Double Digits - The BIG 10!!!

My little boys are growing up. Carter & Carson turned 10 this month!!! How and when did this happen. I remember when they were babies, and the minutes seemed to just inch by. Now they are flying by at mock speed. I've always spoiled my boys on their bdays. They haven't realized it, but they really get everything that they want. We make a list of things they want, food for all 3 meals, and snacks for school. Also, what cake and ice cream they want, if they want a get together, etc. In the past I have bought everything that they have put on their list. Well... until this year.

Carter is really good to take care his stuff, for the most part. He wanted a new bike. We found him a really nice bike perfect for his size. It is a mountain Trayl bike. Bright orange. He loves it! He also got goalie gloves, new shoes, money, soccer ball, and ping pong paddles and balls. Together they got a nice ping pong table. He did not get real soccer goals or a Payton jersey. This town was COMPLETELY sold out of Payton jersies! For school he wanted to take snickers ice cream bars. Instead of a cake, he wanted to have ice cream sundaes!

Carson got a bike (a really nice one that was my sister Charity's. She HAD to have it and never rode it, its a boys "trick" bike I think, and Carson ALWAYS wanted to ride it at my parents, so we took it! Thanks Mom and Dad!!! That saved us about $200), new shoes, his IPOD for the 3rd time (Chet was asking if there was a limit to the amount of times we can regift it to him. He pushes the limits with it, and we keep taking it away. So he has gotten it for Christmas and two bdays. He is as excited as he was the first time each time he gets it back!) While at Office Depot he spotted an IHOME and said that he would trade his entire list if we would buy that! So we did. And a basketball. The things that we didn't get were a bball banker and dirt bike. He also wanted to go rock climbing, but we are having a climbing party this weekend! For school he wanted to take banana bread (he says my bread is famous. He trades it at school at lunch for some pretty good stuff!). For his cake he wanted peanut butter rice crispies with chocolate frosting. (total weirdo! I love it though!!!)

Carter told Carson he would celebrate his bday on Friday so they could have their own days. That way they could have 2 nights to eat out, and two different activity nights in a row. After choosing different days, and 6 eat outs in 2 days, I told them they could choose 2, lunch being one of them. So, they both chose Papas sausage (Schwans, they only get it at Papas because mom is too cheap to buy it, except on birthdays!) bacon, Nana's orange juice (Simply Orange, same as the sausage deal), and then I made cinnamon rolls too. For lunch they chose Subway, with a cookie. And for dinner they chose separate places. So we decided to go out on Wednesday night for one of them. Carson had decided earlier that night that he wanted to go to Prime Rib and asked if he could change his to there. I said sure. On the way to dinner Carter asked if we could change his place to Prime Rib. I said sure! So then I told them that's where they both picked and that would be their dinner. They were all bummed out! We let them each pick an appetizer. That was something new. Wings and guacolmole. When it was time for Carter to choose a drink he was mumbling and saying ask Dad. I was getting bugged because when you are ordering for 7 people, they have to speak up or lose their turn and take what I order them (we have them trained pretty well!) I said hurry Carter, order a drink. He again mumbled to ask Dad. I looked at Chet and Chet said an adult Dr Pepper please. Then he looked at Carter and winked, and I don't think Carter could have smiled any bigger. He had asked dad privately about that one! So then Carson ordered an adult Cherry Pepsi. (Caden threw the biggest temper tantrum at that. He still had a "baby cup with a lid, and no caffeine! poor boy, NOT!!!) First time ever for the boys to get to order a caffeine drink (and that will be a bday treat!) We then went out to get Carters ice cream sundaes. It was a fun family night.

Then Cars asked if he could go to scouts with dad. He felt pretty cool going and "hangin" with the priests as they made hatchets and snow shoes, not to mention he didn't have to go to bed until 9 because they get home so late. Also, Chet was going on a campout that weekend, so he invited the boys to come along for the first time ever. They were ecstatic about that!!! Cart got sick and as soon as the tent was set up, he crawled into bed and slept the whole night. One of Chets boys brought rice and chicken boullion for dinner and planned to hunt a rabbit for dinner. He took Cars along, and he retold me every.single.detail of their hunt about 5 times. Jackson is now a ROCK STAR to Cars. How nice of the boys to include them. One of the GREAT perks to your husband being in the young mens. The boys are sooooo good to mine. They have great boys to watch what a good teenager should be! Someone shared their ribs with Cars (unknown to Chet) and others gave him treats. They spoiled him!!! And I love it!

Both Carter and Carson ended up sick on their birthdays. Cart came home early from school the day before, and Cars came home at about 11:30 on his bday. He laid in bed in terrible pain all day long. Carter just followed me around talking NON STOP!!! He is my son after all. I frequently tell Chet that I don't know how he ever wanted to marry me! He just smiles and hugs me. Whoa, it's exhausting!!! But I love my little boys. Carter is almost as tall as me now. He is about mid neck on me. Cars is about 3-1/2 inches shorter than that. They both weigh about 72 lbs. They are growing into young men. Their hormones are already starting, and I have to remind myself to just laugh, because they are so irrational sometimes!!! I know it's just part of being a mom to boys. CrAzY!!!

Carter is very smart. He loves to read and be the smartest. He is very good at reading and math. He loves science too. They just really started that this year. They are doing the Oregon Trail this month in school and he also LOVES that. They make a little game out of it and you have money and trials and he could talk about their game ALL night long. He tells us about the entire class and he just laughs and laughs at everybodies circumstances. He is one year into braces and ready to get them off. He still has until next December. He is still actively "collecting" information ALL the time. I have to tell him often, "Adult conversation!" and he mopes away. He would rather sit and listen to all the gossip than to go play. He is VERY competitive! He loves to play soccer, and learned in the fall that he is actually a very good goalie! He LOVES it! He is always begging a brother to come play in the backyard, rain or shine, with him. He has a huge temper, and is always working at keeping it under control. I think it will be a life long learning experience for him. We call him the Hulk. He loves to play card games, and is really good at them. He is very thoughtful and serious about his games.

Carson is very adventurous! He loves to be outside, and he loves to be helping neighbors. He makes a ton of money. He is very motivated that way. Which is really funny because then he just gives it away or spends it foolishly. But he has a heart the size of Texas. He is always thinking that he could help someone. I have no question he would literally give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. He tells me often about feeling the spirit. But he is also quick to get into trouble. He is VERY aware that something is wrong, but has no self control when it comes to fun. He loves to jump and do tricks on his bike, and has mastered the art of wrecking and not getting hurt. He is loving to cook, and often wants to. He loves to do laundry, mostly because he thinks that I do it too slow, and then he gets out of most other chores. He is a hard worker and fabulous with littler kids. Carter won't even play cards with him because he cannot focus long enough to play. He is exact opposite of Carter in that way. He is really good at math and science. He loves his teacher this year, and would do just about ANYTHING to make her happy, so he is a good student and rarely gets into any trouble. He is very serious about his hair and pants. He has his favorite pair that he would wear every day if I let him so I have just bought him 3 pair of the exact same. His hair is long and looks like a shag dog, but he loves it.  Him and Chet have always seemed to clash in many circumstances, but as of the last about 6 months, they are super good friends. Cars has an attitude the size of Texas as well (which just makes me laugh) and they are learning to get along quite well. I told Cars that as soon as he matured a little him and his dad would be the best of friends. Something changed in him that day, and it has been great since. He has always been a mommas boy, so this has been a great change this year!!!

I love to see that love that both boys have for their dad. They respect and look up to him. They are going to be great husbands and dads just like him!! I love the way that they help me out too. I am such a lucky mom! Boys really do love their mommas, and I couldn't love them any more than I do!!! (Until tomorrow I am sure, when I will somehow love them even more!!!)