Michael turned 14 this month--on April 3rd to be exact. Ever since the day he was born, this boy has kept us on our toes. When I was 8 months pregnant with Michael, his Navy daddy got sent on a mission to Afghanistan with no definitive return date on the schedule, so I headed to South Dakota to be with my parents just in case Paul didn't make it back in time for the delivery. Surprisingly for the military, Paul's mission finished earlier than expected, so when he surprised me by arriving in South Dakota a couple of weeks before Michael's due date, Michael decided it was time to be born earlier than expected :) He was born 14 hours after Paul made it home (poor jet-lagged daddy)! My labor went so fast that by the time I got to the hospital, it was too late for an epidural (poor pain-intolerant mommy)! Michael must have really wanted to meet his daddy! It was love at first sight. He looked like a little angel with fuzzy red hair. So we named him after an angel. We almost named him Justin, but now I'm glad his patron saint is St. Michael, because this kid needs all the protection he can get! :) Michael was the fussiest baby we ever had---boy, he threw us for a loop after having such a easy first-born baby. If Michael had been born first, I'm not sure we would have had more children...God duped us :) Michael continues to throw us for a loop almost daily, especially as he sorts through his teenage hormones, but thankfully Paul and I both like rollercoasters :) Don't get me wrong, he is a super-great, fun, holy kid, and we are so proud of the young man he is becoming. He is competitive yet kind, talented yet humble, so good in sports and school, and such a great helper around the house. I can't imagine our family without our Michael in it! All that being said, we'd gladly accept prayers for parenting this teenager and prayers for him to grow closer to Christ with each passing year. ;)
For his birthday, all Michael wanted was to invite his best buddy from school over to hang out (I was going to call it a playdate, but I don't think teenagers call it that anymore). They played basketball, had an airsoft gun battle, ate lots of pizza, and seemed content as can be. I didn't get very many pictures so as not to embarrass my teenager in front of his friend :}
Dearest Michael,
Your daddy and I love you...
more than every basketball you've ever shot,
more than every baseball you've ever thrown...
more than you'll ever know--
until you have a child of your own.
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