Hey It's McKay's Birthday, Shout Hooray!

My boy turned 11 today. Hard to believe that he has gone from my almost 10 pound baby to my almost 100 pound 11 year old. Here are some birthday highlights:

McKay had a friend's birthday party last week. McKay was happy because his cousins were in town to help celebrate his birthday. They were able to come to his party.

The giving of presents. Oh McKay was hyper. He was talking about eight octaves higher than his normal voice. Above is Tye "bumping" him on the head.

McKay's friend Colby didn't quite understand our family tradition of "Heavy heavy hang over thy poor head". Instead of bonking him on the head with a his present, he smacked McKay's head with his hand. I don't think McKay was expecting that!

McKay bracing for the next bump on the head given by his friend Jacob.

Here McKay is showing some of his hyperactivity when William bonked him on the head.

McKay's cousin Lachlan taking his turn. The cousins are very aware of the birthday gift giving process at our house.

Marissa giving McKay a whack.

McKay wanted to go Laser Tagging for his birthday party. We played two 15 minute games and had a great time. Josh, Lachlan and Marissa were part of one team.

Jacob, William, Colby, McKay and Samantha were part of another team. (They were part of my team and I must say, we rocked!)

The next day we went to Cowabunga Bay with the cousins and a good friend of ours, Marilyn. She is an amazing cake decorator and brought this soccer cake to celebrate McKay's and Bryan's birthday (Bryan's birthday is just a few days before McKay's).

Finally, the actual day McKay was born arrived. He couldn't wait to go out to eat to his restaurant of choice: Pizza Pie Cafe, an all you can eat pizza place. I have to say, it was quite tasty. When McKay learned of all the different dessert pizzas, he opted not to have a birthday cake. So we put a candle in a cinnamon stick. Here he is blowing out his candle.

More bonking on the head for gift receiving time. Here he is bracing for the whack that Jaxon was going to give him. Jaxon looks determined and McKay looks nervous.

Opening gifts. Nothing is better than spending your birthday with your family.

11 Things We Love About McKay:

1. He is an awesome brother. He has recently taken on more responsibility as a brother. He has tried to learn how to put diapers on Kayden and I have to say, he has surprised me at his skill. Too bad he didn't learn this skill five years ago.
2. He loves building with Legos.
3. His love for playing the Wii and the computer. (This isn't my favorite thing about McKay, but it is something that he loves.)
4. He is a great scouter. He has been very responsible and concerned about earning all of his cub scout awards before he turned 11.
5. He is a collector. He will collect just about anything you let him. His rock collection is so big that it had to be moved from his drawer into the garage. Sorry if any decorative rocks are missing from your yard.
6. Man he is growing fast. He is in a mens size 8 shoe and a size 14 in clothing. Like I said, he weighs nearly 100 pounds. It is all in his height.
7. He loves, loves, loves to read. And I love, love, love discussing books with him.
8. He is a fantastic student. He gets great grades. He tries to get all his homework done as soon as he can. Often I find him doing homework while waiting for carpool after school. That way he has more time for friends and number 3.
9. He is a great friend and he loves hanging out with them.
10. He is one daring boy. He has a sense of adventure and is willing to try just about anything.
11. He calls himself "The Meat King". This kid loves meat. What do you want for dinner? Meatloaf. What do you want for dinner tomorrow? Steak. Can I have three hamburgers for dinner? (No wonder he is growing so fast.)

We love you McKay! Happy Birthday! I am so glad you are my boy. I can't wait to see what you will do and what you will become. We love you!