Cole turns 13

We officially have another teenager in the household! Cole turned 13 in October. THIRTEEN!! It's crazy scary how fast the years are going by. He was such a tiny little peanut and now he's almost as big as me  and most definitely stronger.

For his birthday, his sisters made him homemade cards...

And he opened a couple fun gifts, including a new drone. They all thought it was a blast as they zoomed the drone to and fro, ricocheting it off the ceiling and walls.

Dinner was Cole's pick and of course he chose his all-time favorite - Red Robin! He's ordered the exact same meal for years - a burger, fries and cranberry juice.

Instead of birthday cake (as Cole's not a huge fan of cake), for dessert we gave Red Robin's donuts a try. Cole thought they were delish!

The following weekend we celebrated again, but this time with extended family. 

We started the party with an exciting game of hot potato...

Followed by the opening of gifts...

For lunch, we enjoyed Red Robin of course! Only on Cole's birthday week does he get treated to Red Robin TWICE! 

There was unfortunately a huge mix up with Cole's birthday cake. He had requested a WWE cake, but the baker that we had booked months in advance dropped the ball and forgot to make it. Thank goodness he wasn't too crushed by the disappointing news. We ended up rushing to our local bakery to grab a chocolate cake for the celebration. 

More fun was in store with our family favorite key piñata!

This time Rose was the lucky one to pull out the magic key and unleash all the sugary sweets.

What a wonderful day we had celebrating our new teenager!

Dear Cole, you are such a sweet, caring boy. You are always eager to help me fetch this toy or that item. You just love to be of service and will happily trudge all the way upstairs or downstairs if one of your sisters simply makes a request. You'd do anything to make them happy, gladly handing over your new toy or iPad to any of your siblings. You are such a sweetheart. 

You have become quite the fan of swimming. Playing catch in the pool just may be your favorite thing to do. We've easily gone through half a dozen pool balls in just one week. They are not made hardy enough to hold up to your squishing, squeezing and tossing of them over and over again.

This summer you upgraded to a new recumbent bike. While biking has never been one of your favorite things, you are now biking circles around us on your big green machine. You love being the leader while your sister's trail behind up and down the street.

You are a selfless, caring big brother. Making us laugh is most often your number one goal.  You'd do anything to put a smile on our faces. From silly jokes to goofy moves to tickle attacks. Once you get going in your silly moods, there's no stopping the laughs.  You are definitely the clown of the household.

You are Pa's buddy. Every night when Pa gets home from work you ask to play with him (and just him - no sisters!) You love spending time with just Pa. You are two peas in a pod.  The two of you can often be found playing games in the basement, Xbox in the playroom, or just chilling in "mom's room" watching your favorite flicks.

You are an avid videographer. You'll snatch my cell phone and before I know it, I'll have a dozen videos of you practicing for your future YouTuber career. You will do and say the silliest of things, sometimes even making up your own songs. You are quite the clown.

 

Your favorite weekend activity is definitely sleep overs at Nana's house.  You look forward to your nights away to get some one-on-one time with Nana Judy and Popi Dave. It's the perfect getaway where you get to do whatever you choose without having to put up with your loud and bossy sisters. You are always up for doing something fun with Nana and Popi - visiting your Uncle Jason or Great Popi Dineen, playing at the park, or grabbing a bite to eat.

A long time Xbox afficionado, your newest gaming interest is Autobahnn Police Simulator. While the driving portion is a bit buggy, we've become quite the gaming duo with me doing the driving and you completing the police work. We even conquered the game and solved the final case! 

You are still a huge fan of WWE. Your favorite wrestler remains John Cena. You love playing WWE on the Xbox. You own every version of the game available for purchase and are already hoping and waiting for a 2023 release. But your wrestling moves don't stop on the screen. You like practicing them in real life, most often with your little sister. And she of course, finds it hilarious!

Cole, you are our kind-hearted, empathetic, silly boy. You fill up our home with laughter and our hearts with joy. We are so blessed to be able to celebrate this special day with you. A very happy 13th birthday!