My Chan

So my oldest man child is turning 16!!!! Yikes, how time has flown. He is turning in to such a handsome young man. All my kids came to me in their own special way. I have one by birth, one by adoption and one by marriage. Chan is my "by marriage" son. I remember the first time I met him. He was 9 yrs old. I had come over to his house and he walked in to the kitchen with his fluffy little hair and his t-shirt and sponge bob boxers on. How cute! He said.....hi, I'm Chandler and then gave that little "ricco swave"smile that he does. He IS a charmer. I do believe that runs in the family ;-) Chan hasn't had the best life up until then. But he sure had a daddy that loved him to pieces. I have watched him grow so much over the years. He has been my one child that is very very much like me. Now, he is a boy, so he has gone through his happy phase, his angry phase, his surfer look and his dark knight persona. He has studied hard and hardly studied. He has had braces twice and glasses that were constantly lost. He has had his first girlfriend and his first kiss. He has learned to go from being an only child to being a brother and one of three. He has been a mentor to his friends. He has definitely had his ups and downs. But through all the good times and the bad he has been a joy. I am blessed to have been given the chance to have a third child. A child who has many different talents and gifts. The biggest being his ability to read people's feeling,vibes and situations with complete clarity. This I admire about my eldest man child the most. This is the gift that will allow him to go out in this great big world and survive whatever is put in front of him......16, it is going so fast. But instead of thinking about what will be and what is to come....I will just enjoy this time I have and stay present.

So all that being said, he will have the birthday bash of HIS wish. Because that is just what we do in this house. He is only 16 ONCE. Never again will he get license or his first car. Never again will he be this age. So we painted and decorated and are ready. Above is the rug that once adorned the undercarriage of our cars in the garage. It is now the club rug. And tomorrow the kids will arrive....we will load them on junk food, loud music and LOTS of caffeine and then.....we will send them home. (wink)

Enjoy the pics and your memorial day weekend.

Be safe,

M