Celebrating 16 and 21!

We've had a jam-packed month of October! I cannot even begin to describe the fun events with which we've filled the past few weeks . . . but, actually, I guess that's what I'm about to do, isn't it? ;)

Rewinding in time to a double "big" birthday celebration for two special guys! Graysen turned 16, wow! Noah turned 21, wow! 

Graysen began his day with very puffy, chocolate and double-chocolate pastries from TJs . . . dashed with powdered sugar. We had some test sunflowers in a jar to determine longevity for upcoming wedding decor purchases, which also brightened the breakfast table :)

Noah and Caelan joined us for church that morning, as did Buck! It's always fun to have a full row! Afterwards, Caelan took this video, proving that riding home with your brother-in-law is much cooler than riding home with your parents ;)

We were thankful we could get the whole fam together for a double party after church. Graysen initially picked Thai food, but the restaurant was closed (weird on a weekend!) So, he opted for steak instead. While we were there, we bumped into one of their flag football buddies and BeReal went off . . . we all got pictures of each other taking pictures of each other, but somehow, Buck wasn't in ANY of the pictures! So, Gabby did a second take, just for him :)

Graysen's request for the day was low-key time with just his family. We delivered on that! While he didn't have many gifts to open, he did enjoy receiving his card from Grandma J ("This doubles my bank account!" said the boy who hadn't started the giant retaining wall project he's been working on for two weeks :) The newlyweds got him ear buds, as requested; Gabby told him to pick out any LEGO set and send her the link (he did, and he built it as soon as it arrived :) and the others had a surprise brewing for later . . .

Noah, on the other hand, had plenty of gifts :) Caelan suggested a couple of nice watches he's had his eye on--Grandma J got one and we gave the other. She also suggested a shoe care kit, which Noah loves (and Buck was a little jealous of--he also loves to clean his shoes, and this is a nice kit!) Noah sent us before and after pictures of his shoes a day or two later--pretty dramatic difference! Caelan and the siblings went in on a really nice LEGO set (these big cars are super popular with the guys right now!), and Gabby clinched another win in the goofy sister-in-law gifts for Noah--the My Little Pony series on DVD . . . it's kind of an inside joke (he knows all the lyrics to the songs after watching them with his sisters when he was little).

After gift opening, Brennen counted the candles on my Cocoa Pebbles birthday cake. It was a box set I saw at the grocery store! When Noah started visiting our house more often, I always kept some CP in the cupboard for him--he's since discovered Cocoa Dyno-bites and has upgraded (downgraded?), but I couldn't resist the CP flavored cake--with actual CP to dump on top. Also, the candles don't match either of the celebrants' ages, I just picked all the ones that matched and stuck them into the cake :)

For dinner and video gaming, Graysen invited over Da Boyz. He requested Buck smoke some wings in the new smoker . . . Buck smoked A LOTTA wings in the new smoker :)

While they were cooking, a second round of gift opening took place down the hall. For more than a year, Graysen has been working with an older, used XBOX he bought online. He and his friend Isaiah tried fixing up a better one, but couldn't get it to work (and I think Isaiah sold it for parts?) Graysen was totally shocked (and I was, too!) when his brother and friends presented him with a brand-new XBOX!! I wish I would have known, so I could get his reaction on video--he was so happy and thankful! And they all just grinned, knowing it was a really great gift that was exactly what Graysen wanted. It made them happy that they made him so happy. Good, generous group of friends, these are!

It was the first time a couple of the guys had had real bone-in wings, and believe it or not, there were some left over! Caelan and Noah headed out earlier to visit his family (for his birthday supper), so she was happy to discover some still in the fridge a few days later. Gabby took a batch for Chase to have at the apartment after work one day, for which he was also grateful :) Wings, the gift that keeps on giving ;) Oh, and speaking of the apartment, after Graysen set his new XBOX up to upload and download and do all the things, he and Brennen headed over to stay the night with Chase. Because that's what you do when you turn 16, you go hang out at your 18-year-old future brother-in-law's apartment :) Seems like a pretty cool deal!

Now we just have to wrap up that drivers ed and G$ will be all set to drive and get himself a steady job he can drive to! He can hardly wait :) Wow, 16--it's been a big year for our kids!