birthday wishes....

Happy 20th Birthday NATHAN!!!!

What a sweet, loving, smart, handsome young man you have grown to be. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital. Dr. Lindsay decided to put me in a week early (since your brother had been so big and came so quickly). You weighed 9 lbs. and you were 21.5" long. What a big boy!! Your Dad was in the delivery room when you were born, and your Gran, Pop, and Bub were waiting to see you. You were a very good baby (except for those few weeks of colic). For the first year or so, you were very quiet and easy going, but by the time you hit your 2nd birthday, you came out of your shell! You had the sweetest personality, but boy could you get fiesty! You have always been strong willed and let's not forget your schedule! You have lived by the clock since you were old enough to read the time on the microwave......at 3 yrs. old!! Your favorite toys were TY Beanie Babies. You had hundreds of them, which you ripped the tag off as soon as you got one (you said they didn't look real with the tag on). :O) You loved the Lion King, and animals - of any kind. For several months, you went around with a rope tied to the back of your belt loop, letting it drag behind you. You said it was your tail. LOL So cute!!! You lived in your pjs and were content to stay home most of the time. You were 4 when you learned to ride your little bike. You said "Mom, I'm going to ride my bike to Gran's house", I told you that you hadn't learned how to ride without training wheels yet, but guess what?, after a little push, you rode your bike all the way to Gran's that day! Once you started Kindergarten, you found out there was a whole big world out there that you wanted to see (this ended your wanting to stay at home in your pjs) and you were constantly on the go, wanting to be outside all the time. You loved to go fishing, crabbing, and looking for bugs. You had a pet turtle and later you got your own kitty, Jaxson, who you loved to death!! You were a very determined and concientious child (still are). You respect your Dad & I, as well as others you are in contact with. You love your family and show us every day. Even though there are 7 yrs. between you and your Bub, you have grown so close, especially after our family trip to FL. You love sports...I know you must be the biggest Bears, Orioles, Lakers, Flames fan in the world. When I close my eyes and picture you in my mind, I see my sweet boy with an Orioles jersey on and a glove & ball in your hand. You love spending time with all of your family, and really enjoyed going to your Gran & Pop's house. You even gotten Pop back into watching sports again! You have been such a joy to us! You keep us on our toes at all times, when we tend to go with the flow, you are the one who keeps us straight, you always have a plan. You are silly one minute and super serious the next. You tell us every day how much you love us and always kiss us goodnight, what a way to end the day! You graduated from high school and two months later you had a job on the tugboat. In less than two years, you have already obtained your AB and tankerman's ticket, and will begin training on the barge soon. We are so proud of you and are anxious to see what the years ahead have in store for you!

Nathan, I hope you know just how much we love you!!!

Hope today is special, just like you!!
We'll celebrate when you get home next week.

Happy Birthday!!!!

Mom & Dad

xoxo