Sutton is 16!

 I'm a bit behind, but...Sutton turned 16 at the end of June!

It's so crazy how quickly we went from 'little boy' to 'man' and how much different he has become. 

At 16, Sutton is a hair under 6 feet tall, and around 160 pounds. He had been growing + gaining exponentially, but he has held steady(ish) for a bit. He's still getting taller, just not as quickly. Adam is 6 feet tall, so we're pretty sure Sutton will end up taller than his dad.

Sutton's personality is so great. He is so different from me. He hears me talk about enneagram all the time, so he wanted to take the test last week. I guessed him as an 8, or maybe a 3. I was right. He's an 8 and 3 came in second place. He loves debating, will definitely make his opinion known. He takes responsibility very seriously and is ridiculously honorable and trustworthy. I have struggled with 8s in the past because they can be so confrontational (I hate confrontation), but since I'm so comfortable with Sutton, I can just call him out on things, help him grow, help him to not seem so harsh.

He's a classic firstborn, and I appreciate that he takes the lead on a lot of things, dives head first into anything required of him.

He just finished his first year of high school and he loved it. Through soccer and several classes + extracurricular events, he made friends with some of the upperclassmen and was even invited to a few seniors' graduation parties. Sutton is so genuine and friends with everyone, I love that about him.

Last summer, Sutton got close to a couple of guys in his class and has really cultivated a best friendship with Zach over the past year. Zach is awesome, we love him. He comes from a completely different background than Sutton...grew up with a lot more. But he and Sutton completely see that and talk about it and even joke about it - Sutton will tell Zach to "check your privilege" which I find hilarious. Zach says it to Sutton too if Sutton talks about any of our redneck things that sound fun, like 4 wheeling or firepit nights.

Sutton is still very into theology and learning about Christianity and the Bible. He stays pretty up on current events and seems to know more than I do. He's got an enthusiasm for a lot of stuff that I do not. He leans a bit more conservative than I do, but that has made for some interesting conversations. 

Since it's summer, we will sometimes do late night trips to McDonald's, where Sutton drives his Mustang and I get to be a passenger princess. Those are some of the best talks. He has a lot of good one-on-one talks with Adam during drives too. He's to a point where it often feels like talking to a friend more than our son.

Favorites...Lipton citrus green tea, Arnold Palmer, McDonald's Spicy McCrispy (no pickle but add cheese and extra sauce), blue Powerade, salt and vinegar chips, chicken and rice, buffalo anything, Chili's chips + salsa, Casey's breakfast pizza,