18

{photo credit:  Matt Miranda}

You, my son are 18 TODAY!

18!

Happy Birthday!

Oh where to begin?  At this point, I feel as though there are no tears left to cry. 

Dad and I are so very proud of the young man you have become.  Although you are no longer a little boy, there will always be parts of you that will remind me of “little you”. 

From the second I saw you, it was a blur as the tears streamed down my cheeks. It was pure joy that I had YOU in my arms! 

At close to a month early, you were STRONG, alert, and full of life.

Our first conversation was me, your momma, holding you close to my lips and me whispering into your itty bitty ear…”no matter what happens, I will always LOVE you.”  You had no idea what your momma was saying, but it was a promise I gave to you right from the start.  I had no idea why I said that, but as I reflect on the last 18 years, I am pretty sure God put those words on my heart to gift to you.

As Dad and I are sitting here reflecting back, there are some things that just make us laugh!!

*For Halloween one year, you wanted to be a cowboy mouse.  Your sis had you loving a mouse movie...and you loved anything to do with cowboys.  Needless to say there were no costumes that matched your criteria.  So, you made your own!  One momma came up to me and thought we couldn't afford a costume and felt so sorry for us...but I was the happiest, most proud momma at the costume parade, because I knew that I had one determined, creative boy who was not ashamed to be himself!

Let’s see…shortly after moving into our home, I had gone to the back restroom and honestly, I was only gone for minutes, but you had managed to open the garage door and wander down to the intersection at the end of our street in your cloth diapers and cowboy boots!  Imagine how horrified I was when the neighbor, whom we had not even met, rang the doorbell to bring you home!  Aside from having no idea how you had figured that out…I was so afraid they were going to call the cops!

*Stacking wood for hours and hours before Daddy  got home from work.  YEP, at three you  dubbed yourself “the workin’ man”…because you wanted to be just like your Daddy and like Poppi.

*Climbing the tree about 30 feet up before yelling, “hey, dad, look up HERE!”

*Roasting marshmallows with your best friend over the candle in the bathroom…and not finding out about it until his momma called.  NOT OKAY! 

And then deciding next time, it would be a better idea to just go ahead and have a fire pit in the bedroom instead!  NOT!!

*My Wednesday date days with you…both of us in our camo gear treading the creeks and wetlands and sitting in musty, muddy forts.  I am so thankful you invited me into “your world”.

*Once your fort was finally complete…and it took a whole extra year because you financed it on your own…all the way down to the last box of nails, we celebrated by you fixing it all up comfy and cozy for the whole family to enjoy.  I think you had every pillow, blanket and dog toy jammed into every last bit of space you could find.  We popped popcorn and pretended it was the best spot in town until the wee hours of the morning…when we were achy, hot and still AWAKE!

*Believe it or not, digging in dirt, moving all the rocks from the rock bed, pulling junipers, clam digging, cleaning fish, and seeing the skinned squirrel and trying to save baby birds have endeared me to who YOU are...and I know without a shadow of doubt, who to call when in need!

*I think my favorite time with you was close to Christmas and you so badly wanted me to come out to the fort to see the Christmas lights from the loft.  It was freezing out and your big blue eyes looked so disappointed as I tried to come up with as many excuses as possible…one being it was past your bedtime.  You decided to heat a rice bag for me and make me HOT Ovaltine…if I would venture out with you.  How could I refuse?  So, up we climbed into the loft with our hot drinks, blankets and the battery operated radio.  It is one of my most cherished memories.  We chatted and spied out of the window and listened to stories and Christmas music.  SIMPLY DELIGHTFUL!

*Knocking on neighbors doors to sell painted rocks in order to raise money for the homeless shelter.  Again, we had no idea until a neighbor brought down a check made out to us for FOOD!  But it was your tender heart that so badly wanted to help in a very real way.  As far as you were concerned, it was YOUR job!

*Rodeo camp, summer camps, hunting, basketball, baseball, soccer, a broken arm, a broken wrist, a broken rib, a fractured skull, monkey bites, and a jelly fish sting...all things that may put a damper on life, but you took every situation in stride and didn't complain ONCE!  I complained and cried for YOU!

Sometimes, as parents, we just want everybody to know the child  WE know.  The child who is tender-hearted and who is deeply concerned for others.  The child who snuggles and who still hugs and loves his big sister like no other!  The child who comes to check on his dad…and who IS the man of the house when Dad is gone!  The child who is willing to do things that most others are not willing to do.  A child who still knows Grammy better than the rest of us... We are blessed to have YOU, dear Caleb.

We are so very proud of you!  You are truly a blessing to all those who know and who love you and to those you have yet to meet!

…and even though you enjoy relaxation and adventure...

You will always be our "workin man"!

We LOVE you to the moon and back and back AGAIN!

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