And then he was 11

Last week was one of those weeks where the days seemed to fly without any concept of time. The biggest event was that Angus turned 11. 

Angus is my sweet boy with big brown gentle eyes. He's eager to please, sensitive, and thoughtful. Generally shy until he gets to know someone, then you'll have a best mate for life. He's got a deep sense of justice and fairness and he's steadfast in what he believes. 

10 saw Angus go forward in leaps and bounds. He discovered his sense of self. He had trouble last year with a friendship that turned sour due to a misunderstanding. The child ended up bullying him over a period of months, but despite that, he remained respectful to the kid and quietly but firmly held his ground while refusing to engage in the nastiness. We communicated with the teacher who stepped in when necessary, over time the bullying petered off and a truce was called. The child eventually realized Angus was not the one to start the trouble, but that he was balming Angus for things he had no part in, nor control over. 

Angus's above-board behavior made my mother's heart swell with pride. It gave me a glimpse into the man he is becoming. There is more than one way to be strong. I have faith that Angus will become a man who stands up for what he believes. 

He loves his family fiercely and he is oh so patient with Elsie. Patiently tending to her needs with good cheer. Though he may be a little shy, he is no pushover. 

Like me, he is a total homebody. He likes things to go the way he is expecting them to, we are not keen on surprises. Big crowds and noisy places leave him with a feeling of overwhelm, just as they do me.
For his birthday he wanted to go to the Big Banana at Coffs Harbor. So, we scrimped and saved for weeks in advance and scraped together the money to go. It is not cheap to take a family of 6 anywhere. We were fortunate to have several NSW stimulus vouchers we could utilize. 

We ice-skated, slid down giant slides, played laser tag, and mini-golf. We rode dry land toboggans on a course that twisted through the hillside, and best of all we whooshed down water slides to our hearts' content. It was a wonderful day, one that none of us will forget any time soon. 

Angus requested a multi-layered rainbow marble cake, which we made. The boys were very excited seeing the colourful batter get plopped into the tins which they swirled about. There was nothing spared, It was a full butter, sugar-laden affair. I even used the normal Queens food coloring, ignoring my temptation to grab the natural colours, which I know from experience give disappointingly muddier colours. Angus was very excited, declaring it was the fanciest cake ever. Ha! I love how enthusiastic kids are. I'll take the praise where I can get it, knowing all too soon they will be big and grown. Though I hope they are never too big to get a kick out of a Mama made, rainbow marble cake. 

The boys are going back to school this week, and I am really going to miss them having them about.
I hope this finds you well dear readers. 

Much love, 
Emma
xx