Birthday Boy

Yeah, he's big. Yeah, he's fourteen now! Yeah, his shoe size is almost a fourteen too... It's my big birthday guy. I don't think I can say birthday boy anymore as he's taller than I am (a fact that he likes to emphasize nearly continually). This is the shirt I found for him, it was just so HIM. Combining a love of zombies, with an environmental consciousness, the shirt says "Zombies: 100% Post-Consumer Human. Reduce. Re-use. Re-animate." It's his new fave t-shirt, not surprisingly!

I've got more birthday photos to come, plus some pics of our annual post-birthday camping trip to Waldo Lake. But I've barely had time to sit at the computer, let alone unload the hundreds of photos. Suffice it to say, he had a fun birthday party in the park with friends, and a great few days hiking, kayaking, and hanging out with friends at the lake. He's such an amazing young man, and I'm so lucky to have been his mom for all these years. As you can see, he's got that infectious smile and a sense of humor to match. This year has brought lots of growth and learning, both in classes and in internships. He's always game to help out a friend or a family member, especially when it comes to technology - a field in which (especially in hardware) he is quickly eclipsing my expertise. He loves to talk about subjects both frivolous and serious. This year I have especially loved when we both read the same book and discuss it. He's the kind of person you just generally enjoy being around (except when those teen hormones take over and the werewolf comes out, but I expected that!)

And of course it wouldn't be a birthday post without a gratuitous photo from way back when. So here's my little guy in 2003, seven years or half his life ago. In many ways, so much the same person. In so many ways, completely different. In all ways, a beautiful person that we love very much. Happy Birthday 'Kenzie!