Birthday Kid!

This past week we had a celebration!  Our kid turned 17...one year until he is considered an adult!!!!

  The big seventeen has sneaked into our home when we weren't looking!  How did it happen?  Really?  I remember my sister-in-law Chrys saying just wait till they turn 12-it's pretty much over before you know it. Well I felt like up until 12 went fast but she's right from 12 till now has gone even faster.  

Our boy!

Easy going

lover of reading

lawn mower
rule follower

Fun

well-rounded

sports crazed

life scout

healthy eating

seminary attender

class officer

sleepy

straight A's

hungry

sacrament blesser

our family weed eater

oldest

Beta Club member

example to my youngers

shrimp lover

texter

work-outer

math whiz

selfless

motivator

friend inviter over

ihop craver

thank yous for everything

wrestler

personal family left over food disposal

money saver

guitar picker

thinks he's a Dougy dancer

girl looker

good driver

Jrob "I did it" completer

omelet eater

prayer

This kid is amazing. He motivates me.   I am so honored and blessed to be his mom!

This past year many good things have happened for Blake. It is wonderful to see his hard work and dedication pay off.

My favorite story from him is about his summer camp.

He and his brother attended an intensive camp for wrestlers in Iowa.  It is much like a military camp. I wasn't really sold on the idea when he first asked to go.   I was pretty sure my kid was so good without with it.  After I watched the video and he told me how much he wanted to go I was sold when I learned about how this camp wasn't  really a "wrestlers" camp as much as LIFE skills were taught there even relaxation skills.

Steve and I are strong boyscout parents. We love scouts. Clearly since Steve has been a scout master for 5 years....we believe that boy scouts teach life long skills.  We hope that both our boys earn their Eagle...but we think this is their decision to make. We've never really pushed and hopefully they will want it as much as we hope it for them.  We want them to want it so much that they earn it on their own and we will help them in whatever ways they need us.  

 HOWEVER, we believe that sports teach those same hard working life skills as well. I really, really  struggled with the decision to let him go to this camp. In the camp description it says to be prepared for them to want to come home early!  He really wanted to go but I had a hard time helping him pay for torture! (that's how I saw it).  While they were there I was pretty much worried the entire time and not until they came home did I realize our decision to help him attend this camp was a great blessing to him.   He told me how much his testimony of the Savior had grown during these 2 weeks.  I was so humbled to learn that in his hardest times through the 2 weeks that he found comfort during prayer and felt the strength of the Lord carry him when he didn't feel strong enough to carry himself.   I'm thankful for these lessons learned and I hope that they strengthen him over the next few years as he completes high school and prepares to serve a mission.   Really we may never see a difference on the mat this year from the camp but the testimony growth alone was well worth the energy.

I love you!

Happy Birthday Blake!