A Very Minimal Happy Birthday

Today is very special in our home, for, 17 years ago, at 2:37 P.M., I gave birth to a 9 pound 4 ounce baby boy...the caboose of our train, the final chapter of birthing babies...and a guy who, in spite of: having to be the last of six, having teenage brothers being your best buddies...and greatest influence-both for good...and bad!...and being reared by "aging parents" (as he refers to us), having "seen it all", still amazes us with his sharp whit, his fun, and his love...though he never lets on that any of it means a thing to him. He is the ultimate in Minimal! Now, you would think a kid that comes at the end would need to be loud or crazy or out of control, simply to be noticed in this menagerie we call our family, and yet his silence, his lack of acknowledgment of anything seemingly important have been his trademark in getting recognition. He and Ethan were immediate best buds right from the start...and I swore that, when I had to go to his first parent/teacher conference, Ethan would attend with me to explain Nathan's "whit" and cynicism. He was truly a "mini-teenager". He also adores his other older brothers, though there are times I will look up from something in the kitchen and find him having a knock down dragout fight with an older brother! Nothing stops Nathan from being known, but he does it in a minimal manner. He is very bright...has a photographic memory...school never has been a problem. Minimal response guy texted me the other day...he EXCEEDED all the standards on the state AIMS test (Including the new science portion) which, I understand, qualifies him for FREE tuition at any Arizona university. And he just texts a note...no screaming, no jumping...(so OPPOSITE Kayty, who is always "out there": pink hair, loud giggles, conversations with no one???) He is passionate about so many things...loves football and went from NEVER playing at the beginning of his sophomore year, to HONORABLE MENTION division lineman of the year! He loves hunting...has brought home more than one elk...Dad and Ethan have yet to be so lucky!
He loves to work...mixes concrete, lays block, builds, digs...He loves to work on his truck...rebuilding, grit blasting, sanding, painting, refurbish, live on Craigslist for find cheap parts. He loves his nephew(s)- hasn't seen Joshua yet...and niece...and who would have thought it, cuz while we were staring at a nursery window raving over Adam, we couldn't find Nathan-had found a cartoon room, and Cartoon Channel was far more interesting than a new baby! He likes inventing, creating, and being a winner...just ask his physics partner...there is quite a competition to see whom he picks to work with!
He is always a surprise...you just can't guess what he will say, what he will do, or how he will react...and so, he is ever a surprise, though not like a bolt of thunder...and not a bad one like a surprise speeding ticket...just a never ending wonderment. So, today, Nathan, while you do not attend the Academic Awards Night and get your fifth Principal's List Pin for straight A's, while you don't want me to go to any trouble to make your fav hot wings for dinner (I'm gonna do it) and "Mom, you pick my birthday cake... you get both Mississippi Mud cake and Easy Cherry Cheesecake", know that your understated questioning, your minimal smile, your less than enthusiastic support... and your never ending hugs are cherished, for they make you our unique caboose...our Nathan! Happy Birthday!






P.S. Nathan has proven to be a practical math whiz. Case in point:

1 indecisive on birthday cake boy + 1 overachiever mom = Mississippi Mud Cake AND Quick Cherry Cheesecake.

(He should get home from school/soccer game about 7:30 or 8:00, so if anyone has a craving, feel free to drop by!