Cole turns 16

On October 12th, Cole turned sixteen years old! His birthday happened to fall on the weekend this year so we were able to celebrate with extended family on his big day.

We started the festivities with lunch from Cole's favorite restaurant - Red Robin! He loves Red Robin so it was no surprise that was what he wanted for his birthday, but the boy who always orders the EXACT SAME THING ordered something different! Instead of his typical burger order, he decided on mac-n-cheese.

After lunch, he had fun opening his many exciting presents, even a handmade card from his sister Kate...

And a steering wheel for his Xbox driving games!

The surprise gift of a karaoke machine had Cole up on his feet doing a standup comedy routine and roasting everyone in the room.

Once he got on a roll, he did not want to stop. That silly boy!

We finally pulled him away from his comedy show for dessert. Cole's been requesting the gigantic 5 pound cookie from T-Rex Cookie instead of cake for the past couple years. He's not a big fan of cake but adores cookies! It was a huge hit!

After a fun afternoon, we bid farewell to most of our guests as they set off for home.

Later that night, the party continued with our overnight guests, Popi Jerry and Nana Bev. Cole got to choose dinner as it was his special day after all, and the boy loves to eat! A burger and fries from the Tavern hit the spot (although Popi may have stolen a fry or two.)

Cole, you are one silly boy who is a bottomless pit! You can eat and eat and eat, never to fill nor gain a pound. Your absolute favorite can't-live-without meal is chicken nuggets with a glass of cranberry juice. You can eat this combination multiple times a day, every day of the week. You go through several bags of chicken nuggets and many bottles of cranberry juice every single week. You are most definitely the biggest (and probably only) cranberry juice/chicken nugget fanatic!

You love cracking a good joke, although your humor topics are almost always potty humor - butts, poo, anything stinky! You think it is THE funniest. I mostly roll my eyes at the abundance of poop/butt jokes, but you sure do come up with a doozy every once in awhile.  And I just may snort out loud at the unique, crafty, and silly sentence that comes out of your mouth.

You are my biggest helper. While everyone else complains and tries to get out of helping, you are always willing, able and more than eager to pitch in. "Cole, can you grab me a paper towel? Cole, can you fetch me clothes for Sam? Cole, can you get Aria's wheelchair?" I just have to ask once, and off you go to fulfill your mission.

You are rather obsessed with your Xbox. You love playing all sorts of fun games, but your number one favorite continues to be WWE. You are a master WWE player. Somehow you've figured out which complicated combination of keys to push in order to perform all the various wrestling moves. I have no clue and can barely get my player to move while you are easily throwing your opponent down and doing all sorts of crazy moves, winning the match before I can even strike back.

You are our early bird. You rarely sleep in. Most days you are up and running by 5:00 am. On those days that you aren't, the slightest noise will have you bouncing right out of bed, ready to head downstairs, eager for your breakfast of champions consisting of none other than a cold glass of cranberry juice and a heaping plate of chicken nuggets. At least we can usually convince you to add a side of fruit to your breakfast.

You may not be the most patient person, but you sure do put up with a lot. Especially your older brother Owen who gets the biggest kick out of pestering you. He can be incessant. But for the most part, he eventually has you laughing or hugging him in the end.

You are a great big brother, especially to your littlest siblings Aria and Sam. You love playing with them, pushing them throughout the house in their wheelchairs, or goofing around with them on the floor, often performing various wrestling pin moves on them.

Cole, you are our empathetic kiddo who loves being silly and making everyone laugh. You are such a kind-hearted soul. You are growing up so very quickly. Here's wishing you a very happy 16th birthday. We love you to the moon and back!