Happy 18th Birthday Dylan!

On September 8, 1992,

in a little house in Oceanside, CA....

literally...

he was born at home.... 

we welcomed Dylan into our world.

Arik and Collin checkin out the new guy...

He was a whopper.

Ten pounds, eight ounces.

The size of a toddler really.

I was terrified that I would never be able to handle adding another little body to the blur that was my life.

But hey... it all worked out.

He was a very shy baby and young child.

My first child who wanted to pretend.

He noticed things that no one else did.

And he made us all laugh.

He was quiet...except for when he was REALLY loud.

He had two volumes....
"Huh? Speak up!"  and "Jeez don't yell!"

He had no intention of being left behind.

He was absolutely certain he could do anything his three older brothers did.

And he was usually right.

I think this was the year we had to haul him off third base where he had taken up the base runner's stance during one of Sean and Arik's T-ball games.  Wow was he mad!  It was his team.  They needed him!

See the skates in the background?  Those are his too.  I know.... they don't match.

He didn't care.  He was one and a half....

skating, rollerblading, playing t-ball and catching frogs with the best of them.

Our kids didn't have a lot of toys...unless you count the 94 billion Legos I stepped on every night...

We were a video game free zone...

But they did have a lot of tools, art supplies and science kits.

We had kid sized tools of all kinds and for the most part they jumped right into the mix of whatever we were doing.

When we cleared our home site for our new house they 'helped' til they dropped.
The guy who collects the most dirt wins.

Cooking?

They dragged over a chair.

One of the rules of fishing was that you had to help clean the boat....

However high you could reach...

And boy did he want to go fishing.

It beat the heck out of being stuck with Mom while everyone else was out.
.

Did I mention he made us laugh?

See Sean there trying to keep him in line?
Sean had a lot of patience. 
He taught Dylan a lot of things ...
And made sure he didn't kill himself.
Dylan could give us all a good case of the giggles.
Collin, especially, found him amusing.

Dylan and Collin have a special friendship.

We used to refer to them as Frick and Frack.
They spent a lot of time together and between the two of them they had a lot of fun.



Helping on the volunteer crew for the Naish Wave Bash in Pistol River. Our job was to time the windsurfing  heats from the top of the big rock.

He was already a windsurfing fan as well.  He began windsurfing at the ripe old age of six.



The year he was seven going on eight, he and Collin played on the same Little League baseball team and he had his first pitching experience....

He was rockin' the futbol pitch in a pretty serious way....

And he and his buddy Ben ran in the Oregon State Cross Country meet in the Pre Bantam division in Sandy, Oregon where it was a mighty chilly November day.... 
he came in 5th...

Summer after summer we return to Floras lake to meet old friends, make and bring new friends, and do our best to wear out kids on the water.

Remember that tools thing?

Beware... it leads to scenes like this...

Middle School brought a few new sports onto the scene.

Track and Field...his main motivation being to be faster for soccer...
and to win medals.

And basketball...
Good indoor fun in the winter and chance to hang out with your buddies on the team.

One of Dylan's favorite memories is our unforgettable trip to Maui when he was in 8th grade.

He snorkeled and swam with the turtles...

Mountain biked the back side of Haleakala...

Not the Skyline road thing that everyone else does....

It's a dirt trail much less traveled and quite an adventure....

The kids loved this sign at the beginning of the trail.

He ocean windsurfed off the beach in Kehei....

He can't wait to get back one day.




Every now and then he takes a little break from all the action.

But not for long....

There are things to do....

Pigs to feed...

The first day of High School looking forward to new adventures....

Hunting with Arik in Eastern Oregon.
Arik is always one of Dylan's biggest encouragers and probably taught Dylan more about sports and the outdoors than anyone else....
He's always ready and willing to cheer Dylan on...

Another of our "happy places"....
San Elijo State Beach in San Diego County...
Worth every minute of the long drive...

You blink twice and the DMV sees fit to hand your baby a driver's license...
Lord help me...

The bodies keep getting bigger and the games go on....

But I don't want you to think Dylan is only about sports.
True enough it's a big part of his life.

He inspires me in so many ways.

He takes classes I never even qualified for.

And maintains a pretty impressive GPA.

He is incredibly conscientious and his work ethic is amazing.

He inspires me to challenge myself and do things when I don't want to.

Isn't that one supposed to be the other way around?

He is thoughtful and remembers special days for family members and friends.

On occasion, he volunteers when he sees a need.

He finds a space for God in his life.

He shows leadership on his teams and among his friends.

I even got a phone call from a teacher last year who took time out to tell me what a great kid he is.

He never gives up.

And won't let his friends down.

And so it goes...

Amazing really....

I am so thankful for the ride...

I can't imagine it any other way...

Happy Birthday buddy!

Thanks for lighting up my life.

I love ya!

Mom