Braxton is 16

Braxton turned 16 years old and we celebrated for an entire week, as usual.  Soon I will upload some pictures from the family pumpkin party where we celebrated his birthday and his surprise 16th party that we threw with his friends.  For now, I will do my 16 reasons why I think Braxton is awesome.

1-He is such a good boy.  He just likes to do good and be good and that always makes a moms heart happy.
2-He is so good with young kids.  They just love him and run to be with him and he is so patient and plays so well with them.  Knox, Troy's 18 month old son, loves to be with Brax.  He tags along wherever Brax goes when he is at my moms.
3-He was very nervous to bless the sacrament even though he wouldn't say so.  He stumbled a couple of times but stood up smiling and looked at the audience so bravely.
4-Braxton is very smart.  His brain calculates things that I could never dream of calculating.  Someday I hope he uses his mechanical engineer brain to invent something awesome.
5-He is very handsome, and I am sure the girls will start noticing soon.
6-Getting out of bed in the morning has never been hard for Braxton and I see that as a very good quality.
7-He has a great love for the game of Lacrosse.  He practices nearly everyday in the backyard and can hardly be seen without his stick in his hand.
8-Brax is no stranger to hard work.  He is good at hard, sweaty labor and as he gets older people around notice and ask him to help them fairly often.  It is almost like having 4 men at our house these days and Brax always sets a great example of hard work.
9-Braxton is a cheapskate just like me.  He hoards his money that he earns and can't stand to part with it.
10-Every time I ask him to do something he complains--every time--but he always does it!
11-His sense of style has changed and evolved over the years but being in High School really makes him keenly aware of what he is wearing and what his hair looks like.
12-Brax is truly and introvert.  He does not like being social but cannot stand to be alone.  These two very opposite things make his very best friends be his brothers.  They pal around together all evening and he perfectly content as long as one of them hangs with him.
13-School comes very easily to Braxton.  He studies very little and often asks me "I just don't get how people study?".  Luckily he retains large amount of information so he does well in school.
14-Brax got his drivers license the day after his birthday (it was on a Sunday) and he is a very cautious and good driver.  Lets hope it sticks.  This totally freaks me out!!
15-Braxton is a good example for Dakota and Cameron.  He is an example of kindness, hard work, and doing what you should.
16-Braxton hates hates to be hugged.  Lately we have been forcing him to give us hugs when he exits the house and before bed and while he complains every time he secretly loves it.  He needs it.  Everyone needs to have physical touch even if you think your too cool for it.

We celebrated at the family pumpkin patch party.  He bought 1/2 the civic and we gave him the other 1/2.  He loves driving it to school and back, but so far isn't fond of buying gas.  Welcome to adulting, sometimes it stinks to spend your hard earned cash on gas.  Kiley made him a license plate cake and all the grandparents and Shane and I gave him a gas can full of "gas money".

Hid actual birthday was on a Sunday so we wanted to do something fun so we did pancake art.  It was a blast.  It was a competition to see who could make the best Mario.  We had a great time and will definitely do it again.

Since his birthday was on a Sunday we had to get his license the next day.  He was so eager to get up there and get it.  He is one handsome driving boy.  I was and am a bit freaked out by the whole thing, but I suppose they have to grow up and I can't do anything to stop it.