Not what I was like at 16.

First and foremost, I want us all to have a moment of silence for my brother Kaden, who is quite possibly the sweetest, most thoughtful, and handsomest bachelor on the block.

*picture taken with my phone right before we left*

Thank you.

Kade went on his first date with Miss Taylor this past weekend. Mr. Stoneman and I are super lucky that we live so close and don't have to miss monumental moments such as this. I also happened to be home when she asked him to ditch prom with her via fairy-tale puzzle. Kade thought I did it because there was no way someone could be that excited unless they had done it themselves.

We brought him a pack of gum, and reminded him to bring lipchap (also known as chapstick). No one wants bad breath, nor do they want the white goo built up that accompanies dry-lip, dry-mouth syndrome. Drink lots of water, lipchap, problem solved. ALWAYS open the door, no matter how lame and old fashion it may seem. Don't text message during your date, or answer any calls (I say this as I lift his arm and shove my nose into his armpit- he laughs). No matter what kind of funky smell you give off, its never a good funky smell. And that would be considered the last date. And no one wants to be labeled the stinky smelly kid at school. I clean the kitchen while he continues to get ready, because when we walked in the house initially, we almost passed out. I light candles all over the place. Kade comes in with his purple baseball tee that she bought him to match hers for the team games. He's one handsome cuss. I give him a hug to role-play the initial hug or hugs to come, and he smells great, hugs great (no awkward side hugs or pats on the back), and looks great. We give him some last bits of advice- if she has something in her teeth, just tell her. Its way worse to go home and realize its been there the whole time. Plus, it'll bug you. Don't pass gas and blame it on her. Talk.

Honestly, Kade didn't need any of our advice, we just wanted to be there to give it to him. And loved every second of it. He, of course, had a great time, and called me as soon as he got home. He talked about eating dinner, the scavenger hunt, the Wii games, and Charades.

And then he told me thanks for coming, that he knew we didn't have to, but that we wanted to, and that it meant a lot to him. And then my heart melted.