Yes, I am now the mother of TWO teenagers!
Payton turned 13 this week and we celebrated it to the fullest. Leading up to his birthday I gave him little gifts each day - I call it "13 days of 13". The gifts included things like candy, deodorant, his favorite mechanical pencils, a new book, silly pirate toys, a 12 pack of rootbeer cream soda (his favorite), an inflatable slice of pizza for the pool, a giant tub of cheese puffs, etc.
On his birthday I had Scott pick up Krispy Kreme doughnuts after taking Conner to seminary. I was driving carpool that morning so we had a doughnut breakfast party on the drive to school and it was so fun!
For dinner he requested . . . . . Hot Pockets and apple juice.
Spoken like a true teenager!
And then there were gifts . . . money from grandparents, Chewbacca shirt / socks / towel, a Nintendo 3DS game (Kirby something?), and a Chewbacca Fathead for his room.
This is the 2nd or 3rd year in a row that he chose an ice cream sandwich cake. Anna told me, "I always love Payton's birthday because he picks the best desserts."
That is a face of one happy boy. :)
Payton is still just about the happiest kid you will EVER meet. Ever. He smiles and LAUGHS all. the. time.
Recently he was on a ski trip with the varsity (older) scouts. He got to go because Scott was attending as a chaperone. Anyways, one of the 16/17 year old boys who witnessed Payton's joy first hand said that Payton is the ultimate sidekick because he laughs at everything you say. He makes you feel great! Now that is a pretty awesome compliment for a Deacon to receive from one of the Priests!
On the kids' birthdays we make a mark on the giant ruler to see their growth over the past year.
He grew about 2 inches! Yay!
And this weekend I took him along with Conne, and two of their neighborhood/church friends out for some laser tag and dinner at Red Robin to celebrate. These 4 boys get together almost every Saturday to play Dungeons and Dragons and I love it.
A few more things that Payton has been up to recently . . . .
Payton earned his Life rank! The next step is Eagle if you can believe it! Last month they had a court of honor and Payton conducted the evening -- something he needed to do to finish up his Communications Merit Badge. He did a fantastic job.
Payton also just wrapped up the Archery season at school. This is his second year participating in the sport and he made the state archery team! I was super excited for him to have the opportunity to compete in this. He got to miss a day of school and I joined him for a day at the South Point Arena. In some of the rounds he shot his personal best and by the looks of this Napoleon Dynamite fist pump he was super excited about it.
His school ended up winning 2nd place!
Payton is such a great kid and brings so much life & laughter to our house. He is quick & witty & random & has a comment for everything. Of all the kids he's the one who is the most up to date on all the current trends & slang -- definitely more aware of his peers & surroundings than some of our other children. And while he takes the time to notice that kind of stuff, he is by no means wrapped up in it. I love that he is totally, completely, and uniquely his own person and quite often walks to the beat of his own drum.
He's a pretty great teenager and we love him so!
