Saturday, March 7, 2015

Happy Fifteen Years, Colin!

And just like that, he is 15 years old!  The night before his birthday, I kept telling Ryan about that night 15 years ago.....how we went to our last baby shower, how we were prayed over, how I had this horrendous, sudden pain just as we were leaving the baby shower, how we drove to our home thinking I had a bladder infection, how we called the doctor and they told me to drink water, how we decided to go to the hospital without unloading the first gift from our car, how Ryan said, "I am just going to get your toothbrush and your pillow, just in case"....how they calmly stated that I was in labor and there was no turning back now!  I will never forget the nurse going to all the trouble to make Ryan's bed in the hospital room thinking we would be settling in for the night.  Little did we all know that our Colin would make his grand entrance just four hours later!  
 I had to share with Colin how I stared at him the first day and just could not believe that my dream of being a mother had come true!  I also told him how the nurses called several times from the nursery during our stay to let us know that they would be bringing him to our room - he was being a bit disruptive in the nursery and waking the other babies!  Ha!  It was the beginning of his no need for sleep!
 At fifteen, gifts are secondary to how you celebrate your special day!  Thankfully, the boys worked extra hard to get ahead so we could take a day off from school.  We began with scones - Colin's favorite breakfast treat and then we were off to play racquetball.  
 Though they had read up on how to play the game, there were a few minor glitches in their game.  One being that they lost their ball to the vent.....the vent that is located next to the ceiling:0
 Let's suffice it to say that I just love birthdays....so, I could not let the day go by without having some of Colin's favorite friends over to celebrate with him.  A little Ultimate coupled with Mafia and some cookie cake with ice cream equalled a fabulous afternoon.  
 We said goodbye to everyone and scooted out the door for a special dinner at Garlic Clove, Colin's request!  Our children have grown-up going there to celebrate special days, it's a tradition of sorts.  
 The one thing Colin asked for the entire day was to open his gifts at dinner.  So, gifts at dinner we had!
 Admittedly so, I miss the younger days with our boys and gifts.  Gone are the days of trucks and noisy toys and in are the "I just want money for my mission trip and I need socks" days - eeekkk!!!  Again, I am a birthday person so there has to be a few gifts!  
Fifteen and counting! I love this guy so much!  I remember rocking him when he was just a few weeks old and thinking he would never grow up!  I could wrap my thumb and index finger around his little legs, he was tiny!  And here he is, 15 years later.  
Our first son, first child, aka "the experiment."
This year he continues to homeschool, an adventure we began when he entered into the 4th grade!
He stays busy with basketball, friends, church, school, drums, listening to and creating music, Ultimate,  eating and eating more!  He is a teenager in every sense of the word.  He wants to sleep later, stay up later, eat all the time, and repeat.  He is his mother's child and would likely forget his head if it were not attached to him....he is notorious for forgetting his shoes!  He adores Maryn and tolerates MK and Maddox - his love for them is 100% yet there is no gushing over those two due to their age-appropriate antics.  Maryn, on the other hand, had him at the word hello and he happily obliges when she asks him for a hug and/or a kiss.  It is precious!
He has big dreams that involve fancy cars and even fancier homes.  He would like to be a pharmacist or possibly a computer science guru.  We tell him all the time that law should be a consideration....he debates well and often has valid points.
We cherish the time that we have with this guy!  We are so thankful for him and his humor that brings joy to us daily!