Teenager in 'da house

We have officially had a teenager in our house since November- I can hardly believe it. Better late than never for some long overdue posts, eh? It feels unreal to have a kid that old.

A sad attempt at an iPod cake.

And I've forgotten how a teenagers needs are fairly simple. Music, books, video games, friends, distance from the family.

We had a fun little family party and then he had a friend sleepover/party with the 'boys' on Friday! And due to the whole 'distance from the family' thing, I regret the fact that I was unable to get pictures of them doing the teenager thing.

This is such a Taylor-type expression. He is such a joy to have in our family. In celebration of his 13th birthday, a list of 13 of the MANY things we love about Taylor.

1. His goofy antics that make him who he is!
2. He is such a wonderful helper to those around him.
3. His tender heart.
4. His hugs! I hope he is always as free with hugs as he has been.
5. He is a great singer! Love to hear him belting out a song when he thinks no one is listening.
6. His trust worthiness.
   
7. He is incredibly smart! You forget how much you don't know until you have a smart teenager.
8. His love for reading.
   
9. He is focused & determined...relentless at times, too!
10. He tries hard to be a great kid in a nasty world. (We'll exclude his sisters in this one.)
11. His persuasiveness.
12. His uniqueness.
13. That we are lucky enough to have him in our family!!!