Joel's a TEENAGER!

Wednesday, Joel turned THIRTEEN!!! Sometimes, he surprises me with great maturity. Usually, he's still a normal kid, though :-) Wednesday, Joel got to pick all the meals for the day (which is probably one of the reasons that I gained a pound this week). Today was the family party. Everyone came over after church for chili, gifts, and brownies with ice cream :-)

Gavin was the gift bringer :-)

Makenzie and Luke made sure to get in the "Happy Birthday" song and candle blowing pictures :-)

After the family party, Joel and I went to the library to take his birthday pictures:



He cooperated with the pictures so that we could get them done. I wanted to find more spots to take a few more pictures, but he just wanted to be finished.

Then this evening, Joel stood next to the polar bear :-) He is FIVE FEET, FOUR INCHES tall!!!
At thirteen, Joel still loves to read (fantasy/science fiction and comics are his favorites -- today at the library, he checked out several Garfield comics), play video games, watch movies (he's really into the old "Muppets" tv shows, which makes me chuckle), playing his trumpet in the jazz band (Glenn Miller is his favorite! One of his favorite birthday gifts was a trumpet mute so that he can try to copy the "Glenn Miller sound."), and spending time with his friends. He runs track and cross country because Jason makes him, does the high jump during track season (or tries to -- he's a little stocky for that event), and wrestles. Just Friday, he placed second in a junior high j.v. wrestling meet. He was VERY excited about that! He's pretty mean to Makenzie and Luke, not any more than I would say is "normal," though. Joel is a VERY good worker, better for other people than for me :-)

Since I have trouble remembering what happened two hours ago, the day Joel was born is a little bit of a blur. I do remember enough, though, to be thankful those days are behind me and to be VERY thankful that God gave me this special gift that we named Joel !