
My difficult, complex, complicated (wait...all those mean the same...see what I'm dealing with), and BRILLIANT son - turned ten two weeks ago. I may not be able to carry Truman on my hip but I can still fit him comfortably on my lap. He's still my baby. Babies still call mom "Mommy" at the end of "I love you". They walk around with shoelaces untied. They still cry in your arms. And at night, they kiss you on the lips and want 3 second hugs in which he always counts out loud...1, 2, 3. He's very precise.
In ten years he's still laid-back and chill as ever. Sure, he has a cut-loose side with his friends or a bloodthirsty approach with his siblings but characteristically he's smooth and subtle. Naturally, he wanted a low-key birthday and with my less is more mantra lately I'm totally down with that.
We're usually at Legoland celebrating his birthday but since we were there last month he gave me a few, simple requests for how he wanted to celebrate at home:
The usual request for Pillsbury birthday cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

Portia and I had gone shopping a few days prior for Pokemon cupcake toppers.

No luck so I made my own.

Why stop there?

He opened a few presents then skipped out to summer school.

Off we went to the races! Mash, mash, mash. One banana cake coming right up!

Taste testing.

She lets nothing go to waste.

Cake in the oven, change for swim lessons, and time to make the frosting!

Race across town for pick ups (Yep, I made him go to summer school on his birthday).

Turkey and avocado sandwich lunch. Check.

(My lunch was pretty good too).

Prep sushi rice for dinner...check. And out the door we went to the movies.

The best thing about summer is Truman's birthday and a matinee on a Wednesday. The Secret Life of Pets was cute but slow. I almost fell asleep.
Going full steam ahead to the weekend, the cousins came over for an afternoon splash-bash!

My neighbors think we're the loudest family on the block.

I'm sure of it.

Lots of LOVE on this plate!

For his second cake the birthday boy really wanted an ice cream cake. It was my first time making a brownie ice cream cake. Unlatching that springform pan buckle had me in a panic but it came out super swell!

I love this guy so much even though he drives me nuts - in a sweet and salty sense. He and I, we're total opposites! He's graph paper. I'm craft paper. He's black and white. I'm gray and (bright)pink. He's always on the money. And I'm always uncertain.
Soon he's going to figure out that he knows more than me, that I don't have it all together - that I am normal and HE is exceptional. He'll find out I never understood common core Math (even after him trying to teach me). He'll realize I zoned out every time he talked to me about ultrasonic sensors. I've truly mastered the art of nodding otherwise known as shamming. He doesn't know it yet but he's always been my teacher and I his student.
He is so amazing...and I'm going to leave at that.