Happy 13th Birthday to My Baby!!

Kent turns 13 on November 23rd but his party was today and I just can't quite wrap my head around the fact that my little bitty is a TEENAGER now... I want to cry!! Where have the years gone??! Having spent much of the past couple weeks looking through old photos definitely contributes to my general feeling of "wahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!" Seeing all those pictures of him over the years, the little grin on his face, sharing so many great moments together, making so many memories. My heart is SO full. I love my son with all my heart and though life is crazy and unexpected and I certainly never planned to become a mother at only 17 while still in high school I do thank God, from the bottom of my heart, every day for the family I am blessed with because of those series of events. I know I would not have my husband and of course this child if things hadn't worked out the way they had. Being a teen mom was HARD and I know how lucky we have been to be so supported by our families, they allowed us to find our way together throughout those first couple rough years and I am so thankful for that - but most of all I am so thankful that we made it through and I have the man I love from the top of my head to the tips of my toes and the child that can make me cry and laugh and has taught me to love on a whole new level. Being a mom is everything to me. I love being a mother - I've always wanted to be a mom, ever since I was little and used to play "deliver" my stuffed animals while my brother was the doctor. Being a mom can be the most challenging and frustrating thing in the world, he can disappoint and hurt me like no one else, but most of the time I feel so honored that I was chosen to be him mom. That I get to watch him grow, watch him develop into the person he has become, see his uniqueness, his kindness, his intelligence, his curiosity, his creativity - see him just as he is. What an amazing thing to witness - the development and growth of a person who is a piece of you, a piece of you and the person you love. I still get hugs and "I love you's" and cuddles every now and then and those I treasure the most of all - and I will continue to soak them up as long as they last!

So happy birthday to my boy, welcome to the teenage years - I pray we both make it through in one piece!! :D