10 Years Old

The days are long but the years are short. You really understand that once you become a parent but there are certain times when it hits you harder. Like today. Today you are 10 years old. How does 10 years feel like the blink of an eye? I'm not usually super emotional when it comes to milestones but this one is hard for me. You made me a mom. You are my first baby. You are my only boy. And all of the sudden you're half way to 20! If the next 10 years go by as fast as the first...I'm not sure I can handle it!

You have grown so much over the last year. We are so proud of how hard you've worked over your 4th grade year. You are killing it in math. And you have almost all A's...just 2 B's. Watching you become more and more confident about learning makes us so happy. Every year since you've started school, every teacher you've had talks about how you are friends with everyone, how you are always willing to help out around the classroom, and your kind heart. Every. Single. Teacher. It is one of the things we are most proud of.

We have finally found a home for baseball, basketball and football. Amazing teams and family for each sport. Your confidence on the football field exploded in the fall and is continuing to do so in the fall. It is my favorite sport to watch you play. "Mr. Juke Your Pants Off" shows up every game to win and play hard...even if you do get a little emotional on the field, we love that competitive drive. 

Jaris, you are one special kid. We are unbelievably blessed to be your parents. We might not always get it right...we're making it up as we go along! But you've taught us more than you'll ever know over these last 10 years. We strive to be better everyday because of you. We hope you know how proud we are of you. These last 10 years of getting to be your mom and dad have been the best times of our lives. The day you were born, watching you take your first steps, your first little league game, the first day of school, becoming a big brother, and about 100 million moments in between. You will forever be my sweet boy and your dad's sidekick. 

We love you to the moon and back.