Josh the "Man Child"

My sister, Brittany, loves to call Josh the "man child".  He is and always has been tall for his age.  Over the last year or so, he has really shot up and loves that fact that he towers over his mother, his grandmas, his aunts...he thinks it's pretty cool.

You know what I think?  I think "How in the world did he get to be a gigantic 14 year old boy?"

He celebrated his 14th birthday on Friday, although I didn't get to see him all day.  He is finally old enough to attend Youth Conference.  This is something that happens every summer in our church.  The youth in our Stake who are 14-18 years old get to have a couple of fun-filled days doing service, eating, playing and having fun.  This year they went up to the Heber Valley Camp where my in-laws served their mission a couple of years ago.

 I did get to give him his birthday spankings and a quick hug and kiss before he and Mark headed out the door, bright and early.  They came back on Saturday afternoon and according to Josh, "It was fun."  That's about all the information I could squeeze out of him.

He wanted a new bike for his birthday so we went bike shopping a few days ago.   I think he is pleased with our findings.

His birthday celebrations have been kind of "here a little, there a little" since we have not all been together.

After they got back from Youth Conference, we headed over to our favorite family ice cream joint for our annual

"Ice Cream for Dinner" night.

We look forward to this night every summer and it was fun to be able to celebrate Josh's birthday along with it.

 We invited Grandma and Grandpa Great along and they couldn't believe how much ice cream these kids of mine can consume.  They take after their father for sure.

"Ice cream just fills in the cracks."

That is Mark's favorite ice cream quote.

It was a fun night.  Do you love Ellie's chocolate chin?

We ended the birthday weekend with a special event.  Josh received the Aaronic Priesthood when he turned 12.  (You can click here to learn more about the priesthood.)  There are 3 offices in the Aaronic priesthood: Deacon, Teacher, and Priest.  Now that Josh is 14, he was able to be ordained a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood.  With this, comes along different responsibilities in regards to the Sacrament and other areas of church service.  We invited the grandparents over again so that my Grandpa Fowlks and Mark's dad could be a part of the ordination.  

My son is amazing.

*He is so kind (except for the occasional burst of teasing his sisters).

*He has always had a strong testimony of his Savior and the gospel.  Every day he amazes me with his knowledge. 

* He is a hard worker and a fast learner.  

*He is a good friend has helped me so much. 

* He is a typical boy with clothes all over his floor, the bathroom floor, and the bottom of the stairs.  

*He needs the occasional reminder to speak clearly and remember to hold the door open for people behind him.  But he is just one amazing boy.  I am so lucky to be his mother.

Happy Birthday Josh!  

You are destined to do great things and I hope that the mistakes I make as a mother won't mess you up too badly.

I love you and I thank you for being such a wonderful son.

Love- Mom :)