Happy Birthday E13!

How can it be? E has turned 13! Thirteen years ago today we welcomed our first child into the world with lots of anticipating relatives close by. We thought sure he'd be a September 9th baby, but it was not to be. Twenty-one hours of effort ended in my first of four c-sections. On the 10th.

And boy has he grown!

Huge fan...huge gift...much happiness all around today.

 He is all kinds of the adolescent boy one would expect- complete with the noises, jokes, and wildness. Yet, I see flashes. Glimpses of the young man he is becoming. He's in the "space between"- the one where he is young and still clings to some of those boyish favorites and also a fledgling independent- exercising his own tastes and personality (like edgy grunge Christian music for example!). Still needs plenty of guidance but needs us to begin to let him fly- to figure out who he's going to be. So many lessons left to teach...and not as much time left as has gone by. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to homeschool him especially in these older grades.

E13 is a great kid! He's smart, funny, and loves to talk! He is fiercely competitive, loves to play games, read, and listen to music. He's pretty handy with technology and adores his NXT projects and team. He loves his family and amidst the sometimes contentious sibling relationships, he looks out for his younger brothers and sister.

His favorite subject is math. He loves Redwall books and the Inheritance series. Really, really enjoys his writing program One Year Adventure Novel- who knows maybe he'll write something that is amazing! He is a LEGO fanatic and we enjoy his models in as many places as they fit. He's looking forward to his falconry adventure this year and next year we hope I'll be reporting that he's gotten his license!

E13 we are proud of you and we love you!