Oh, my Noah. This boy turned the page to 16 on May 2nd and it is still sinking in for me.
Isn't he so handsome?
I love when he laughs. When I see it, I realize how rarely I see it. He is usually more of a smirker/chuckler. So it makes the belly laughs and spontaneous giggles all the more precious to me.
For this year's birthday, he only asked for dinner out at Mission BBQ and some cash. Ha! He got a gaming chair, a personal fan for gaming, new sunglasses, some new shirts, some moolah from both sets of grandparents plus an airsoft scope and portable phone charger from my parents, some cash and a card from Lasa, a personalized Cad Bane graphic print from Anna, some fave snacks, and a paintball outing with some buds.
Josh took the day off work to share in the fun experience of Noah taking his driving test ... which he passed with quickness and ease. The test guy said he was a confident driver and a polite young man.
Anna snapped this shot of us peeking through the window watching during his driving test. This is likely me for the coming years... pensively and prayerfully watching from a safe distance to see how my baby is launching into all. the things. that are coming.
After his test, we picked up Lasa from school early and went to see a movie Noah was eager to see,
The Secrets of Dumbledore. Then it was back home for cake and presents. Chocolate cake was requested and this one with ganache got rave reviews from the birthday boy.
Couple pics of the birthday paintballing. Josh, Noah, Jonah, Ryland, and Brantley had a blast!
As if turning 16 and getting his license weren't enough to exhaust this momma's heart, this eager one went and got his first job the following week. Look - baby's first W4 form! Adorbs. He is working at Rock Bridge Trees right next door. And when I say working, I mean workingggggg up a storm. He is motivated by the moolah he is accumulating. I have been impressed and proud of his work ethic for a couple years now. I am even prouder to see it at play out in the world. It is earning him respect from his boss and coworkers right away as his hours have been upped already since starting last week. They want him full time now! He said the funniest thing about his savings plan with all this cash he will be making. Anna teased how he would waste it and he argued, "No! I am saving for a house and a car and all the Star Wars Lego Sets." Apparently, he has a goal to own them alllllll. Priorities, people.
I take pics of him coming and going now ... because, like I said, it is all still sinking in for me ... how one big chapter just quietly closed and this other big new one has taken over so ninja-like. It is weird when he is gone for hours at a time. The air around us just feels different ... incomplete ... expectantly waiting for his return.
This recent text I got from a friend for whom Noah was doing some work at their house really sums up this kid.
I remember how hard 13 and 14 were for Noah and for us. I remember friends assuring me my precious boy would return to being a pleasure to be around soon. I remember how, at 15, I felt the muscles relaxing a little again and my encouragement at seeing Noah settle into a more grown-up place. It is for sure that 16 has even more of that refreshing exhale. He readily presents a steady mood and patience and smarter choices and wiser interactions with his sisters now. He is so reliable managing his responsibilities and shows such initiative with extra work around the house and yard and animals. He never sulks or glares in the event he is corrected or gets consequences. He shows real motivation in terms of church involvement and youth and has even joined up in a new bible study with friends on Thursday nights and studies up for that on his own, too. Yes, it is all a wonderful exhale, except for how I hold my breath in new ways ... fearing for his safety on the roads, anticipating how he is preceived among friends, cringing at awkward experiences he has to have on his own that I just can't do for him anymore (interviews, official forms, tests, interactions with people who don't know how to translate confusing things he can say as a result of his language impairment). Other ways my baby has morphed into his own person ... music preferences, he is always wearing his Airpods and sunglasses, he rarely plays Legos anymore except for collecting some expensive minifigs, he is in constant texting contact with his buds, same goes for being online for video games. He has seamlessly let go of a lot of video game priority now since starting work, which works for me just fine. Ha! He talks often about different career fields he is considering ... lately I hear about being an electrician or a zoologist. Biology was a real surprising delight for him this year ... plus all those documentaries he watched for two months when he was grounded in every direction. ;) He and Anna share constant banter and teasing. He still calls Lasa his baby. He still showers religiously, squeezing in more than one a day if I let him. He still wants to eat out at every chance he can get. Same goes for watching movies. He still adores playing hockey and looks forward to signing up again in the fall after having cooperated with taking this spring off at our insistence. He still is as scrawny as they come, I say, at just over 100 lbs (105, I think) but he is sporting some muscles along with it now that he loves to flex. I can't seem to get him to eat as much as I think he needs, but I know some of that is the fault of his poor stomach hurting with so many different foods still. He has worked SO hard at school this year ... English 1 was a challenge especially as well as Algebra 2. His school days were markedly longer here as a freshman, but he never once complained. He maintained all A's and B's still. Momma's pleased!
Next up, his first ever checking account and the zero-based budget he is eager to set up. That finance course he took this year is paying off! Prioritizing saving for a car and debt-free college and a home already! Lord, multiply the fruit of his efforts and protect this good boy of yours on all his coming adventures and new freedoms and experiences. Keep hold of his heart and grow him up in you more and more, I beg! Thank you for the gift that is our son!
Happy Birthday, Noah Brown. We love you so very much!
Mom
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