Well he’s really into the teen years now. A little bit grumpy, a little bit silly, a little bit sassy. That’s a sign that he is fully a teen.

The messy room, the dishes left in the basement, the reminders to wear a helmet, the arguments with brothers, the laughter and stupidities (usually with brothers) combined with the endless requests to be out or have kids over, also tell me that he is a happy, healthy teen!

Happy Birthday to our littlest of littles!!

Here are 14 things I love about Sam:

• His willingness to help. He may quietly roll his eyes, but I don’t even think that’s true. He just helps. He may not like it, but he gets it done without a hassle. And that is sooooooo appreciated.

• His gratitude. He has always been a grateful kid. Grateful for even the smallest things. He’s not afraid to show his gratitude.

• His smile. He has his quirky braces smile right now – but they are coming off SOON!!! His smile lights up his face and lights up the room!

• His ability to make friends. Sam has always been a kid who is surrounded but friends. And they are from all walks of life: school, sports, church. They don’t need to be the most popular, but they can be too. It doesn’t matter. He is kind to everyone.

• His love of cars just like his Dad. There must be something genetic about the Clendenning boys, lol!

• His adventurous Spirit. Based on the state of how he returns from biking (both him and the bike) you know he us having a good time (and hopefully a safe enough time, lol)

• His sportiness. Whether it be soccer or his new found interest in skate boarding, he’s always up to play. Tennis, basketball, baseball, track. Just maybe not swimming based on the calls we got from the school about “missing swim class”, lol.
• His smarts. He really is a smart guy! Although we are kind of at that “imagine if you applied yourself ” stage right now… but high school will change that (right, Sam?!)

• His love for his siblings. He has a lot of fun with the boys and tolerates some brotherly “behaviour”. I love hearing them talk about sports or silly stuff. I love feeling the energy when they are all together.

• His willingness to be the youngest. he puts up with a lot! He often has to wait for things, or gets leftovers, or has to fight for his food (ha not really, but the way he scarfs food down you’d think we don’t feed him enough!)

• His independence. I think we could move out and Sam could take care of himself. He might have to survive on processed food, but he’s resourceful)

• His leadership skills. They shine through! He can be a great influencer!

• His Spirit! I love watching my kids grow spiritually and start to see their infinite worth.

• His curiosity. The seems to be a CDF trait! He is inquisitive, wants to know things, and has random facts stored in his brain which he seems to be able to share with all the other random facts that the other CDFs have in their brains! It’s amazing the conversations that they all have! He loves to learn and gain knowledge.

Happy Birthday Sammy Bear (he’ll love that!)! We love you!!!

Let’s check out some of his birthday fun:

He wanted a steak and poutine dinner and an ice cream cake. That night there was a regional church dance that he went to, so we had to have a quick dinner!

We were invited to celebrate Sam’s birthday with his Mom and her family, as well as some of Sam’s buddies. It was a really nice little party for him. (Rob and I are so happy to be on this new path with the kids’ mother as we feel it is such blessing for the kids – a way for them to live unified lives and reduces the stress all around!!)

Love you Sam!