The Eleven Year Old in Our House

Jake's 11th birthday was so much fun! He spent the afternoon whitewater rafting with Jeremy, and then came home to party with a few friends. They slept in the tent--but not very soundly after Jeremy scared them with creepy animal sounds (hee hee); and Jake's cake of choice this year was mushroom-looking cupcakes. More than anything he wanted a book about mushrooms. Funny boy. He was obsessed with them for a few months. We were pounded with loads of rain over the summer, so every morning he would explore the yard to see what new mushrooms had grown over night.

I feel like he's growing at the same speed. He has suddenly sprouted up into this tall, handsome kid who is on the brink of teenage-hood. Hoping to stretch out this year of childhood as long as we can...