Earlier this month we celebrated Payton's 15th birthday!
15 is kind of an interesting age. There's nothing that is "big" about it. No milestones. No new adventures. At 12 the boys get to join Young Mens and they receive the priesthood. At 13 you're a teenager! At 14 you get to attend dances. And at 16 you can drive and start dating. But 15 . . . ya, there's not much happening that year. So going along with the lack of milestones for this year, it was a pretty low-key birthday.
That being said, Payton got everything he wanted - and more - so it was a slam dunk of a day for him.
Here are 10 things about Payton at age 15:
1. ON his birthday he received news that he was accepted/invited into Broadcasting II for his sophomore year! He was so excited! This means that he will get to spend a lot more time on the morning news program at his high school. This year he's been taking Video Production I, which is basically the back room where they stuff the freshman and give them assignments to produce videos in an attempt to weed out the ones who don't really care. It has been frustrating for him this year to see the lack of passion for this subject matter in so many of his classmates. So this invitation was just the pick me up he needed to carry him through the rest of the school year and set his sights on his goals for next year.
2. He loves playing Splatoon 2 on the Switch. Words and phrases like "splat-fest", "squid-bagging," and "You're a kid! You're a squid!" are frequently heard in our house. Pokemon games also continue to be a favorite.
3. Speaking of video production, Payton's latest baby is his Youtube channel - Woomy Life. At the moment, he likes to post videos of himself playing Splatoon 2 or Breath of the Wild. Highlight reels, bloopers, etc. Honestly, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but if you have a teenage boy in your house who likes video games, I'm sure you have caught him watching similar Youtube videos, listening to the commentary, and laughing uncontrollably. At least that's what happens in our house. For Christmas and his birthday he received a few pieces of equipment to help him put these videos together. He has an Elgato for capturing the gameplay, and a pretty nice microphone for voice-overs.
4. While we're still on the topic of Youtube -- some of his favorites are any of the Star Wars Bad Lip Reading videos (the SEAGULLS (Stop it Now!) video even cracks me up) or Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Modding.
5. His condiment of choice is Sriracha sauce. Payton has always loved his condiments. First ketchup, then BBQ sauce, and just recently he made the conversion to Sriracha and he puts it on EVERYTHING. Red pepper flakes also make an appearance quite often. This boy has a thing for spicy!
6. The beginning of his 9th grade year was a bit of a shock (work load, responsibility, focus required in class, so many things to keep track of!, etc.), but we made some adjustments, adopted some new routines and habits, and he has completely turned things around. He rocked his first semester of high school with all A's. Way to go!
7. Other than video production, Payton also participates in a service club called Cougars for Change, the Star Wars club (naturally), and is joining the track team this week.
8. Payton is a happy kid. Aside from his first 18 months of life (ha!), he has just always been happy. And as he rolls through these teen years he has become even more relaxed and positive and eager to communicate and let me tell you, it has been such a delight!
9. Whenever I need help with something or call his name, he responds right away, shows up, and does whatever I need him to do. With no complaining, no sighs, no push-back. It truly is amazing how quick he is to obey! (I am keenly aware that this is not normal so I am savoring it).
10. For his birthday date he requested that we go see the latest Maze Runner movie (The Death Cure) and we'll probably get some Mongolian Grill for dinner as well. I sure hope they have some Sriracha!
Happy 15th Birthday!
