My Birthday Boy

Today my first-born son, my third child, turned 15. Fifteen!
My kids are growing up so fast. Makes me all teary-eyed and sentimental. I'm a mush anyway, but when it comes to my kids, I'm a mega-mush.

The day was beautiful. We slept in; no alarm clocks (#1 criteria for a perfect Saturday). Then we enjoyed a leisurely family breakfast, at a table that had been decorated last night with banners, balloons, and our traditional "You are Special" red plate. No secret, I love my weekend mornings with the family.

After breakfast, we all went separate ways for a bit. The birthday boy was off to play chess with friends and ride his bike. Hubs and I took a long walk along the river (#2 criteria). It was picture-perfect in the cold crisp sunshine; gorgeous reflections cast on the water. We admired a dream house that just came on the market, offering stunning views of the river on a private little cul-de-sac. For a bit more pocket change than we will have available in this lifetime :)

Mid-afternoon I met up with a girlfriend to work on a little present-project for a bit. I can't say more :)

In the evening we grilled burgers and roasted vegetables and had a fun family dinner (#3 criteria), again celebrating the young man in our midst. After dinner, all the kids lined up to prove how tall they'd grown and we measured and recorded each. The birthday boy is not yet as tall as his dad, but towers over his siblings. All four cooperated in a spontaneous photo session, that yielded some cute shots I can finally send to the grandparents and use to update my phone and computer wallpaper. This blip is one of them.

"Icing on the cake," so to speak, was an evening Skype call with dear friends who recently returned to the US after living in Germany for nearly a year. We miss them terribly, but they walked the laptop around their house and garden, showing us where they live and making it feel as if we were together again.

So now I sit here, reflecting on a perfect day and all my blessings through my turbulent life, and one of my mother's favorite songs comes to mind: Turn, turn, turn from the Byrds.

This. Is a time to love.

Happy birthday, my wonderful boy!