Judah's Journey: Judah at 10...and-a-half

Because that "half" is very important when you're 10. So, since Judah is now 10, I think it's appropriate to write out my TOP 10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT JUDAH list.
So here we go:

Top 10 Things I Love About Judah:

1. His smile - Judah's smile is all his own. It's quirky and unique, incredibly endearing, and lights up the room. It comes so easily to him and is so freely shared.

2. His giggle - This kid has the most infectious laugh I have ever heard! Whether he's being tickled, laughing at something in a book or on t.v., or cracking up at Ezra, I can't help but start laughing myself. At times he gets the whole family laughing! Especially when he really gets going and can't stop. Oh my gosh, we've had some of the best family laughter around the dinner table when Judah has had the giggles.

3. His affection - Judah is an affectionate kid. He asks to snuggle regularly. He still loves to sit on my lap. He loves to hold hands. Just the other day he asked Ezra if he wanted to hold hands in the car. And when we drove down to get Charlie, Judah held Grandpa's hand for the full 2nd half of the trip! He's the instigator of "snuggle fests". He recruits as many family members as he can to pile on the couch together. Or he just wriggles his way in between Jared and I or his siblings and declares a "snuggle fest". He still likes to give kisses. He loves snuggling with Ollie. He gives hugs and high fives and loves to put his arms around his brothers or his mama. And he's always telling me he loves me.

4. His love for people - Judah is an incredibly social kid who loves being with people (he definitely has his favorites) and thrives on social interaction. The thing is, people completely adore him, too! He gives affection so freely, doesn't know how to be anything but completely himself, and lights up a place with his enthusiasm - how could the people around him not be impacted by that? I wish that I could engage with people the way that Judah does. He is able to openly and freely adore others and pursue them without fear of rejection or what they might think of him. He has no agenda, and no understanding of certain social "rules" and complexities. He simply is who he is and loves you because you're you. It's funny, because he knows that there are things about himself that are different from other kids, but he doesn't seem to recognize that in other "special needs" kids. He sees people. And he loves people.

5. His enthusiasm - This child LOVES life! And when he loves something. or is excited about something, he approaches it with an enthusiasm and energy that is hard to match. He dances all the time. Doesn't matter where we are or who's around. When the Spirit moves, so does he. Haha! He's got the best moves, too. He will be the president of your fan club and cheer his sweet little heart out for you! Sporting activities of all kinds, siblings and friends, competitions - he's got your back and everyone will know that he's your fan! He gets so "geeked" about the littlest things. Playing basketball outside with Ezra. Lydia babysitting. Riding in Eli's car. Watching a favorite movie. A new book. Cold lunch for school. Grandma and Gramps picking him up from school on Wednesdays. Every Wednesday. Like it's the first time every week. He knows how to get excited about something, and he goes with it. Forget about reserve.

6. His love for reading - No joke. Judah averages 3-4 hrs of reading a day. During the week. More on the weekends. He can't get enough words and information! He doesn't read stories, he reads informational texts. Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Almanacs, Atlases, and textbooks. He devours them! He will sit with an atlas and simply read names of countries and capitals for an hour! He's amazing. BUT, the absolute best part of all that reading? His favorite book, and the vast majority of time he spends reading it: his Bible...s. I think he has 9. And he reads them all. And he retains information from them. He knows the most obscure facts from Scripture! Names, places, happenings, times - it's incredible! I am so in love with the fact that he loves. to. read.

7. His vocabulary - Naturally, a kid who reads 30 hours a week is going to have an impressive vocabulary. It's not just what he says though, but how he says it. He does NOT talk like your typical 10 yr. old. He'll use words and phrasing that a "normal" kid wouldn't, and then deliver them like he's a 40 yr. old dad or something. He's constantly making us and those around him laugh with his choice of words and delivery.

8. His smell - I know that probably sounds weird, but Judah has his own smell, kinda like babies do. I suppose my other kids do, too. Sort of. But Judah's is distinct and very uniquely his. I still love to breather it in when I kiss him while he sleeps. It's really not a sweet smell...and I'm not sure that Jared would even think it's at all a good smell...but I love it. Something about how it speaks to the connection that Judah and I have on a deeper level.

9. His vulnerability - Judah doesn't know how to be "tough" or "macho" or "fake" or anything else but who he is. When he's scared, he acts scared and comes to me like a little boy. When he's hurt, he comes to me with his hurt. When he's mad, well, you know it. He doesn't know how to try to be someone other than who he is. Being vulnerable is a really hard thing in our culture, and it's not something that is generally celebrated. But I celebrate that God created Judah to be vulnerable - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually - because it's beautiful and refreshing and freeing and looks like Jesus.

10. His "imperfections" - Here's the thing. Judah is clearly different. While we are all created to be different and unique from one another, we live in a broken, fallen world, and we see some as more different from others. (I can't wait for the day when I see people perfectly like Jesus does!) Judah has "anomalies" and "deformities" and "delays" and blah blah blah. To this day, I see him as nothing but the most beautiful, precious, extraordinary little person covered with the fingerprints of God. And all of those things that make him stand out a little more from the crowd are the things that endear him to me, that make me want to fight for him harder, and that ultimately point me to Jesus. Judah was knit together by the Creator, planned down to the minutest detail, and is intimately known and loved by Him. God doesn't make mistakes. He makes masterpieces that reflect His goodness and His glory. That's what I see when I look at Judah. An original that God made for His own pleasure.

He knows how to put together an outfit for a special day. This was "Grandfriends Day" at school.

Snuggling. He loves snuggling.

There are always extra snuggles during Fireworks, because we spend so much time at the tent.

GEEKED! Because he got to pick out his own travel-sized deodorant. That he does not use.

Snuggling the new puppy. See what I mean about that smile?

This picture gets me every time. The morning of his 10th birthday. Annual IHOP breakfast with Grandma and Gramps. New Bible. Classic Smile.

He couldn't contain his excitement over the muffins we made. He literally watched them bake and watched the timer count down.

Snuggling. Lately, Ezra has been his favorite "snuggle buddy". And Ezra is always available. Something that's special about him.

Judah loves to conduct experiments in my kitchen that I do not authorize.

One of his favorite places on the planet is the Omaha Children's Museum. We took him to the one in Lincoln for his birthday.

He loves participating in the Cheer Clinic our hs cheerleaders put on every fall. Doesn't matter that he's the only boy. He loves every minute of it. This year they even got pictures taken.