Celebrating This Boy

October 18 is the day we celebrate this boy: Bridger Waters.

When you are told that you cannot have something you want desperately, and that you shouldn't get your hopes up, it is quite exciting to have the privilege of having that very thing, even if it takes longer than you'd hoped. When I was a young mother of two, I just KNEW there was another baby waiting to be mine. I just knew it. And yet. I only had two babies, and they were getting older with each passing year. The doctors told me it probably wasn't going to happen.  

After many years passed, I finally told God, "I have done all I can. I can be happy as a mother of two perfect children. If there is to be another baby, I leave it in your hands." And just like that, within a year of letting go of my expectations, I was blessed. We were richly blessed with the miracle that is my son Bridger. His ten-year-old brother and eight-year-old sister welcomed their baby brother with open arms.  

Today we celebrate his sixteenth birthday, and it will be official:  he will get his driver's license and he will become much more independent. He will no longer need my services as his personal chauffeur. I will surely miss our hour long drives through the canyon each day to and from school. It is our time to talk, to ponder, to catch up, to listen.  

This last year we have had some great road trips together. He has been my co-pilot, sharing the driving as we traveled to Denver to see his sweet sister, and heading to Bryce Canyon to visit a good friend.  He has tackled the snarl of traffic on our trips to our house in in the city up north, a three hour ride from our rural home that takes us past Salt Lake City, and he has managed the swerving canyon roads with a conscientious attitude. He drives the way he lives his life, with purpose and intention, laughing along the way.

Bridger is an amazing young man.  He is the voice of reason when I feel stressed. He is my Jiminy Cricket when naughty words escape my lips, or I drive too fast through the canyon. He is my hiking and biking partner. He is brilliant, asking questions I would never think to ask, seeking answers diligently when I don't know how to help. He is my Music Man, entertaining me with his guitar, and pursuing his dream of learning to be the best tuba player, as he also plays the trumpet, trombone, and wishes he could play the bass.  

UPDATE: Today, October 18, 2016 is Bridger's 19th birthday. He is a freshman at Dixie State University, and singing in the choir and playing for the band while he gets his general studies done. Not only did he learn to play the bass, he also plays the guitar. He is so talented. I'm hoping he has the best birthday ever. 

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy.  I am so thankful for the miracle that is you.

Going the extra mile with private lessons...he would love to play in an orchestra, but for now enjoys playing
in our local Sevier Valley Symphony.

We biked together for the first time this fall along the Ogden River.

Love his great attitude and cheerfulness.  Yes, he is one of my sweetest blessings...my miracle boy.

Cultural events are a special treat.  We love going to concerts and Broadway productions. For his sixteenth birthday, we took his cousin Tatiana with us to see STOMP.

These hands are strong hands.  They fix things, they soothe things, they lift things, and they make beautiful music.

17 years old, bass player for Grizzly Bear Whiplash

18 years old

19 years old

*Boo

This tall, lanky young man is my son Bridger. He loves music; listening to it, and playing it, and learning about it. He plays the guitar, tuba, and trumpet. He wishes he could try the bass.  (I wish he would try drums and then teach me.) He loves skateboarding with his friends, and playing video games.  Bridger has a big heart, and seems to always watch out for me. He carries things that are heavy, and wants to steady me on rocky ground when we're hiking, and comforts me with lots of hugs and "I love yous." Bridge likes to laugh, and we share the same irreverent sense of humor. He idolizes his big sister and brother. We are very lucky this guy came into our family nearly sixteen years ago.

When Bridge was a baby and just learning to talk, he found his name to be quite a mouthful. His name is Bridger Waters. Whenever he said it, it came out Boo Boo Adu.  So that became his nickname, and like any nickname, it had a way of evolving over the years.  We have always called him some version of Boo.

Now that Bridge has grown up, you might think we should shorten his nickname to B. It seems more mature. Perhaps, and when I'm writing his name, I usually shorten it to B., but even Bridger will tell you his nickname is Boo. His siblings call him Boo. His dad calls him Boo. I call him Boo.

While we were shopping this weekend, there was a PLETHORA of Halloween decorations in every store.  I told Bridge that whenever I see the word BOO, I never say it like this:

BOO!

I just never think of BOO in a scary way because it is the name of one of the nicest people I know.  

Boo and I were talking about his nickname a few days ago, and I mentioned that I knew Boo Maddox when I was growing up. He was the cutest little kid. Everybody loved Boo. When he grew up, he became a real estate agent. I'm sure his business cards carry his name, Boo Maddox. That is his name, after all.

Bridger mentioned Boo Radley, of How to Kill a Mockingbird fame.  "I'll try not to stab you to death with a pair of scissors, though." See? I told you; this kid loves me.

He puts up with my being his personal paparazzi, but draws the line at bringing my camera into the high school.  "Not everyone understands the way you like to take pictures, Shrink."  (Both of my boys call me Shrink, a nickname my 26 year old gave me when he was in high school.)

This is my Boo.  I love his nickname.  I love who he is. I love what he does.  I love my Boo.