Happy Birthday, Spyder!

Today is Spyder's 10th birthday. ("Mom! It's the most important one EVER! I'm double digits! The only one bigger is TRIPLE DIGITS, and who knows whether I'll make that!")

My sweet son is 10! So hard for me to believe. Anyway, time has been spent readying for the birthday, then celebrating the birthday.

Spyder and Sass decided that Spyder needed a "birthday tree" for his gifts, so we cut a big branch off of the oak tree in the back (one that needed to be trimmed, truthfully). After I cleared it of six-legged hitchhikers, we brought it inside and put it in a vase on the fireplace. Sass made ornaments.

Because I like to tease the children, the only present under it was the one from Julie. Until last night, of course. So I spent quite a while last night wrapping his presents and setting them all out, along with the balloon that Sass chose for him. We bought it last night at the dollar store, and the lady there couldn't believe we were buying a balloon for a boy. Oh, horrors! Since when do boys not like balloons? Honestly. Spyder loves them.

Anyway, in our usual birthday tradition, Spyder had full control of the day. We spent the morning doing science experiments in the yard, anxiously looking up to see if the rain clouds were upon us. We opened presents at lunchtime, when Skeeter could join us. We spent part of the afternoon studying the world map (partly because of the Explorer book from Julie), then playing Super Mario Galaxy. Dinner -- also Spyder's choice -- was at his favorite Chinese place, and afterward we had a big game of Clue.

I think it was a good way to spend a 10th birthday.