Typically Untypical

Matthew and I went to Kohls the other night. As we were walking from the car to the store we passed three moms, each walking with a teenage son.

The first mom was talking to her son and he was making every weird sound he could get his mouth to make as we walked by. The mom didn't notice and he was nodding at what she was saying.

As we walked past the second set I heard the boy telling his Mom about video games and something being so awesome because of how amazing the graphics were. She was nodded as we passed by.

The third set is a little less memorable because as we passed them I was looking over at my own boy the same age.

I'm not going to lie. The noises were kind of annoying and I don't care about video games. I was impressed with those Moms for listening though. I was also thinking how grateful I am that Matthew doesn't do some of those same things. That when I noticed him again.

While walking next to me, he was backing up a couple feet, sprinting ahead a few feet then jumping into the air. While air born he was pretending to jog as fast as he could until he hit the ground and tried it again.

Much to my chagrin and pure joy he fit the mold of the other 3 boys we passed on our short walk into the department store. We were just talking (about Lego airplanes) while he did what he thought was a good idea - something my girls will probably never think of doing.

As I thought more about the evening I realized Matthew is typical 12 year old boy. He fits the mold of all those other boys who roam the halls at his school. He can be super polite, a colossal butt head and a bit annoying. He's smart and funny and very quick witted. He is always hungry. He's also a great brother. But he is so much more than that. He is a priesthood holder and he honors it. We have conversations often that begin with him saying, "when I get home from my mission..." or ,"once I can go home teaching with Dad..." and even, "after I get married in the temple..." He loves going to church, passing the sacrament and even attending BYC.

I'm not really sure what the conclusion is for this post is except to say I am so grateful for that kid. He's given me 95% of the grey hairs on my head, we disagree almost everyday and I could not love him more.

If you haven't had a chance to meet him, I hope you get to someday.