Nathan's 10th Birthday

 

Nathan is officially in the double digits!!  And with such a milestone birthday we did it up right with a super fun birthday party.  How nice to be back to a more normal birthday party!  He had his party at Vertex Arena in Redmond which has trampolines, trampoline dodge ball, trampoline basketball, foam pits and a ninja warrior course.  He invited about 10 friends and they all came and had such a blast.  They played for an hour and then we had pizza and cake in the party area. Grampa made a great jumping themed cake.  Such a fun place and it made us so happy that Nate got to fully celebrate since COVID has put a damper on things the past couple of years.  

Here are some characteristics about Nate at 10 years old that we don't want to forget:

• Nathan is still our happy go lucky kid who has such a positive energy. He is a morning person and wakes up ready to take on the day. He is a glass half full person and we so appreciate the brightness he brings to the family. 
• Nathan loves doing Spotify on his Kindle. In the morning he always has upbeat music or an interesting podcast on while he's getting ready.  He's been creating his own playlists and loves such a variety of music. That's been a fun new hobby/interest for him this year...with the helpful influence of his Papa.
• Nathan is very brave. He did baseball this year having never played before. And he wants to try tackle football this fall. I've been the one freaking out about that, but in a very self-aware and mature way he explained to me that he would like to try it out now to see if he likes it before it's intense and kids are bigger. He's helping us to learn to trust our kids' intuition and that they have the ability to navigate their way with our support. He helps us to learn to keep an open mind and make everything a conversation.
• One of my favorite things with Nathan is our talks at night before he goes to bed. He updates me on all the goings on with friends at school, drama between boys and girls, what's popular or trendy, how he's doing in the midst of it all, etc. I know these talks might not always happen as he gets older but I'm so here for it now.
• Nathan is a sports statistics wizard.  He remembers players, standings, wins/loss records, etc. like no one else I know--for so many sports! He loves getting on ESPN to look at stats.  And no matter how poor their records are, he always has the most optimism that the Mariners or the Seahawks will pull it out in the end!
• He currently loves Nintento Switch (Super Smash Bros, Zelda, Pokemon games, and Animal Crossing), Pokemon cards, fidgets (fidget spinners, pop-its, etc.), imagination set up games at home, playing basketball on our hoop outside, and reading.  
• Sports he currently plays include soccer, baseball, skiing, swimming lessons in the summer and he's planning to try tackle football next fall
• His good friends this year are Griffin, Declan, Colin, Cash, Keller, Misha, Jazi, Violet and Teagan.
• Nathan (and Cameron too) are much more helpful around the house now. They both help with weekly chores, help fold laundry, set the table, clean up the table, and make their lunches. They are both great about contributing to the family responsibilities.
• This year Nathan has gotten more into being picky about his clothing.  It's all about certain brands right now--Nike, Under Armor, Champion, Hurley, etc. And the outfit of choice is sweats, hooded sweatshirt, t-shirt and athletic shoes.  
• He's really done well in 4th grade this year.  He has a wonderful, thoughtful teacher named Ms. Weiss.  They have the hard, important conversations about what's going on in the world, what happened in history, etc. He continues to thrive in and love school.
• Nathan has really grown in his empathy towards others.  He is thoughtful, cares about people who are hurting, cares about important issues going on the world, and wants to understand things so he can brainstorm how to make them better or why certain things are the way they are. We appreciate his intentionality and genuine care.

Happiest of birthdays Nathan!  Welcome to your next decade!  Love you so much and we're so grateful to be on this growing up journey with you.  

Yosemite

Back in March I had to special and unique opportunity to meet up with all my Pepperdine girlfriends for a little reunion.  We picked a destination location that's been on my bucket list for a long time....Yosemite!  And miraculously 8 out of the 9 friends made it which I really can't believe since almost all of us are moms and many of us work full time.  It was a magical 4-5 days of beautiful hikes, stories and catching up over homemade meals, drinks at the park hotel, visiting the highlights of the park, and spending true quality time together.  It was as if we were at Pepperdine just yesterday which is when you know you have amazing friends--when you can just pick up where you left off although the conversations are so much richer now because more life experience and learning has happened.  

What a perfect time to visit Yosemite too!  So green, full waterfalls and rivers, and not as busy as I'm sure it is in the summer.  We stayed at a really nice little cabin outside the main part of the park in West Yosemite.  Jaime made us do a photo shoot one night which was so fun and funny I almost peed my pants.  And our dear friend Sarah totally surprised us by coming all the way from Boston when we thought she wasn't going to be able to make it.  

So much soul-filling goodness!  Can't wait for the next reunion!

Haven't had Coffee Bean in soo long!

Tunnel View

Vernal Falls

El Capitan

Hiking to Upper Yosemite Falls

Fun photo shoot

Baseball

Both boys ventured into a new sport this spring....baseball!  Technically Cameron has done it before back when he was about 4 years old he played T-Ball, but hasn't played in a couple years.  And Nathan has never played.  It's been such a fun season watching them learn new skills and meet new friends.  

Nathan's team is AAA and is called the Iron Pigs.  They have a great team--in fact right now they are in 1st place between the two little leagues in the area and they're headed in to playoffs this week!  Nate has really improved on his throwing and catching and his knowledge of the game.  He's a really fast base runner!  He hasn't gotten many hits this season, but he is consistently patient at the plate and gets on base through a lot of walks which is still helpful for points!  He's really enjoyed the season and I think will be back to play it next year!

Cameron is on a Single A team called the Blue Jays.  Cam has also improved on his throwing and his batting.  He's also a really fast base runner!  Cam is all about the full uniform.  He's got the eye black, baseball necklace, belt, etc.  Always looking so stylish on the field!  His team is a mix of skilled players and brand new players so it's been quite entertaining to watch them.  But they have fun and have really positive coaches so that's been great.  I think Cam will be back to play next year too.

Special thanks to both grandparents who have been the best fans and driven out to North Bend pretty much every day to watch baseball games!!