Owens is 16!

Dear Owen - 

Happy 16th birthday! Wow, these years have flown by in a flash. It's crazy to think that you are now 16 years old. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating your first birthday in Bogota. You loved your first taste of Tres Leches cake then and it's still your favorite type of cake after all these years!

For your birthday this year, you celebrated with Pa, Nana Judy, Popi Dave and Uncle Jason at Cossetta's. The rest of us were out of town for Aria's therapy intensive, but you chose to stay home instead of coming with to Illinois. The trip out of town meant you'd miss cross country, and you were committed to making the most out of your newly chosen school activity. 

Unfortunately, you had injured your leg while running so you were hobbling around on your big day. You enjoyed a big plate of your favorite Cossetta's dish - mostaccioli. Then you took a stroll through their bakery for dessert, but ultimately decided to pass on the extra calories. You have been on quite the health kick lately. After dinner, Pa took you on a shopping spree at Kohls. You are all about the Nike gear and loaded up on a few more Nike wardrobe choices. 

We all sure missed you on your big day, but glad that you had a great time celebrating.

Owen - you are sure one talkative kid. But only on the subjects you prefer to discuss. When asked, "How was school?" or "What did you do today?", you offer one word replies. But you can go on and on and on about other topics like the sinking of the Costa Concordia or the latest Marvel movie releases. You are fascinated by the "multiverse" theory in the Marvel movies and can talk all day long about the directors, the actors, the plots, and all the inconsistencies in the timeline. It's a lot of information you spout off when all I really wanted to know was how your day was. 

You are a big fan of satire comedy. The 'Onion News Network' and 'Family Guy' are two of your favorites with their tasteless humor that you find hilarious. You can spend hours and hours showing anyone willing to watch all your favorite clips online. Luckily your Nana Bev is almost always willing to sit and watch with you as you giggle and grin at their crud jokes.

You love exploring new areas and surroundings. Whenever we are at one of your sibling's activities, there's zero chance you'll sit and watch. You are off walking immediately, checking out trails and nearby stores. We can never be too sure where you've ventured off to, and on many an occasion, we are walking to the car while still trying to track you down. Thank goodness for the Find My app on my phone so I can keep a watch on your location while you are off on your adventures.

You are quite the chef in the kitchen. You'll whip up a batch of pancakes or eggs or boil up your favorite noodles whenever you desire. You even baked a pumpkin pie (granted it was pre-made and just needed to be popped in the oven.)  It's great that you are learning this very important life skill. Now we just need to work on your clean up skills and we'll be golden. 

Your appetite seems insatiable these days. I guess that's the joy of being a 16 year old boy. You can eat and eat and are still as skinny as a toothpick. 

You have never been one to get excited about participating in activities or sports, but this summer something suddenly changed. Instead of just taking your 2-week obligatory sailing class, as soon as one session ended, you were already asking to sign up for another. You really started loving sailing and spending time with the instructors and participants. You sailed from the very first class in June until the last one you were able to take in early August. You would have sailed all summer long if you could have.

This summer was one of big changes for you as we applied and toured some new high schools. It was quite overwhelming for me, I can't imagine how it was for you. But after a couple months and lots of thought and some encouragement in a certain direction, you agreed to attend Totino-Grace High School for Sophomore Year. The beauty of a small private school is the ability to play any sport or be involved in any activity of your choosing. While apprehensive, you agreed to give Cross Country a shot. Cross Country started mid-August and while you were supposed to come with us to Chicago for Aria's 3-week intensive therapy at NAPA, you choose to instead stay home. You didn't want to miss out on Cross Country. You were so committed that you'd rather run with your teammates than head out of town for a pool vacation with the rest of us. While we missed you, we are so proud of how committed you are to your new sport and team.

Looking over the photos of you from the past year, one thing remains the same - you are almost always wearing a gray hoodie. Even in the heat of the summer, there you are. Gray has become your favorite color and the "hoodie" a wardrobe staple. 

Your hair has become a passion of yours. You're always styling, shaping and getting each strand to lay just right. You have bottle after bottle of hair product lining your very messy bathroom. And you've even stolen a few bottles of product from your sisters. You are all about the curls and the latest hair style trends. 

You are quite attached to your fleece circus blanket. You can be found walking around the house, even in the summer, wrapped up in it. You got it way back in 2015. I remember clearly because you lost your tooth while we were in Bogota adopting Rose. Pa made a mad dash to the grocery store down the street to pickup a gift from El Raton Perez. El Raton always brings you a small gift when you lose your tooth and having us in Colombia must have made his trip over to snatch up your tooth much more convenient. You have loved that blanket ever since.

After all these years, I can still find your three froggies laying somewhere in your bed. You got your first froggie when we traveled to Colombia to get you, and you quickly became so attached that I bought two more to have on hand, just in case. After over 15 years, you still love those froggies and have somehow managed not to lose one. Although there have been some close calls like when you left one at the dinosaur exhibit at the Science Museum. Thankfully we were able to track it down in their lost and found. You would have been devastated to lose one of your most cherished items. Those froggies have been by your side throughout it all - your first night in your new room, your first day of preschool, and even traveling back to Colombia to bring home your sisters.

Ever since you were a little tyke, you have really, really wanted a dog. It seems to be a theme between you and your sisters. As you've never owned one, I can confidently say that you most likely would not be the person taking care of said dog. But for many, many years, it has been your top request. Randomly you will ask me, "Can we get a dog?" and you have all sorts of come backs and arguments to every reason I say no.  Most recently you argued that the dog could be a medical dog for Aria to detect her seizures. While compelling, the answer was still no. But before you know it, you will be off living on your own and can finally get whatever furry friend you so desire.

You are clearly the alpha dog of the household. It's hard to imagine you not being the oldest child. It seems to be a part of your DNA. You definitely like to boss around your siblings, although every once in a while your sweet side shows through.

Owen, we have been privileged to watch you sprout from the cutest little 11 month old boy into the handsome young man you've become. We can't wait to see what amazing things you accomplish over the next year. A very happy 16th birthday to you! We love you forever and for always.