Nate is a teenager!

Unbelievably, Nate turned 13!  He is a great kid to have around.  He is very helpful around the house, especially in the kitchen.  He loves to cook- especially new and different recipes or to cook the whole dinner.  He recently had a competition with his Dad to see who could cook the best filet mignon, and he won!  His favorite thing to cook is twice baked potatoes, but he also likes to make jalepeno poppers, fried veggies, and steak.  Its nice, if I need someone to cook for me because I am out driving someone (Ellie) around or running errands, he can read a recipe and make it happen.  It's a great thing!

He has a pet lizard and he decided partway through this year that he wanted to make an improved habitat for it, so he looked up on youtube how to do it and then spent the time to make a nice habitat for his lizard.

The past three years he has played the french horn.  He really hoped all along that he could do percussion, and so he finally asked his teacher if he could move instruments next year, and she agreed and let him do it.  

This is them at a concert.  He's near the middle, a little to the right.

He doesn't like for me to take pictures of him, but he also likes to make funny faces for the pictures.  Go figure.

He loves to build things, and to think about building things and to do projects. He's always telling us about crazy things that he wants to do.

His best friends are Samuel and Will.  He loves to go to church activities with them and also to go camping when that is available.

He loves Marley more than anyone, but he's a rough and tumble kid and he loves to be rough with her.  Sometimes she loves it, and sometimes she doesn't.  

Its so great to have Nate in our lives!