Tyler, my oldest, has sorta always felt like my brother in a way.  I mean, I did have him at 17 after all so we kinda grew up together in a sense I suppose.  He always gave me a hard time from the early newborn days until about 14.  I remember waking up at 2am trying to soothe him with no luck at all and my husband walking over, patting him on the back and him falling right to sleep.  He’s always been a daddy’s boy.  He was also the one carving on saddles, writing his name with a marker under out dinner table, acting up in class, and hiding all sorts of snacks in his room.  He’s now almost all grown up it seems.  He’ll be 16 in September and he’s a good young man.  He’s so very polite and respectful.  He has this unbelievable work ethic, something many teens lack these days.  He’s been breakin’ horses since he was 7 or so and he’s still doing it, only now he’s earning a man’s wages.

He’s just waiting for the day he can leave home to go daywork on other ranches.  I can’t imagine him leaving home though.  He’s just like me whether he wants to admit it or not.  He’s silly and is always cracking me up.  He’s my best friend now.  I know I still have a few years left with him but God how I’ll miss him when he’s gone to live out his cowboy days.