I have a 16 year old!

My oldest baby turned 16 at 12:01pm today! I really can't even begin to wrap my head around this, it just seems like yesterday when he was born. He was a big baby, weighing 9 lbs. 4 oz., which shocked all of us because I was pretty tiny and never thought I would have a baby so large. Hmph, I went on to give birth to a 10 pounder LOL He was so fat and chubby and had a permanent little scowl on his face until he was 6 months old : ) However, when he decided to start smiling, he never stopped. He has always been very attached to his Daddy, he used to point to everything and say "dat's daddy's" . It didn't matter what it was, it could be my mascara, he would say, "dat's daddy's" LOL He is still a Daddy's boy, if he could, he would be with him 24/7. He has always been very friendly and very confident. The confidence is usually a good thing, he never bows to peer pressure just because everyone else is doing something. Sometimes though, he can be a little annoying. Of course, I am never sure if that is his personality or maybe just the fact that he is a teenager LOL He is my first one, so I am still not super sure of how this parenting a teen thing goes. He is a wonderful big brother, especially to the little ones. Ava absolutely adores him and follows him around like a little puppy. He never minds and will sit with her in his lap for hours while watching the golf channel. I think she is as attached to him as she is to me, and that is saying alot LOL When Samuel and Ava were newborns, he would often offer to rock them in the middle of the night when they were fussy, so that I could get some sleep. He could usually calm them down better than me or Chad. He is a big reason that it was so easy having my last two children, he was a HUGE help. And he helped with a wonderful attitude, he truly wanted to take care of the babies. Even now, he will take Samuel to the golf course with him, just because Samuel enjoys it.

He is huge now, towering over me with his 6' 1" self. It is a wierd thing to have to look way up to your own child, especially when you feel like they were a tiny baby only a little while ago.

For his birthday, he wanted just he and I to go eat out together. We had sushi and then saw a movie after. It was really nice to sit and talk to him, even though most of the conversation was about golf ; ) lol Did I mention that he loves golf? LOL He is actually very good and we, especially his Dad, are very proud of him. He is growing up and I am very, very proud of him! I can't wait to see what kind of man he turns out to be. I know this, he will make some young lady a wonderful husband and he will be a great father!

I love you, Austin! Happy Birthday!

edited to add: I wrote this yesterday and forgot to publish it. Also, the above picture is from the proofs of the professional pictures my good friend Jessica Thomas took of us. That is why it has proof across it LOL If anyone lives in the Acadiana area of South Louisiana, her and her husband Beau do a wonderful job. Here is their website, JLang Photography. If anyone would like to see the rest of the pictures, just register for your own accountfor free and then go to client proofing and look at the Richard family photos. You can't miss it, my dh is the front picture hamming it up LOL the password is *richfam*. Some of the pictures are very interesting, Ava and Samuel weren't in the best mood, so several of them are of both of them freaking out. These are actually some of my favorite ones. Very real life! ; D