My boy has a lot of nicknames. I am not sure why. Probably because he is most affable, kind and just fun.
He doesn't take himself super seriously, which means that not a lot ruffles his feathers.
I was always told, "Wait until they're teenagers." Well, I waited and so far it has been wonderful.
So yes, Charlie is a teenager now. 13. Cute, fun, loud, likes his friends, like girls, A LOT, likes food, A LOT, and loves his family, A LOT.
Over Spring break we went to Utah and his birthday happened to fall during that week. So my picture taking skills with my phone leave a lot to be desired, and in fact, left a lot out. But never you mind. He knows he is loved, and just because there are no pictures of him blowing out a homemade cake with over the top decorations does not mean it was a parent fail. So there.
Not long before our trip, he participated in his school's spelling bee. He took second among the 7th graders at school and then went to the final. There, he took 3rd out of the 7th graders from 12 schools. Not too shabby and just proof that all of that reading he loves to do, occasionally to the exclusion of all else, is actually good for his brain:)
While in Utah we visited the BYU Bean Museum and the BYU Museum of Art. Both were amazing.
We also went bowling because Charlie wanted to for his birthday. Um, that was an epic disaster. So no offense to bowling and bowlers every where, but snooze. It probably didn't help that we only got one lane so that it took the 8 of us exactly A MILLION YEARS to finish a set. Yeah, we all agreed, we are done trying to force bowling on our family.
We also went to Brick Oven Pizza for Charlie's birthday dinner(they have pretty much the BEST homemade root beer on the planet. No, the place you know is not as good, sorry/not sorry.)
And then we had cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy. It is a super, duper good thing I don't live there. I am not sure I would even mind if I weighed a thousand pounds if it was because of those cupcakes.
And for his present? Cold, hard cash. And I am pretty sure that he will ask for that for the rest of his life. Which is fine. Takes a bit of the fun out of it, but also any stress.
Charlie is awesome. Seriously. There are not many boys his age that are as laid back, easy going, and just fun to be around. Don't get me wrong, he is COMPLETELY normal. He has 4 sisters so he has learned the art of pestering. But he will defend anyone of them and he loves them all and Henry fiercely.
And he is giant.
Happy Birthday Charlie. I am so proud of the person you are. You are amazing and good and kind and you know who you are. Thank you for setting a good example of doing what's right and staying strong even when others around you are not. You make us laugh all the time and you give the best hugs. Your random opera voice and joke telling make my day and I am so proud and happy to call you my son. Dad and I love you and love watching you grow and become more amazing every day. Love you Chuckles:)
