Brenson is Thirteen Years Old!

It's officially official . . . we have another teenager in the house! 

Brenson is 13 years old!

He's 5'11" and growing every day!

💙

Brenson's birthday was on a Monday this year - and after the craziness of the party this weekend (you can read about it here) - we had a pretty chill day at home which was just perfect. 

Chris and I have a tradition of decorating the kids' bedroom door the night before their birthday. This year, I decided to do posters along with the usual streamers. I delegated the job of making Bren's poster to Chris on Sunday evening, and he promptly finished the poster and hung it on Bren's door. I took a photo of it and commented on how good it looked before realizing that the poster said 12 years instead of 13!

So, Chris got to make a second poster, haha! We got a good laugh out of it!

Another teen in the house . . . time slow down!

Bren's birthday began with an early morning Track & Field practice. Chris sent me these pics of him at practice, and they made me smile. 

Once we got back home from practice, Grampy and G-Jo came by to bring Bren his birthday goodies. Then, we all (minus Chris who had to work) went to lunch at Braum's.

Several months ago, Brenson decided he really wanted a gaming system. He had played video games on our Wii system for several years, but it finally died. We made a deal with him that we would buy him an XBox if 1) He would pay for part of it, and 2) It would be his birthday gift. He agreed, and we bought the XBox a few weeks before Christmas. So, he didn't actually have any gifts to open from us on his birthday. Instead, he asked that I take him and Brooke to a local video game store so he could purchase a few new games. They were so cute with their game plan for finding what they wanted in the store, and came out of the store happy with their new selections. 

Then, they spent the majority of the afternoon trying out the new games! When Bren wants a gaming partner, Brooke is his girl!

For dinner that evening, Chris and I made chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, cream corn, rolls, and cream gravy. This is a meal that all the kids really enjoy, but especially Brenson. He was thrilled with a relaxing afternoon of gaming and his favorite supper!

Of course, the boy wanted ice cream sandwiches for dessert!

What he didn't want, however, was us singing to him. Too bad!!!

To finish off the day, Bren and his sisters all played a game before bed while Chris and I cleaned the kitchen. These moments make my heart so full!

It's crazy how quickly babies turn into teenagers, and I feel like I'm more acutely aware than ever that time passes swiftly. As I watch my boy grow into the young man he is so quickly becoming, I can't help but feel a strong urge to hold onto him as tightly as possible. I know that's not what is good for either of us, though, so instead I'm just cherishing each moment we are given. Thirteen years ago, I could never have imagined the love and joy that would be brought into our lives by this boy. 

Happy birthday, Brenson. We love you!