16?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I cannot believe it.

This little Joshua Squashua of mine...

is now a giant handsome, smart, and kind 16 year old young man.

It brings a tear to my eye.

Especially when I think of all the milestones that 16 will bring.

Driving (yikes)

Dating (hooray and yikes)

Growing up.

Cue the tears now.

Honestly, I have to say that they are tears of sadness and joy.

I am so happy with the young man that he has become.  He is a kind-hearted soul.  He is never too much of a teenager to give his mommy a kiss and a hug.  He is a good friend.  He loves his sisters and watches out for them, even though they drive him bonkers sometimes.  He has a firm testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and He is not afraid to stand up for the things that he believes in.  He is smart.  He is talented.  He is awesome and I love him so much.

 Since we do big birthday parties every four years, this was a year for Josh to have a party.  Planning a party with a teenage boy is kind of a painful process for this mommy who likes to be creative.  All he wanted was a bbq, a fire pit, and some games.  He laughed and shook his head when I brought out the bunch of 2 dozen balloons.  I can't help it.  I love balloons and I love to party.

The party went well.  He has awesome friends and I think everyone had a great time.  We pulled out the new lawn Jenga set which ended up serving as a makeshift volleyball net and court as well.  

On Sunday, June 28- his actual birthday- we had cake and ice cream with our extended family.

It was a great day for a great kid.

The next morning, bright and early, we headed out to the DMV.  There was no turning back.  He had the paperwork and now he had the correct age.  He wanted his license.  I wanted to curl up in a ball and pretend this wasn't happening.

But, I worked up the courage later that evening and placed my van keys in his hands.  I followed him out to the van and could not help but smile as I saw the excitement that he could not contain.  While watching him drive away, I willed the anxious feelings to calm down.  He was only driving less than  mile to work for heaven's sake.  And guess what?  He survived.  My van survived.  All is well.

Plus, I did not have to drive him to work.

Say, maybe this will be a good thing after all. :)

Here are a few things to remember about 16 year old Josh:

*He loves to be with his friends.

*He is working on the 5th Bach Cello Suite, the Hungarian Rhapsody, and the Saint-Saens Concerto #1, along with all of the other stuff that he likes to play "just for fun."

*He loves to play the piano and is very good at it.  The only problem is, he is just too powerful a player for my little digital piano.  We may have to figure something else out soon...

*He recently took the ACT for the very first time.  He ended up getting a 34....out of 36.  The kid is a walking brain.

*He loves to play Minecraft and other games, on the Xbox with his friends.

*He is 6' 1" and I don't think he's done growing yet.

*He is very excited to serve a mission in a couple of years.

*He is a foodie like his Grandpa Fowlks.  He loves to try new things and has learned to appreciate the finer foods in life.  Like steak.

*He speaks German rather well.

*He is going to be in the men's acapella choir next year.

*He still prefers the color blue.

*He recently acquired a job at Roxberry.  It's a place that makes smoothies.  We like that he has a job there because that means that we get a discount. :)  It also means that he has money.

*He would like to be an engineer of sorts.  Maybe Aerospace.

I am constantly in awe at the things this kid does.  Now the challenge is to make sure that he always remembers where all of these blessings come from.  As long as he remembers that, I know that all will be well.  I have always said that he is an old soul.  His soul is much more mature than mine and at times, that makes it difficult for me to know how to parent him.  But we are figuring it out.

Love you, Josh!  You are my favorite son ever. :) xoxo