man of the house
My grand-nephew, Matt Masterson has grown from being a multi-faceted little boy, who loved to pick on his sisters, Raelynn and Anna, but would also fiercely defend them, if anyone else picked on them. He loves his family and is very loyal to them. When his parents are working and the children are home alone, he is their protector, whether protection is needed or not. It just a part of the man in him. Raelynn is the older child, still at home. She is 16, while their half-sister, Christina is 23, and living on her own in Colorado, and younger sister, Anna is 12. In reality, they probably don’t need his protection, but they are grateful for Matt’s protective ways. He is also very protective of his mom, and takes on the “man of the house” role whenever his dad has to be out of town, or at work.
Matt is going into 8th grade this year, meaning he is in the last year of middle school. High school awaits him in just one year, but already I can see the high school student coming out in him already. It always seems to me that the last year of school levels, like elementary, middle, and high school, have the student oddly out of place among the younger students, but they would be out of place in the upper level too, I suppose. It’s all just a part of the transition from child to young adult, but I think Matt will make the transition with his usual ease.
Matt is an easy going sort of a guy, and there isn’t too much that bothers him. He like online gaming, like most 
kids his age. He likes hanging out with his cousins, and is good friends with his cousin Zack Spethman. Matt and Zack have been friends for their entire lives. The only thing that has changed is their size. Like most kids, they are not looking forward to summer’s end, even if school isn’t a bad thing. The boys like walking places like Cold Stone for get an ice cream treat. I can’t say as I blame them. That’s what summer’s all about, hot days and cold treats. Nevertheless, all too soon, summer will give way to Matt’s last year of middle school. I know it’s going to be a great year. Today is Matt’s birthday. Happy birthday Matt!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Since my grand nephew, Topher Spicer’s mom, my niece Andrea Beach has been a single mom for most of his life, he has given himself the job of being the man of the house. He is very protective of his mom. He doesn’t like it when she gets hurt and is the first one there to take care of her when she doesn’t feel well. He is more than a son to her, he is her best buddy!!
Topher is a kid who loves family. While he is his momma’s boy, he very much loves his dad and half-sister too. He loves spending time with them in Utah, but misses and worries about his mom, while he is away from her. He really is such a sweetheart, with a big heart of gold. He is also very close to his grandparents, my sister Caryl and her husband, Mike Reed. He enjoys coming to Casper with them when they come down to work on their ranch, and that lets the rest of the family see him once in a while too, since he lives in Rawlins. And as for Caryl and Mike…well, they tell me that Topher is a joy to take care of.
Topher is an independent young man, who has a great imagination, and is very creative. He is really into Pokémon…are they seriously still around…and Jurassic World…I can’t believe they are back, but I guess you have to be a ten year old boy to really understand the things they are into. He likes to swim and ride his bicycle, and he also loves to play Yahtzee and work puzzles…something I personally don’t have the patience for. But Topher is a kid who has the ability to focus, and he is ok with sitting still, when he is working on something. That fact was made clear to me when he came down the last time for a visit. As we were working on going through our parents’ things, Topher sat quietly and played on an iPad. The thing I found so interesting was that my mom’s cat, Lewie wanted to sit right next to Topher. I suppose that doesn’t seem strange to most people, but Lewie usually hides from all kids, so for him to choose to sit next to Topher was…well, amazing.
Topher is coming into his own in many areas, but one of the most important is his relationship with God. His mother, Andrea has taught him to love the Lord, and to have a close walk with Him. And Topher has made that relationship his own. To him, God is a friend…his very best friend. He has a strong Christian walk, and loves 
to talk to others about the Lord. The most important thing to Topher is to do the right thing in God’s eyes. Would that all people felt the same. I think this world would be a much better place. Strong Christian values are of the utmost importance to our world, and in our own lives. And Topher has those values. We are all very proud of him. Today is Topher’s 10th birthday…and, he got to go to Disneyland with his mom, and grandparents, Warren and Diane Beach. What a great birthday present for a ten year old boy!! Happy birthday Topher!! I hope your trip is amazing. Have a great day!! We love you!!
From the moment his sister, Siara was born, my grand nephew, Jake became her protector. It didn’t matter if someone was bullying her or simply teasing her, Jake took it upon himself to make it right. That’s the kind of guy he is. When Siara was little, she hated to eat anything that was broken. Her dad thought this was hillarious, and so when her mom, my niece, Chantel, gave the kids a Little Debbie snack cake, her dad would flick the cake, breaking the frosting before giving it to her. Siara would fall to her knees and wail mournfully, “It’s broken!!” Even though Jake was only 5 or 6 years old, he would quickly say, “It’s ok CC, lets trade!” Immediately the situation was all better. After, his parents’ divorce, Jake became the man of the house…a role he had practiced for all his little life. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his sister.
Growing up in a home without a dad, Jake had to deal with the influence of a single mom and a 
sister. We all know that the driver of the car gets to pick the radio station. so in the mornings, Jake had to listen to the music his mom liked. Chantel liked to make sure the day started out with everyone in a good mood, so singing on the way to school…to Chantel’s favorite songs…was the way the drive went. To this day, Jake knows every word of Shania Twain’s “I Feel Like A Woman” and Jake..in typical Jake style says, “Hey, I was raised by a single mom, and I have a sister. Don’t judge!” I say it takes a man who is comfortable in his own skin to be able to say I sang that with my mom and sister, and I have no regrets.
When Chantel’s current husband came into their lives, Jake just wasn’t sure he wanted to trust another man in the house again. He tried so hard not to like Dave, even telling Chantel that Dave looked like a serial killer…a statement as far from what Dave is like as the Earth is from the Sun…but Dave was very different than Jake’s real dad, and he soon won Jake’s respect, and more importantly his heart. Three weeks later, Jake asked if he could call Dave…Dad. Jake’s days of having to carry the load of being the man of the house alone, were over.
Still, there was the Siara issue, and as Chantel says, “The door swings both ways.” One
day, before Dave was a true member of their family, Jake in normal kid style, pushed his sister down on their trampoline. Apparently, it’s ok for Jake to pick on his sister. Since Dave was in the back yard, Siara did the logical thing and told on Jake. Dave went to the trampoline and jerked Jake to the edge so that he could tell him never to push his sister again, but before Dave to say a word, Chantel tells me that he saw a little blond vapor trail and heard the slamming of the screen door as Siara ran into the house to tell Chantel, “Mom!!! Dave is hurting Jake!!” It just goes to show you that while siblings might pick on each other, no one else gets to pick on their sibling. Today is Jake’s birthday. Happy birthday Jake!! Have a wonderful day!!
