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, 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:

Sutton is 15!

Sutton is 15?! Do we all remember how I started this blog before he was even conceived? This is mind-blowing, but moving on...

At 15...

Sutton is the most kind, inclusive, intelligent, emotionally intelligent, gentle, funniest 15-year-old I know. We have seen a LOT of maturity this year and it feels as if he's bridging the gap from being my helpless child to being my capable buddy. We genuinely enjoy spending time with him and he always has us laughing. This was a beautiful transition that I didn't think much about, that feels like a gift after the trenches of the younger years.

We are in the throes of teenager-ness but the other day, he told us "You know, I'm really making an effort to not become a stereotypical moody teenager," so at least we have that going for us.

Sutton is always hungry. They say teenage boys are bottomless pits and....yeah. Top tier: McDonald's #4b with no pickle but add cheese and extra sauce with a large Powerade. Also top tier: Lipton Green tea with Citrus and Flaming Hot Cheetos. Secondary: Arnold Palmer and blue Powerade, Totino's Party Pizzas, salt and vinegar chips, honeybuns, chips and salsa, red Doritos, microwave popcorn, Tony's chocolate, fruit snacks.

Sutton is very extroverted. He is always at ease in social situations and makes friends easily. We transitioned to a new school this year after Christmas break, and he already has a new bestie there. One of his friends even made the comment to him that he is just confident and assured, totally comfortable with himself even though he was the new kid. I loved hearing that.

Speaking of the new school, that has been quite the life change! We moved them after Christmas, getting them out of a not-so-great school and into a wonderful one. It has been awesome and Sutton will get to play high school soccer there, which would not have been an option at our old school.

Sutton loves to sleep in. I think the latest this summer was in the 11am hour, but more normal is 9-10am during the summer.

We got our braces off this past year (yay!) and got our first girlfriend! That lasted from October 2024-March 2025 before they broke up.

He tried a new sport at his new school this past year - track! He ended up mostly doing the 100, 200, relays, and sometimes long jump. He enjoyed the social aspect of it, but won't do it again. Even though his relay team set a school record!

Sutton spends most of his time downstairs in the basement on his computer. He plays video games, does homework, talks on the phone/FaceTime with friends. But he's so good about coming upstairs to hang out with us if we have been apart for awhile. He's also great about going across the front yard to visit his grandparents often.

He has entered the phase where he cares about his hair and how he looks in photos. He hates all photos of himself but he just has to deal with it since I'm his mom. He's aa pretty good sport.

Sutton has gotten a bit political, and also is into apologetics and theology. He watches videos alll the time about these things and is often telling me things I didn't know. He leans a bit more conservative than his dad and I, but we have great conversations talking about it all and seeing different perspectives RESPECTFULLY, which is a huge thing to learn in our current climate.

Sutton's a very nostalgic kid and he even recognizes it. It's hard for him to get rid of anything if there's a memory attached. And he seems to remember everything. He even haas a piece of paper that he's written the year (on New Year's Day) and his age (on his birthday), and it's VIP and has to be kept for all of time. He also loves to reminisce about things from his childhood...pets, shows and movies, books, vacations. 

Sutton his still the best ever big brother. I can't even explain. They still nitpick at each other over dumb things, but they are both considerate of each other and generally get along (now...aafter years of driving me crazy with their arguing). They have such different personalities but I think it helps them each see wider perspectives on things.

Sutton is still a huge animal lover. He has such aa soft spot for all animals, but cats and dogs are at the top. I love this about both of my kids!

There are so many more things I could say about Sutton because he is truly a remarkable, smart, capable, brilliant, clever, analytical, wonderful human being, and I am so incredibly proud to be his mom!

                           

Here's the Birthday video, with extra special guest - Pandora!

Sutton is 14!

 Sutton turned 14 on June 24th!

Photos to come...technical difficulties since I no longer own a camera! They have been taken but lost on a memory card somewhere!

Fourteen...it feels like we have entered a whole new era. Sure, last year was the year you technically turned into a teenager, but throughout the last year is when we have noticed changes in you, almost daily.

You are 5' 7" and around 125 pounds. You are officially taller than your momma! It's so strange to have to look UP to look at my child.

You have an amazing sense of humor. Very dry, like your dad. Actually, like both of us. You always have a quick comeback ready, usually hilarious, sometimes annoying. Teenager sass comes out sometimes. You are amazing though...when you do have a teen moment, you usually eventually see the error of your ways and make it right on your own.

You are developing more of a sense of who you are as a person. You're not completely sure but you're working it out. You have some different views on social issues than your dad and I. You have made your walk with Jesus your own. You have developed interests in a variety of things...space, cars, technology, soccer, science, and I'm sure many more I'm forgetting...and then you do research and explore these things on your own. You know way more than me on a lot of different topics.

You continue to be the BEST big brother. You two fight, don't get me wrong (especially this summer when you're together 24/7), but you are protective and inclusive and seriously just the best friend to Ren. He looks up to you SO MUCH.

You and Dad finally got your 4-wheeler fixed after like a year of it being out of commission. We gave you a bit more freedom and Dad took you out and showed you a way to get to your best friend Brayden's house using only dirt roads. Most evenings, you take off on your 4-wheeler to meet up with him.

This year you have started using your AirPods a lot. Seems very teenager-ish. You listen to music most of the time. You have listened to a couple audiobooks.

You got super attached-at-the-hip with Brayden this year. You got a phone for your last birthday, so that has helped in your social life, though there have been some bumps along the way (texting etiquette and learning to not be annoying and knowing when to stop with texts). You and Brayden have your own language and even weird names you call each other. Your favorite pastime is to FaceTime him on your phone, prop up your phone against your computer screen, and play video games with him online while you talk.

You have always pretty much been the oldest kid out of all my friends' kids, but this year, it seems like you are eons older. You don't play or pretend, you don't watch the kid shows or movies so much, you kinda hang out with the adults a bit these days, though we usually kick you out so we can have adult conversations.

You're pretty open with me, and I think we can talk about most things. Obviously I'm sure there are things I don't know, but I hope our open communication can continue. You know all about periods and the birds and the bees...which just matures you in and of itself.

You started calling me Gin instead of Mom. Our progression went: Momma, Mommy (we stayed there a loooooooong time), Mom (for like two seconds), Bruh (for like one second), and now I've been Gin for like the past year. I think most of your friends think your mom's name is Jen and wonder why you call her by her first name. It all started because Dad started calling me that and as much as Ren wants to be like you, I think you want to be like Dad.

You got all the highest honors at school this year. Since it was your first year of junior high, it was the first year they had honor roll and things like that. You were at the top of your class! It was a bit of a struggle getting used to a different teacher every hour of the day, and also not liking every teacher you had. We had some major issues with a few teachers and even a meeting with the principal! But none of it was about your behavior or grades, more about unfairness and lack of communication within the school...getting used to junior high was something!

You took Wood shop at school this year, your year-long project was a shelf that now resides in Dad's office. You also took Business Essentials and learned some valuable things.

You continue to play soccer. You have played for the same club team (Fusion) the past two years, with your Dad as your coach for this past year. All your teammates are going on to high school soccer in the fall, so we are trying to figure out your path since half the kids in your birth year are going to play at that high school level in th fall. Finding a team with enough young 2010s has proved challenging. 

You always insist that all the boys in your class get along, even if not everyone is "friends." Brayden is obviously your BFF, and Eli is a good buddy as well. You have become better friends with Evan this summer, he is a grade above you. Since you did Cross Country in the fall, you made some buddies in high school, and even GIRLS. You have a made a few new friends outside of school through your youth group and through soccer.

You like to say "bus" instead of "yes."

You ask me 50 million times a day if I love you. Making me feel like a bad mom over here. I had to ban you from saying the phrase "Oh, so you don't love me?" whenever I would say ANYTHING to you. 

Above all else: flaming hot Cheetos and Lipton citrus green tea. You would live on those things. You also love nachos, pizza rolls, baked potatoes, bacon, microwave popcorn, buffalo chicken anything, blue Powerade, Arnold Palmer. You don't like milk so you eat cereal dry. You prefer hummus with your carrots over Ranch dressing. This summer you have not been eating breakfast much at all, you say you're not hungry when you wake up.

You are definitely more of a savory person than sweet. I took you guys for ice cream at McDonald's today and you chose to get a spicy chicken sandwich and fries instead of ice cream.

You still love animals, especially all our cats. Smokey is your best friend. He loves you and you love him. Recently, me and Dad were out of town on a trip and you were staying with your Funk grandparents. You wanted to go back home after a day or so because you missed Smokey, not your parents. You explained, saying we had each other and were having fun (anniversary trip), while Smokey didn't know what was going on and was probably sad and missing you.

You take a long time to poop, so you're definitely a man now. You also sleep in for freaking ever. This summer, wee have been saying bedtime is between 10 and 11, but I'm not sure how strictly you follow that. Anyway, you are rarely up before 9:30, sometimes not til 11am.

Sutton, your dad and I are so incredibly proud of the person you are, and that we get to be your parents. You are an amazing kid and I can't wait to continue to watch your life unfold. 

Sutton is 13!

 We officially have a teenager! Happy 13th birthday, Sutton!

You are just the coolest kid ever and so responsible. If I ask you to do something, or not do something, I can count on you obey. At least 9 times out of 10, haha. Your brother is a different story! I love that we can have real conversations about real things and that we have the kind of relationship where we talk about everything. 

At your doctor's appointment wee just had, we found out you are now 5'4"! You're only a half inch below me now. 

You are a pet lover and insisted on getting some of your photos with Riddick. He isn't great at posing...notice how he's getting ready to bolt in that last photo.

You also love allllllllll our cats. Currently we have just Blueberry who lives inside. But then outside, we have Luna and her 5 kittens (OJ, Smoky, Snowball, and the math twins - Times and Divide), Oreo and her 2 kittens (Cici and Preston), and then Coconut and Kyle. You and your brother are trying to convince me and Daddy to let Snowball live inside too. 

Our school is K - 6, so you graduated from elementary school this year! It was pretty emotional for me and I can't believe you are now going to junior high. You started weights class with your friends this summer, which also sounds like such a teenager thing to do. 

You are still loving soccer! Last year, you played mostly defender and some goalie on your club team, the VC Fusion. This year the main goalie won't play in the fall season, so you get to be goalie! Very exciting but nerve-racking for your mother. Daddy will be coaching this year, so that will be fun as well. You also do goalie lessons with your hero - Steven Hamersky - who used to be the goalie for the Wichita Wings. We go to all the Wings games together, and we LOVE it. It's so cool to have that special time with you since Daddy is down on the sidelines filming the games, and Ren doesn't enjoy them so he usually stays with Grandma.

You guys can argue like crazy people (and it drives me INSANE), but you and your brother are seriously the best together. You love each other and do everything together. He sleeps downstairs in your room on the weekends and in the summer for "brother sleepovers." He rarely uses his real bed because he just wants to be with you. You also include him when you have friends over, which is very admirable, and I appreciate that so much about you.

You're obsessed with spicy Cheetos, Lipton green tea with citrus, and anything with buffalo sauce. You love Chic-fil-a (for their Mac n cheese), McDonald's (for their spicy chicken sandwich), Noodles and Co (for their Mac n cheese), and Chili's (for their chips and salsa). You either order a bacon cheeseburger with ranch or something buffalo when we go to most other restaurants. You haven't ordered off the kids menu for quite awhile, but now you're too old for most of them!

When we go to the pool, you like to get a Twix at the break. You also love plain Hershey's chocolate bars, Milk Duds, Juicy Fruit gum (you just recently taught yourself how to blow bubbles).

During the school year, you usually eat toast with peanut butter for breakfast. On the weekends and the summer, I leet you have whatever. Usually I make chocolate chip banana bread (which you're obsessed with) or chocolate chip muffins. If I haven't made any of those, you'll do a bowl of cereal (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, dry), or an egg sandwich.

Your best friend right now is Brayden. You guys are always asking for play dates and sleepovers - which we have done quite a bit of this summer! You had your first sleepover at his house this May (other than a random one when you were 4, and aside from staying at grandparents houses). It went well and you didn't get homesick! You and Brayden are constantly texting each other, and playing video games together (while online, at your separate houses).

You love to play Gorilla Tag (GT) on the VR with your friends. Once again, online while at your own houses. You get such a workout and get so sweaty from it. You also do a lot of Minecraft. You have a YouTube channel with your brother - the Rad Redheads - and you love posting short videos of our cats there.

We did the inflatables at Splash Aqua Park for your birthday party with a bunch of your school friends and two soccer buddies. It was a blast and everyone loved it. 

You still love swimming, we go to the pool as much as we can, but you decided you didn't want to do swim team this year.

Daddy had given you his old phone a year or two ago but it wasn't hooked up to a number. If you were at home, it was connected to our Wifi so you could text or FaceTime us if you were home but we weren't. We let you have only us, grandparents, and Brayden on there to contact. But for your 13th birthday, our big gift was that we turned it into a REAL phone. So now you have a number, you can be online even when you're not connected to Wifi, and you are in the process of gathering more of your friends' numbers. You also have been added to our "stalking app" (Life360) so we can all always see where each other is.

We have been leaving you home alone, or alone with you brother a lot more often this year. It's so weird. SO WEIRD. But you seem to love it...I think it makes you feel more "adult." If I'm gone too long, you always text me to ask where I am though and when I'll be back. So you DO love me. 

You have the best sense of humor and are actually funny. Even your main teacher last year (Mrs. Ferguson) pointed that out. I love that you are positive, you don't try too hard to be cool, you are kind, you care about people and animals, you love your grandparents well, you still get excited about things like a little kid, but you're able to understand more complex things like a grown up. 

You still have some OCD-type tendencies which has always been the case with you. But I think you might be loosening up on them a bit. We always have to do the same bedtime routine (brush teeth, hold hands to pray, you always have to hold my right hand while Ren holds my left), then I have to kiss you both on the forehead and say the EXACT SAME PHRASE every night. Yours is "Love you, goodnight, see you tomorrow." I always have to say "Good morning," as the first thing to you when you come up from your bedroom. I also am always supposed to make you aware of the plan for the next day and if I don't, you get a bit upset and say "WHY DIDN"T YOU TELL ME?!" You like to keep a lot of things that I would prefer to throw away. And (as evidenced in these photos), you always wear entrance bracelets until they fall off. This one was from your birthday party. 

You got braces! You've had them just over 10 months now. You got them in August last year. Your teeth look SO STRAIGHT, especially when you compare them to last year. You are supposed to have them for a total of 24 months but I don't know why, when your teeth are already looking perfect. Wishful thinking that maybe wee'll get them off sooner? You've done really well with them, the worst was when you first got them on and then had to go to school, and ended up crying at school from the pain. Some of your adjustments since then have left you a bit sore, but nothing like that first time. You do pretty well with your elastics too.

We weren't consistently going to church for awhile because we couldn't really find one that felt right. But recently, we started going to Riverlawn mostly for you and your brother. At the beginning of June, your age group was promoted to the youth group and you have been loving it! A couple of your soccer friends go there, and it's a pretty big group that holds some fun events. You love Jesus and love learning about him, you are outgoing and like meeting new people. You make new friends easily. So it has been really good for you and I am thrilled that we seem to have found your place.

(Please notice Luna and Coconut photobombing in the photo above.)

You love to wear your Crocs constantly. With socks. You also prefer to wear those dry-fit type of shirts but will pretty much wear any t-shirt. You still don't love jeans. You have like 2 hoodies you rotate in the winter.

You're a smartie! You got pretty much all A's...ended each semester with all A's but had a B or two on your quarterly grade cards.

You play the trumpet in school and have the most amazing natural talent for it! You are doing "Sweet Dreams" and "Feliz Navidad" and "the Can Can" while the other kids are doing "Hot Cross Buns" or "Mary Had a Little Lamb." You also took the skill you now have of reading music, and taught yourself to play piano on a little keyboard that my mom gave you from when I was a kid. You Google the notes for songs you like or you figure them out yourself. So cool.

All in all, you're the best son a mom could want, and you love your family and friends so well! We are so beyond proud of you and LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

(We found Kyle lounging in the woods as we were taking these photos.)

And here's the birthday video: