Joel is 16!

My brother Joel's oldest son Joel is 16 today! I can hardly believe it. 16. Wow. I remember him as a new baby so well. I was already in college when he was born, but Joe and Thelma brought him to the beach house in Fenwick Island during the summer...and I fell in love with him. I'm sad beacuse all my pictures of him as a kid are with his mom for a project she was tackling, so the majority of these came from my brother. He's an amazing photographer.

Anyhow...look at the curls on this kid's head. He had the cutest hair! It's straightened out since then, and gotten darker, but he's still adorable.

Joel, or Little Joel as we call him, has always had a thing for the younger nieces and nephews. He loves them. Even when he was 5 or 6 years old, he couldn't get enough of them. He was tender and gentle and kind with my kids. This is Joel with Alex almost 9 years ago. And I must say...the kids loved HIM just as much!

Joel has always been inquisitive...and brilliant. I'm thinking he learned (rather taught himself) to read when he was one. I remember visiting Joe and Thelma when they lived in Puerto Rico, and Joel was probably3. He would sit on his bed and READ...not just pretend to read...books to his little brother Bennett. Seriously an amazing kid.

Look how handsome. He really is a spitten image of my brother...at least that's what I think.

A year and 1/2 ago, the Temple family rented anRV and travelled across the country together, making a stop in Utah. They left Joel here with us for EFY, then he stayed with us for a week. The kids were in heaven...and although he was a teenager by that time, and not showing as much emotion, I think he secretly was in heaven too. He played with them ALL the time. SO cute.

He even played Pretty, Pretty Princess with the girls...jewels and all.

You will never see this cute boy without a book. He takes them everywhere. I love it. When he was here, it actually rubbed off on Alex. He loves Joel, wanted to be like him...so HE started toting books everywhere too. :)

Happy Birthday Joely...we love you so much!!!