Kael is 18 years old today. I've enjoyed looking through old photos lately, preparing for Kael's upcoming graduation party and I am just overcome with emotion- I am so, so very proud of this kid.
When he was much younger, we were concerned that he didn't talk very much. Now, while there are certainly no speech concerns, he still doesn't say a lot- most of my texts of questions to him are met with one word responses. But when Kael does feel like talking, he's never afraid to speak his mind. He's confident in himself without being cocky. He is quick to smile or laugh, just like his dad. It doesn't take a lot to keep Kael happy. There is never a roller coaster of emotions with him. He is always even keel. When something exciting happens and someone asks, "was Kael thrilled?" Not really. Something terrible happened? Was Kael devastated? Nope. He just handles things so well. Here are a few more thoughts on Kael at age 18!
I like his long hair, but more importantly, he loves his long hair. I will be so curious to see if he keeps it long for awhile and it's been fun seeing him care more and more about his appearance. Kylee offers helpful tips sometimes and tells him which kinds of shoes to buy and which socks to wear with which outfit and he tends to take her advice even when he didn't necessarily ask for it.
Kael has stretched himself outside of his comfort zone with The Walk and signing up for Rocky Mountain. I'm really happy with the mentor he has for church and he has enjoyed their talks. And initially, Kael wasn't going to go to Rocky Mountain- he really likes to sleep in his own bed and be on his own schedule but he found out a few friends from church are going to he decided to go too and I'm happy he did- I think he will end up having a great time.
He has become a pretty awesome guitar player. Learning things almost completely by ear and occasionally googling things. But mostly he listens allllll the time to his favorite bands and just picks stuff up. He has even started writing his own stuff lately which is so impressive! He loves sharing his love of music and is willing to talk about bands and songs all the time. He's even been trying to convince Kase to start playing the guitar or drums because he says he wishes he had started at a younger age. I hope that in college Kael can find some friends who share his interest in playing guitar!
Kael does things in his own time. We took several college visits starting as early as last year and he was in contact especially with BV and Central and ultimately has made the decision to go to Central this coming fall. A year or two ago I honestly didn't know if college would be something Kael would really want to do so he explored all his options but I'm really happy for him to be going to Central and I'm so excited for what the future holds for him!
His interest in music continues and one of his very favorite things to do is go to concerts with Kent. I can't keep track of how many they have gone to together and I'm so happy they can share this!
He is dedicated to going to the gym. He rarely misses a day of working out and often even goes to the gym after track practice. He also often rides his bike along while his best friend runs, playing music for him on his bike speaker to get his friend through long training runs. Kael is such a loyal friend and that is one of my very favorite qualities about him.
Kael is just an absolute joy and what a privilege it's been to raise him. I'm so excited to celebrate the awesome kid (adult, now!) that he is all day today and throughout the weekend. We love you so, so much Kael!!!
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