Another teenager in the house YIKES!

Today Dylan hit the big 13! He has only been in my life for about half that time, but I know him and love him just like my own.

Dylan took advantage of the fact that we are staying in Phoenix for a while and requested his special birthday dinner to be "Hometown Buffet" Our tradition is that each kid can decide what we eat for dinner on their birthday (we have had some very unique requests such as cream of wheat and mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and wheat thins.... you name it!) while normally it is something we cook at home we all jumped for his idea this time! Mom mom and pop pop treated us as part of Dylan's present, and we all ate until our pants were too tight to move. Aiden Tanner was such a crack up, he finished his first plate of food and came back with a plate full of desserts. His dad said wait, you have to eat food first, and he said I did dad, a whole plate...... when asked what was on that plate he smiled and said 1 piece of pizza and a few fries. This is a kid who loves dessert, and is smart enough to just skirt the rules! :) I think Dylan sampled just about everything they had, then had 3 or 4 different kinds of cake (hey, it was his birthday!) then about 4 bowls of ice cream with different toppings each time! Wow growing boys can put the food away!! Dylan got a great running shirt, a huge Lego set, and a computer game he has been dying to get from us, and of course money from relatives. A pretty good birthday I think.

Dylan has been such a joy to have as a stepson. I think that Dylan and I have a pretty special relationship. He is more than a kid to me, he is really a friend. He is very smart and he knows when to give me a hug and when to just make me laugh. He shares alot of his dad's personality which of course I love. I bet if you looked up "smart Alec" in the dictionary there would be a picture of Dylan and his Dad making their goofy faces right there.

Anyone who knows Dylan agrees that they are blessed to have him around. My parents have told me often that when they said they wanted more grand kids from me, this is not what they had in mind, but they got so much more than they had ever hoped for.... so did I!

Happy birthday Dylan, remember that you are always loved!