Epic.
Ultra.
Ultra-mega.
Super ultra-mega.
Epically super ultra-mega.
These are descriptors that our Jack uses all.the.time.
“Hey, Mom! Come watch me do this epic flip on the trampoline.”
“Hey, Mom! Watch this ultra move.”
“Did you SEE THAT? It was super ULTRA-mega!”
Oh, Jack.
Friends, our Jack has been a source of wild entertainment for 10 years to the day. Today is his ULTRA 10 year birthday, planned to include an epic Nerf battle with friends, ultra-mega flips on the trampoline, and a mega-epic Minecraft cake (made by his loving sister).
Jack is one of those kids who just walks into a room and begins to entertain. I know that’s why people say he’s exactly like Joe (side note: Joe was once accused by a date that he was “excessively charming.” Not a bad quality, but it definitely falls under the “super ultra-mega” category.). Jack is funny, kind, compassionate, caring, creative and a kid rooted firmly in his own identity.
I think that’s one of the most rewarding things about being a parent: seeing your kid figure out and stand firm in who he or she truly is inside.
Jack’s story started out the man among the girls. Blue in a sea of pink. The last baby I thought I would ever have (ha). He was a darling baby: cute and chubby and oh-so-easy. I truly enjoyed his first few months and years because he was doted upon by all. We dressed him up in cowboy costumes, Batman capes, bow ties and tiny pairs of work boots. We giggled as he posed with great gusto in his full Jedi costume and cheered when he would say “set, HIKE!” in his Illini football helmet. He was our little pretender, and his closest sister, Amelia was his partner in crime. She would try to boss him around, and because he was a nice kid, he’d let her. However, he never let anyone put out the spark of creativity, always adding in some more weird and wild story to whatever he was playing.
He’s still that way, and gosh do we love it. His love of all things creative has fueled a new passion for art and drawing. Lego creations are always on the top of the list, but using power tools and driving the Skid Steer to help Joe build fence are new skills. He’s coming into his own as a cattle showman, judging for 4H and showing cows like his siblings. I’ll see him out at the barn with Joe, standing in a similar stance and remember how lucky we are to have this tiny man.
But he’s not going to be tiny for long. Ten is the number he is today. A decade. Two hands. Almost a junior high kid. While I see a boy who is getting taller, wanting more independence, being more ultra-mega, I still see that chubby boy marching around the sidewalk in a Batman cape, pausing only to watch it blow in the wind. And sometimes, that makes me sad, but always, it makes me smile.
Jack, we adore you. We are proud of you and delight in the young man you’re becoming. Even though you giggle in embarrassment when I share your silly Baby Jack stories, I will keep telling them. They have shaped who you are, how kind you are, how creative you are, how EPIC you are becoming.
Turning ten is certainly super-ultra. We celebrate you today and love you always.
Love,
Mom
