And he's 22

This is our second son, our third child.
I thought he was going to be a girl, so I had only a girl's name picked out.
His prenatal antics sent me to the hospital three times before the fourth time when he appeared.

He's still a practical joker, and he's 22.

He really didn't cry much as a baby. He was very even-tempered. Only when he was super hungry or
in physical pain would he pipe up.

He is still patient and laid-back,  and he's 22.

He was an eager learner, with a particular penchant for math. When he was 3, I asked him a math question I thought was too tough for a kid his age:  "What is 90 + 14?"  He thought about it quickly and replied, "A hundred and four."   Astounded, I said, "How did you figure that out, honey?"  He said, "Easy. 90 pwus 10 eagles (equals)  100, pwus 10 is 110, and 4 more makes a hundred and four."

He loves language, too. When I was homeschooling, he loved every reference I made to root words being Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, or whatever.  One of his favorite college classes was Spanish and he aced it.

Is it any wonder, then, with a head for math and language, that he is now a computer programmer?

He has a budding career in his field with a leading brokerage firm, and he's 22.

He's a percussionist. He has drummed on everything from trash can lids to coffee tables to the top of my skull.  He became the best (in my humble opinion) drummer the church had ever had.

He is really, really funny.  Oh, my, if you want to laugh till your face and guts hurt, hang around Steve.  Not only is his original "material" off-the-cuff hilarious, but the guy has memorized entire acts of comedians Brian Regan and Tim Hawkins.

He loves to save money. So much so that he taught himself to change his own oil to save labor costs.
All he did was observe his mechanical friend a time or two, and voila! (That's French:)) .  Presto-oil-change-o. ( That's Spanish.)    He used to tease his dad something awful about being tight with a buck.  Well, son, you know the saying about the apple not falling far from the tree?  Dad would pick up the apple and eat everything but the core. You'd go ahead and eat the core to get your money's worth.

He devours scripture. He was very attentive to God's word from the time he was a toddler, all through middle school and high school. (I homeschooled him through 10th grade.)  One time he came to me and said, "Mom, will you listen to me try to quote Romans 8?"  I said, "Romans 8 what?"  He said, "Romans 8, the whole chapter."    Gulp.

And he's 22.

He loves people.  To know Steve is to feel welcome in his presence. Never pretentious, always drawing people out, listening with his whole self (except when absorbed in homework).   The Christian club on campus that he started grew exponentially because of his genuine hospitality.

He's a natural with kids, and he's a leader. When he's with kids, he's boatloads of fun, but lets them know he's in charge and protecting them. He's been a camp counselor for a few summers, leading kids to Christ or at least showing them God's love through his own.

I tried to make this post just 22 words long. But my heart is too full for that. Too much love and pride to contain for this dear child o' mine.

Love you very much, Stephen. Happy birthday #22. Or as I prefer to say, "your first birthday as a married man."

Blessings and hugs,

Mom