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Jenna....the big sister Colton never had!

This summer, Colton came to me, asking if Jenna (Maxwell) was a kid. Interesting, I thought, because he knows she's closer to my age, than his, she's a mom. When I asked why he wanted to know that, he responded that "she always plays with us, and stuff, and doesn't like to sit around and visit like you guys do! And she's skinny!" Apparently, I'm a Mom, not a kid, because I enjoy my adult time of visiting with other adults from time to time (rather than continuous entertainment of our children), and am ... not...skinny! HA :)
Yes, that's Jenna with the kids. Covered in mud. All her idea! :)

Fast forward to the weekend when Seth & Jason went away on a guys fishing trip! Not to feel left out, us girls had a sleepover with 5 of the cutest kiddos! We painted pottery. We ate & played at McDonalds. We had a wonderful night. Upon return, as I was making beds upstairs with Em, Sawyer & Keaton, Jenna and Colton apparently had a heart to heart. They covered all the big topics. God. School. Feelings. It was....DEEP! Jenna confessed to their counseling session and Colton backed her up the next day that they'd had a great visit. How thankful and blessed we are to have someone like Jenna in Colton's life. Not mom, but someone to confide in from time to time. A wonderful almost kind of big sister.

Fast forward 3+ months more, and Colton went to the Christmas Shop at school on Friday. He was given a $20 bill and instructed to buy for his 4 Grandparents. We had at one time put Jana, his bus driver on the list, but since decided to do something different for her. We reiterated who he was to shop for, and off he went.

When we got home Friday night, he couldn't wait to show me his purchases. Although I think the stuff from the Christmas shop is kind of chintzy, I love the creativity and thought that goes into Colton's shopping process. He thinks about each person, their likes & dislikes, and given the bland assortment of items, usually comes home with something perfect for the intended individual!

This year though, the first thing he pulled out of the bag was a baggy of earrings..."Mom, these are for Jenna, it's supposed to have a necklace too, but I can't find that. I hope I didn't lose it!!"....I was so confused. Jenna wasn't on his list. We usually don't exchange gifts with them, but instead share a beer to celebrate our friendship. He went on to show me all the nice things he bought for his Grandparents, but was so excited to get something for Jenna. And I told him how much that would mean to her, that he thought of her while shopping.

This morning, he showed me that in the bottom of his book bag, he had found the necklace, and was so relieved. I told him how special that would be to Jenna that he thought of her, and he says, "Ya. She'll like it. I bet she'll want to hug me though. That'll be weird!" HAHA

Yes, Colton, she probably will, but only because your tender/thoughtful heart thought of your special sister/aunt, and that will mean more to her than gift you could ever buy!

Thanks Jenna...for being such a wonderful sister/aunt to our kids, and for helping us share God's love in their lives! Such a great example!

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