Birthday in Quarantine

My baby boy became a teenager on Saturday. This kid is always building something or fiddling with something or improving the design on something--usually weapons or DND related.

One of the strange facets of quarantine is that it seems to deepen almost daily, and it wasn't as long-term last Saturday. School hadn't been cancelled for the rest of the year, so there was a possibility that seeing friends was on the fairly near horizon.

(Side note: Best April Fool's Day joke in a while was convincing all three kids that Governor Ducey had ordered they all repeat the grade they're in next year. Hyrum and Eve fully bought into it. Micah was incensed for a moment, then he realized what day it was and saw through me.)

Hyrum had such a good attitude about his birthday. He's suddenly looking older and acting older, still without the whole emotional teen hormone roller coaster, so I'll take that as long as I can get it.

Hyrum is funny, and not just in a "I'm-13-and-only-funny-to-other-13-year-olds" way. He's fun to be around and I enjoy his company.

Hyrum is thoughtful. He shares freely (with everyone but Eve, it seems). He thinks of others and completes small acts of service to make them happy.

For example,  we have a young family living in our guest house, and since we share the yard and driveway and everything, we are all quarantined together. For Marc's birthday, Hyrum made him a lemon cake all by himself. I often wonder where this ability to see what people need without being asked will take him in his life. It really is a gift that blesses all of us.

Hyrum is learning how to interact with his older brothers on a new level. He's always been the baby brother with nothing important to add, but lately that field has been leveling out (along with the COVID-19 curve, right?). They are all becoming friends with each other, and it's incredible as the mom to watch that happen and see the foundation for their lifetime ahead as adult brothers. Chokes this mama up a little!

One thing that will really suffer during quarantine is his hair. We're only almost three weeks in, and look at it! I may have to break out my old haircutting buzzer . . . 

Five more birthdays until he's an adult.

When did he change into a teenager? I still remember this little Rum Diddy:

Love you, buddy.