minute by minute

WoW! What a crazy week! It is already Friday night again, and still so much to get done.

We went to Bigtown on Wednesday to celebrate Dylan's 17th birthday. He actually turned 17 on the 24th of February, but unfortunately was feeling like trash.

Remember this pic from last week? He is better now, thanks to some antibiotics.

Dylan was born after 48 hours of labor, a threatened C-section when he decided to present in breech position, an external version, then some serious Pitocin. After calling the NICU team to the room because of some shoulder dystocia, everyone just stood and stared at this big boy on the warming table. 11 lbs. 10 1/2 oz, and 23 1/2 in. long, with a perfectly round head. Paul said when they announced his birth in church, all the women groaned, and the guy conducting the meeting said something about the 1st grader that had arrived in our home. Too funny!!

Always ready for physical activity, an accident on the playground led to a 4 day hospitalization. He holds the family record for number of stitches-36 by age 12, and the priest quorum record for sawing a log in half- 5 minutes flat. Dylan's leaders were impressed with how he just put his head down and went for it. The other guys took rest breaks, but not Dylan. Here he is playing a game of cards. That poker face is a big help! Levi is looking on, laughing.
He was a standout football player on the freshman team, playing both ways and contributing to a very good season. By the time his sophomore year rolled around, he was having difficulty managing his illness and decided not to play. This hasn't stopped his love of rowdy fun, with cliff jumping, camping, and hiking at the top of his fun list. He caught this pic last summer when hiking with the priests group from our ward.
Mudding out at the dunes, and plain old horsing around are also part of his life. By the time he was 13, people noticed his strong work ethic, and actively recruited him to work for them. This will be the 4 th season he has worked for a local farmer, and hopefully will get all the money saved that he will need for his mission.

Some of Dylan's best attributes are his compassion and generosity. He would give anyone the shirt off his back, and is always giving food or money to the homeless people he comes in contact with. He really sets a good example for me in how he gives of himself to others.
Dylan is a good writer, and is good at math- even though he hates it. He is taking his high school courses online, and should finish in time with the rest of his friends that go to public school.

Here he is with his buddy, Samson. They both love a good wrestling match, or a rousing game of keep away. That old saying about "a boy and his dog" definitely applies here.
Happy Birthday Dylan!