Not Quite Sure How It Happen

In a blink of an eye he went from this...

to this.

 Andrew became an official teenager yesterday as he turned the ripe old age of thirteen.

Man the past 13 years have flown.

Andrew had only one request for his birthday present...money.

The birthday fairy delivered.

 ...cant ya just smell it??

 We celebrated pretty simply.  Steve picked up Cafe Rio for dinner and I made a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and M&M's per request.   

We're party animals around here.

 (Ummm...Steve doesn't love his picture taken while he's eating, hence the dirty eyebrow look.)

 My mom came over to help us celebrate.

Carter and Grady have colds so my dad had to stay home.  Radiation and Chemo does nasty things for an immune system and we don't want him sick.

 Steve, Andrew and Mom are all on their tippy-toes.  

It doesn't work if everyone is doing it!

 My parents gave Andrew exactly what he wanted...more money.

Andrew is saving all his cash for an Ipad mini.  (I'm not even sure what that is...I'm old and lame.)

I think after his birthday haul and his next mowing check, he will have enough.

 This picture is just because I love pictures of Grady with my mom!

 Not everyone shared the same enthusiasm of Andrew getting filthy rich.

It's hard sometimes when it's not your birthday, even when you are nine and should know better.

 Andrew insisted on lighting his own candles.

 He then insisted on cutting the cake too.

Steve had to parent our now teenager on knife handling and how its not proper, polite or safe to rip knives out of your father's hand.

 Ratty 13 year old!

After cake Steve took Andrew to see the new Wolverine movie.  I think Andrew mostly wanted to see it because it was PG-13.  We've been banning such movies for years and must now come up with a different reason besides age for him to not see them.  Dang.

They were the only ones in the theatre and were too full of cake to eat the popcorn they bought. 

Happy Birthday Andrew!  You're dad and I love you and your slightly obnoxious self to death.

We can't believe you are 13 already and that we're old enough to have a teenager in the house.  Please know that we are proud of you and the decisions you have made so far regarding actions, friends, character, integrity and work ethic.  We are excited to see you grow and change and we pray the next few years go WAY slower than the past 13 have gone.

Love you Andrew!