It's been 13 years.  Where has the time gone?  How did I become a mother of a teenager?  Is he ready?  Maybe the more important question is am I ready?  Actually I think that we have reached this place about a year ago.  He's becoming more opinionated, responsible, self-aware, independent, taller, grateful.  He's witty yet knows where the line is.  He constantly is walking on that line but never crossing over.  He has had some challenges this last year including attending public school for the first time ever!  He has learned some hard lessons about friends, about dealing with parents and teachers.  He's taking some major responsibility and declined fun things because of school.  He is Job's hero.  He messes up at times and totally loses it but he also has learned to apologize and to make it right. Sometimes my heart aches for him and sometimes it bursts with happiness for him.  He's growing up and I can't stop it but then I don't want to stop it either.  If he stopped growing up, he'd have to live at home!  No, we definitely want him to grow up.  Seriously though, I have a glimps of the young man he's becoming and it brings tears to my eyes in a good way. 
This last year we've been blessed to do a number of things, such as hiking and sledding on the same trip, snowboarding without broken arms, soccer (all year round) along with reffing, Camp Grandma's, skim boarding, waterskiing, going to school, hanging out with siblings, Christmas crafts, and being a goof-off.