Happy 14th Birthday Sam! (Wow this is late!)

Sam - I am not sure where my post for your 2018 birthday or anyone else's for that matter went, so I will just get it done now!;) This was 7th grade and it was a bit of a rough year for you. Your grades were fine. Your friendships were great. You were just feeling all of being 13 and the hormones that come with that. Every day I would pick you up from school and ask you how the day was. Usually your response had something to do with the stupid kids in your stupid class were being stupid so your stupid teacher assigned you all a stupid amount of homework. A lot of things in 7th grade were stupid;0, thankfully you made it through without getting into a fight with any of those stupid kids or getting detention from those stupid teachers. And you seemed to always get good grades on all that stupid homework. Since you stopped playing soccer last year, this year you tried your hand at track. Although you're super fast, the coach was a little/ a lot disorganized so you really didn't get much exposure to the track. But, you got an idea of what to expect. You learned a little bit more and next year, you'll be ready to run all over this sport. Karl is still one of your best friends. His parents got divorced not long ago so I think you are a really nice constant to have. Although your interests are changing, you still love to hang out. You have a large circle of friends. Your inner circle is very small which allows a lot of room for a big outer circle and are always willing to make room for one more. This summer, I asked Will to start a workout routine with your boys. Of course, you are my rule follower so you took that to another level. Every night before bed, you do sit-ups and push-ups. You are a committed person and I admire that. You plan to do something and then just do it. It makes you a little challenging at times though because you don't like things up ending your plans. If we have something to do, you want to know about it far enough ahead of time so that you can include it on your calendar. In May of this year, you and Will were baptized. For many years, you have had a love for Jesus in your heart but you made that love public. Dad and I were super proud of that decision. Granny and Papa came to see it. Nana and Pawpaw watched online. It was a very big day for all of us. We were very excited and of course, I cried ugly.;) Sam, every year, I write your birthday post about you and your big heart and your big emotions. Every year, I think you hate it. But you know what, I think you are really awesome. You feel and that is fantastic. Your wife will appreciate that very much. I know you don't see it now but one day you will win big because of this. People are drawn to feelers. It makes them feel heard and understood. It makes you compassionate. It makes you pretty special. Happy 14th birthday Sam. I am sorry I am so late. I guess we were just busy having fun!!! Love, Mom