Birthday season at the King household is in full swing right now. Avery celebrated a big milestone, turning double digits last week, and he is the coolest ten-year-old I know. It’s been a big year for him, becoming the oldest of four children, getting a little sister, and earning new privileges and responsibilities. He’s thriving and is such a fun kid – sweet, smart, sensitive, and always has his nose in a book. He enjoys basketball, cub scouts and parkour, tolerates piano lessons, hates craneflies, and wants to be either a sailor, engineer or programmer when he grows up. We love you Avery Liam!

With his big birthday gift, an electronic keyboard. We like the headphones, he likes the sound effects!
  

Grammy and Papa stopped by in the afternoon to celebrate

A fake $100 bill!

Layla on the move

Just like his father he likes Baskin Robbins ice cream cake

Last night as a nine-year-old

Avery turned nine this March. It makes me pretty sentimental because this is half-way to eighteen. Sniff. It doesn’t seem like it’s been very long, but in another nine years, he will be applying to colleges. These really are the tween years. He is still so much a little kid in our eyes, but there are are some pretty significant milestones coming up in the not-too-distant future. Our little boy is growing up fast! I am trying to enjoy the days when his voice is high, he thinks girls have cooties, and he is shorter than me while I still can.

Avery is an awesome nine-year-old, and we feel lucky to be his parents. I’d say he fits into the firstborn stereotype pretty well. He is serious, cooperative, a great student, and seems to really want to please us and live up to our expectations. He talks nearly non-stop at home, and can be quite goofy, but he is very quiet at school and in public. He can be moody at times, and we’ve noticed a bit more sass as the years progress, but overall, he’s a really good kid. He loves to read, and blows through books faster than we can download them. He puts up with piano, although I know most days he would throw in the towel if we let him. He enjoys chess, basketball, and especially parkour. Did I mention he likes video games? He will literally play until he gets sick if we let him.

Avery would like to be an inventor, software engineer or video game developer when he grows up. He’s also mentioned wanting to be a YouTuber who makes Minecraft tutorials (please, no). At this point Mom and Dad wonder if he has a future in dentistry. He’s always had an interest in it, and to date he’s pulled at least four of his own teeth – and that’s my conservative guess. Twice this month he’s woken up with a loose tooth, and then that evening about an hour after we put him to bed, he gleefully bounces down the stairs, “look, I pulled my tooth out!” I can’t believe he does this.

We celebrated Avery’s birthday with a party at Adventure bowl. It’s a small bowling alley that is adjoined with a pizza place that according to Avery, has the best pizza in the whole wide world. He and his friends had a great time together. Happy birthday Avery. We love you!

Hamza, Avery & Michael

I was touched by how considerate Avery was with his time during the party. He wanted to switch aisles periodically so he could bowl with all of his friends, and his brothers too. 

Sebastian & Kieron playing video games

Time for cupcakes  

There was also air hockey and video games

Little boys love taking pics like this

Avery on his last night as an eight-year-old

Kieron and Silas making Avery’s card

Kieron picked out this Minecraft pickaxe for Avery
  

And Silas picked out Clue

Avery is at the age now where this is what he really likes. He enjoys being able to buy things for himself.

Building a Lego Minecraft set he received with Kieron