I Have a Fifteen Year Old and Other Less Shocking Events

I can't believe how fast this whole summer is going. I started this post not long ago and then when I came back to it to finish it up, I realized that it has been weeks ago! I'll have to immediately begin another post after this one just to catch up on even more stuff that's been happening.

This summer Taylor has joined our community band. It started as a suggestion from his high school band teacher. Taylor would die his hair purple if his high school band teacher suggested it. He would do anything for that guy. (I should have him call Taylor one of these days and suggest that he go weed the garden.) Anyway, the community band does about 4 concerts every summer in June and July and it is open to anyone who can play an instrument. So Taylor went to the first practice and committed to the first performance and after that he just kept going--even when his teacher couldn't make it to the other performances. His second concert was on his birthday so we were able to make that a part of the celebration. Fifteen year olds do not like it when their dad and little brother yell out after a song: "Happy birthday Taylor!!!!" Because that draws attention to the fact that it is their birthday and it causes the entire band to sing to them at the end of the show. And it causes other people to honk their horns and yell "Happy birthday" on their way home after the performance. But it also causes fifteen year olds to secretly enjoy the attention even when they say they are going to get revenge on their father.

Taylor is in the red shirt on the left of the picture.

Kaya LOVES the marching tunes! (And you can see how much good her sling has done her.)

After the concert we returned home for Taylor's party. Did I mention that he is fifteen? That means he is three short years from leaving us. In four years we could have a missionary. Taylor has grown another few inches this last year and is now as tall as Kalen. It startles me sometimes when I turn to say something to him and realize how far up I have to look to make eye contact. Whoever "they" are, "they" aren't kidding when "they" say that childhood goes by in a blink! I remember my own sophomore year of high school a little too vividly for me to be old enough to have a child starting the grade. I literally was just packing this kid around with colic every day. Wasn't I?

I love that Kaya gets so excited for everyone's birthdays.

Go USA!

I'm not sure which gift he was opening here, but these three were watching pretty intensely.

Taylor's cake was a strawberry-raspberry cheesecake made by Kalen (the Divine Cheesecake Chef Extraordinaire). So. Yummy. Happy 15th Taylor!!!

One day the kids came running into the house excitely exclaiming that there was a birds nest down low in our pear tree and there was an actual egg inside. Then the next day there was another. And the day after that another.

We are waiting anxiously for the birth of some baby robins. And trying hard to keep from looking into the nest and disturbing the mama bird so often.

We had a fun 4th of July this year. We went to the fireworks on the 3rd which is always fun. We absolutely love Albion's fireworks. For such a small town, they do an amazing show. A couple of summers ago we went to Battle Creek thinking in a bigger place their show would be better. Nope. Not even close. It was shorter and less spectacular and there was no way to get a really decent view. In Albion we go to a place by the river where we get a great view and a great show!

The kids had fun playing soccer while waiting for the show to begin.

And finding pet fireflies to entertain them. (Poor mangled fireflies.)

And there were lots of snacks of course.

But no pictures of the actual show. It was a good one though. Poor Kaya had been beyond excited for days and was way too excited to take a nap that afternoon. Two minutes into the show she completely zonked.

We spent the 4th of July with some friends from church. We had a potluck at their house and another family came too. Our kids are such good friends and had a ball playing while the adults talked and played games. We ended up staying for most of the day and then headed home for a barbeque. Very nice day.

Did I mention that I have a fifteen year old???