I cannot have a teenager, can I? Oh my. I do.

And I couldn’t be happier. But still, how did this happen? How can time go so fast? What is this watery substance streaming from my eyes?

The thought of one day having a teen used to frightened me somewhat. I don’t know what I thought it would be like, but I wish I would have known the truth.

The truth is it is delightful.

I love Garrett’s personality and I love who he is. It is so much fun to be on the receiving end of his wit and humor and I love that he gets me. He continually blesses me with his little acts of kindness, such as sharing his chocolate and picking up my empty coffee cup after church to throw it away before I do, even though I have never asked him to.

I love the relationship he chooses to have with each member of his family.

I love that he is a leader, but he is not arrogant. That he is sensitive, but extremely tough. That he is a warrior for God. And that he lets Cole beat the living daylights out of him.

I love that we are doing fun stuff together like our private Mom/Garrett book club. We are reading the same book and discussing it as we go. Right now we are reading The Shack by William P. Young. Sharing insight and observations concerning the book is such fun and it is definitely enhancing our reading. That’s not something I could have done with that adorable toddler I wanted to never grow up, is it? Sometimes it’s hard on mommy hearts to watch them turn another year older, but I’m telling you, it just gets better.

Having a teenager is not frightening. It’s amazing. Especially with this teenager. Happy birthday, babe. I admire you and love you so much.