Kaeden (13)

It doesn't seem right (even though I know it is), but Kaeden is officially 13 years old. It has been wonderful to watch him grow into his own person. So far, while Kaeden is a teenager and has some moodiness, he is by far better than the majority of teens out there.

Family: Kaeden is a really great big brother, especially to Mila and Kai. He is good with Bennett too, but Bennett clearly irritates him more than the other two. Kaeden makes time to hang out with each of the kids individually. With Bennett, he frequently wrestles or will humor Bennett by playing the Wii. With Mila, he tries to build with her, read her stories, or even indulge in one of her MANY tea parties. With Kai, he is a snuggler and happy to help me hold him, play with him, etc.

Kaeden Putting up with Bennett :)

Kaeden Holding Kai

School/Friends: Kaeden is in 8th grade at Justice Page Middle School in Minneapolis. Here, he has so many friends (he even had his first girlfriend). In particular, he enjoys spending time with his friend, Sam, whose cabin he went to a few times this summer. Based on our conversations, he is hoping to go to Washburn for high school so he can stay in the same school as his friends. We'll see if that actually happens. Sonja and Steve would like for him to go to Cretin (I believe that's where Steve went to high school). Jae and I disagree based on the fact that we have access to awesome public schools that we already pay for via our taxes. Unless there is a real need for private school, we would like for our kids to go to public.

Kaeden's First Day of 8th Grade:

Sports: This summer, Kaeden played baseball, however, I'm not certain that is something he is interested in any longer. WHich, honestly, is fine by me. I only want him to participate in things he really enjoys. This leads me to his other sports. He LOVES to ski, which is something that he was first introduced to with his Papa, Matt. I am so happy that they bond over this - Kaeden really cherishes his time on the slopes and loves when he can do it with the people he loves. This year, he will be participating in Ski Jammers for recreational purposes on Saturdays and for racing (sport) on Mondays. This is the first year he will do the whole racing thing, so I am eager to hear how he likes it. I bet he's going to be great at it. Additionally, he participated in cross-country this year. He never ran before, but gave it a go, and seemed to really like it. He improved so much this fall - it was awesome to see.

Kaeden is such an awesome kid. He is introverted, easy-going, and a great big brother.