Happy 14th Birthday, Roen...

Roen's birthday always falls in such a busy time of year. End of the year festivities are in full throttle, along with spring golf, our anniversary, and Mother's Day. And so, I try to make it shine brighter than the anything else, no matter what we have going on! 

This year, he came straight home from school and had to throw on his 'nice' clothes and head back up to school to serve at the Sports Banquet. With me being Booster Club, I also had to be up there early to help host. But, I snuck away from the daytime banquet decorating to make sure my boy had his dirt cake waiting for him when he got home! We were able to sneak in singing him Happy Birthday and making a wish to bring in #14.

We got to end his special day staying up super late, finishing a project due the next day, haha!

But, we survived and celebrated the best we could- it wasn't perfect, but that smile.... that was the best part of the whole day!

Roen at 14...

Roen is as much the leader of the pack as he is a follower! He probably isn't going to be the ring leader of questionable decisions, but he may stick around and giggle before he decides to walk away. 

He loves new clothes, shoes, hair products, cologne, jewelry, bags... you get the idea!

Give him all the steak, Julio's hot sauce, WingStop, Braum's cheeseburgers, cookies-n-cream milkshakes, pretzel sticks, mac-n-cheese, brownies, gummy bears, sour patch watermelons, and Twix, because he will eat it all up!

This boy can talk some golf with you! He is an awesome little coach and can tell you how to fix your swing, advise you on clubs and can help you with your golf attire all at the same time!

He likes to play his music in the car, never leaves the house without being 100% put together and almost always has a buddy by his side. 

9 times out of 10 Roen doesn't know what happened, who was there, or what was said. He lives on another planet and has a serious case of living under the same rock I do. He loves to just do a little shrug of his shoulders and giggle in response to his daily cluelessness. 

These days Roen doesn't hide a single feeling and is about as stubborn as the day is long. Getting him to do ANYTHING he doesn't want, warrants a huff, a puff and an overall pitiful attitude. 

In many ways, Roen is the life of everyone's party. You can always count him in for the going, doing and fun-having. He keeps the friend rotation at our house constant and one friend almost always leads to multiple. The more will always be merrier in his book and why let rain ruin the parade when you can just throw on some rain boots!

Roen is adventure, he is passion and he is quick-wit! He is 90 to nothing from sunup to sundown, and most definitely the most vibrant color of our crayon box!

I love you big, Roen!!! 

Remi is 15...

It's hard to believe that I have a 15 year old and that he will be driving us around very soon! 

Remi at 15 has to be my most favorite age of all! He has the most thoughtful little heart, always aware of how his actions and words affect people, and so very observant in the way that he can read the body language and feelings of those around him. He tends to sit back and soak in the world around him, every little detail, having a solution to any problem that may arise. This isn't to say he is sympathetic to just anyone and everyone- Remi is a firm believer in fair consequences and sees things as they are. He isn't a sugar-coater and has always been my child with healthy boundaries. 

Remi has a very strict moral compass. What's right is right and there is really no fudging that line. He has extremely high expectations of those around him and is careful with who he allows into his little circle. He has no desire to 'fit in', 'be a cool kid' or do all the 'cool things'. If his little path leads him to spending the day with his best, coolest twin friends in his grade, awesome, if it takes him to solving coding problems with his Robotics team, well, that's awesome too! 

The other day while Roen was driving our 2 seater golf cart, the belt got loose and ripped off. Roen called Remi and he immediately had Roen hitched up to the 4 seater and towed Roen home. He then got on his Amazon account and ordered a new belt to replace the old one. The day the belt came in, he had that golf cart taken apart, new belt on and running like new.  Three different times this summer, he patched holes in golf cart flat tires... he truly can fix anything and everything!

Just last night before bed, I mentioned I had a few little projects I needed him to look at this week. I kid you not, within 20 minutes that boy had holes drilled in the back of Roen's nightstand and golf cabinet for lamp cord access and had installed a putter shelf for me. He is one handy boy!

Remi is getting to take Robotics this year as a freshman- he has been looking forward to this class since he started at Callisburg in the 4th grade. During the first week of school, his teacher quickly told him he was too advanced for the class and he has been getting to work with two upperclassmen, building and programing a competition robot!  His little engineer brain is in heaven! In fact, the first thing he wants to talk about when I pick him up from school is almost always his robot!

Remi continues to place high importance on his grades and has high expectations of himself, seeking perfection in almost all things brain related. This is a catch 22 for him, but I never have to doubt the effort he brings to the table when it comes to school. 

He has joined the high school fishing team, still shoots trap with FFA and of course, still spends a lot of his time out on the course.

Remi loves sushi, Nutella anything, brownies, blueberry muffins, seafood, BBQ and sweet tea.

This year, Remi is my happy little early bird. He wakes up, makes his bed (most of the time),  is ready on time and is full of chirp! I think the main reason for this is because he has early morning workout before school and he is out the door before Roen is even up! 

Remi loves being with his friends, but is equally content to spend his time solo! In fact, Remi functions best when has a good balance of independent time away from others. Many times, he will go out on the course and play a round by himself!

Remi is a homebody, a tinkerer and the ultimate pack rat! 

He continues to be happiest when he is getting to use his brain to problem solve and create!

I tell Micah all the time that I don't know what we would do without Remi because truly, he fixes and figures everything out for us all! He is our little caretaker, especially of his momma. He is growing up to be such a responsible and dependable teenager, and we are beyond proud to call him ours!

We had a wonderful day full of celebrating, but I'll save that for the next post! He did request dirt cake and so I got up super early to make sure he had his wish as soon as he woke up as a 15 year old! And what better way to kick off 15 than dessert for breakfast... he gets that from his momma! 

And just for fun, I am including pictures of his robot that he has been spending so much time with. I wonder if it has a name- I'll have to inquire when I pick him up this afternoon! Also including some pictures I snapped of him finishing up his changing out the cart belt. I have to be real careful taking pictures, because he can get real cranky when I get out the camera!

Remi, you are one of the coolest kids I know! Keep marching to the beat of your own drum!

On The Day Roen Turned 13...

For him, life is just a big ole social event, looking for another course to golf, another buddy to hang with and another day to find fun. 

And so, it was only fitting that on the day Roen turned 13, not only was it Mother's Day, but it was also the UA Iron Horse golf tournament! A wet and cold, golf tournament! He ended up shooting a 79, placing 1st on the front 9 and 2nd on the back 9! I'd say that was a pretty perfect way to kick off his teen years! As soon as the tournament ended, we took the birthday boy to dinner at Mi Cocina and then every boy's dream... Bass Pro Shop! Oh, the fun these three had picking out lures, line, and everything in between! When we got back home he had just as much fun, organizing his tackle box! This day celebrated our golfing fisherman pretty perfectly and there is no one I would rather share Mother's Day with than this fun-having boy!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

At 13, Roen has a care-free energy that makes being with him easy and fun. He goes with the flow, and can be happy doing almost anything! He is goofy, finds humor in everything and often finds it easier to giggle than talk. 

Roen is avoids conflict, drama and starts each day with rose-colored glasses. 

He has a hair routine that puts mine to shame, has more cologne than I have perfume and puts the upmost care into what he wears! 

He loves mac-n-cheese, chips and Julios salsa, brownies, apple juice, chicken strips, buffalo wings, salad with extra ranch, and cheeseburgers!

To this day, Roen will still come get in our bed during a storm and is the first to take Micah's side of the bed when he is out of town! 

He struggles discipling Benny in any way because it is just not his nature. 

He is our morning bird and has no problem with going to bed early and getting his rest. 

There are really only two times you will see Roen in a mood and the most common is when he is HANGRY. When the boy needs food, he needs it ASAP! He can go from happy camper to T Rex in the blink of an eye. And don't even think about pulling up at church without making a donut stop first! The other time Roen will let his little temper flare is when he has just had enough. He has some serious boundaries that lay dormant, until they don't. He thrives in positive environments and seems to make sure his people and relationships are conducive to that. 

Roen is happiest when he is moving. He doesn't sit still for long and loves all things sports and outdoors! He is competitive and craves preforming at his best no matter what that may be. 

Roen is humble. This is probably one of my favorite qualities about him. After he finishes up a round of golf, I never know if it was the best round of his life or the worse. He isn't one to toot his own horn, he isn't a gloater, and doesn't run his mouth- best of all, he is pretty great at staying in his own lane 

During the last week of school, one of Roen's teachers/coaches wrote him a note that I found pretty inspiring. One of the things it said was, "... you are also a natural leader by example. Others look to you for strength and approval. Huge responsibility, don't take it lightly." I always thought Roen would be our little follower because of his gentle nature and peace-maker tendencies. However, the older he has gotten, I am seeing more and more that he is becoming a confident little leader who, though not perfect, has a pretty great set of morals and always tries to do what is right!

Roen truly wakes up happy and goes to bed happy. He lives life finding the fun, seeing the good and surrounding himself with as many friends as he can. I love the space Roen takes up in our family, balancing us all out and inspiring us to find joy in the big things, of course, but also the little things! That saying about too many chiefs and not enough Indians.... well, Roen is our wild little Indian, just running free, a hootin' and a hollerin'!

Roen is 12...

At 12 years old, Roen is 81 pounds and 4'9".  

He is all things sports and competitiveness- it doesn't matter if he is running two miles in PE, at a golf tournament or shooting hoops in the driveway with friends. 

He is also our happy, humble little guy who tends to live in his own little world. He is just all around easy! Easy to parent, easy to be around and easy to love! Roen is the sunshine personality in the family and we all love him for it! He is a giggle box and wears a smile almost always! He truly is like the comic relief in our family full of strong personalities!

He continues to be passionate about golf more than any other sport (basketball is a closes 2nd). He can now beat Micah when they go out to play and teases Micah about this any chance he can! Most days after school, you will find this boy at the range, on the course or on the simulator! 

Roen does have a fiery little temper when provoked and tends to get very hangry if not fed often! He loves chips & Julios hot sauce, steak, spaghetti, PayDays, PB & J, cucumbers, cheese, orange juice and Yoo-hoo drinks. 

He tends to breeze through school, needing very little help from home and makes mostly A's with a few B's in Reading. Reading is a struggle, but he seems to manage ok and never does it give him a worry! His best is his best and he leaves it at that.

He loves animals of all kinds and has a very gentle love with his Benny Boo! If he ever reads a book where an animal dies, he is a blubbering mess... his tender little heart breaks so very easily. 

He keeps his room picked up, neat and organized. He is a fantastic little bed maker and tends to his personal things with lots of care.

Roen is silly, loud, and a total goof ball! I have to tell him often to settle down, to which he responds with a giant smile and says "what?!" He is happy to his very core. He is happy in the mornings, happy at bedtime and happy in between! He gives the very best hugs and loves a good back scratch! Roen is our boy who is friends with everyone and is ready to go, no matter where!

Happy Birthday, to our lovable, silly and social little guy who truly makes life fun!!

-------------------

On his last day of being 11, I took him to the course to play as many holes as we could squeeze in before dinner. Since Anne was in town, we let him open his presents from the San Angelo crew too!

On the morning of his actual birthday, we sang happy birthday and let him open a few presents before school. After school, he opened the rest of his presents and then played a quick round with his buddy Hudson, his dad, and Micah. Anne and I followed along to watch the fun. For dinner he requested spaghetti followed by his favorite, dirt cake. He ended 11 and started 12 on the course with family... it was perfection in his book!

His favorite scripture- from Anne

Roen's 11th Birthday...

On May 12th, Roen turned 11!

His birthday always seems to land right in the middle of end of the year activities and this year, he was especially lucky to get to take the last portion of his STAAR test on his special day! 

My mom came to town to help celebrate our happy boy! We started the morning off with breakfast and just one present... which quickly turned into just one more! He got a new TCU Nike backpack, purple crocs and a TCU swimsuit! He even got to have one of his buddies ride along to school with him!

He stayed late after school for his last elementary Chess Club meeting ever! Cici was also able to sneak over our way for the evening, which just added to the excitement! Roen had no idea, but he had a fuzzy furball waiting for him! We let him open all his presents when he got home and told him Remi had made him something and was finishing it out back. Once he had opened all his goodies, Remi tucked baby Benny into a blanket, put her into a bucket, sat her on the front porch and then rang the doorbell. Roen really was speechless and couldn't believe he was finally getting his very own dog!

He had already picked out her name, Benny, from one of his favorite books. He has spent the last year watching Remi bond and train Scout, and it really had given him puppy fever! It was love at first sight, and he has been soaking up the puppy snuggles ever since!

It really was the perfect little day of celebrating our sweet boy!!!

Remi is 12...

I am finally getting to do a birthday post about the boy who made me a mom! On September 21st, this guy turned 12! I still can't believe we are in his last year before he becomes and official teenager, but here we are!

Remi continues to be our strong-willed child. He is very opinionated- seeing things very black and white, is as stubborn as they come, has a temper that rages loud and clear and a fiery passion that can very often lead to him speaking before thinking. 

But....

This boy has compassion that runs deep in his veins. He is my child who prays hard every single night. He prays for his teachers, he prays for struggling classmates, he thanks God for the bed he sleeps in, he asks God to help him with his struggles and at the end of every prayer he says "thank you for your grace and mercy". Remi takes his relationship with God very seriously and his bedtime prayers often bring a tear to my eye.  

Remi strives to surround himself with people who give their best, do their best and make good decisions. He has little time for trouble, drama or breaking the rules. He would rather do the right thing and do it alone, than hop on the bandwagon- because of this, he has little patience for those who don't do the same.

Remi is loyal, straightforward, always aware of the things around him. He loves helping, he loves being in charge and has an incredible ability to be happy for others. He isn't about having a big circle, but very careful to have the 'right' circle. 

Remi is our thinker and is most definitely our more serious child who seeks perfection. He is constantly dreaming up inventions, ways to change the world, and when he isn't in school learning, he is most always on the internet doing more research and more learning. He still dreams of being a NASA engineer one day and continues to be most interested in mathematics, science, problem-solving, building and creating. 

He told me yesterday, he wants to be the first man to hit a golf ball off the moon- this boy dreams big and I love it! Most recently, he has been researching ways that mankind can adapt to one day live on Mars and loves to share all his ideas on this! Very often, he drops little nuggets of scientific knowledge into conversation, like "Mom, do you know what would happen if we had X% less oxygen on Earth?", he then proceeds to give me a detailed explanation. 

Remi loves to make shopping lists for the projects he dreams up. Just the other day he asked for potassium nitrate- I don't even know what that is!! Turns out, he was wanting to create a rocket! Last month it was syringes, denatured alcohol and a scientific calculator. This kid's brain oozes with all things STEM. 

Remi loves sushi, golf, fishing, kayaking and basketball, but more than anything, he loves learning and problem-solving! 

While your peers live their life on the football field, playing video games, dreaming of touchdowns, knowing the words to every new rap song, you seem to see life in a different way, outside of the right here, right now. You have a little seed in you of wanting to change the world in a big way, of wanting to squeeze in every ounce of knowledge you can,  truly encompassing what it means to see things 'big picture'.  

Remi, you have no idea how challenging, rewarding and inspiring it is to raise you. You are layers and layers of complex ideas, big dreams, and out of the box thinking, all wrapped up in the courage to be you.

Keep chasing those dreams, keep paving the way and keep that flame lit!

Remi is 10...

Saturday, my Remi turned 10. I can't believe he has entered the double digits!

Remi loves sushi, steak, spaghetti, fried eggs, maple syrup, Babe's and Whataburger french fries. He is my boy that will eat anything and no matter what I fix for dinner, he will try it without complaint and always with a 'Thanks for cooking dinner, mom, it's delicious.'

Remi loves robotics, electricity, engineering and creating wild ideas his creative mind dreams up. This past month, he has been building and perfecting his very own web shooters. He gathers supplies, goes upstairs and spends hours building things with duct tape, popsicle sticks, rubber bands, a hot glue gun and bits of things he takes apart. His little web shooters attach at his wrists and use the spring from a pen to propel homemade darts made from tape and wooden skewers. His little mind is pretty brilliant.

Remi is also a little bit like the Crocodile Hunter. He loves critters and animals of all kinds. He wakes up most mornings before school hunting for lizards and usually has a flashlight doing a last check around the outside of the house for frogs and lizards before bedtime. He catches them, makes homes for them and truly has the very best time with he is dealing with living creatures. This summer at the ocean, it was crabs, sting ray and octopus, at home it's frogs and lizards, in the lake, he is diving for clams (he has found dozens)- no matter where we go, Remi is on the hunt!

He loves to kayak, fish and swim. The lake life truly suits him and his outdoor personality.

In school, Remi excels in math and science. This year, his classroom has a pet turtle and a Bearded Dragon- Remi is in heaven! Despite the challenges school brings due to his Dyslexia, he loves school and gives it his very best.

Remi is a little leader with a big personality. In fact, I think he wishes he could be the leader of the whole family- telling us how to do things, what to do and when to do them. Because of this, him and Micah often butt heads- they are so very similar, in so many ways. However, Remi thinks his daddy is the smartest person in the world and looks up to him in every single way. I can already see, he will grow to be the amazing father and man that Micah is one day.

He saves his love and affection for his momma. Remi doesn't especially like to be loved on unless it's by me. When it comes to me, he will love and snuggle as much as I ask. He worries and checks on me if I am ever not feeling good, if I ever get hurt, he comes running to help, he truly has a love and affection for his momma that runs deep and pure. My bond with Remi is very special. He is the boy who made me a mom, he is the one who challenges me daily, the one who never makes it easy, but always makes it worthwhile.

He is not a 'lukewarm' child- he is either hot or cold. Things are either over the moon amazing, or knock-down drag-out. He lives a life full of passion, with black and white decisions. He knows what he wants and why. It nothing short of amazing to watch him chase after the things he truly wants out of life. There is also nothing more frustrating than trying to encourage him to chase the things he is not passionate about- because he has an all-encompassing stubbornness and won't be budged.

Remi makes life colorful. If I had a canvas for everyday with him, they would all be splashed with vibrant colors. When he is happy, it is the best day of his life. When he is mad, beware, because it will literally be a storm of raging clouds. I would never call Remi a peace-maker or a people pleaser- he is neither. Remi is my fierce leader, intense thinker and my strong, sturdy voice of reason. There is a right and wrong to everything, a rule, a certain way, a black and white and he likes things done that way- not one to sugar coat, but rather, one to give it to you straight.

Remi, you seem to have gotten your daddy's brilliant mind and your momma's creative imagination. I think if I could reach into your mind, I would pull out a jumbled mix of numbers and complex maps of ideas, sprinkled with chess pieces, critters and bits of building tools. We are so proud of you and know what a gift we were given when you came into our lives. You have already been handed some pretty tough cards and watching you sort through your challenges has truly been inspiring. You are nothing short of amazing and we will always be your very biggest fans. When things get tough, you can always know, we will be on the sidelines rooting you on!

Watching you grow has been a wild journey we wouldn't trade for the world- a rainbow of sorts. Red from the dirt stains on your baseball pants, orange from the basketball you love to dribble , yellow from the sunshine you soak up as you explore this great big world, green from the trees you climb, blue from the waters you kayak and purple for the mountains you love to ski.

Keep chasing those rainbows, sweet boy!

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Once upon a time, I used to get the boys dressed, take them out and do a birthday photo shoot of my own. These days have now passed and the boys have grown too old for things like this. I'm not sure when it happened, but I now have a boy closing in on his teenage years. These are two of the pictures I have of just him on his special day- I will post the rest of his day soon!





Here are two of his web shooters. He has probably built over 20 and probably 4 different versions!

Remi is NINE!!!!

Friday, Remi turned 9!

He woke up bright-eyed, with a big smile and the first words out of his mouth were 'Today, I'm 9!" This is his last year in the single digits and just like the last 8, I know this one will fly by in a blink!

Remi's favorite sports are golf and baseball

He loves fishing, the Texas Rangers, kayaking and Minecraft

His favorite snacks are beef jerky (from Fischer's), BBQ Pringles and Gardetto's

Remi will eat anything and everything. He has the very best attitude about trying new foods and eating what I cook. His favorite foods are ribs, tacos, spaghetti and asparagus.

Remi is my little leader. His choices never seem to revolve around what others are doing. He is independent and has absolutely no problem doing his own thing. He doesn't tend to back down to anyone- older kids, friends, Micah and I- when he has his mind set on what he thinks is right.

Remi still loves his momma so big and so deep. He still butts head with his daddy about anything and everything, but he thinks there in no greater person in this world than Micah. When their tempers flare, it is like a tornado meeting a volcano!

Remi and Roen are two peas in a pod. Most times, they are pestering and punching, but there is absolutely nothing Remi wouldn't do to protect his little brother. Roen may not know it now, but he hit the jackpot when it comes to big brothers!

Remi is a very intense little guy. When he is happy, he is the happiest person in the world, when he is mad, his temper rages loud and clear! When we do bedtime, he is either falling asleep telling me how wonderful I am or mad because I won't read him one more chapter in his Goosebumps book. There isn't a whole lot of in between- life with him is very black and white! He keeps us on our toes and helps us practice our patience all the while showing us a love that is both deep and fierce.

Micah and I are so proud of Remi. Watching him pave his own roads, watching his strong will turn into confidence and self-control, and watching him grow into the person he is has been one of my greatest joys. Remi doesn't always make it easy, but the best things in life never are.

To the moon and back, Remi...