Barcelona!
• your year of drawing artist trading cards and after-school art club
• you discovered the magic of Harry Potter
• watched some fun "big kid" movies this year: Avengers, The Hobbit, The First Harry Potter movie, and of course loved The Lego Movie, and can't forget Olaf from Frozen
• this was the year you decided to grow your hair long and seems your legs are growing a lot right along with your curls
• still love your stuffed animals, legos, and "purple"
• discovered Minecraft
• can't get enough comic books and love going to any comic book convention you can, plus Free Comic Book Day (becoming a tradition)
• you love pizza, lobster, ice cream, tuna sandwiches, the beach, drawing, reading, walks in the woods, playing with your sister and friends
• had a great 4th grade year with Mr. Porier and your first year of middle school!
• you became pretty good at body surfing this past summer, and tried snowboarding this past winter
• snow tubed for the first time
• dressed up as a mad scientist with big orange hair for Halloween and Harry Potter for school.
• ran in your second 5K, The Color Run with your daddy

you are kind, creative, hard working, sweet, the best brother, best boy I have the privilege of knowing.

kellen, thank you for making my everyday more special just by being you.
i love you so.
happy last day of nine sweet one.
xo,
momma