He's a teenager now!

Mason turned 13 yesterday. ThirTEEN. Yikes. I feel like I should say that I feel too young to have a kid that old, but it actually seems about right. He had a really really good birthday, which was a good thing after last year's fiasco. 

First things first - no one gets any sleep and we all wake up way too early because Mason is so excited to open presents. He has been asking for a phone and been very nervous about getting his hopes up. He was so happy when he opened it.

He wanted to go to a water park with the family during the day, so we decided on Cowabunga Bay in Draper. Only Ava had ever been and it was really fun! It was a little windy and rainy for the first couple of hours, but it's so hot right now that it didn't even faze the kids. Once it cleared up a little, Tim and I joined them on the slides and around the lazy river. 

Once everyone was properly worn out we went over to Ikea to get dessert but they all looked terrible. So we just did some shopping and headed home. Everyone got cleaned up and we took Brielle to dance and the rest of us went to Tepanyaki for dinner. Then we came home and had ice cream sundaes (Mason didn't want cake) and watched the first half of The Hunger Games, which we've been listening to in the car.

So often I look at Mason and I'm just amazed how much he's grown up. I am just impressed. He is so smart and aware and thoughtful. He really thinks about things and it is fascinating to be let in on that process once in a while. He doesn't talk as much as the other kids, and I wish he would confide in us a little more because I would love to know what's going on in that head. 

He's been having a great summer going to Lagoon all the time with his cousin, Beau. And he's a little nervous about going to Junior High in the fall. That part is weird - that he's old enough to go to Junior High. But I'm excited to watch him navigate it, and I'm thankful that I get to be along for his ride. 

4th of July

 Kelson and Lexie recently moved from Dallas to Las Vegas and drove up to Brigham to visit for the Fourth of July weekend. It was so fun to see them! Ava had been so excited to play with Luke because, "he is the only cousin that can match my energy level." He and little Jane were so adorable.

We hung out with them on Friday at the splash pad at John Adams Park, and then visited Sunday evening. On the 4th we went up in the late afternoon to let the kids play on the slip and slide and have a BBQ. We did some backyard fireworks and then left just before it started to get dark. We didn't want to stay for city fireworks this year because we had just seen some at West Haven Days, and everyone was pooped out. I love the drive home though, when you can see the fireworks shooting up all over the valley.

West Haven Days

We went to the parade for West Haven Days for the first time this year, because Brielle was in it! She rode a float with her cheer team and dance studio and she loved it. They had learned a few cheers but they didn't work on the float so when she passed us we just got a wave and a big smile. It was so cute. 

After the parade we made our way over to the pickle-ball fields because Tim was playing in the tournament with Ryan Nichols. They actually did pretty good considering they had never played together and Tim has only ever played a handful of times.

That evening we went back to the park for the Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band concert and fireworks. We ended up going to watch part of the rodeo for a while and I think next year we'll have to go to the whole thing. Then we went back to the concert to dance and watch the fireworks.

While we were sitting with our little clutch of kids in front of us, Tim leaned over and pointed out that this is it - everything that matters fit right on that little blanket. And its true. 

 

Brielle turns 11

 Bri has been so excited for her birthday this year. As soon as Christmas was over she started planning what she wanted to do and thinking about what she would ask for. In the week leading up to her birthday she finally narrowed it down to asking for a desk and chair for her room, and going to Chuck A Rama for dinner. She also wanted to do something with her friends. Since it was going to be the Kanesville skate night at Classic Fun Center on her birthday we went to dinner a couple of days early and she invited her friends to the skate night.

During school on her birthday she thought that since Ava and Mason didn't really want to go to the skate night, and only one invited friend would make it, that we would probably say we weren't going to do that. Then she decided that would be for the best because she really wanted to just stay home and have family come over to visit and have cake and ice cream. 

When she got home and realized we were going to the fun center she put on her happy face and got excited. First she decorated her birthday cake like a beautiful garden (one of the many things she wants to be when she grows up is a baker). Then off we went. We stayed there for almost three hours and everyone had a great time! When we got home I think everyone was a little overstimulated because the night ended in tears for everyone but Bus, but I think they'll all have good memories of the day in the morning.

Brielle is so tender. Her emotions are getting the better of her lately. The mood swings are driving her crazy. She doesn't want to grow up, she's having a hard time with friends at school, the world is a weird, scary place right now. It's been a rough year for her, but she's shown a lot of growth and resilience. She looks at the world in such a detailed way and she doesn't miss a thing. She is very smart and loves to read and does well in school.

Brielle is also tells me all the time that she loves me. She gives the sweetest cuddles and loves to open up an talk. She loves one on one time with Tim or I, but I have been the clear favorite for talk time lately. She makes me feel like a good mom, it doesn't hurt that she tells me all the time that I'm the best mom. She's my sweet little best friend and I hope she still loves me for the next few years!

A Haircut

 Mason and Eric both needed haircuts last week, so while I picked up the girls from tumbling in Clearfield, he cut their hair. When I came home, Mason had a completely buzzed head! I was totally shocked because he takes his hair pretty seriously. He was really second guessing his decision once the hair started coming off. It looks really nice on him though, he can totally pull it off. 

The funny part was Bus' reaction. He was so upset, he was inconsolable. Crying and screaming at anyone that tried to talk him down. For nearly two hours he was absolutely devastated. It was weird. We got some of it on video and it's pretty funny. When he finally calmed down enough to talk and I asked him why he was so upset, he said, "There are so many spirits in heaven waiting to come down and now Mason will never get married!"

I tried to convince him that Mason's hair would grow back in a few weeks and that he is only 12 anyway and can't even date yet. It wasn't until I convinced him that some girls like boys with buzzed heads that he decided it wasn't the end of the world. 

By the next day he was totally over it and let Mason make a YouTube video out of all the footage they had of the haircut and the reactions. Unfortunately, it's not getting nearly the number of views that Mason was hoping for and he's regretting the haircut.