First Birthday of the Year

On Saturday, Caleb turned a whopping 14 years old which simply means that in two short years this kid is going to be driving. That day might feel like it did when he turned 12 and we suddenly had an in-house babysitter that we didn't have to prearrange with or do the pick-up/drive-home routine! A new sense of freedom from all the driving around I (we) do. But until then, we'll stick with being 14 being that I'll honestly be a nervous wreck when he finally does get behind the steering wheel.

This was the year that a party felt strange and maybe too childish, so we stopped pressing him on having one and I came up with the idea of inviting some friends ski with him on his birthday. I was so relieved to see that he was excited with my plan and I understand his reservations about having a party. Caleb has great friends, but not a tight-knit group of buddies he's been friends with for years. In fact, he tends to wander between groups and so the thought of inviting people from different groups just made him feel awkward.

So Saturday morning Jared picked up a few friends from his soccer team. I brought the other boys and we met them at Wintergreen for what will likely be our last ski day now that the temps are in the 60's. The brothers promised to not be "pestery", and they did a great job keeping that promise. But, Caleb's friends were all very interested in the little dudes and engaged them in all sorts of conversation and even a little teasing with Liam about girlfriends. It was a great day and I could tell that Caleb was so happy with how things turned out.

Here are a few things I'd like to remember about you Caleb:

1. You wake yourself up every morning at 6:15 (mom and dad are still in bed) and practice your piano before the rest of us get up for scriptures at 7:00.

2. You are a very happy person. You like your brothers you like me and Dad and I keep waiting for the horror stories of teenage adolescence to start up, but they really haven't. I keep waiting for you to want to spend more time with your friends and less time with us, but you haven't done this either. I'm so grateful that we are your home base in so many respects.

3. You laugh easily with those around you and love to come up with sarcastic phrases or comments that then circulate among the brothers for a month or two before a new phrase comes along. And your sarcasm isn't the mean, cutting kind, it's making fun of funny things.

4. You still love Napoleon Dynamite and quote the movie almost daily.

5. You are an amazing musician. Your first love is the drums and you were over the moon to get 4 new Zildjian cymbals for your birthday. Your second love is the piano and now that we have the Steinway, I hear you taking your playing up to a whole new level. And finally you enjoy the cello and you are currently the 2nd chair cellist in the Evan's Orchestra. Frankly, it's amazing that you keep all these balls in the air.

6. You shave about once a week. I know it's embarrassing to talk about, but it's a fact and like Gavin said in his birthday card: "Woweee, when you turn 14, you sure grow a lot of peach fuzz....."! And Caleb, you always take it in stride, never letting their comments get under your skin!

7. You really like to play, like shoot hoops, throw the football, kick the  soccer ball around, jump on the tramp kind of play. Physically and emotionally you need something active when you get home from school and after you've had your giant bowl of cereal, usually Rice Krispies with no sugar sprinkled on top, you are out the door.

8. Speaking of Rice Krispies, they are one of your all-time favorite foods in addition to white sticky rice with anything Asian on top, ebelskivers that you make most Saturdays during the off-season of soccer or when we don't have 9:00am church, popcorn, waffles with syrup and whipped cream, kale, cooked cabbage, and most veggies except salad...I cannot get you to eat a salad for anything! You also like most fruits except strawberries which you say make your stomach feel weird. You have lost your taste for hamburger and most beef and prefer either chicken, fish, or soy products like tofu or texturized vegetable protein. You drink milk to quench your thirst despite my disapproval. Water, water, water :). Oh, and gum. I'm not sure you can go a day without it, sort of like your mother!

9. You love to read and just finished up and engaging series titled: Beyonders by Brandon Mull that kept you off your iPad for several days!

10.You are pushing yourself in soccer with this travel team and hoping to earn a spot on the Western High School team.

11. You have a group of friends you eat lunch with. You have a group of friends you hang out with in your two band classes: jazz and symphonic. You have a group of friends from orchestra. You have a group of friends from church. You have soccer buddies. But most of these friends do not intersect with each other except a few people who cross between lunch/church or orchestra/church/band, but all of them think you are great!

12. You are one of my favorite people to be with and I know Dad feels the same way. We are pretty lucky to be the parents of such a kid! Happy 14th Birthday!

You love Maruchen Ramen noodles which I refuse to buy because of the crazy amounts of junk in them. But at the book fair for Jonah and Gavin we found this recipe book and couldn't resist. Then I found the organic noodles with just a few ingredients and bought you a case. You were thrilled!!

Do you see that crazy scar on your elbow? Yes, it will likely be there when you are 65 years old only it will be all wrinkled and loose. DO NOT PICK YOUR SCABS CHILD!

Checking out the new Zildjian cymbals: