Double digits: Tori is ten!

With Tori’s January birthday, our family holiday season is always extended. The blur of party and excitement has just passed and we can all take a deep breath now. But somehow I can’t quite bring myself to reflect on the bigger picture here, what it means in terms of who is growing up and who is growing old. While I feel sentimental and am constantly pulling out baby photo albums, Tori is taking double digits in stride. Little sister Royce is the only other person walking around the house a little stunned by it all. Royce has said on numerous occasions, “I just can’t believe I have a ten year old sister!” I know exactly how she feels.

This year, defying years of “theme parties” (ah, it seems like just yesterday we were hiding moon rocks for the outer space party or making mummy cupcakes for the Ancient Egypt party), we had a pool party. It was perfect, it was easy and it was fun. We rented out the high school pool and it came equipped with fun props like monkey bars over the water, pedal powered boats, a zip line, and lifeguards! The kids played for a couple of hours with music playing on the sound system. This is the same pool where the kids train during the week. We know the lifeguards well. That pool really is our home away from home and thus a pretty appropriate place to celebrate Tori.

The next day after her party, Tori was back at swim practice. In the past, we have always brought cupcakes to Tori’s class and to Tori’s swim team and her other activities. These days Tori keeps busy with swim, tennis, student council, piano, cello and now drums! That is a lot of activities and a lot of cupcakes. Defying grocery store shortages of cake mix and frosting, we got all the cupcakes made only to find out Tori was lukewarm on delivering the cupcakes. I wondered if she thought bringing treats was too babyish but luckily that was not it at all. In keeping with the growing up theme, Tori recently had an expander put into the top of her mouth. It is a big metal orthodontic device that we have to occasionally crank to eventually widen her palate. All in all, it makes eating anything, even cupcakes, difficult.  That’s our new ten year old; a little more pragmatic but still very sweet.