Aaron's birthday was last week, the day after Thanksgiving. We knew we would be out of town, so we started the celebration the Sunday before, with good family friends and homemade sushi. Aaron and Lars were the head chefs. It was quite a feast.
We had an Oreo cake. Ten candles!!
It's really difficult to believe that Aaron is ten years old. He is such a wonderful kid and an important part of our family life. He's kind and caring, helpful, understanding, and incredibly reasonable. He can even be enthusiastic when he chooses to be, which is exciting and rare.
He loves to build...
And revels in joining his dad with taking assigned tasks (or games) and twisting them in whatever ways possible, like a few months ago when they gave us paper strips to weave baskets at the art museum...
Aaron doesn't love to pose for photos, but occasionally he will, but not usually seriously, as with here with Great Grandma Person...
We were so happy to be able to spend a lot of the summer in Utah this year. It was tough to watch Grandpa be sick and get sicker, but we relished the moments we were able to hang out. Even on nights when he was so tired he could hardly lift his arms, he was usually up for a game of Up and Down the River when Aaron requested it.
We love our Aaron so much and look forward to many more years of watching him grow. He is such a great big brother and son. Here is his interview from a few weeks ago:
How old are you?
Ten
What grade are you in?
Fourth
Who are your teachers?
Mr. Schanck, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Snyder, Mrs. Dukes, Ms. DeVerges, Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Sullivan
Who's your favorite teacher?
Mr. Schanck.
What's your favorite class and why?
Math because I like it.
What are your favorite foods:
Alaskan wild crab legs sauteed in butter and thyme, sushi, and freshly grilled rare steaks with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes with gravy.
What's your favorite dessert?
Mile high apple pie, with sugar on top.
If you could spend a week anywhere, where would you go and what would you do?
I would go to India and see elephants in the wild, taste a bunch of food, and just learn the general culture.
If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?
Put it in a good bank, and put a little bit in stocks.
If you could be any animal, what would you be?
Human.
What makes you feel happy?
Fishing.
What do you like about being a kid?
I like being a kid because you don't have a job.
What do you not like about being a kid?
You can't have a job.
What would you do for a job if you could have one?
A stock broker.
What job do you want to have when you grow up?
I want to be a marine biologist.
What's a happy memory you have?
Being in North Carolina with Aunt Zeta and catching two catfish and three white bass. We went on a big campout right next to a lake.
What do you like to do for fun?
Go fishing. What else would I do for fun?
What else do you do for fun?
Read.
What are some books you really like?
I like the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, the Olympian series, the King on the Throne series, the Hatchet series...
What do you think you will be doing in ten years from now?
I think I will be finishing my mission. I will be actually.
What would be your ideal allowance and how would you spend it?
Reasonably? $1 if I didn't do anything, $5 if I was extra helpful. I would save it. I would put it in my bank account. I don't know what I would save it for. Just for general use.
Name something you'd like to do with the family on a weekend:
I would like to go on a campout up in the mountains of northeastern Oklahoma.
One word to describe you?
Awesome.
Finish this sentence. I wish there were a law that said...
that there was no homework ever. And that all the kids who can show that they will try to have jobs will have their own personal lawyers and investigators and employers. And only if they want to, kids can be employed.
What advice would you give your little siblings?
Maya: start walking more for general use.
Libbie: Listen a little bit more.
Elliot: Nothing.
Anything else you want to add?
No. This is getting tedious. And excessive.
