Nathan is a Dozen Years Old

Dear Nathan, 

Well, since the last post you graduated elementary school. 

We participated in VBS at school. This was your first year in the CIA (Compassion In Action) program and you got to go off of church property to do service projects. 

We went to Taiwan 

You completed survived a week of baseball camp in mostly hot and humid conditions. 

Your sense of fashion is one of a kind. Your outfit of the day is dictated by the first item of clothing that you touch in your drawer. So 50% of the time, you are wearing a tie-dye shirt of some sort. 

You like archery and you are a self-proclaimed nerd. 

You are still sensitive to sensory stimulation, but will be cautious before trying an experience. 

You are mature for your age. We took you on an adult city tour and you enjoyed it. 

Your favorite flavor is sour lemon. The more sour the better. 

You also love eating braised pork over rice. That is your favorite go-to meal in Taiwan. 

You like to bake things. Your favorite foods are chicken thunder and lion's head. 

You are a loving brother who also likes to cause mischief and annoy your sisters. 

You are strategic minded. 

You are a creative builder who is currently obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons. 

You appreciate a beautiful sunset. 

You are a voracious reader / audiobook listener. You love books in the fantasy genre, especially anything that has to do with greek mythology. 

You are learning to play the saxophone. Your previous experience with playing the recorder has been helpful with you saxophone skills. 

You are a hard worker. You recently were invited to join in the jr. black belt class. You will train with them for the next 6 months and then undergo a 4 hour black belt test in the spring. You are ready and excited for this. 

You competed in a ground sparring tournament and placed 2nd place. 

Hailey did too. 

You turned 12. 

You also love a good bacon burger with lettuce and tomato. 

You have also grown so much this year, 4 inches to be exact. You have not grown this much since your first year of life! Your voice has also recently gotten deeper in the past week or so. You have mentioned to me several times that it's weird for you to sing. 

You like coming up with bad punny jokes and continue to love math. Your ag class has taught you to appreciate gardening and you would like to have a little plot of land to grow edible plants. You confirmed that you don't like caring for animals (goats and chickens) but find pulling weeds satisfying. Well, I have a bunch of weeds in my flower beds that you are welcome to pull anytime. 

It's crazy to think that I only have 6 years of you living with us before you move onto college. Time really flies by! 

Hopefully I will be able to make these updates more frequently....before you know it, you will be a teenager!