Woah! Not Ready for 13...Look Out There's a Teenager in the House!

Richard turned 13 on February 12th.  I am so not ready to have a teenager living in the house with me.  I don't feel old enough to have a teenager and 13 means I really only have a say for another 5 years.  Time passes by so slowly sometimes yet so quickly at other times.  I expect a lot from Richard, and for the most part he delivers.  He has finally taken an interest in his grades and frequently stays after school to bring his grades up.  He is a great big brother and cousin most of the time and continues to keep us all on our toes.  His favorite sport is the sport he's playing at the moment.  He puts everything he has into whichever sport it is (and must have ALL of the necessary equipment needed).  Although this past year has been rocky at times between us, I love him dearly.  My favorite trait of his is the fact that he will not back down to ANYONE.  No matter if they are bigger or older...if you are a U of U fan, you'll hear about it.  While standing in line to ride Matterhorn in Disneyland, out of the blue he looks at some random guy in his twenties two rows away and yells,"I hate Utah". I am certain that everyone around us thought he was crazy, and rude. I know it's just his personality so usually I let it go.  The guy was a good sport and they bantered back and forth for a bit.  He goes out of his way to be friends with everyone, especially if they don't have any friends. Although I was not sure how he would do in Jr. High, he has done great socially...academically we're still working on.  Every one of his teachers said the exact same thing.  He has a lot of friends in this class and he talks a lot and has a hard time focusing on what we're doing.  Yes, that's my Richard!  Happy Birthday Richard!  Here's to another great year.