9 More Months till Driver's Training

 Happy 14th Birthday to this "kid"!!

Height: 5' 7.75" (84th percentile)
Weight: 112lb 14oz (50th percentile)

For sure taller than mom and almost as tall as dad!  Currently wrapping up his middle school years and getting ready for his transition to high school in the fall, which I'm glad to hear that he's really excited about.  There's been a lot of 8th grade commotion with his recent back to back 8th grade trip to DC (his first overnight trip w/ friends, not including the Oasis Youth Group Retreat from earlier in the year) where he got sick (food poisoning or stomach flu) and then 8th grade band/orchestra trip to Mackinac Island, followed by another 8th grade field trip down to Detroit for the day later in the month and an 8th grade farewell party in early June!  Here are the only 2 pictures I have of him from the DC trip because gone are the days where he wants us to chaperone field trips...but at least he thought to text these to me while he was on his trip!

He's been busy playing Valorant with his friends online when he's not playing soccer (trying out the defensive positions this season!) or at track (attempting to beat his PR of 4' 10" and running 1st heat for 70m and 100m dash!).  He still has a palette for fine/expensive food and still enjoys cooking (just not cleaning up) and reminds us that in 9 months he can start drivers training!!

He's a lot more independent now and has various groups of friends that he hangs out with - his soccer friends, his video game friends, his basketball friends, his neighborhood friends, his church friends.  He's not the little kid he was just a couple years and is growing up way too quickly but I'm so extremely proud to be this kid's mom!  Happy 14th birthday, Matthew - we love you!