Our Favorite Fifteen Year Old

Today is T's birthday, and there are a few important things you need to know about him.

First of all, he asked for a Samoas cheesecake for dessert. Yes, that's a cheesecake topped with coconut, caramel and chocolate, just like the cookie. That alone sends him right to the top of the Kid-of-the-Year list.

He also loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups......

and bow ties. Which makes him very cool, in a Dr. Who-ish sort of way. I mean, look how excited he is about the goldfish bow tie he got for his birthday.

But best of all, he's always the first one to ask if I need help with dinner, or cleaning, or just about anything. Here's a little story to illustrate the kind of kid he is.

A few months ago, he remembered a field trip to an avionics company he took in 8th grade. The owner mentioned that sometimes they hired kids for the summer. So with absolutely no suggestion whatsoever from his parents, he sent them an email and said he'd be interested in working there. To make a long story short, he has a summer job doing everything from mowing lawns to installing seats in airplanes! Because that's just the kind of industrious, self-motivated, hard-working kid he is. 

His employers love him so much, when G went to pick him up a few weeks ago, they insisted he come in and see all of the things T had been doing at work.

At the end of the school year, one of his teachers told us that he'd asked the kids to try and sit by/befriend/talk to the kids who didn't seem to know anyone or have anyone to sit with. He said most of the kids kept it up for a few weeks, but T was still doing it at the end of the school year. And did I mention he had a 4.0 in his first year of high school? 

HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY T! You're awesome! And I'm not just saying that because of the Samoas Cheesecake.

Boy's Best Friend

So.....we got a dog. You should know I'm not a dog person. Allergies prevent me from appreciating anything with fur. But C has been begging for a "real" pet for years. And the goldfish wasn't really cutting it as a fun, friendly companion.

Although I can't complain about getting a cute, well-behaved, house-trained thoroughbred Australian Terrier from the Humane Society. That was definitely a stroke of good luck. I guess I should also be grateful C didn't want a cat. Because then the allergies would literally kill me.

Still.....the things we do for our children.

He's an Adult Now

Even though it clearly hasn't been 18 years since I gave birth to him, somehow E turned 18 today. I know. How is that even possible?

What, you may wonder, does a typical 18 year-old boy want for his birthday? I don't know. Because my 18 year-old is not typical. He's like a million times better than typical. He's pretty much the best kid ever.

So he asked for a new desk. Because he couldn't put his computer on his old desk and still have room to do homework. Yep, that's his big life problem at the ripe old age of 18. Which makes it totally believable for me to tell you that he's given me about 10 minutes of trouble in his whole entire life.

Of course, turning 18 is kind of a big deal, so we thought he deserved something more than a new desk. Like some awesome new desk accessories.....

Yep, that's a Tetris desk lamp, and a Star Trek mug, a.k.a pencil holder. He already had the Sonic Screwdriver pen. Because he's cool like that.

And he has great taste in food too. His requested birthday dinner? Salmon, mashed potatoes and blackberry pie. We also had carrots. He didn't ask for that. I just felt obliged to serve a vegetable.

Why three candles? Because that's how many we had. But he definitely deserved more. He's not one for a big hoo-ha though, so three was probably good.

When people tell me what a great kid E is--and believe me, it happens all the time--I just have to agree and tell them that's the way he came to us. And despite all my efforts at being his momager (that's short for mom/manager) who he is hasn't changed much (thankfully) since the day he arrived. Happy Birthday to the kid who made me a mom 18 years ago today!

Do You Like Robots?

Another Robotics Season has come and gone, and as always, it was a lot of good, geeky fun.

Although T has been to his fair share of Robotics events, it was his first tournament as an official member of the team.

And it was E's last tournament as an official member of the team. Although I'm pretty sure since he'll be attending college locally, he'll be back next year as a mentor.

My fellow team mom Jessica is a real robot babe, don't you think? You'd never know she'd been in the ER two days prior. And me? Well, I had a little outpatient surgery on Monday, but managed to make it down to the tournament by Thursday to fulfill my team mom duties. Well, sort of.....

I couldn't do any heavy lifting, and neither could she. And we both showed up with heating pads and prescription narcotics. But we looked cute, and that's what really matters! It's also the reason I took all my photos with the iPhone. Because I just wasn't up to lugging my heavy camera bag around all weekend. But as long as you capture the memories, that's what really matters.

For example, a Robotics tournament is a perfect opportunity to wear your Stormtrooper helmet and/or your orange Afro wig. Everyone has a Stormtrooper helmet and an orange Afro wig, right?

C accessorized his cape with all of the robot paraphernalia he picked up from the different teams at the tournament.

And the Stormtrooper helmet definitely made the rounds. We even got the MC to wear it during one match!

Our team didn't do so well, despite feverishly working on our bot between matches.

But it's always a great time! The MC was incredibly entertaining and always goes above and beyond to make the tournament fun for everyone. Can anyone guess what song was playing during this photo?

You know it's a party when you do the YMCA. And thank goodness it's fun (or maybe that was the narcotics?), because I have a feeling I've got quite a few more FIRST Robotics tournaments in my future.

Senior Pictures

I took E's Senior pictures last week. Kind of weird. And by "weird" I mean unbelievable. But also kind of fun....well, for me. Getting pictures taken is never fun for him. They have to be turned in for the yearbook by October 15, which is why this is happening when school just barely started. So, as long as he doesn't grow a mustache or something before May, I think we're good.

Rather handsome, wouldn't you say? And yes, I'm going to share ALL of them.

Summer Days, Drifting Away.....

It's official. Summer is over and the kids are back in school. I have mixed feelings. Don't get me wrong, I love 6 hours of uninterrupted quiet, but....

Well, for one thing, this one is in 5th grade--his last year of elementary school.

I've been hanging out at his elementary school for the last 12 years, and it will be weird to just not go there anymore. I will, however, be crashing the end-of-school year party after he is gone. Because of the food trucks!

The best part about his first day of school? He had Manchester United socks to match his shirt.

And this one.....this one is in high school now. Clearly there's been some kind of mistake. Because I CAN NOT have two kids in high school. That would make me old.

Being the oldest child, I never really understood the benefits of having an older sibling to go before you and pave the way. For T, starting high school was no big deal. He already knew the school, several of his brother's friends (via the Robotics team) and several of his teachers. I mean, when Seniors are saying hello to you in the hallways, as a Freshman, you've got it made! And since his older brother is basically awesome, everybody already loves him. 

So, my three younger siblings can thank me anytime for blazing all those trails for them.

And this one (sniffle, sniffle) is a Senior.

I can't believe I'll be taking his Senior pictures in a few weeks. (He's super excited, by the way). He'll be filling out college applications soon. And before you know it, we'll be forking over big bucks for tuition. But I promise, that's not why I'm crying.....it's because, how can this even be possible?

And in case you're not familiar, sending a child with a medical condition to school every day is an anxiety ridden endeavor. So you can imagine how terrifying the thought of him leaving home is! And yet, I'm still so excited for him and all that lies ahead. And excited for his brothers too. 

I think it's going to be a great year!

Bungle Suit Sunday

On Saturday, our family spent the day at the Denver Mormon Temple. You  may have heard me mention, in a very excited manner, how we are getting our own temple right here in Fort Collins, but it's not going to be done for a few more years. So on occasion we put on our Sunday best and head down to Denver to visit the temple there.

I share this photo as proof that my children (the little one in particular) can, in fact, dress in a respectable manner. Because what I am about to show you....well, you might have to look away.

These temple-going outfits are the same outfits my boys wear to church on Sundays. Folks, spending several hours in a white shirt and tie is just WAY too much dressing up for a nine year-old boy. So every Sunday after church, he comes home and puts on something more comfortable.

Something he calls.....THE BUNGLE SUIT.

He added the headband and sunglasses for this photo shoot. But the rest? Every. Single. Sunday. Those are his soccer socks. With the shin pads built in. To make matters more hilarious, he dances around in this get-up. Mostly to embarrass and annoy his brothers, who shout things like, "Help! CAN'T UNSEE!"

Which of course, makes dancing around in a Bungle Suit all the more fun when you're nine years-old.

Legoland: Everything is Awesome!

For the last few years (seriously) C has been clipping coupons from his Lego magazine, good for a free child's admission to Legoland. Every month, he'd hand me his coupons and say, "Mom, I thought you might want this. In case we ever go to Legoland."

Well, if he's going to save me that kind of money.....

The park is very much geared towards younger kids. Even the roller coasters were mild enough for me and E to ride, and that's really saying something. A few handy tips for visiting Legoland: be there when the gates open and make your way to the back of the park. Everyone else starts at the front, so doing everything in reverse helps avoid long lines.

The older boys really loved the Miniland U.S.A and Star Wars displays. There were some pretty amazing Lego recreations of famous U.S. cities and world landmarks.

I'm leaving Lego Las Vegas......

I left my heart in Lego San Francisco.....

If you can make a Lego Statue of Liberty there you can make one anywhere. Come on come through Lego New York, Lego New York.....

And of course, no trip to Legoland would be complete without a photo with Lego Chewbacca.

Lego Darth Vader, Lego R2D2, and the rest of the Lego Star Wars cast......

And don't forget about Lego Albert Einstein and Lego Abraham Lincoln.

Have I convinced you yet that everything was awesome at Legoland? How about a photo op with the star of the Lego Movie, proving that you're never too old for Lego.