Jalen turned 16 in October. Unbelievable. Then he got his first job and *they* taught him how to drive. Unbelievable. Then I find myself turning to my young man for advice occasionally because in some ways he is way beyond me in matters of faith and maturity (in SOME ways!). Unbelievable. WHERE has my little baby gone???
Jalen is enjoying his teen years in ways I vaguely prayed for, but never realized just how much God would honor those prayers! He has an amazing group of fun, faith-filled friends with really neat interests and personalities. His own interests in art, writing (books and poetry), and swords are NOT what I expected when I imagined him growing older, but how fun it is to learn from him!
Luke... is about to turn 14 next week!! I chose the photo above because we had just left a Tim Hawkins concert, where Luke had Tim sign his hat. Tim Hawkins is an awesome comedian and Luke reminds me of him often.... he keeps me laughing! I also chose it because of the HAT... it is almost as famous as Tim!! Luke wears it all the time, except in Mass and around my grandmother. :-)
Luke's love for art is a beautiful thing, but often gets him in trouble when his teacher (yes, me!) finds art on his schoolwork, his arms, and the shower walls!! His style is unique and often humorous. This semester he took four hours of art classes each week and will most likely complete his last few years of high school at a charter school that will allow him to pursue college art classes free (my favorite kind of classes!).
Like Jalen, Luke is also blessed with a solid faith and set of great friends. We are so happy to drive the guys around extensively to prayer meetings and parties, knowing these busy social lives build them up into incredible men of God. The accountability they provide for each other is *vastly* different from how I grew up with my friends!
Morgan is 10 years old and wants to live inside "Justice" (the girly clothing store). She is probably "typical" in the sense that she loves to sing and dance, do her hair and mother those around her. But of course, she is super-special and unique to her parents! She is sensitive and loving, dramatic and helpful. She took a leap forward in maturity recently when she realized on her own that a class that was difficult for her was worth continuing and that she was ready to put forth more effort to achieve her goals. Yay! I was so proud of her for seeing value in pushing through difficult tasks! (Again, *I* need to learn from my kids... definitely great teachers.)
Oh, my! When did the baby of the family grow to be this beautiful little girl?! Parker is seven and was just in her first worship dance performance this weekend. This was a HUGE step for her as she used to be SO afraid of people watching her. She did great and made her mommy cry! 
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