Man! I get so emotional on my kids' birthdays! 14 years ago, after 14 long, scary hours of labor, my beautiful baby boy was born. I still remember holding him for the first time, really holding him. Not including when he was held up next to me as I lay filleted on the operating table. I didn't expect him to be so alert. Nothing felt more perfect than that moment. Now, 14 years later, I still feel an immeasurable joy with his presence in our family.
Today started off as any other school day… Up with the alarm at 6 o'clock, shower, hot breakfast (A.J. requested toad-in-a-hole). With four presents on the table, he wanted to savor the moment and take it slow, but you can't do that on a school morning, so he dug in. Present number one was in an iPhone 3s box- inside, a pair of socks! Present number two was in an iPhone 5 box – inside, a pair of socks! Present number three, inside and iPhone 6 box- A pair of socks! And the last present… Inside an iPhone projector box – two pairs of socks! But, underneath these socks there was a note that said "to find your real present, call (phone number)". So as he got up to get the phone, Bj slid his real present onto his breakfast chair and after A.J. finished dialing the number, his chair started ringing!
We did it. Bj and I finally caved. We conformed and got him a phone. He has been using an old phone for the past year and has proved he can handle the mature decisions that come with a smart phone. His expression was priceless...I wish I had videoed him, but now I hope not to forget. After discussing a few statutes of limitations he set up a few things (and in the process he informed us his dream was to work at Costco... "Costco has everything! And the workers get discounts!") then had to be on his way to the big-house, AKA- middle school. He grinned the entire way.
(He sent me this picture when he got to school, "First Selfie with new phone!")
So, a funny thing that happened concerning his new iPhone6: last night I texted a request that mine and Bj's siblings and other family texters, send a birthday greeting between 6:45-7:00am (or after 2:30) then I accidentally gave them all the wrong number! After the realization changed the hue of my face, I sent a new message with the right number. After 2:30, and well into the evening, Aj was finally feelin' the love.
This is the first time ever that I haven't been able to go to lunch with him on his special day. Luckily Bj was off and checked him out of school and was able to take him to Cafe Rio. I love that he still loves spending time with us.
His current fav: steak tacos.
After school he went home and tinkered with his phone for a bit until I got home. My mom was there with her new red Volvo SUV offering to drive us to our next destination: Provo Beach, particularly the Flow Rider! Aj wanted to do it last birthday but it just didn't work out so we made it a point to go this time. For a hint of a second, I felt a little guilty about blowing off Carsons scouts as well as soccer practice, as well as AJ's lacrosse practice, but the guilt passed quick as the 6 of us headed south.
When we got to Provo's indoor surfing, mom and I saw the hot tub and had second thoughts about not bringing a swimsuit! Side note: We asked a local if there was a suit shop nearby and she directed us to a local owned shop located two stores down the strip. (100 yards from flowrider).When we went in, the clerk informed us of a one day only sale of 40% off (so I was expecting suits upwards of $100 dollars). Mom ended up finding one for just under $30 and I found one that was just over $6! We hurried back to the "beach" and had so much fun watching Bj and the kids that we didn't even want to don our new duds!
Did I mention we had the whole flowrider to ourselves?!
Our birthday boy was daring and adventurous and didn't mind being pummeled after a gnarly wipeout. Ash, more timid, but a water bug, loved the rush of the ride and the lull of the waves as she sang to herself while happily veering from side to side, until she was asked to ride the wave back so someone else could have a turn. She even wanted to get timed on her boogie-boarding duration. Carson, our tactile-tender, algophobe, felt like a rip-finned guppies who couldn't measure up so he hardly even tried. Looking back, I should have videoed him so he could see how awesome and natural he looked, or even shown him how many times his dad and brother crashed, but instead the room praised every attempt, and encouraged at every lost lunge. I think he started having fun but was still too afraid to get hurt so he held back. Then, 10 seconds before power down he made one final attempt and was blasted up to the drain where he jabbed his belly with his board. A tearful way to end the activity, but at least I got a couple cute pictures! Bj did awesome, as expected. He is a great athlete and always strives for perfection. He had a fair share of wipeouts, but he made it look like he knew what he was doing. Mom and I cheered in the bandstand urging and snapping memories.
Full bellies from steaks at Texas Roadhouse was an approved birthday choice all around.
(Pic of the embarrassing birthday shoutout)
When we got home, one final surprise for AJ played out like this:
Grandma was looking through AJ's scrapbook (I usually pull the birthday kid's album out on their special day, but when we went to tuck AJ in last night he had beat me to it and was all aglow from his 4x6 capsules of the past). As she turned the pages, I tucked AJ's #1 birthday request deeper in the album. Grandma expertly asked aj to look through the pages with her and when the bulging page revealed his greatest desire, he squealed and jumped for Joy hollering, "SKYRIM!!!" (A game for the xBox360).
After a fond farewell to grandma, a quick check revealed Ashlyn asleep in her clothes, Carson clinging to his final seconds of secondhand bliss, and our 14 year old inhaling lingering moments of the "best day ever".
And it really was.
This is a picture from the exact place BJ proposed to me nearly 18 years ago. It is so crazy to think we have been together for 20 years! 
