Sweet 16!!!

Believe it or not (i'm not sure I actually believe it), my oldest son, Jacob, turned 16 today!!! CRAZY!!! He got a digital camera and a set of his very own keys. (Not the new car to go with it....just his own keys to the cars we already have.)
He's not spending the day with us however. I picked him and Adam up from school at 11:30am and took them out to lunch at Taco Bell. Those two finished a whole Grande Meal by themselves (yes, that's 10 tacos)!!!! The I dropped them off at a fellow band members house. They are headed to Yuba City, CA for a band gig they have there tomorrow night. (jazz band) So he gets to spend the night of his 16th birthday in a hotel room in Reno, NV with his three best friends. Lucky kid. I guess we'll be having a big party later this month.
A few days ago I walked into Jacob's room and just laughed at what I saw. We took a picture because it clearly depicts who Jacob is. His room often looks like this...ummm actually usually there's more clothes on the floor. (and he still thinks he really needs another trombone. Where will that one fit?) We are lucky to have such a great 16 year old. Jacob is a really great person. He has a lot of really good friends too...something pretty important for a teenager. He's seems (to our knowledge anyway) to be making wise choices in his life. He is excited to start driving and dating...I'm not sure mom and dad are quite as excited about those. He is recovering well from his hospital journey last month--he's got a pretty good scar from it. He recognizes the value of doing good in school and gets good grades. He is social (from mom) and smart (from dad). He's also a pretty good big brother. I think it's great that he is pretty close to getting over the aversion to showing emotion to mom and dad. He will speak to us in public (even with friends), say I love you, and acknowledge our presence in his life. Jacob is a trombone playin', Christmas lovin', key chain collector, anything collector, whistlin', readin', animal lovin', music lovin' kinda guy. We feel pretty lucky to have him as a member of our family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!