Fourteen

Poor Todd is getting sick of sharing his birthday with the St. George Marathon but that's how we commemorated yet another year of this cool kid's life.

Honestly, Todd and I have had a rough year. Boundless, maternal love is sometimes reflected as magnified frustration when kids don't conform to the lofty imaginings of a first-time momma. Todd is blazing the way to help me be a more flexible parent. It's been a tough job for him but he's certainly shown to be up to the challenge. Turns out Todd has his own personality, spirit, BRAIN and doesn't feel overly compelled to make his red-haired mum too comfortable in her role as steward and nurturer.

Todd's birthday was October 1st. He is FOURTEEN and...

• FUNNY. Fast with a joke and not very shy, Todd garnishes all sorts of attention for his wit and humor. Substitute teachers have not shown to be appreciative.
• FARCE-intolerant. Todd has his own ideas about what merits his time and energy. Once again, substitute teachers have not been impressed.
• FACTUAL when he recounts exactly what I said he could or couldn't do. Yep. Todd doesn't really go with the whole "spirit of the law" thing. I am forced to cover all my bases with him.
  
• FANATIC in his love of BYU sports.
• FANTASTIC with kids. He's an awesome big brother, cousin, neighbor, friend to the littles of the world.
• FASHION-monogomous. He likes sporty, comfy tees and shorts and that's about it. It kills him that his personal style is harshed by the strict school dress code (uniforms!).
• FAR-OUT. Like I said. He's a cool kid. I love him a lot more than substitute teachers do.