{17}

Today, my son Tim turns seventeen. Since he's my oldest, his birthday seems to always knock me for a loop. Takes my breath away. He is seventeen.
I remember being seventeen. Oh my God.
I naturally wanted to talk all about how his birthday makes me feel, and my memories of him being little....but I did that last year.
So, I will just say this. I have enjoyed every minute of being his mother. There have been plenty of ups and downs. He was such an amazing, bright, fascinating baby, toddler, young child. The early teenage years...they were hard. And in the middle of that was my divorce & remarriage. That's when he went to live with his dad, and now he splits time with us, 2/3 with his dad, 1/3 with me. It works. {he will be coming over tonight for chicken & dumplings and birthday cake!}
And to borrow a line from "Butterfly Kisses"....for all that I've done wrong, I must've done something right......because as much as he drives me insane, he is a remarkably awesome kid. He works hard. He values his family. And he loves his Mama.

One more song, for the road......

Seventeen - only comes once in a lifetime
Don't it just fly by wild and free
Goin' any way the wind blew baby
Seventeen - livin' on crazy dreams
Rock and roll and faded blue jeans
And standing on the edge of everything
Seventeen...
Tim McGraw

{Then}

{Now}

(ok, not really NOW now, but the most recent/decent pic I can find online at the moment.
Also, it makes me laugh.)