Zeke Russell is 11 years old!
This sweet boy has been busy. Let's see what he's been up to this last year.
For his birthday last year his siblings got him a hedgehog. He named him quite fittingly Prickles.
For this birthday Zeke wanted to go to Black Bear Diner. He got a big piece of chocolate cake for dessert!
Daddy and I got him a nerf gun and vest that holds darts.
Jack and Zeke had a joint birthday part with friends at Tower Lanes in Tacoma. It was a super fun time filled with bowling, pizza, cupcakes and mini golf.
Kaiden is one of Zeke's friends from public school. They really enjoy hanging out together. In fact Zeke was just at Kaiden's house this last weekend.
This boy finished up 4th grade!
Zeke is actually doing all his work at grade level so he's workload is lighter than the older 3 kiddos that are still trying to catch up a bit. With last being said he still struggles with his attention span so that can make is school days last longer.
Kick off to summer with our camping trip to Ephrata. Milkshakes at DK's are always a must! Zeke and I both love a good Chocolate Malt Milkshake!
The office at the campground had these adorable little golf clubs for kids.
We had lots of fun days at Wild Waves last year and Zeke was my buddy on the bumper cars. He wasn't tall enough to ride them by himself. We had lots of fun trying to hit his siblings cars.
Strawberry picking!
Zeke actually will eat strawberries so that's nice! He's still so picky when it comes to food. Most nights he just chooses to not eat dinner at all.
I tasked these two with the job of cleaning out Penelope and they worked so hard and did a great job. I'm probably going to have them work together and do it again this year.
One of Zeke's KiwiCo Crates was about learning to dye clothes with ice. He got to make two pairs of socks and a hat. It was fun, but messy!
Family bowling day!
Playing Star Realms with the bigger boys!
Daddy made homemade Crème Brule and I think this is Zeke's delicious face! He actually tried it and loved it...shockingly!
Camping at Taidnapam....we love playing Clue.
Zeke thought this sign was hilarious when we were at Mount St Helens. It says "Stay on the path. Plants grow by the inch, but die by the foot."
We also visited the Creation Museum in Castle Rock and they had this cool replica of a fossil.
Once we get the kids official grades for the year we can recycle all their work they did for the year. Here's all of Zeke's work from 4th grade.
Last year was the first year our church went to kids camp. Poor Zeke was the only boy that went from our church. Thankfully their were other church's that were at the camp so he was able to play with other boys.
One time at Wild Waves while we were waiting for the older kids to finish riding the roller-coaster I was able to talk him into going on the train one more time. He's so adorable!
Back to school bash at Red Robin!
5th grade here he comes!
First hike of the school year! Love this little buddy of mine!
Loving on our school mascot!
In actuality Zeke is probably the most indifferent towards Charlie. He doesn't really pay much attention to him at all.
Watch me Mama!!!
Zeke and Ella built a squirrel house at Seaquest State Park. It was so cute and the squirrels actually came down to get the food from it.
Side note: Look at how flexible this kid is!
Zeke and I teamed up at the Corn Maze! I love that he still wants to be with me and sometimes I can even get him to hold my hand!
So proud of his pumpkin that he scooped out the guts of all on his own!
Zeke is cold during school quite frequently so I usually tell him to put on a sweatshirt or a hat. On this day he wore his hat just like Michael's cousin Chase so I had to take a picture and send it to Chase.
King size candy bars for the win!!!
This is the cabinet under our desk in the office. Zeke made a bed under there for himself so he could watch a show on his Kindle. That door to the right is as far as the cabinet goes. Cute little dude!!!
All bundled up at the Living Nativity. Zeke is so funny during the winter time he's been know to wear multiple layers of socks. Then when he gets warmed up he will take all the socks off one foot and the keep the rest on the other foot. He's such a goof!
His finished winter house!
Zeke is as fond of LEGO's as any 10 year old!
He's also super excited about blue sour patch kids!
At the cabin for Christmas he made and ice cave.
One day Jack helped Zeke hide in amongst all the stuffed animals.
Another one of Zeke's KiwiCo crates was this fun Spin Art Machine.
Sitting in the van watching Cars while Daddy and I figured out all the features of the new van. Zeke is still in a booster seat. I think he was 3 inches away from being tall enough. We're crossing our fingers that he'll finally be able to ride every ride at Wild Waves this year.
Look at these 4 kids being sweet! It's like a sighting of a Sasquatch...rare!!!
One of Zeke's Science projects was to make a dinosaur using Paper Mache. Zeke tried to do it on his own and then ended up in tears. I told him to just wait until Daddy got home and they could work on it together. It ended up taking a few days to complete, but it was so fun for them to work together.
And their were no more tears....it was all smiles!
Easter time with family and friends is always so fun!
Zeke is in this phase right now where he doesn't walk around the house he crawls on all fours like a lion or he slides across the floor in his socks.
Zeke and Jack are so creative. They made this comic strip together called Karl & Krazy Kat. They both are great drawers and have such fun imaginations.
Sweet Zeke Man...you are 11 years old!!! For some reason this last year I kept thinking you were already 11 years. I'm not trying to rush time or anything I think it's because you are honestly so easy! You are such a go with the flow kind of kid. You aren't necessarily the kids that's standing out in the front begging for attention, but you are the kid that is content in the background having your own kind of fun. You don't really need other people to entertain you until your siblings are gone and then you have no idea what to do with yourself. It's a weird conundrum!
You are still super small...not even 60lbs yet. We actually got a RX from the doctor for you to get protein drinks. I don't think I've noticed an increase in weight yet, but at least you like them. I know that one day you'll realize that food is good. You are just like Owen was and he's finally come to that conclusion and doesn't gripe so much anymore.
This year I took you to the Pediatric Cardiologist and Pulmonologist again to check out your heart and lungs. We hadn't been since 2020 when they checked out your Pectus for the first time. There were thankfully no concerns. At this time you are still in the camp of not wanting to have surgery and right now it would be strictly cosmetic, but if it ever gets to be an issue with your health we'll have to revisit that. I sure hope it never does!
My sweet baby boy....11 years. Just gone like that! The saying "The days are long, but the years are short" has really been ringing true. Owen is 16 years old, driving and has a job and Zeke you are just 5 short years away from that. It will honestly be here before I know it!
I love you sweet boy. I love that you will still curl up on my lap and let me rock you. You'll still give me kisses which is the sweetest thing ever! You are last babe and I'm so happy that I've gotten to have you home with me. Even though somedays school can drive both of us crazy. I know it will get easier as you get older and more able to manage your time better. I love how inventive and creative you are. You are just like your Daddy in that regard....always making things out of paper and cardboard. You are so smart!!!
Zeke Russell...Mama loves you so much! You are the cherry on top for our family. I am so thankful that God said we needed you, precious boy! I pray that this next year will be awesome for you. I pray that you will grow in everyway....in your knowledge, in your stature, and in your relationships with family, friends and most important God. We love you to pieces and hunks and chunks, but He loves you even more.
Happy Birthday Zeke!
