Another Teenager in the House (and this time of the male variety - K.M.N.)

Today is Brant's 13th Birthday!!

"Now that I'm a teenager, I can talk on the phone AND play wii at the same time!"

My baby boy is a teenager?!?! How did that happen??

Am I old enough to parent TWO teenagers?...

...or maybe the better question is "am I wise and mature enough to parent TWO teenagers?"...

...to which the answer is "mostly likely NOT"

Truthfully, I'm quite glad to have the last several months behind us, and (I think) I'm ready to embrace the years to come. That whole preteen business can be messy at times. Not having any brothers, I had never experienced the male struggle between boyhood and teenagehood. I was also fortunate enough to have missed living with the high, squeaky voice that accompanies this awkward age (watching and listening to Peter Brady's transition a few times was annoying enough for goodness sake). It seems that Brant has almost completely emerged out of that quirky, trying-to-figure-out-who-I-am-in-my-new-skin phase; AND I have accepted the fact that the alien who came down and stole my son has brought him back to me just the way he is supposed to be at this stage in his life - a delightful young man in the making.

I do admit, though, that it wasn't easy to readily accept the fact that my little boy WHO ONCE...

**observed and collected bugs is now using a magnifying glass to burn them in the

hot sun

**loved marine mammals and was a walking encyclopedia of their statistics now

MUCH prefers the wild coasters of Six Flags over a trip to Sea World

**cuddled and loved on his little dog now enjoys shooting "around" him with his airsoft gun

**was too active to take much interest in video games is now a walking video game encyclopedia

*talked in plain English is now using text-messaging-acronyms (things like IDK, IDC, BRB, KMN etc. are all a part of our normal dialogue; notice the "KMN" in my heading - can anyone guess what that might mean???? )

Amidst all of these changes, I am so grateful for the qualities of Brant that have remained unchanged. He continues to be ever-energetic and always on the move. He has always been an extremely hard and competent worker; if given a task, you can be confident he'll carry it out to completion and with perfection. He is organized and loves to clean, which is a HUGE asset to me, especially as our family continues to grow. He is very disciplined, which has made him a great running partner for Max and I. Brant has a quick-wit and is such a fun, lively, and interesting person to be around. He has always been my more affectionate kid, and he still tells me he loves me and gives me big hugs several times a day. He also almost daily thanks me for being his teacher. How sweet is that?!?

Happy Birthday, Brant!

I love you SO much,

and I'm blessed to share life with you!!