Happy Birthday "Super Son"!

I was busy yesterday and never got around to posting this but I just didn't want to completely miss the opportunity to say 

Happy 16th Birthday to our "Super Son", Samuel!

We have called him that since he was a little guy and it has just stuck. He truly is and always be our Super Son.  

Samuel is definitely his own man. He is quirky, hilarious, and is ALWAYS thinking...and talking! If you don't care about what he is talking about, you just need to get some ear plugs. If he cares about it, he is going to tell you about it! Very often, you have to know the things he knows to "get" his sense of humor. DON'T think you're going to convince him of something he doesn't believe or change his mind about any conviction he has. He'll be polite and might smile and nod while you're talking but he's evaluating everything you say to come up with his own thoughts on the subject. If he unsure what to think and didn't find a clear enough answer in Scripture, he doesn't hesitate to ask our opinions. Even at his age, he will come sit on our bed and talk to us for hours. He still calls his mom and dad his best friends.  

I haven't met many 16 year old young men whose hobbies are reading Scripture and reading books or commentaries by Great Preachers from every period in history. He loves Puritan writers because of their focus on applying Scripture to all of life. He likes to draw and has recently started illustrating Scripture passages or drawing a picture and finding some obscure passage that he thinks fits.  He also likes to read about History, especially George Washington. He just admires men that cared about things and did things for the Glory of God. He does love to fish and shoot and the rest of those manly things, though, and he loves to work. He can fix anything that goes wrong with our lawn mower.  

Samuel hates TV (and most movies) and video games and fried foods. He drinks strong black coffee, unsweet tea, and water. He loves ALL THINGS PIE...sweet or savory doesn't matter, fruit or nut doesn't matter...put it in a pie crust and he is in LOVE! He even loves ties and dress clothes. Samuel is a great organizer and remembers everything. If you mention a book or movie title, he can tell you if we own it and where it is located. I'm telling you this boy is weird...in the BEST possible way. I would be completely lost (and so would my books) without him.

Samuel also has the biggest, most tender heart I've ever seen. He has a deep love for babies, animals, and even his siblings. He treats Levi more like a son than a little brother and always has. He jumps to do anything the girls ask him to do. If you let him hold your baby, you may have a hard time getting baby back. ;) His goals in life are to preach, be married, and have lots of children...anything else he does are just jobs to make money. He is always ready to help anyone do anything. Samuel has never really related to people his age and always prefers to be with the men. I love that his friends range in age from their 20s to one of his best friends who is almost 95.

Now you may think that I am crazy and am convinced that we have the perfect son. The truth is that he is far from perfect and has plenty of faults. He is our child after all. BUT he is the perfect son for us and we wouldn't trade him for anything.  

The most important thing about our "Super Son" is that he loves the Lord with all his heart and is striving everyday to be the best son he can be to his Heavenly Father.