14

October 19, 2000 (I don't have any infant pictures, really, it was such a stressful time the camera was the last thing we thought about!)

From cool dude....

to cool dude....(a night out at the movies)

The man wants a pirate costume - the man gets a pirate costume.

And.....never-ending pasta at Olive Garden (which may be his last - more on that in another post).

We feel pretty lucky to have him.  I can't believe he is 14, in some ways it has been a long fourteen years and in others it has flown by.  8th grade - 14 years old - I never would of pictured us here all those years ago when we didn't know what his future would hold.  We still don't in lots of ways, but we have a more clear picture of the path, and it isn't a bad path to be on.

But I can say that about all of my kids - they are all unique, different, and on a path they set for themselves.  Ethan is no different, he just needs us along for the ride more than the others :-)

I love it that he still believes in Santa and gets excited about Christmas twelve months out of the year.  I love it that he is super happy when mail comes and a card has HIS name on it.  I love it that he is always sooooo happy to see you - and it doesn't matter who "you" is - a teacher, a friend, the bus driver, the secretary, or even a total stranger he just met.  He is a good example to all of us.

So Happy Birthday, Big Man.  We love you!