Happy 16th, Bentley!

Yup, you read that title right: Bentley is 16!  And I know exactly what you're thinking: can he drive now???

And the answer to that is: No.  Not yet.  Virginia has its own way of doing driver's licenses, and they require that you have your learner's permit for a minimum of 9 months before you can get your license.  But you can't get your permit until you're 15½.  Which means the absolute earliest anyone can ever get their license is when they're 16¼. So he'll be eligible for a driver's license on Christmas Eve.  

I have mixed feelings about those rules, but mostly I'm okay with them.  Trying to get your driver's license on your birthday feels like a great way to totally ruin your birthday if you don't pass that test, so I'm glad we aren't putting kids through that.  Give them a few months to get used to being sixteen before you let them drive solo!

So, yes, Bentley is 16, but not driving just yet.

For his birthday, he wanted to eat out at Citizen Burger Bar, so we all enjoyed a meal with Grandma and Grandpa on the downtown mall while the weather is perfect!

Bentley takes his hamburgers VERY seriously.  His favorite thing is if he can get a fried egg included in it.

Then we got doughnuts, the only dessert item Bentley likes:

We even had the candles for "1" and "6"!

And then he opened his present from Grandma and Grandpa:

The faces Bentley pulls make me laugh...

This is a much better picture, though, I suppose...

This year he just asked for cash.  But Grandma and Grandpa had a lot of fun giving it to him in various bills and coins and then hiding it all throughout that box!  They made him work for it a little bit!

The next day I took him shopping-- we hit Target, Costco, and the new Marshalls that opened near me.  And had lunch at Torchy's.  As much as I hate shopping, we had a very fun time of it!  And then yesterday he got a gym membership.  So Bentley is living his best life for his birthday!

I can't believe he once was my tiny little baby!

This might be my favorite picture from the hospital...

At Rachael's wedding when Bentley was three; I'm 5 months pregnant with Ryder here...

From our portraits with Adam last October.  Bentley's grown at least an inch since this, and gotten his braces off... Time for more pictures!!!

Happy Birthday, Bentley!!!