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, rosemary sourdough bread, popcorn, pumpkin bread, banana bread,
It has been a year of gaining new freedoms. With his restricted driver's license, he was able to drive him and Ren to school (after a loooooooooong drawn out transition period of me getting comfortable with this). This summer, he has had soccer scrimmages, sometimes starting at 9pm due to the heat. He has been driving to those himself, then stopping for McDonald's afterwards. We just got his full license (mom fail, waited til August 4th!), and so we are currently navigating how that will work with asking for permission/telling us where he's going/checking to see if we have things going on before he makes plans.
This summer is the first time I have really worked outside the house. Sutton has picked up a lot of the slack, doing dishes and cleaning so that I don't have to do it all when I get home. I have appreciated that so much.
Riddick has been around since Sutton was 7 or 8. He's getting to be an old man now, still our favorite furry friend!
Sutton has a love-hate relationship with Pandora (pictured below). Pandora is kinda mean and not the most personable, but he's so cute. Sutton will often say how much he hates Pandora but also would die for him. He loves him, not likes him.
Ren and Sutton's relationship looks different these days. It's a little bittersweet. They are each developing their own (very different) personalties, making new friends, and cultivating deeper friendships at school. They used to be best friends and did everything together. They're opposites in so many ways! Sutton - extrovert, more logical, sporty, self-motivated, wants to achieve, confident. Ren - introvert, more in his head/feelings, artsy, has to be reminded (multiple times) to do things, wants to be home and be comfy, not as confident. We do lots of family stuff, so I'm hoping that their relationship continues to grow and evolve and become closer again as they get older.
It has become increasingly more difficult to describe the boys in these posts. Their personalities and lives are so full and extensive that I can't really quantify things the way I used to be able to. I'm just so grateful to be their mom and to get a front row seat to all they are doing and becoming!
I thought he was going to refuse doing the birthday video this year, but when I asked, he was into it! So here's Sutton's 16th birthday video:
