For Reals, Reals Banana Peels!

As kids if we couldn't believe it we would always ask, "for reals?" or if you were completely serious, "For reals!" Totally bad grammar I am well aware, but that didn't stop me, in fact I added to the phrase as I got a little older. All through Jr. High I would say "For reals, reals banana peels!"

As Tara was getting ready to leave my house last Sunday Wes walked by her and we all did a double take. Could it be that my baby boy is taller than the oldest of my little sisters? For reals reals banana peels! We had them stand back to back and this was the result!

Today was Wes' 13th birthday. I am now the parent of a teenager. Each of these little milestones in life keeps bringing me back to one conclusion that I still have a hard time coming to terms with; I am a grown up. For reals.

I remember my days in 7th grade too vividly to actually be a parent of one this age! It seems like just yesterday that this big guy was born! Three days after I turned 21 Wes was born. He looked nothing like what we had expected. Jeff and I both have brown eyes and brown hair, and Wes was born with skiffs of blond fuzz on his head and eyes that you could tell were going to stay blue as can be from day one.

He has always been wise beyond his years and loves hanging out with the grown ups. He is analitical and always trying to figure out how things work. He gets that from his dad. He still loves to snuggle up with me, and loves to hang out and just talk. Those he gets from me. Another thing he gets from me is the tendancy to be a night owl which makes it almost impossible to wake him up in the morning! He loves music and is always wanting me to listen to some new favorite song he has found, and often he ends up downloading the sheet music for it so he can play it on the piano.

Lately he and I have made a few trips with just the two of us to Sierra Summit for some fun on the snow. I love watching him on his board trying new tricks and constantly challenging himself. Just yesterday he was following me down a run and then dissappeared. When I got to a good stopping place I called him to find out where he had gone, his reply was," Well mom, I can now say I have gone down the face of the mountain!" I love that I am raising independant children!

Last year my friend Shelley took pictures of Wes for his 12th birthday. It is amazing to me how much he has changed and grown up in just the last year! We have such a good time hanging out together and the kid is constantly cracking me up. He has a tender heart and a great sense of humor. If I have to be a grown up, at least I have the privilege of being this guys mom. He's that cool. For reals.