The BIG 13th!

Yesterday one of my boy cousins turned 13! As the middle child of two brothers who are 18 months older and 18 months younger he is full of personality and always has been; I honestly doubt he has ever met a stranger. It is funny b/c all three boys have such distinctive personalities. On their birthdays if you ask if you can sing, he replies “OF COURSE”, the oldest will say, “Nah” and the youngest begrudgingly says “Whatever!” I guess it goes to show that a lot of our personality is nature not nurture. He also has a wonderful memory (must run in the family) as last night I asked him if he remembered his dinosaur cake from years ago (I think it was his 4th birthday) and not only did he say “yes” but proceeded to tell me the colors that were included on the cake. AMAZING!!!!! How can a child experience something less than 1500 days out of the womb and then recall it for so many more days to come; the mind is such a remarkable thing! My birthday wish for him as he enters his teenage years is that he continues to develop the wonderful personality he was gifted with. He has been through so much over the years. At about the age of about 3 his mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and went through surgeries, chemo, and what not and 2 years later, at the age of 5, his father passed away while jogging at the young age of 39. However, through it all, he has remained one of the happiest & most well adjusted children I know. Birthday wishes for an amazing teenage boy!