Happy 14th to Owen!

Owen - Happy 14th birthday!  It's hard to imagine that you are 14 years old! But when I see just how much you tower over me, it's no surprise. My adorable baby boy is very much a teenager.

In keeping with your "teenage-ness", you didn't want to do much to celebrate your big day. You spent much of it in your favorite chair playing Roblox and catching up on your favorite YouTubers. Of course, your kitty William was at your feet loving the quiet time curled up next to you.

I managed to pull you away from your computer to open your birthday gift - new Beats headphones! You may have been a bit surprised by the look on your face.

For your special day, you only had two requests and both involved food (you are a teenage boy after all!) Request #1: Sudado de Pollo for dinner; and Request #2: homemade brownies for dessert. So I went on an online search for a new brownie recipe that we just had to try. You got to work pouring and mixing up the ingredients and then off to the oven it went to fill the house with the delicious smell of brownies. 

While the brownies baked, I finished up dinner. You sure do love Sudado de Pollo, a Colombian chicken stew. It's become one of your favorite and most requested meals. You thought you'd be silly by chomping away on the cilantro while waiting for dinner to be ready.

You had been anxiously waiting to hear the words, "Dinner's ready!" Finally dinner was indeed ready and you came running with a hefty appetite. You scarfed down your bowl of stew and were heading off for seconds before the rest of the family even sat down for firsts.

Then came dessert. We wished you a very happy 14th birthday and dug into the delicious homemade brownies. We both agreed, these were the best brownies we had made yet due to one special ingredient - butter!

Owen, it's been a blessing to watch you grow up over the years. You have such a curious, inquisitive mind.  You love to research and dig up all sorts of strange and unusual facts. Your mind is like a sponge, absorbing it all. But your biggest joy just may be sharing your knowledge with anyone willing to listen. You love to talk, and talk, and talk about all the fascinating topics that you enjoy. Your love of Japanese Mangas has recently faded (thank goodness for your mom!) You've already read all the good ones and have since reverted back to other books you are passionate about (like Jurassic Park and The Hunger Games).  You are quite an expert and know all there is to know about both series.

Every day you'll approach me with enthusiasm saying, "Mom, can I show you something!?!" Then out comes your computer with a new clip of something that you just must show me right that very moment. It may be a clip from one of your favorite flicks or a fun new fact that you've recently learned. But whatever it happens to be, you are always eager to share even with a somewhat resistant audience. While I do love learning about the latest farfetched factoid that you've uncovered, some of the other topics that you enjoy sharing are just not my cup of tea. 

You love obnoxious comedy like 'The Family Guy' or satire from 'The Onion'. You relish scary thrillers full of gore and horror. You could go on and on and on about the Friday the 13th movie series and the Hunger Games books. But your favorite all time book/movie series continues to be the Jurassic Park trilogy (and its sequels Jurassic World). You've loved Jurassic Park since first watching it on an old VHS that you found at your Nana Bev's house many moons ago. You've read the books countless times and watched the movies over and over. You know all there is to know about Jurassic Park. You've dissected where the movies stray from the books and which scenes are pulled directly from paper onto the big screen. 

Your love for all things Jurassic Park has you obsessed about its latest and greatest games. You've been building your own Jurassic Park on various electronic devices from the iPad to the Xbox for years now. And whenever a new and improved version comes out, you just must get it. (Yes, Owen, I know November 9th is the release date for the new Jurassic World Evolution - you've been counting down the days for months now!) You spend hours and hours laying down roads, placing buildings, and creating enclosures to house whatever species of dinosaur that you wish to include in your very own park. Because, let's face it, as an avid fan, you felt like some very special dinosaurs were left out of the movies. However, you are never one to criticize your adored franchise too much. You are after all a huge devotee to the franchise and just may be Jurassic Park's number one fan.

Despite being into all the "teenage stuff", you still love your froggy loveys that you got when you were just a wee boy.  After you became so attached to your first one that we brought with to Colombia, I had to locate a couple more just in case your beloved froggy ever got misplaced. After over 13 years, you still have all three very well loved froggies. They reside somewhere near your bed, often thrown on the floor or squished between the gap between your bed and the wall. But nevertheless, they are never too far when you tuck yourself in for the night. 

You love being warm and cozy. Even in the heat of the summer, you can be found in long sleeves wrapped up in a soft, comfy blanket. While you tend to grab the first one you can find, your fleece lion and tiger blanket is probably your favorite. You were gifted it from El Raton Perez back in 2015 when you lost your tooth while we were in Colombia adopting Rose. A quick dash to the grocery store down the street with a very limited selection of toys led El Raton to purchase you this very blanket which you have loved ever since.

You have a sweet spot for our fur babies, William and Eli. You'll be walking by one of them and have to stop in your tracks to give them hugs and pets because they are just too cute to resist.  Sweet William has grown up with you. We got him as a kitten when you were just 4 years old. He unfortunately is very ill due to a horrible aggressive form of cancer. It's been a rough journey, but you've been by his side cheering him on through it all.

Your tender-heartedness exudes to your baby sister Aria. You can often be found picking her up and bopping her around to get an adorable giggle out of her. Or leaning in for a big smooch while she socks you right in the face with her left hook.

You are still quite obsessed with water. (I won't mention the number of bathrooms you've flooded so far...3. It's been THREE bathrooms!) You love long hot soaks in the bathtub or cooling down outside by drenching yourself with the hose.

Ever since you started distance learning last year, you stopped wearing your glasses - despite not being able to see distances without them. I guess it didn't matter too much since you were always staring at the computer screen on your lap. But with going back to school in person this year, you asked to get contacts. I was a bit apprehensive. (How in the world would you take care of contacts? Have you seen the mess in your room!?!?) But with the option of daily contact lenses, we both agreed it was worth a try. It took about a week, but you got it down pat. And what could be easier than popping them in in the morning and tossing them in the trash each night.

Owen - it's hard to believe that we are celebrating your 14th birthday. The years keep flying by quicker and quicker. You have grown into such an amazing young man right before my very eyes. I can't wait to see all you accomplish over the next year. A very happy birthday to you, Owen! We love you forever and for always.