Mattox is 14

 Oh Mattox, you turned 14! I'm not sure why this birthday seemed different, but it did. You look older, you act older (most of the time), and I just couldn't handle it. I cried. You are such a light. This year I have seen you grow and blossom so much. You are just finished 7th grade at Weddington Christian Academy, a little private school close to where we live. Your best friend is Gavin and you had a great year. You made outstanding grades, played basketball, and made friends. Out of all of Madi's brothers, you are her favorite. You are kind and fair. You have so much patience. Sometimes, more than I do. You see the world in such a unique way and really have one of the biggest hearts I have ever come across. I just love you so much. You also look out for me, which is really sweet. I'm not ready for you to grow up...but you are, right in front of me. 

For your birthday, we gave you a phone. I held out for 14 years. Can you believe that? You still love Pokemon and know everything there is to know about it. You are going to do big things in this world if you decide to. Sometimes you struggle to find the motivation to do stuff well if you aren't that interested in it. We are working on life skills and social skills and you are getting better at both. Now, you even have a little group of friends you hang out with. 

Your best friend is Sam. You two are thick as thieves as they say. You room together and are always hanging out with each other. I pray that your friendship with continue thought your lives, long after I am gone. You both are a gift to each other. You are a good big brother to all 3 of your siblings. You are just a good and responsible kid. I love you so much and I am so proud of you. This year, you decided to get baptized. I love that. You made a public declaration of an inner transformation. You go! I pray that you continue to seek God in all that you do. He has big plans for you I think. Please always know that you are loved and valued for who you are. You are my son and I think the world of you now, and always. Here's to many more.

Happy 12th Birthday Sam

 

Happy Birthday Sam. You are 12 now and this year has been a good one. Shortly after your last birthday, we got another foster placement. A little girl. Her name is Madi. She was 4 when she moved in with us. You have been very mature in understanding what we are doing and why. You haven't been overly nice to her, mainly tolerating her, but occasionally thinking she is funny. You are a good big brother. You have had a GREAT year swimming. You continue to grow and get faster a little bit at a time. You seem to enjoy practice and still have Coach Rob as your coach. He is a great role model and your best friend on the team is Parker. Each meet, you show improvement in almost every event. It's pretty impressive.

This year, you started the 5th grade. Alec is still your best friend. There has been more drama than ever this year and you do very well to stay out of it. You are very solid, avoiding highs and lows. You are wise. Very observant and have very high expectations of others. You always do the right thing and make good grades. You make me very proud. At the end of the school year, you scored the highest score on a Spanish fluency test. There were 4 high scores. 2 of them were 8th graders and the other 5th grader has parents from Puerto Rico. That is a very big accomplishment.

This year, we lost Summer Girl. She was old and was not doing well. You grieved more than I have ever seen you in my life. She was such a good dog and we still miss her a lot.

Sam, you are such a valuable member of our family. I have loved to see you grow and mature over the last year. You are really a very neat person. You have taught me how to love better, be more intentional, and that I don't always have to respond to anyone I don't want to. LOL You are going to do big things. I love you so much. Happy Birthday buddy.