It's Been a Long Time

The dogs love to sit at the windows and look out them. Luna has major FOMO and could spend all day watching outside to make sure she doesn't miss anything. Camden puts the beanbag by his window and opens it so she can watch out. We are okay with this, unless she barks, then it has to be closed. The other day they both started to freak out and I went to see what was up. A squirrel or chipmunk came up to the window to say hi. They wanted to know what the barking noise was. It would have been normal for it to just come up real quick and then leave, but they came and went for about 30 min or more. I put my finger on the window and they put their paw up as well. Not sure how this one became so friendly, or maybe they have FOMO like Luna. 

This happened.... We have tried 3 times to get Beckham into drivers ED and he finally got in the class starting this month. Camden doesn't want to take it yet, which saves us money. We had to go to the DMV to get a permit. He doesn't actually that until he passes the class. But soon Beckham will be behind the wheel...pray for us all. 

This happened to us last week....

The owner of the house is selling. We do still have a little less than a year left on our contract, but this is turning into a major pain. While we are good for a year, they can't kick us out early, we do have to keep the house clean, we have to leave for showings and deal with the realtors. I love a clean house, that isn't a secret, but when it's because others are going to walk through and possibly mess with my things, and not my choice, I am not a fan. More to come on this new unwanted adventure. 

 

For FHE Camden wanted to go climbing. We decided to go during the open house last week. We had to be gone for 3 hours anyways. It's fun to actually see Camden climb; I really think he has missed it. While everyone did try, Jacks made the most progress. I don't think the other 3 are fans of being high up. The wall where they are hooked into they can not fall, the belay will catch them, but we could not get that through their heads. Beck has been before and went a little higher, I just don't think it's something he fully enjoys. 

This wall you are not hooked into anything, but the floor is soft. I loved seeing Camden work so hard with Jackson to get him to climb and finish a rout. 

And Jackson did. He was nervous at the top, but he did get to the top and was excited that he finished it. 

Sweet 16

That is right, Brad and I have been married 16 years now! I know it's lame to say, but looking back, it has gone by so fast. I sometimes still feel like that 18 year old who was excited and nervous at the same time when we got married. I knew Brad was the one for me and maybe we weren't fully prepared for what marriage had to bring, we have worked through all the fun and trials life has brought us so far. We have 4 beautiful kids who are turning out amazingly well.  We are both working from home right now. While it is really nice, there are weeks where we are together 24/7   7+ days a week. He is still my best friend and even with Always being together, he is the one I want to be with and don't like being away for very long. Happy 16th and many more to come. 

 

Memorial Day

Jackson's birthday just happened to be on Memorial Day this year. It didn't really change what we did, just meant a long weekend for Brad and I. We got a big slip 'n slide for the kids to play on. Emery and Jacks did a test slide the night before and then on Monday we had all the Boise families over for a BBQ and water fun. They all played for hours and were dead by the end of it, but it was a lot of fun. 

No More Single Digits

Tomorrow is another transition in our lives, Brad and I will no longer have any kids in the single digits. Jackson will be 10! I know it's in my head, but all week he has seemed older and changing daily. 

We celebrated his birthday this weekend. He wanted Jarom up here so he could spend time with him. Grandma Arrington came down for a girls night and brought Jarom down. All the boys went to "A Quiet Place" while us girls went to dinner and "Cruela". Both movies were good and worth a watch. When we got home, Jackson opened up his gifts. He is still fun to shop for. He got headphones, Stick bots and a big King Kong Pop.

Instead of a birthday dinner ,we did breakfast at Black Bear. It was a good change from dinner food. 

After breakfast the kids went swimming. The pool in our neighborhood opened yesterday and the kids couldn't wait to go. It was only about 70, but it felt nice and they said the water was warm. They were there for about an hour and a half. 

Although Jackson was a hard baby, he is a very easy child (not sure what you call this age). He still spends hours in his room playing with toys alone. And toys don't have to be an actual toy. He plays with paper cut out, pencils, boxes, really whatever he touches is something else in his mind and a toy to play with. It is fun to watch him play. As long as he doesn't see you, he will keep going making sound effects to what he is doing. He got Stick Bots for his birthday, which are used to make stop motion movies. He loves to do that and how us all the movie he made. He is able to make them on a phone or tablet.  He has found a friend Luke here. It is so good to see him have someone he looks forward to seeing at school and can hang out with other times. Luke's mom said Jacks was an answer to a prayer for them, and I told her Luke was ours. Moving isn't easy, moving in a pandemic is harder and making friends when you can only see them 6 feet apart and half their face adds to that. They are funny together and love to hang out. While Jackson is very easy going, he gets offended very easily. He doesn't like to feel like he's being made fun of or doesn't like someone thinking something about him that isn't true. He doesn't cry often, but you can see it in his eyes his feelings. He still will come and lay next to me and give me hugs. Even though they didn't get to hang out face to face very long, he is close to his cousin Jarom and they have a great friendship. Too many nights not talking on hangouts, they both start to show they miss the other. Emery gets mad when Jackson doesn't want to hang out with her. More and more he does this, however the times they do play together, they will for a long time and both have a blast. Usually has something to do with stuffed animal all over the house. He still refuses to ride a bike. He'll do the scooter but has no desire to ride a bike. Not that you have to, I just figured it would pass when he got older. Thankfully he is still an angel and quiet at school, while at home he is loud and all over. I love seeing him like that. Even walking down the stairs is a game to him. While he still loves things like IT, Chucky and all things scary, right now he is really into Godzilla and King Kong. Jackson's favorite subject is Math. His favorite toy/game Roblox and Stick bots and his favorite food are French Fries. 

Cam's Hair

The kids each day have to spend an hour doing something to better themselves. They can draw, read, learn a skill, cook, were pretty open. Camden wants to learn to cut his hair. Brad is teaching him how to cut his hair. His first turned out well, but was a little awkward. He is only 15, so give it time, and he will be a pro. 

One good looking boy. 

15 Years Later

Fifteen seems like such a big number. Fifteen years ago I feel like I was still in Jr. High, not having twins. Now one of them is hoping to start divers ed. 

One really good thing about being in Boise area is the relationship that the boys have created with cousins here. Family is everything, and I love seeing those relationships grow. For their birthday we had the boys cousins over for pizza, cheesecake and Nurf Wars. They all seemed to have a good time. 

Zander is super excited to see the gifts. 

They all react like Brad- no reaction, but then you mention that and they over do the reactions. 

At the Nurf place, they could use any gun they wanted and had unlimited time. They stayed for a few hours. There were 2 teams and if you got hit you were out for the round. 

Creed was trying to be sneaky, then a kid came up and shot him. 

It really was a place that a lot of kids could go and have fun. I think we'll go back someday. 

We did a cheesecake bar. You chose which toppings you wanted, if any. Some of the creations were interesting. 

 Camden has changed a lot and in so many ways since we moved. He still likes to bug everyone, I'm not sure that will ever go away, but he is trying to figure out what he likes. Both him and Beck have done the same things together since day 1. This move and change has made it so both of them have to figure out things that they like, that may not be together. They still do a lot together and still are each others best friend, but changing as well. Camden has been obsessed with Rubix cubes. He has a few different ones and has figured them all out as well. He still likes magic and doing tricks, although not as much lately. Camden also likes to bake. He has made a few interesting things and a few good ones. He is always first in line to help Brad grill now and wants to learn how to do that more. Camden also wants to learn how to cut his own hair like Brad. While sleepovers still aren't his thing, he does try and do more and more things to make him independent. One thing Camden has started doing (and I hope it never ends) is every day, after school he comes and tells me about his day. And pretty much a play by play. I just love that he wants to share his day with me. Camden still wants to be a surgeon when he is older. He is defiantly smart enough and he is slowly realizing how much time he'll have to be in school for that. When Cam puts his mind to something, and it's something HE wants, he can move mountains. He saved for the Oculus and worked hard on a few side chores to get the money. He did his cubes, and magic and making things. He also got into a game and learned a lot of tips and tricks to do better. It was a game he and I played together for a few months. Cam has taken a small break from the piano. He wants a different teacher (and he needs one), so once school stars up after summer, we'll find him one. While Beck wanted to take drivers ED, Camden did not, which I'm not going to complain, cheaper insurance for a little bit. He has applied for a few jobs. He was trying to figure out the exact percentage of taxes that would be take from his check. While Cam has had a little hard time moving, he does tell me about all the kids he talks to at school. He hasn't made any friends he wants to hang out with outside of school yet, but hopefully when he gets a job, he will make some more that way. Or when COVID calms down more.  Camden's favorite subject is ASL. His favorite food is fried rice and his favorite game/toy is the Oculus.

Beckham does not look 15. He has shot up the past year and loves being tall. He is even more happy now that he is taller than Brad. One thing I would love to change is his hair. We tell them as long as they clean it and style it, we really don't care what they do with it. Beck is growing his out, and I hate it. The fact I hate it is why he's keeping it going. Beckham has gotten into playing the guitar this year. He has yet to let any of us hear him play. I think moving has been the hardest on Beck. He doesn't talk much about kids at school and says we can go back to Twin any time. He still talks to some of the friends from Twin as well. He is looking for a job too and I am hoping that getting a job will help him get out of his shell more. Both boys also applied and got into a charter school next year, so maybe smaller classes will help them find friends as well. Beckham is still a pleaser. He is the most helpful around the house, always asks if I need help with anything. He does not like confrontation at all and never sees anything. Which gets really old when he is one of the few who could help the Cam/Jacks fights. He however has found a super fun teenage boys sarcasm side to himself. It's something I have told him to cool it a few times and it's also being picked up by the other kids as well. Beckham is really excited to drive. He wants to be an adult so bad, yes he is that teen. Then when the real world hits, I'm sure he'll be wanting to go back. Beck is finally getting over the kid eating and trying new things. Most of the kids are picky eaters, their dad is Brad, but he is trying new things when we tell him they're good. Which has helped him find a few new foods he likes. He is thinking about making one of his special nights to be Barbacoa. It's a fancy steak restaurant, but it is $$, so we told him that would  be all his special night. (totally worth it). He does the same with TV shows, movies and music. He is trying to listen to things we suggest and try them out. Let hope that attitude stays the whole time he is a teen.  Beck is a lot like me in the fact that he likes to be alone at times. I used to sit in my room listening to music to relax and he does the same thing as well. Beck still talks about being an actor when he grows up, but since COVID, he hasn't done many acting things. Beckham does love his family, even if he won't always admit it. A while ago he was talking with my parents about Grandma and Grandpa Camp. They were asking how long they think the kids would still come to it. Beck said forever, his wife can stay home with the kids while he goes to camp. Beckham's favorite subject is Film Research. His favorite food is Joe's Italian Ice (in California) and his favorite game/toy is Contest of Champions.