It's a Big Birthday!! 16 For Justin!!

Sixteen it is!!

This young man is thrilled to have reached this milestone in his life!! We love him tons!!

His birthday day really is not until tomorrow but because his schedule and mine were conflicting each other we took a walk here this morning and got them done. The day is perfect and I love to do pictures of the birthday child when the weather is perfect!

Because it's an extra special birthday mom and dad got in a picture to! We want to celebrate this special birthday with our first born and treasure each day we have with him!!...

We did a big party here for his friends last night! Pizza and wings were brought in and at Justin's request it was brownie sundaes for dessert! Not a thing we consumed here last night was healthy but it was fun to celebrate with this crowd of teens and enjoy foods we don't eat on a regular basis!...:) Not to mention it was so handy!!...:)

Mom & Dad and Allen & Lynn enjoyed the evening with us to.

 Justin got a neat "Justin Case" to keep in his car from my dads. It has jumper cables and all kind of "Just-in case" stuff! It will most likely come in handy once he starts driving! He got a set of speakers from Allen! Oh My! Good thing his room is way down in the basement and mine is way upstairs!...:) They were trying it out last night already and I think it's safe to say they really do work!!...:}

Justin is so much fun at this stage! He loves life and he is full of it! He is happy and loves to 'hangout" with his friends! He is the life of the party and often the one getting laughed at! (he takes after his dad on this one!) He loves his job a lot! He has money saved up for a car and he has enjoyed working to earn it. He is a hard worker and does not mind to grind out the hard stuff. I love how he gets right to something, digs in and works until the job is complete. He love Sasha and I am noticing that he is sneaking her into his bedroom to sleep at night! The old sleeping bag just gets pushed under his bed after he lets her out in the morning! I hope he don't make a wimp out of her!

Yup she came with us for our picture walk!... She is nice but I still mostly hate her!...:}

This 16th birthday step is a bit stretchy for me. I have a hard time falling asleep until Justin is in at night. I love that he textes me and answers my phone calls. I can't imagine how my mom did it back in the day without cell phones but it feels nice to know where he is and what he is doing. This new stage requires me to let go a bit more then any birthday before this! I'm struggling but I see the necessary value in it to so I'm trying to be graceful about the driving permit and more time on the road with friends.

Justin loves his siblings well! He plays with them so often and they love to get rowdy with him! Most times someone comes away hurt and crying but the giggles that take place before that are worth it and they always go back for more!...:)

Justin fits right in here and is independent like the rest of us. My prayer is that we will always be able to connect here in our home! I want his friends to feel accepted and welcome here. We are not sure what Justin will do in Belize all winter but if you ask him he is looking forward to it and he seems to think he will find plenty to do there on the island...:)

Justin eats more then his dad now and he shooting up to his level! He can't wait until he is stronger then him but Dave is still holding his own there...:) I enjoy packing his big lunchbox everyday. It is the same lunchbox that I packed for Dave for years! It's one of those oversize ones! Dave hasn't been using it since he is in the office but Justin now makes good use of it! He is a healthy eater and he recognizes how he feels when he consumes to much junk food. He drinks Kombucha everyday and takes all the supplements I put in his lunch. He is easy, independent and a bundle of fun!! I cannot imagine life without him!!

We love you Justin!! Be patient as we learn along with you what this new stage of life is bringing our way! We feel so clueless and Dad and I will need to learn as we go... Maybe by the time Javon is this age we will have it all down pat!?? ~SIGH~ I forgot every child is different! Oh My!! Oh well, Enjoying the journey is the goal and so far it has been a fun ride!...:)

 

Never stop making us laugh Justin!! You have added so much laughter to our lives!!

 

 

We have his physical scheduled for tomorrow along with passport renewal for all the kids. Tuesday is Drivers permit day and then Cabela's and he hopes to do the driving!! He sure is keeping us busy these days!! Yesterday he saw the dentist to!..:)

These adorable, lovable little nephews of mine made it hard to get anything done yesterday morning! They played super nice with Javon's toys but they were so much fun I just kept joining them!!...

Baby Alan just melts me when he walks around calling out "Aunt Suz!" Thanks Kath for the pleasure of keeping them for you for a few hours yesterday!

I'm off to hangout with my husband for the rest of the day! He got me in one of those "entertaining guest" things again! He has investor friends here from DC and they have never been to Lancaster County. They want to see Amish Country. I'm not sure what we will all do but most likely finish our stops at an Amish Style restaurant somewhere around here. We part ways just before church this evening. We have preordination services this evening. We will voice vote tomorrow morning and then let God do the choosing from there. We have the actual ordination service on tomorrow evening. Thanks for praying for our church at this time as this is a huge step to take. I will post the lot results tomorrow after church so you can specifically pray for the chosen couples. I will then post the outcome on Sunday evening after church.

Enjoy the lovely Saturday that we have been blessed with!!