Happy Birthday Twinners!

My tiny little 3 1/2 lb babies turned 15 and I am in shock!  Time is going by way too fast.

The fun thing about a summer birthday is that it gives you options for celebrating.  This year, Tanner and Ashlyn both decided to invite just a few friends each and work together to escape from an Escape Room.  They had tons of fun.  Later in the summer they invited a larger group of friends to have an end of summer party... I was not allowed to call it a "Back to School" party.

Gifts sure do get more complicated and expensive for teenagers.

Even though they are 15, they are never too old for Heavy Heavy Hang Over...

Some of the fun gifts that they received were Ashlyn- A Polaroid Camera, and a much anticipated new (used) cell phone that she has been begging for like forever.  the kids also got her an Amazon Alexa for her room, some scrunchies, a fishing pole, and some earrings.

Tanner got a new fitness watch, which was much appreciated as he lost his other in a river while jet-skiing.  He also got a Nintendo Wii game, a new (used) cell phone, a fishing tie, and a fly rod holder.

The nice thing about teenagers is that the cakes get so much more simple.  Rather than the extravagant Pinterest cakes that they have looked up in the past, they both decided that they just wanted some good old fashioned brownies and ice cream.

Ashlyn's friends gave her some cute gifts all yellow themed, to bring her some sunshine.

10 Things About Ashlyn:

1.  She works dang hard.  She has had a darn near full time job this summer washing dishes and cooking at a local little restaurant/take out diner.  Her boss always tells me what a wonderful and hard worker she is.

2.  She is so friendly.  Zac and I love to listen to her giggle and chat with her brothers and sisters all summer long.  She is a happy and fun loving girl.  She does well with talking to the customers that come into the diner and is just a fun girl to be around.

3.  She is so artistic and creative.  She has been working with me for a couple of years now on designing some graphic tags and pdf files to sell in our Etsy shop.  It has been so fun to watch her skills grow in graphic design and amazing to see her skilled and mature enough to create content on her own.  I go to her for advice on graphic design.

4.  She is amazing at calligraphy.  She took a calligraphy class at our library, but even before that, she had watched YouTube tutorials about calligraphy.  Everyone in our family is constantly calling on her for her writing skills to make things pretty for us.

5.  She is very organized and motivated by lists.  She is awesome at making To-Do lists and then doesn't rest until they are done.  If I need an organizing project, she is my go to girl.  She keeps her room spotless and organized like no teen I have ever heard of before.

6.  She is a decorator.  Now that she has a little extra pocket $$ she loves to peruse Hobby Lobby and other craft stores dreaming of ways to decorate her room.  She can't wait to have a home of her own to decorate.

7.  She is witty and funny.  She has such a mature and quick sense of humor that she often catches Zac and I off guard with the very funny things she says and we die laughing.

8.  She is learning how to drive this year and has absolutely NO sense of direction.  She keeps blowing my mind at how lost she can get in even our own neighborhood.  But she has a strong desire to learn to drive and takes every opportunity she can to sit in the driver's seat.  She hasn't had any accidents yet!

9.  She is a good cook.  She has perfected cookies and has started taking on more responsibilities at the diner with cooking side dishes and desserts.  She loves to bake, especially desserts and is always up for trying something new.  It is really hard to ever let anyone else have a turn in our house baking, because she knows they will screw it up, ha ha.

10.  She is very spiritual and strives to be a worthy daughter of God.  We are so proud of how Ashlyn strives to make good choices.  She is close to her Savior and it radiates in her countenance.

10 Things About Tanner

1.  He is a runner!!  We had no idea how dedicated this boy would be to running.  He started track in 8th grade and made a great set of friends.  He decided to go for it again in 9th grade and started taking on the more long distance races.  His coaches talked him in to Cross Country track and he logged in 200 miles this summer getting himself in shape!  Can't wait to see what he accomplishes.

2.  He is working towards his driver's license.  He is a natural at driving... (if you don't count the three things he has ran into, but he doesn't like me talking about that).  And he can't wait to have his full license in November.

3.  He is a hard worker.  He had the opportunity to move pipe this summer and he sacrificed sleeping in, often getting up at 6 a.m. to get his pipe moving done.  He also works hard at home.  He is my most detail oriented kid when I need a job done.  He probably always gets the hardest job assignments from me because I know he will do them well, even if it means working on it all day, and that is how he approaches everything from church assignments to school work to employment.

4.  He loves animals, especially his dog Bailey.  He got Bailey last year in September after begging for a dog all year when our good old Phoenix died.  He talked his parents into letting him get a golden retriever to try to breed and raise some money.  He loves that dog and spends lots of time with her and treats her like she is his baby.

5. He is ALMOST an Eagle Scout.  He has worked so hard to finish up his Eagle requirements this summer and is just a few signatures away from a court of honor.  It has definitely not been an easy road for him, but he has had endurance and has worked very hard to be a finisher. 

6. This kid is competitive!  He is constantly challenging me to steps challenges, trying to beat us all at a game or sport, or just challenging us to nonsensical bets.  His greatest motivation for all of these challenges is to win a back tickle.

7.  The boy is CRAZY about fishing.  It is probably what he thinks about 90% of the time.  He would fish every day if he could and when we go through our family pictures about half of them are fishing trips.  Even his back to school shirts all have to have either fish or fishing logos on them.

8. Tanner is the peace maker in our family.  It is very rare for Tanner to be in a fight with anyone.  He is very calm and easy going and fun to be around.  He is so great to play with his younger brothers and sisters and calms many storms that go on in our house.

9. Tanner loves the outdoors.  He would much rather be camping or in a forest than home in his own bed any day.  His dream job would probably be to work for the Forest Service or the Fish and Game.  He interviewed a Fish and Game employee earlier this year for a school assignment just fell in love with the job description, it sounded like Heaven to him.

10.  He is a worthy priesthood holder and elect son of God.  He strives to honor his temple covenants and has been a very good example to his brothers and sisters of choosing the right.  He is planning towards a mission and has righteous plans for the future.