9th Birthday Celebration

This kid was so patient in waiting for his birthday celebration!  It was not easy to find a 2 day window to get away during the fall.  We found one early in the semester, but Noelle ended up sick.  By the time we could find another slot, we were well into October... and Isaiah was well on his way to 10!  

We left for Houston shortly after church on Sunday and arrived to a birthday meal at Cheesecake factory and giant pieces of chocolate cake and cheesecake to go.  The kids were so excited to swim at the hotel, but Isaiah had been coughing for weeks and the water was chilly, so it was a quick swim before bed.  The next morning was lovely.  We had a few hours to spend before the Space Center opened, so we stopped by La Madeleine for some pastries and took them to a great series of parks right along the water's edge.  We were the ONLY people there on this lovely morning and it was delightful - the almond croissants, the coffee, the happy kids bounding through the park and showing off their tricks, the pelicans diving for fish, the quiet peace.  Lovely.  

Eventually 10:00 finally rolled around and we were ready for the long-awaited day at the Space Center.  Isaiah loved every minute of it, which meant the rest of us loved it, too.  I think he was really inspired to see that he could be involved with space exploration from the ground.  It takes a lot of people to make space exploration happen, and he was certainly inspired! 

My favorite part was the control center - as in THE real control center that sent people to the moon among many other missions.  It was amazing to consider the emotion of that place and to recognize how incredible the feat really was to get people on the moon... before calculators!  Incredible.  I might have cried.

The Saturn 5 exhibit was Isaiah's favorite.  Pretty incredible to see - knowing it had made many trips into space! 

The slide may have been the girls' favorite part... 

   What joy to celebrate Isaiah.  He continues to bring incredible delight to our family as he grows in wisdom, knowledge, compassion, and humor!  These days, he is eager to read anything and everything - especially if he can share the experience with one of us.  He could spend all day playing Minecraft (especially if he can do it with someone).  His favorite past times these days are legos, origami, drawing, watching football, playing football (we often "run plays" in the backyard on school breaks), playing basketball, and playing games (especially Seven Wonders).  He is building up his repitoire of jokes, riddles, and tricks.  He's strong, gentle, and always inquisitive.  He has a great time with buddies - William, Jaden, Jack, Kason, Josiah, and Micah - but he is also a good sport when his playmates are younger or a handful of girls.  We loved celebrating him in Houston and are thrilled to have him as our big 9 year old!!