Kade is Ten!

Our second son has reached the decade mark.  How the time does carry on!  Kade is most likely our most even-keeled child and gives us the least grief surprises:)  He has a very funny sense of humour which makes us laugh.  I know that having a sense of humour generally means that you are funny . . .but with Kade it often catches us off guard b/c it's kind of unexpected . . . and funny. Kade loves Calvin and Hobbes and has lots of the comics tucked away in his head.  He loves joke books and riddles.

Kade is our thinker . . . and you can see him think. He will get this look and you can just see the wheels turning inside his head.   He is not usually a blurter. He usually takes things in a bit slower, takes the time to process them, and then responds.  I think this probably is a large part of what keeps him out of trouble;)

Kade is one of our middle children and according to birth order studies, that makes him a very social person who relies heavily on friendships outside of the family.  True.  He loves his friends and has very special bonds with a few of his closest.  That is pretty special to see and I pray these friendships will last and grow stronger and that these boys may be an encouragement and inspiration to each other for many years.

Kade wrote this little paragraph in March and though it shouldn't have . . . it did kind of catch us off guard. 

Kade has always liked football and tolerated hockey.  But over the winter this has changed!!  Kade now spends almost as much time down in the basement as Kevin does. He has really flourished in hockey which probably made him fall in love with it.  I think he will give Kevin a good run for his money -- and maybe sooner than Kevin thinks!  Kade is doing 3 on 3 this year for the first time and had a game on his birthday.  He had scored once in an earlier game, but on his birthday he got a hat trick!! That was pretty special for him.  We were pretty proud of him too.

Kade will also watch the hockey games now and can often be found reading the "Hockey News".  

Kade enjoys reading . .  . though he doesn't always realize it.  He doesn't always like the idea of reading, but once he gets into a good book, it is hard to distract him.

Kade wanted a rainbow loom for his birthday and it was probably the present that excited him the most.  It kind of made Jonathan and I chuckle, but it kept (and still does) both Kevin and Kade busy for hours.  Well rounded boys I guess?!

Kade is our morning child. . . not a super early riser, but he is the easiest to get out of bed and is often already awake when I come in to get them up.

Kade likes to play hockey with Kevin, likes to tease Kylie (too much!), and likes to squeeze Karter. 

Kade has a fabulous smile and is easily the most photogenic in our family.  We think he's downright handsome:)

Kade doesn't particularly love school, but he loves his friends, and he is doing just fine academically.

I wouldn't describe Kade as neat or tidy.  Though he is not our hugest mess maker, he also has a very hard time remembering to make his bed, put his socks in the hamper, and put his things where they belong. If there is a shortcut, Kade will find it. One of Kade's jobs is to clean/organize the shoes on the mat after supper. It will often look like he's done a fine job . . . until you open the closet and see everything jammed on the top shelf.  

Kade loves swimming, fishing, and water in general.

Kade started piano lessons this year and is doing really well so far. I probably get by far the least amount of complaints from him.  I'm not sure if I would go so far as to say he enjoys it . . but I do think he is proud of what he has learned and enjoys mastering his songs.

Kade still has a great love for screens. If things have been quiet for a while and Kade is no where to be seen, you can guarantee that Kade has nabbed Jonathan's cell phone and has found a quiet place somewhere to play a game or two.

Kade loves music and will pick up lyrics super fast. (except memory work songs!)  I am always amazed by this ability.  

Kade's birthday breakfast - pancakes and Lucky Charms.

We are very thankful for this son of ours. He brings some balance and yet some spice to our family.  It is neat to see how each child brings different flavours to the mix.  Though he has a lot of determination, he also has a soft and tender spirit. He doesn't love controversy. He likes to be cozy.  He likes to create and build. He likes going out to the woods to explore and build forts.  He has grown quite competitive lately. He used to be fairly indifferent about sports. He enjoyed them, but the score really didn't matter. I see him get a little more frustrated at times now . . .though he is still fairly mild compared to Kevin at age 10:)

Kade, we love you SO much.  We love the boy God has created you to be. We love your personality and character.  We pray that God will bless your life and that you will continue to grow in your love for Him. We pray that you will love spending time with God and that the things you do in life will reflect that.  The next decade will be fun . . .but it will probably involve tougher choices. We pray that the foundations that have been laid and are being laid at home, church, and school will be firm and will help you.  We love you buddy.