The Twins are Twelve!!!

I think I say this every year, but every time the twins get a year older I feel so proud of myself that I have kept them alive, healthy, and somewhat hygienic.  I can't grow a garden or keep a pot of flowers alive, but somehow I have managed 12 years of keeping these two going strong!

It was an interesting birthday scenario this year, as Tanner was at Scout Camp all week and even on his birthday.  It seemed weird to have these two inseparable friends apart on their birthday as we celebrated separately... kind of.

We decided to throw Ashlyn a party a day early since the boys were gone and we could have a wild Girl's Night Out without the boys making things weird.  This is the first year Tanner and Ashlyn haven't had a combined party and it seemed so low key!

Ashlyn decided years ago that "real" cake was for the birds and ice cream cakes are where the party is at.  However, she always finds a way to still make them 'cute' and this year she turned her ice cream cake into a basketball.

She made the whole thing herself.  She loves to bake.

Her friends were ore than happy to help her put on her 12 candles, as it is becoming such a big job anymore!

These girls are a great trio of friends.

On Friday, we drove up to Scout Camp to take Tanner some cupcakes to share with his troop and give Ashlyn the opportunity to scout out some future husband prospects among the scouts... ha ha ha, she is so NOT boy crazy like that.  But we did have a good time enjoying the day watching Tanner compete in all kinds of scouting games and competitions.  We also left Ian and Bronson to spend the night celebrating with Tanner.

When we got back, these cute neighbors had a BIG surprise for the twins.

These cute boys are our closest neighbors and not only are they great friends with the kids, but they are only days apart in age.  Grayson is just 6 days younger than the twins and Logan is 2 days older than Ian.  They can disappear for hours outside playing, shooting, building, and catching bugs and animals.  Grayson and Logan decided it was time for Ashlyn to have her own BB gun so that they didn't have to share their guns with her anymore and they gave Tanner an awesome upgrade on his BB gun.  We couldn't believe their generosity!  The kids absolutely loved the gifts.

When Tanner got back on Saturday it was also tie to open presents from the family, which Ashlyn had been so patient to wait for her brother to come home to do.

They had the annual paper, rock, scissors match to see who got to open first.

Ashlyn won, and so the game of Heavy, Heavy, Hangover had begun.

Tanner got some great gifts!  A magazine renewal to one of his favorite magazines from Whitlee, a solar powered robot kit from Charlotte and Bronson, a locker kit from Ian, some solid bike tires for his new bike from mom, and some golf clubs from dad.  Ashlyn got him a cool tackle box with some tackle.

Ashlyn had to crouch low so that Bronson could reach her head.

Ashlyn got some great gifts too:  A magazine renewal of their favorite magazines from Whitlee, Ashlyn got a piano music book with hit songs from the radio. a locker kit from Ian, a new dress and church bag from mom, and a really cool curling wand and hair stuff from dad.  Tanner got her an adult coloring book and some color twist pencils.

Tanner learned this year that birthday cake doesn't have to be "cake" it can just be a favorite dessert.  So he decided to go with cookie dough brownies this year, two of his favorite desserts combined!

It was quite yummy!

Oh, these two have just made our family wonderful.  We are so happy to have them.

Silliness and all.

10 Things about Ashlyn:

1) She is very artistic.  She took art lessons this past year and just really loved them.  She has quite a talent for art and crafts and I can't wait to watch her talent continue to develop as she gets older.

2) She loves to cook and bake.  She has mastered chocolate chip cookies and seriously makes them better than me.  I don't even try anymore, Ashlyn is our designated dessert baker.

3) She loves to play sports and is never afraid to try new things.  This year she gave golfing a swing and really enjoyed it.

4)  She loves finally being in Young Women's.  She is so motivated by setting goals, her first week home from Young Women's she sat down and knocked out 3-4 goals.  She had a value project finished before she even started Young Women's (with special permission from the YW President).

5) She loves to sew.  She has her own sewing machine and will get it out and sew everyone in the family a pillow.

6)  She is so down to earth.  She doesn't get caught up in being boy crazy like some of the other girls her age.  She is just very real and easy to be around whether it's boys, girls, adults, or anyone.  She is just at ease in her own skin and is easy to talk to and be around, which in turn makes her a really great friend.

7)  She adores her twin brother.  The two are just the best of friends.  They stay up talking into the late hours of the night every night and they talk about everything together.  They rarely fight and they have the best adventures together.

8)  The girl is a fish!  She would be in the water 24 hours a day if she could.  She loves to swim in pools, lakes, ponds, backyard swimming pools, and even the bath.  I am starting to think she is part mermaid.  I tried to tell her and Tanner that they were done with swimming lessons, but with her sad little doe eyes, I caved and she talked them into one more year of lessons.

9)  She still loves pets of all kinds.  She is always on the lookout for lizards, frogs, and snakes and thinks they are 'cute'.  She adores her pet cat and dog and is always wanting to add fish to Tanner's tank.  She would still like to be a pet store owner when she grows up and has big plans to expend the family's pet population with chickens and various other creatures.

10)  She lives up to her middle name, Sweetheart.  She has such a loving heart for the little kids and takes such good care of them.  She is always cuddling, snuggling, and playing with Whitlee.  She is a fantastic babysitter and she loves her family very much.  We are so happy that she is ours.  We love our Sweetheart!

Happy Birthday Ashlyn!

10 Things About Tanner:

1) This kid LOVES to fish!!  He just loves it.  If he has spare change to spend, it will go towards lures and other fishing gear.  He dreams of the day when he can catch a big enough fish to mount.  He is very excited to take a fly tying class next year at school.

2) He works hard for his testimony.  I have never known a kid like him.  He has been reading and studying his scriptures for years.  He reads late into the night, marking scriptures and pondering them.

3) He is a dare devil.  He is my one kid I can talk into riding the knee board with me.  He does amazing tricks on the trampoline and the diving board.  He is always the first of my kids to try physical skills of feat.

4) He is so smart.  He is an incredible student.  Every year his teachers are almost in tears at parent teacher conferences telling me how they absolutely love Tanner.  He works so hard to get good grades and had all A's on his report card last year, not even an A-.

5) He loves to try new sports.  Last year he tried soccer and even though he was one of the few kids on his team that had never played before, he did great and had a wonderful experience.  This year he had a ball trying his hand at golf.

6) He loves the outdoors.  He loves sleeping in a tent and just being in nature and camping. When I asked him if he was going to get homesick when he went to scout camp, he replied, "No!!  I would so much rather be camping than sitting around at home."  And he didn't get homesick, I don't even think a little.  I think he is homesick now for scout camp.  He wants to go back.

7) He is an equal parts Steelers and BYU Cougars fan.  His room is decked out in Steelers gear and BYU gear.  He loves watching them play whenever he can.

8) He can eat like no one I know and never gain a pound.  Seriously, this kid can pound down four or more cheeseburgers at McDonalds like it's no big deal and eat piles of pancakes for breakfast.  He must have a metabolism like a blast furnace because he is a bean pole!!

9) He loves ocean and aquatic life.  Ever since he was little he as been fascinated by sharks and the creatures in the ocean.  That love has never waned and I think that is why he likes fishing so much.  I can't wait to take him to see the ocean this year when our family goes to Disneyland!

10) He is one of the most faithful best kids ever.  This kid does his best at ALL times to always do what is right.  He absolutely HATES being in trouble or feeling like he did something wrong.  He is the biggest help to mom and dad.  Always so obedient and helping others in the family make good choices.  We love this kid so much and we are so happy to have him in our family.

Happy Birthday Tanner Man!

They are growing up way to fast.