Friday Fave Five: Celebrating 14

In celebration of my oldest turning 14 this week, I thought I would share 5 recent favorite things about my son.


Please excuse this proud mama as I brag on my son a bit...



1. free laptop: Even at 14, my son's ability to understand electronics, computer programming and technical things is beyond me. Just recently he was given a laptop that was not working. It's owner bought a new one and gave the laptop having trouble to my son for parts or whatever he chose to do with it. After just a few hours, would you believe my boy had that thing fixed and working?!

Since it's previous owner had already replaced it, he let my son keep the one he had fixed. My son now has a working laptop and has moved his computer programming projects to it instead of the old desktop he had been using.

2. MOPS and toddlers: One Friday a month the private school my son attends has the students do community service. They can choose from a variety of activities. My son chooses to help with childcare for a local MOPS program. He consistently chooses the 1-2 year old's. He was choosing this age even before our little guy came into our family last year.

Just recently he shared that one little girl was using sign language and he was able to communicate with her and help meet her needs since he knew sign because we were also using it in our house with our little guy. He's basically 6ft. tall but so good, gentle and attentive with those little ones.

3. Track: During his elementary years my son played soccer. That has come to be his sport of choice. However, to now play soccer would require playing in the city league which is beyond the ability of our budget. He informed us just recently that he has decided to go out for track. He doesn't seem to mind running (another area he and I are completely different). I am eagerly looking forward to watching him compete athletically in this way.

4. GPA and recognition: This last week the school had an awards chapel. He received recognition in each class but one. He is also on the scholars list with a GPA of 3.95. We have always held the belief that our children doing their very best is more important than the actual grade they receive.

However, when it is the child's personal goal to enter high school with a 4.0 GPA, they are already thinking of college and scholar-shipping on grades, and they take the initiative to push themselves a bit harder... you can't help but celebrate loud and long with them at working so hard and being so close to such a goal.

5. Morning Rising: Another area I have really noticed him mature and take responsibility in is getting up in the morning. He sleeps hard and has a very difficult time waking to an alarm. At the beginning of this school year I was still waking him, noting that it didn't appear he was making personal effort to wake himself before then.

We changed the practice after Christmas. I no longer wake him. He is completely responsible to get himself up on time. If he doesn't and he is late, then he has to live out the consequences.

As a mother this has been more difficult than I envisioned. On some mornings as the time passes and he is not up, it has been all I can do to not go in and wake him. But I haven't.

He is getting himself up. Some mornings are much more rushed than others, but he is taking responsibility for himself.

He is growing and maturing into such an incredible young man. I am watching it happen right before my eyes and I couldn't be more proud... and blessed...
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Head to Susanne's to see what things were favorites to others this week.

What were favorites in your week?