Happy Birthday, Matthew

Today is Matthew's 11th birthday.  He was born on our wedding anniversary and is our 11th grandchild and 7th grandson.  It just sounds like a lucky day all around.  Here's Matthew just before Christmas.

A little while ago, I called him to wish him a happy birthday and to conduct a short phone interview with him.  Here's how it went.  (And I'll be inserting pictures that may or may not have anything to do with the subject at hand.)

So you're 11 years old today.  Does that make you a teenager?  No I think starting at 10 you're a preteen and then when you're 13, you're a teenager.

Do you feel older?  No.  It didn't actually feel like a birthday but I've had an awesome day.  I went to my friend Sebastian's house, played outside a lot and we went out to eat.

Do you have any special plans for the rest of your birthday?  We're having cake in a few minutes and tomorrow we're going to a place called Rebounders that has lots of trampolines - like the walls and floors are trampolines.

Do you have any goals or anything special that you're looking forward to in the upcoming year?  Maybe my goal is to try to actually plan my birthday before the day before my birthday   It was like yesterday that I finally figured out what I wanted to do and what I wanted to get.  What did you want to get?  I wanted a basketball and an Ipod Touch but I probably won't get that today.

 Do you like school?  Yeah.  What's you're favorite subject?  Science. Do you like being a big brother?  It has its ups and downs.  I get to do a lot of things with him - like I can actually play with him now but on the downside, I'm closest to his age so he doesn't listen to me.  Like sometimes when I ask him to do things, he'll do the opposite.  But it's pretty good.  He's nice to have around.

How do you like being a little brother?  Being a little brother is fun.  sometimes you get to annoy your older brother but there's a downside there too because he's a lot stronger than me so he can tell me what to do and stuff.  It's pretty good too because he's someone I can play with.  You also have an older sister.  Yeah.  She's fun.  Plus it's also good because my best friend's sister is Katie's best friend.  It's almost like a family thing.

What are your favorite sports to play?  Basketball.  And to watch?  Probably football.  You're a Colts fan right?  Kind of and I like Denver too.  Oh, you're a Peyton Manning fan.  Yeah.

What do you like to do in your free time?  Video games and play outside.  If it's warm, 90% of the time I'll be outside.

What haven't I asked about that might be interesting?  I'm crossing over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts on the 18th.  I got the Arrow of Light which means I can cross over a year earlier and I'm given the rank of Scout.  You're in the Gifted and Talented program in school aren't you?  Yeah.  What does that mean?  It means for Math I learn 6th and 7th grade Math instead of 5th grade.  It's hard. 

That pretty much concluded our interview but I must add a few things about Matthew that are interesting.  He's a bright, sweet, thoughtful boy with a wonderful sense of humor.  And he's athletic, focused and and a lot of fun to be around.   So Matthew, we're hoping your birthday is as awesome as you are!

Oh and I just talked to his Dad and he did get that Ipod touch today!