My Solstice baby turns 18

Forgive me while I interrupt this normally farm-centered blog to have a purely selfish moment of reminscence. You see, eighteen years ago today, I was deliverin' a baby.

Now - the poor little guy - as if coming into the world three days before Christmas wasn't hard enough, his mama insisted on dressing him like a zebra:

Picture proof to show that I was, indeed, the one to give him his first driving lesson:

He was a beauty, this baby:

And, for as long as I can remember, he has always done things his own way:

At an early age, he developed a strong love for pickles:

and animals:

He was, and continues to be, my boy with the impish grin:

He has experimented with many personal styles throughout the years.
(Those may or may not be my underwear he's wearing):



His hair has been an ongoing work of art:
This was the "blue" phase:

Followed by the "red" phase:

Somewhere in here was the bleached blonde phase (where IS that picture?!)
Followed by the extremely curly phase:

Then the extremely straight phase:

Followed by the still-straight-but-rather-matted phase:

Followed by the "afro" stage:

Followed by the "dreadlock" stage:

Are you keeping up?

Throughout the years, his love of animals has remained strong:




A child full of enthusiasm and self-confidence:

he is now a young man who loves to jump hurdles:

paddle dragon boats:

emcee school events:

volunteer for Habitat for Humanity:

and peform a lead role in the school play:


How fast the time went.
Is it wrong of me to be so incredibly proud of him, but desperately miss my little boy?

Happy Birthday, Aidan.
Thanks for still taking goofy pictures with your mama: