Kevin Is 20!!!

Okay, say it with me .... no more teenagers in the house! It's strange to think of it. We've had at least one teenager around for the past nine years, so this is a new phase for us.

Kevin turns 20 today, and I'm excited for him, but also feeling a little melancholy about my babies growing up. I have such incredibly sweet memories of my youngest, who had a personality all his own from the moment he was born. Probably before that!

He used to call carrots "docs" because Bugs Bunny ate them and said "What's up doc?" We eventually nicknamed him "Bugs" because of it. That's still his nickname!

He used to bring along a little stuffed dog named "Shotty" (he couldn't say Shorty) with him wherever he went. And he would introduce Shotty to people and play with him when I went to work at the library, or to church, the bank, grocery shopping ... you name it! Very cute.

He's very artistic, and started drawing when he was small like most boys. He loved to create art work, and my sister, a former art teacher, said his talent was beyond his years and encouraged us to support him. We bought him sets of crayons, then colored pencils and paints and so many pads of paper over the years! Took art classes as he got older and has received awards for his work.

When AJ started kindergarten, he was so jealous! So we signed him up for a toddlers cooking class and sparked another creative interest of his. He's grown from children's cookbooks to adult cookbooks and now creates his own recipes. We've all benefited from and enjoyed his creativity in this area, let me tell you!

But one of the things that defines Kevin the most is his deep love of and stalwart defense of his family. To Kevin, family is everything. He has a strong faith and is often the one reminding us of family prayer and not to give up when things seem difficult. "It'll be alright!" he says, "It always is." And he's right.

I always wanted to be a mother. After my very difficult delivery with AJ my doctor didn't want me to have any more children. I knew there was one more and I was going to have him. I am SO grateful I did! What would it be like if Kevin were not here? I can't even go there. I thank my Heavenly Father every day that He helped me and we have this precious spirit in our family. We wouldn't truly be a family without him.