You've had a birthday shout hurray

He's sixteen!

Adam and I marveled that it didn't seem possible that our baby was sixteen.

But he is whether we can believe it or not.

Yesterday morning he said that now that he's sixteen, he's very impatient to get his license.  What is holding us back are the driving hours and what is holding back the driving hours is me.

Sometimes Adam will say, "Let's have Mark drive."  And I will say no because it stresses me out.  I've been trying harder lately to get him behind the wheel.  I also want him to have his license.  I just don't want him to drive.

It's complicated.

We celebrated his birthday Sunday.

Emma came again and Braeden was already here and that is my hands down favorite situation.  I love the life and laughter that fills up the house when those three are in it together.

We were waiting for someone before opening gifts (I can't remember who) so we made Mark do clapping pushups while we waited so he could earn his gifts.

He's 100% the only person in this family that can do those.

Here he is reading his card from Grandma and Grandpa Dahl.

Emma and Braeden remarked that his gifts were nothing they would ever have been gifted with for their 16th birthdays.  I guess it goes with the ability to do clapping pushups.

Here he is showing off his new socket set from Grandma Geri (he immediately made sure there was a 10mm wrench inside and Emma said, "I don't even know what that means") and car emergency kit from Grandma and Grandpa Dahl.

photo bomb by Braeden's enormous foot

He wore the new scarf he got the rest of the day.

I'm so grateful we have Mark in our family.  He is endlessly patient and kind.  He works hard and forgives me when I'm late picking him up from school and he's standing in the cold (hence the scarf--hence the impatience to get his license).  He is strong both inside and out and wickedly funny.

More often than not, I have no idea what I did to deserve the kids that were born to us.  But I'm very grateful for them.