so long, teens: Happy birthday, Katie!

Today we say farewell to nearly 14 years of teenagers as our youngest, Katie, turns 20.

I realize teenagers have a less-than-stellar reputation and we definitely had our moments around here. But overall I'd take teens over toddlers any day. They become more independent in their thinking, which can be maddening but also loads of fun.

Of course, even more fun is the young adults we now have ... they do all their laundry and figure out what's for dinner and run to Walmart for their own toothpaste.

Twenty years ago this afternoon, we added a little girl to our boy brood. An exciting day for us all. We're leaving soon to spend some time with Katie and I will update on the day soon. Happy 20th birthday, Katie!

Katie with friends Abby and Bridget at Mi Pueblo for Katie's birthday lunch. And our waiter got wind that there was a birthday ...