Officially a Teenager

Today was Jackson's 13th Birthday! He is now officially a teenager. I'm still trying to figure out how he could be 13 when I'm only 21! Weird. Anyway, as far as I can tell he had a great day. Darren took the day off work and they spent the day doing "guy" stuff. Here are a few pictures of today's exciting events.

This morning we took Jack shopping and he got to choose a birthday present. He chose to get a DS Lite video game player. He also got a DS video game called Nintendogs. This is a game that lets you pretend to own a dog and you have to do everything to take care of it. We told Jackson that this was the only way he was going to get a dog at this point. Then he and Darren went to a store called "Spy Headquarters". Apparently it was awesome and had all the stuff guys love to use on their undercover missions, including several supplies for practical jokes. Then they got some lunch and went to see "The Mummy III" at the dollar theater.

After the movie it was home for Jackson's birthday dinner of spaghetti and meatballs....

...and then birthday cake and ice cream.

The kids were off school last week for fall break, so Jackson had a couple of friends over for his birthday "party". Twelve year old boys are interesting creatures.

Jackson is a really great kid. He has a quick wit and a dry sense of humor. It's really fun to be around him because he can always make you laugh. He is an excellent student and his ability to stick to things amazes me. He and Darren have gone to the gym together every week, at 6am, for a year. Pretty amazing considering that he gets up and ready on his own. He is a talented piano player and a computer wiz. He is the one I call when I need help with computer stuff. He is a great brother and a great kid. Wow! I can't believe how the time has flown. Happy Birthday Bud! We love you!