Ian Turns 15

Ian Robert turned 15, which was a huge deal because he has been counting down to his driver's license for quite a while!  His birthday came at a crazy time as we were wrapping up the school year and getting ready for Tanner and Ashlyn's graduation.  But we managed to have some fun nonetheless!

Little Debbie's Snacks are his favorite and he opted for an "Oatmeal Cream Pie" birthday cake based on the Little Debbie snack cake.  Unfortunately, the cake itself wasn't very tasty, but the kids were happy to pick off the oatmeal cream pies and eat the leftovers that didn't make it on the cake.

Ian arranged the cream pies in the shape of an I.

Because he was taking over the Chevy Silverado from Ashlyn, he got some gifts to celebrate having a truck to drive!  He got some under glow lights to put under the truck and also got a new stereo with backup cam to replace the factory stereo in the truck.

And he also got two sets of boxing gloves because Zac and I know what it's like to be a middle child and sometimes you just need to box your siblings... though it would appear that Charlotte has some middle-child angst as well!

10 Things We Love About Ian

1. He is a positive, easy-going, and happy guy.  He is easy to get along with and always seems to have a positive attitude even when things aren't always going his way.  He is very funny and keeps us constantly laughing with the faces he makes and his antics.

2. He strives to live the gospel.  He has a strong desire to be righteous.  He had the opportunity to go to EFY this summer and came home with such a strong testimony from his experiences.  He keeps a scripture on the lock screen on his phone and he keeps friends that help him live his standards.

3. He is a smart dude.  He has kept a 4.0 throughout all of his schooling and continues to not just straight As, but keeps a near 100% grade in all of his classes.  He is especially good at Math.

4. He is very talented at fixing and constructing things.  He seems to have an engineering brain and if I have something that is broken, he can almost instantly visualize how to fix it.  He knows his way around tools and can build some pretty cool stuff.  He can also set up anything electronic or anything that comes to the house that needs to be assembled.

5.  He always knows where everything is-- it is a weird talent, but if Zac needs a tool, only Ian ever seems to know how to find it and find it quickly.  The rest of us will spend hours looking, including Zac, and Ian has a knack for finding things.

6.  He seems to have bad luck for breaking things.  Whether it is his fault or not, things always seem to break while Ian is using them such as lawn mowers, snow mobiles, or even just small things around the house.  If something is broken, Ian is almost always blamed whether it is his fault or not.

7.  He rocks at sports.  He is especially good at football, having played since Kindergarten.  He is gearing up towards playing JV football this year and has played both offense and defense positions in the past!

8. He is a hard worker.  He has been moving pipe since he was 11 and this summer he will be working for his dad on construction projects.  He also works hard during potato harvest!

9. He likes motors and loves to drive whether it is his truck, motorcycle, jet skis, snowmobile, or the four-wheeler.  This kid loves going for a ride.

10.  He loves the outdoors and loves to camp and fish and is determined to become a better fisherman than his brother Tanner this summer when Tanner leaves for a mission.

Happy Birthday Ian!