and so it's official, we're now housing two, yes TWO! teenagers. it still seems so foreign to me to have these somewhat big people floating around, one who sneaks clothes and jewelry from my closet on a regular basis and another who has already surpassed me in shoe size and is threatening every day to blow by me in height. I swear the kid grows inches every night. so tell me, how do you retain authority over a child who is taller than you? hm mm. I think I may have to invest in a step stool here shortly.
I asked Jake if there was anything in particular he wanted for his birthday, to which he replied, "a sweatshirt and jeans." I couldn't argue with practicality and since he's been wearing the same sweatshirt day in and day out for the past few months (just ask his sister who has so affectionately taken to calling him The Giant Green Booger), I gladly obliged. so the two of us set out for a lunch date and a trip to the mall.
first stop: Freddy's, a relatively new burger and frozen custard joint in town that we've been anxious to try out.
we both agreed the burgers and custard were very similar to Culver's, but the shoestring fries were by far tastier and crunchier than the thick, soggy ones that Culver's has to offer. sorry, Culver's. no offense, but we prefer a little crunch to our fries.
next stop: the mall, where we came across an additional 50% off clearance sale going on at AE. we scored a couple sweatshirts and a few long-sleeved T-shirts. and then over to Dillard's where we found a pair of jeans and another sweatshirt, both 70% off the original price. sah-weet!
and finally downtown, to snap a couple pics.
I have to laugh at the swooping, combed-forward hair thing he's got going on. I realize it's 'the thing' for boys his age to do right now, so instead of arguing with him to get it cut, I'm just going to pray the phase passes. like soon. but hey, if you guys only knew what my hair looked like in 7th grade (think mullet combined with spiking on one side), this is nothing. very decent, actually.
I have to say that I enjoyed the afternoon with him immensely. with a large family, it's so easy to get wrapped up in the busy-ness of life; whether it be work schedules or simply trying to keep the house afloat, etc, that often times the kids end up getting lost in the shuffle, especially if they're the easy-going, non-demanding sort. that's why I think it's so important to have a little one-on-one time with them every now and then, to be able to chat about life in general and how things are going.
Jake has certainly grown into a thoughtful, kind and caring individual. (well, except when it comes to his younger brother, then maybe not so much.) I couldn't be more proud to call him my son!
happy birthday, Jake! we love you!
-jessica
10 comments:
the hair--its the justin bieber look!
We loved Freddy's too! Makes me hungry...:)
Looks like you had a fun day. Your 13 year old boy doesn't mind shopping with you?!?!
awww... :) how special! -jess
Very nice to have the one-on-one time. Happy Birthday Jake!
yep, nothing like one on one time to appreciate who your child really is! last pic looks like two teenage siblings - cute! well, maybe a teen and young adult:)
This almost makes me a little teary eyed, thinking about my oldest boy being that big! I hope he loves me then as much as he does now! And I do LOVE taking just one of them somewhere, it's so much fun!
Nice post. Glad you got to spend some one on one time with Jake. Happy Birthday Jacob !!
you inspire me!
I admire you, Jessica. Taking the time to have some one on one time with your son is fabulous. Even more fabulous is that it looks like he enjoyed the time with you. With a large family one on one time is a precious commodity.
Jess, you do have one wonderful kid! We've had the pleasure to get to know him as he's been our "weekend son" a time or two...He is sweet, thoughtful, fun, and always respectful. Couldn't ask for more than that! He's ALWAYS welcome. :)
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