I am Mom to a Teenager!

Tonight, I was texting my sister and talking about Colin's birthday and she said "Remember when he would make me draw toes on snowmen??  And now you have a teenager!"

She's right.  When he was very young, he absolutely loved snowmen, even though he didn't see snow until years later.

This morning, I wake up as a mom to a teenager.  This amazing young man who made me a mother turns 13 today.

He's passionate about the things he likes.  He's extremely smart, extremely kind, and extremely thoughtful. He is my most sentimental child, the one who loves tradition. He still loves to read, and still prefers fiction over non-fiction.  When forced to read non-fiction, he has discovered biographies of favorite authors (like Tolkien).  He is excelling in school, and while PE has been a least favorite class, he also discovered this year that he really enjoys playing tennis.

He and Nate are still the best of friends, and while they may not speak a private language anymore, they spend hours together talking, conspiring, and planning who knows what. He's a good big brother to Lydia, always making sure she is safe and taking time to talk with her friends and be a good sport when they coerce him into playing.

He's tall!!  I think he's taller than his aunt, and his feet are as big as mine. His voice is just starting to crack every once in a while, so I'm expecting more cracking as it deepens over this year. His legs are long, as is his hair.  Yes, he has a red mop on his head, but when he was little I always said there were more important things to take a stand on than hair. I'm trying to keep that in mind as I remember what an excellent young man he is, even if his hair is longer and messier than I'd like.

For his 13th birthday, he requested Pei Wei, so we're headed there tomorrow after he competes in a trial game for the National Academic League.  Saturday he begins private tennis lessons, which are one of his birthday presents.  He's also receiving books.  Many books!  As well as a Lord of the Rings Lego set and a few other things.

Today, we will celebrate Colin Jeremiah.  My eldest.  My first-born.  My son.

But, there are plenty of times when I still remember him just like this:

Minted Holiday Cards (Review)

Pretty much every year since we've been married, we have sent out photo holiday cards.  Especially since we now have 3 kids, and have family and friends all over the country, I like to send photo cards so everyone can see how the kids are growing.  I also love to receive photo cards!!

One site that has an amazing selection of photo cards is Minted.  A couple years ago, I ordered our cards from Minted and they were amazing!  I loved the heavy card stock they were printed on, and how our beach photo popped from the card.  Such a change from photo-paper thin cards we've sent in the past.  I also loved that they sent a proof of the card within 24 hours for my review.  This is our card from them in 2010:

I was recently looking at their new designs and was very impressed. One of the designs that I thought very clever was their minibook cards.  These cards are 5x7" and are made up of 7 pages that can be customized with both pictures and text.  One of the hardest things is choosing which pictures to include, and these minibooks would make that process so much easier.  They also don't cost any extra postage to send.  I also really like the ornament cards!

I haven't yet chosen a design or even a picture for our holiday cards this year.  I usually try to have it done by Thanksgiving, which is in just a few weeks.  I know that Minted is one of the places I'll visit to make that final decision about this year's card!

Do you send photo cards?  Have you taken your holiday photo yet? Let me know in the comments!

**Disclosure: I received credit at Minted.com in exchange for sharing information about their site with my readers.**