I don't wanna seem too insensitive....

…..about the big THREE FIVE, but it’s coming right up, in fact. Kyle Scott Wells has a birthday and I’m givin’ a shout-out to my first-born (poor kid) who did turn out pretty good inspite of being the front-runner and experiment of our parenting skills for the family. Ya, we did a lot of things wrong (please forgive me Kyle, for that time I threw you across the room along with everything else on the dresser drawers) but we must have done some things right because (and it’s not just because I’m the mom) this kid turned out pretty darn good. He has a huge heart and would help anybody (and he does, sometimes too many at one time) and has talent out the yang-yang. He had to grow up pretty fast back in 7th grade when his dad almost died and he had to take over and he put up with a lot of “crap” in that very vulnerable time in his life but ‘I’m just sayin’, I think he came out on top. He hit the ground runnin’ on that chilly October afternoon 35 years ago in Moscow, Idaho and hasn’t stopped. He definitely has always paved his own way in life, not needing any handouts (oh, except the time that he wanted a job and they wouldn’t hire him so he just worked for free until they did hire him) and he’s always been willing to try anything, including trying out for the lead in a high school musical and GETTING IT….for cryin’ out loud. Best Curly, bar none….’I’m just sayin’….Complicated, yes, good lookin’, yes, (some have said the younger version of Mel Gibson, just in looks though) hard workin’ guy, definitely….am I braggin’ yes, but I’m the mom and this is my blog. To Kyle as I wish you a Happy Birthday: Thanks for being willing to raise your hand when God asked who wanted to come to this family first….that’s probably why you were so quick to raise your hand back there when they asked who wanted to go to the new 6th grade class they were forming….and you had 4, or maybe 5, teachers that year before November. That was a memorable year. This is turning out to be a long blog but you are my firstborn and were an only child for 2 years and 4 months. You really did have a bumpy ride through your K-12 years and you didn’t start out liking school much. There was that time when you wanted to stay home and being the smart mom that I am, I told you that it would be fine but you would have to call the teacher and tell her. So, you and Jason looked up the number of the school and called Mrs. Caso. From my end I heard you say to her…”I don’t care”….I asked what your teacher said. You told me she said “I will miss you.” Did you go to school that day, I’m not sure but I do remember a time that your dad made you work hard enough that you wanted to go back by noon…..but the remarkable thing is that years later, when you learned to love learning, if asked “what do you want to be when you get out of school” your answer would be 36. And I’m so glad you are “still in school” and I’m glad you get to share your love of learning with the next generation. I love you, son. I’m going to celebrate “you” and I hope you will too. You’ll always be my engineer with an MBA, a Ph.D and the best son/brother/grandson/uncle/husband/father any of us could ask for. Be kind to yourself this week….sneak away to Pine Valley and go fishin’….(and while you’re there, could you turn the water off and winterize the cabin? Thanks.)