ELEVEN!!!!!

Seriously, I can't figure out how THIS little guy:


















has become THIS young man:

it really doesn't seem like it has been that long since "little" Joshua Ammon (all 22 1/2 inches and 8 lbs 15.9 oz of him) entered our lives and made it so much better and more exciting.

It doesn't seem like that long ago that he was just a little baby...not interested in much by sleeping and eating and smiling at us.

Now he's a big brother (times two), a 5th grader, voracious reader, Sacramento Kings fan, baseball player

 (4th year in Little League), Legomaniac (Ninjago, Star Wars, you name it), artist, writer, top of his class, methodical, scientist and expert frog disecter (what we did in science last week - I got to "help"), loves to learn,












Webelo Scout about to achieve his Arrow of Light,

loving, kind, caring, helpful, respectful, trumpet player (if he doesn't have music to a song, that doesn't stop him, he figures it out by ear...), singer (takes after his dad, not me, thank goodness), budding piano player (teaching himself) and guitar player, bottomless pit appetite is beginning,











great swimmer, soccer player,

School Spelling Bee Champ (last year he was 3rd place, this year he won),



and I could just go on and on about the totally terrific son he is!  He already plans on going to BYU after high school and a mission. He is so excited that the age to go on a mission has changed from 19 to 18...but that means one less year of him at home.  He's not set on what he wants to be when he's a "grown up" yet - some days it is something to do with music, other days something with writing and/or drawing, some days something with animals. But no matter what he does, we know he will be AWESOME!!







Being as he has a game tomorrow night, we celebrated his birthday on Sunday - with Great Grandma Darlene and Great Grandma Donna and Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Lorrayne. He choose Dad's meatball casserole for dinner and requested a Ninjago cake from Mom. Well, that was a little much for Mom, so I went with making the cake (kind of) look like Lego bricks and then putting Ninjago characters around.

Cool candles that had flames the same color as the candle!

The three amigos...they'd used their recycling money to buy him a catnip kit - he's been wanting it so he can grow some catnip for Shadow...
 

Scout shirt from Grandma and Grandpa - now he's really ready to advance from Cubs.



Seeing the circuit science kit from Mom and Dad.

His face when Grandpa uncovered his eyes so he could see the surprise Dad had brought in for him...

 

A new bike...yeah, he was really excited/shocked/surprised/happy.