A Teenager in the House!

Tanner turns 13 today!  Not sure if I am ready for a teenager and a newborn all in the same week!  We celebrated earlier this week with cousins...

My mom is the expert cake maker and she outdid herself this year!  Tanner wanted a watermelon cake, something he could actually eat and it would taste good!  I loved this cake, so did he!  Tanner said it turned out better than the picture we were looking at on the internet!  Thanks Mom for always making the best cakes for the kids' birthdays!

 

 Present opening was quit the production this year. The cousins were cheering and acting like Tanner was a rockstar.  It was pretty funny but LOUD.  Hoyal cousins tend to get rather boisterous when they are together!

Tanner's favorite present was a new iPad!! Our other one was so old and just quit on us.  He was so excited and surprised by this gift from Grandma! 

We are so proud of Tanner.  He has turned into such an intelligent, diligent, funny young man.  He has always been so passionate about what is important to him and it is fun seeing that passion become useful to him as he gets older.  He is an avid writer and always has a few novels he is working on.  A political article he wrote, another passion of his, was recently published in the high school newspaper that is connected to his middle school.  Not too many seventh graders make it into the High School Paper!  Tanner has not been without health trials in his life.  These are not fun and would be difficult to endure for anyone, let alone a teenager, but he endures it well and is determined to take care of his body even when that means giving up a lot of good stuff to eat!  He continues to work hard at gymnastics even when I know he is exhausted some days from his disease. Tanner is an example to me and I am so grateful to be his mom.  I look forward to these teenage years with him as I know he will accomplish great things and be a shining light in our family!  We love our teenage Tanner!