Sweet Sixteen . . . sniff!

Can it really be true?  Could this little guy actually be 16?!? 

It seriously hurts my heart!  How does 16 years go by so quickly?!? And what am I going to do in two years when he turns 18 and thinks he should graduate??? {SHUDDER}  Let's just pretend that is not the case and live awhile longer in denial. :)

About a month before his birthday, Kade noticed that the Utah Jazz would be playing the Boston Celtics (his favorite team) in Salt Lake City and started dropping hints at what a great birthday gift that would be.  Recognizing that this was a wicked good aligning of the stars that this game happened to fall on his very birthday and also that with him growing up so quickly there would be fewer opportunities for us to get to do these things together, we decided it would be a great way to celebrate such a momentous occasion.  Because of a conflict with a job Greg was asked to help with and his overall lack of enthusiasm over sports in general, Greg did not express a strong desire to attend.  I was excited at the prospect of a mother/son trip - it seems like I get a lot more chances to spend time like this with Courtney, but not so much Kaden, as he is much more interested in things like elk hunting, steelhead fishing, and other manly man hobbies.

So, we celebrated together as a family on Sunday evening with steak and homemade french fries, yummy mint chocolate chip ice cream/brownie birthday cake, and presents.  The Wildes stopped by, along with Heather, and Grandpa and Grandma Martineau.  He got some yummy cologne, a converter cassette to play his ipod in the old truck, a brick of .22 shells, along with birthday money and a promise of some birthday shopping in Salt Lake.  He also got 2 tickets to the Jazz game, which he was most excited about.

We set off the next morning, getting on the road about 11:00 a.m.  We stopped in Tremonton for lunch and finally got to our first stop - the Outlet malls in Lehi - around 3:00 p.m.  Our first stop was the Nike outlet, where he found a pair of Air Aggressors that he thought would make great shoes to play basketball in, so we added that to the list of birthday gifts.  We then went to Under Armour where he found a really cool hoodie that he was able to use Grandpa & Grandma's birthday money on.  Pretty good shopping trip when you're a 16 year old boy!  We then started to work our way back up to SLC, with a quick stop at Ikea so that Kade could see the store and buy some of their delicious chocolate bars at the end.

Once we got back to SLC, it was about 5:15 with the game starting at 7:00.  Now Kade had heard that if you go early, you can get the opportunity to watch the players warm up and potentially get some autographs.  He thought this sounded better than getting dinner, so we went straight to Energy Solutions Arena.  Since it was so early, we could go down in the bleachers to about the 2nd or 3rd row and watch as these players practiced their three pointers, free throws and so on.  It was pretty cool to be able to see them so close up and watch them play. 

As each player would finish warming up, they would return to the locker room and as they walked towards the tunnel, groups of kids would swarm the rail closest to them asking for autographs.  Kaden was lucky enough to get Jeff Green's autograph on the Celtics shirt he was wearing (we didn't come very prepared to get autographs).  After awhile, all the players returned to their locker room and we were left patiently waiting for the game to start.

Finally, the main attraction.  The game was good, Kade was excited to be there.  The Celtics ended up losing,  but not by a huge amount, so Kade wasn't too disappointed.  We had great seats, which made it more fun and exciting, we ended up being in row 20 of the lower bowl.  This allowed us to watch the game itself, instead of the big screens.

What a lucky mom am I to get to be my son's first date?!?  I sure do love this boy!

After the game, we walked over to Tucano's (a Brazilian restaurant) and sampled all of the many meats they brought to our table, along with the yummy grilled pineapple!  Kade thought the restaurant was pretty good and even let me take his picture in his new Under Armour sweatshirt.

We got to stay at a nice Best Western hotel and had just a fun night all together, just him and I.

The next day we got up, had breakfast and then did some mom shopping (which he loved) and then began to make our way back home.  Of course we had to stop at In-N-Out Burger - Kade's request - so we stopped off in Riverside to grab a quick bite (and a delicious Diet Coke).

On our way home, we stopped in Brigham City, where Greg was working so that we could see what they were doing and spent 45 minutes visiting with him there.  We finally made it home around 5:30 - (just in time to get ready for YW New Beginnings) and both agreed that we'd had a pretty awesome trip.  I hope that it will be one he remembers for the rest of his life.

10 Things about Kaden James Goody -

1.  He is a funny kid.  For as long as I can remember, Kade has loved making people laugh.  Even when he was 2 years old, he was the kid at the family reunion telling jokes to a crowd of 50+ people.  He still loves making us laugh, whether appropriately or not, this kid has a great sense of humor.

2.  He is obsessed with his mullet.  He grew one over the summer and loved it so much, but by the time school started it was so long that it was driving him crazy, so he chopped it off.  He has since regrown the mullet and spends much time grooming it and fluffing it up just so.  People either love it or hate it, but he definitely loves it.



3.  Loves the Green Bay Packers and anything associated with them.  He began liking the Packers in about fourth grade and it has stuck.  He has plenty of Packers apparel, hats, and even a Cheesehead!  He was so disappointed when football season was over this year because he loves watching them play so much.  His ultimate goal will be to get to Lambeau field to watch them play in person.

4.  He hates losing.  Any time we play a game as a family, he loves to be the winner.  He definitely gets his competitive spirit from his mother and then some.  This keeps him working hard and motivates him to do his best.  He sometimes has a difficult time watching his teams lose too, but always listens to his mother try and explain that the Packers can't be expected to win EVERY game.

5.  Little old ladies love this boy.  My theory is because it is he is such a thoughtful, kind young man who is sensitive to the needs of those around him.  I know that each of his grandmas (adopted grandmas included) have a special spot in their hearts for Kaden because he takes such good care of them.  I even had a lady in our ward tell me recently what a great kid she thinks Kade is.  This attribute makes his mama proud.

6.  He moons the members of our household far too often.  This too may be a hereditary trait.  I will say no more.

7.  He loves his cousins, no matter their age.  I don't know that every 16 year old boy would be excited to spend the day with their younger cousins, but Kaden is.  A few weeks ago, he was invited to go to Rupert to hang out with three of my sisters and their kids.  He went and played basketball with the boys aged 5-9 for most of the day and had a great time.  He also is very good to the little girls and loves making them giggle.  He will even wait his turn to snuggle up the newborn babies and loves every minute of it.

8.  He loves the outdoor sports.  Anything to do with hunting and fishing.  This also means he gets to spend lots of time with his dad and grandpa doing the things they like too.  This year he shot his second elk and got to shoot at the "buck of a lifetime" according to my dad, which we have come to the conclusion, has become old and wisened to avoid actually being killed by aforementioned shooting.  He also likes to hunt birds such as ducks and geese.  He immensely enjoys fishing and works pretty hard at getting his dad to take him up to Salmon a couple of times each year to hit the steelhead run.

9.  Kaden is a great student.  He has always done well and is one smart kid.  I have no doubt that he will be able to accomplish anything he sets his mind to.

10.  Kaden is great at sharing his love.  I lucked out and got a teenage boy who hugs me at least twice a day when he leaves for school and goes to bed, and typically multiple times in between.  He is not afraid to tell those around him that he loves them and is great at showing that affection as well.  I am sure this is part of the reason he is so endearing to those grandmas that love him so much.

Ok, so I know I said 10 things, but I had one more that I wanted to share, so here is your bonus.

11.  Kaden is one of the most honest kids I know.  He has always been good about telling the truth, almost to a fault.  It is one of the traits I admire about him and one that I hope he will keep with him forever.  Even when he screws up, he is pretty forthcoming about what he did and why he did it, even though he knows that he will be in trouble.  I appreciate that I can trust him to be honest with me, even when it is hard to do so.

I am so happy that Kaden is a part of my family, I really don't know what I would do without him and his crazy self.  He is my favorite boy in this whole wide world and I am so excited to see the places he will go and the things he will do.  Love this boy!