A letter to the birthday boy

"Hey Will, let me take your picture with your cake." 

"Okay, but smile this time." 

Pretending to spit on the cake so that no one else will want to eat it.  

Look at that handsome smile.  

Dear Will:  Today you are 15. FIFTEEN! Don't ask me how that's possible.  (I can hear you answering this question with the perfect blend of sarcasm and science, "Well mom, that's how time works.") I just know it's moving all so fast.  You can read this blog whenever you want now so I won't go into embarrassing details about how cute you are when you are snuggling one of the pets or how your sense of humor is both delightful and exasperating, usually in the same thirty seconds.  You probably won't want me to mention that you were  on the honor roll for your first semester of high school.  You also don't love it that we think you are so handsome.  Daily, I'm reminded that you are taller than me by several inches now and I think your dad's next.  Your voice is so low that a few days ago I heard Glenn talking to someone in the kitchen and I thought that a neighbor had stopped by.  Nope, just my kid.  

Will, I hate that I can't find out about any breaking sports news before you do because your phone beats me to it and I only get a hard start when you are either still asleep or sitting in class without your phone handy.  The day the Broncos signed Russell Wilson.... well let's just say that I don't think a lot of studying was happening during your school day.  You are a knowledgeable sports fan and while you don't always have the "hope springs eternal" view of some of your favorite teams, you are always happy when they do well.  

You discovered Wordle a few weeks ago and you like to send me your screenshots of a successful game and you get mad if I give you too many hints.  You've been preparing for next Fall's football season since the last one ended and you have a new baseball season starting up soon.  Your love of all things sport and competition give your dad and I a lot of joy (and heartache sometimes but mostly joy).  We just love to watch you play.  

Happy fifteenth birthday big kid.  

The last month

Yikes it's been a while since I posted last. I had a few weeks of pain medicine induced fog after my surgery and then another few weeks of regular family busy-ness and all of the sudden it's March. What have we been up to? Glenn started a new job on February 14 with the federal government so that's been the biggest change. He's working from home so we've completed some cleaning and decluttering to create an office space for him that doesn't look like a messy guest room. The pets are delighted to have him home during the day and while I miss sending him IMs from work, it's nice having him home when I come home for lunch. This new job is a great opportunity for him and he's enjoying the new atmosphere. The kids are doing well. Will made the honor roll for his first semester and we are proud of him for working hard in high school. Reina made the honor roll for her first semester of junior high and we are very proud of her as well. Both kids have adjusted to the rigors of their new schools and their hard work is showing. I help with homework in the evenings but lately google hasn't been enough to help me help Will with his math but I guess it's been quite a while since I had to figure out f(x)=blahblahblah. I'm just about fully recovered from my "knee" surgery. I've been back at work for a few weeks. I'm pretty tired at night and not able to jog yet but other than that, things are back to normal. This is quickly becoming one of the more boring updates I've ever posted. Well Glenn's news was pretty exciting! We are all well and counting down the days until spring.