SCRAPBOOK BROWN: May 2020

We made it to 14 on May 2. FOURTEEN! Bless it, years 12 and 13 were sort of painful to grow through with this one. 14 still shows traces of those awkward, trying, growing up woes, but less and less and lighter and more teachable at least. Welcome 14 - Even if it is during quarantine! We love you, Noah Brown! Keep on keeping on. We are gonna get through these teen years together.

Gifts included a Preds hat and sticker decal, new street hockey sticks, a couple Xmen movies he now has permission to watch, Tenzi, new slippers, a handheld misting fan, Star Wars movie, and his usual favorite gift - coupons for extra screen time, later bedtimes, consequence cancellers, dinner vetos, morning work passes, etc. He also got birthday moolah from both sets of grandparents.

For his birthday dinner, he chose take-out from Panda Express (because quarantine. everywhere. still.), but only because his first choice, The Mac Shack, wasn't open on his birthday. We made a summer promise to get back to it STAT and we made good on that promise this week, in fact. The boy got some delish birthday Mac.

Also, because of quarantine, the birthday boy has to wait to have some buds over for some street hockey play, but we hope to maybe work that out in June without too much trouble. Slowly but surely, people are coming out more and more every week - us included!

Last year, I never made it around to a birthday letter or list. So I made a point these last months to start building up some Noah details of late. Just for the heart, for the remembering of these hard, frustrating, grumpy, impossible, but precious, growing, stretching, funny, hopeful middle school years of life. What at trip!

This year has been a guessing game with his poor head/hair. Excema-ish, Sebhorraic Dermatitis? Who knows. Just super, super flaky and itchy for months and months. Several dermatologist appts and RX shampoos and sprays yielded only SOME relief. We'll take it though!
Quarantine closing down all hair cut places has been making him crazy here these last few months. His curls got LONG. Doesn't matter though ... he wears that dang green Minecraft hat ALL. THE. TIME.
He wishes he could sweep his hair forward and to the side like is the style these days, but his curls just won't cooperate. He actually bemoaned one day, "If my hair's not right, nothing is right!" Proof we have a teenager on our hands. And the first of many teenage hang-ups.
The guy still loves to ride in the car at night. Always up to ride along with anyone going out. Same goes for coming along on errands Josh or I run. He just always want to go places and be with people.
He is a faithful pet owner to our bunnies. He likes his animals just like he loved his Chewie back in the day. I like this about him. He feeds, plays, cleans, tends, watches, and plays some more. Luke is his fave. Valley is gaining on him though.
Gosh, he killed it in school this year with reading and writing. SO MUCH growth! I chalk it up to that language therapy year we did a couple years ago now and to just reaping the reward of diligent work in language arts all these years. Also, he can stay up reading at night if he wants, and he does, so that works in SO MUCH READING. Momma approves.
He continues in his Predators Hockey fandom. It's fun to cheer along with him. We have all caught the bug.
He is forever making sound effects for everything. Often including adding score to different moments of the day. It is also so easy to get a song stuck in his head. He and I do that to each other very often actually.
He is in that super annoying middle school boy stage of exaggerating EVERYTHING - like tripping, or getting hurt, or responding to annoying sisters, or responding to requests for help from parents, etc. Lord, help. It is SO annoying.
Noah continues to be quite the germaphobe. I can't tell if I should be more worried? He gets it honest, though, having had to be so careful for his peanut allergy all his life.
He surprised me recently by especially enjoying some Michael Buble music I had on my iPod - namely, Feeling Good. I love that one, too!
He has taken such an interest in WWII - reading book after book from that time period and watching documentaries on his free time.
He has hit a real growth spurt this year - getting noticeably taller every day, and skinnier, though still shorter than most of his peers so far. His voice has gotten so low, I am still stunned by it daily. Sometimes I can't even tell what he's saying, it's so low and he seems to mumble more? Boys. Every week someone comments on his voice. He came home from choir one day saying, "My voice sounds so much better when I have a cold." This cracked me up so much and made me think of Pheobe on Friends. Ha!
He still has such a silly heart ... which is fun when you are in the mood and notsomuch when you aren't in the mood. He annoys the fire out of his sisters with his constant ribbing and messing with them. Always has a comment to stir things up at the worst times. Super frustrating! He got in the car one day from co-op saying, "Hey Mom, I met a kid who is more annoying than me. So now I know how it feels." Hahahahahahaha.
He loves to play street hockey, tennis, football, badminton, nerf, and video games (of course). I wish he had a brother who could play with him more. He has to work hard to get Anna to cooperate. He is always eager for Josh or me to play.
We noticed this year that he has a more squinty eye on one side in the mornings and sometimes in pictures. I hate that it's made him get a little insecure at times when we are taking pictures.
He used to be so dutiful taking his consequences and corrections and accountability. That has died a sad slow death and now he gets sullen and rude. It's killing me.
His current favorite word is "bruh" or "brah" or "Pure Bruhz!" and he calls everyone one or the other somehow. He and Josh have even invented a food truck idea - Brah-beque: Home of the Sweaty Pit. They will serve Brahbeque (bbq), Broast (roast), Brahchos (nachos), Brahccoli and cheese, and brahth (broth). He and Josh cannot stop laughing when they talk about it.
This child STILL plugs his ears when he is nervous watching a scary or tense scene in a movie.
His newest struggle in life is Anger. Working on it!
He still is so quirky about his feet. Never goes barefoot. Never. Not even at the beach. During one extended conversation in the car about feet, he cried out, "Can you stop talking about feet? I think I am gonna pass out!" Ha!
He is gaga for raman noodles, root beer, cheese sticks, moon pies, hummus, chicken poppyseed casserole, KitKat, and eating out whenever he can.
He got into avocado toast with me this year. And munster cheese on sandwiches. And green onions. Getting him to try new foods is a touch and go thing, but he is trying.
I like how task-oriented he is. He is reliable and responsible for his chores and he gets his schoolwork done right away.
Fave buds these days are Riley, William, Joseph, Nathaniel, Colman, Everett. And some online video game friends Zack, James, and Ben.
Fave TV Show is Star Wars Clone Wars on Disney+ and Raising Dion on Netflix.
This year he has been able to start texting with Tania all on his own, now that we have a kid's phone around the house and that feels good - to hand those communication reins over to him and not have to be the middle man between them anymore. I think Tania loves it too and I know he does. It's been funny to have to teach him how to loosen up when texting though ... not springing to the phone right away when it dings or not staring at it waiting for the dings. How to understand that texting convos are not as immediate as face-to-face interaction.
This year more than any others, he is learning to take responsibility for feeding himself Scripture and believing it enough to obey it more than his own understanding. It's hard! It's been neat to listen in on some of his youth meetings on Zoom. Good convos and examples for him for interacting with the Word and dialoguing with leaders and peers.
He continues to be obsessed with getting showers. As often as possible. I cut him off at two a day though. Good grief.
He has such energy to use up lately that he has gotten good about doing extra work with Josh or for me. Especially if it earns him extra video game time.
He is a good friend to his friends. This is a relief to me. It's an important life skill - being good with people. Having careful instincts. Glad for it! Even if he doesn't always employ them at home. Sheesh.
Goofy mom-facts - he in size 14/16 clothes, size 7 shoes (which is in men' sizes now and blows my mind), and I he weighs right at 100 lbs now.

Noah Brown - you challenge me, you surprise me, you are changing me, you impress me, you annoy me, you bless me. I wouldn't change a thing about you. You are my precious boy and we are in some hard years and we are learning how to change along with them. I miss the little guy you were and I look forward to the man you will become. I watch you now in your becoming and I fret and I pray and I advise and I play and I wonder all about you. You are a great kid! Bear with me as you grow and I will do the same.

I love you, love you, love you! Happy 14th!

Mom

Food Truck Fun as restaurants waited out more quarantine - Meat Sweats is our current fave. Not pictured was the Petite Perle snowball truck. Next on our list is Tennessee Tatercakes.

Speaking of trucks, Josh got one of his own this month. He's in heaven again.

Josh and I took another drive through Cottontown some and White House. Happened upon this unexpected scene.

Walks have continued this month - a quarantine regular. This particular walk brought a rabbit along with us. We are THAT family.

Star Wars Day hair do and Lego creation.

Got the pool set up again and it's getting almost daily action already, even though it's not hardly hot yet.

Noah FINALLY got to cut his hair when salons opened up again. He was there the first day he could go. Anna and I wished he would let the curls grow longer though.

This mild spring that lingers in the 70s and low 80s and some 60s has been met with much porch sitting by yours truly.

Mother's Day Peony plant and sweet cards from the girls. Noah was a real jerk that day and it was a whole thing. Don't ask.

We drove to Burgess Fall to hike to the falls on Mother's Day but the park was FULL and therefore closed to anyone else trying to get in, so we were forced to pick another spot or go home. We hit Edgar Evins on the way home and hiked a couple small trails instead.

Noah finally got to go back to the orthodontist after almost four months away. Got some new style bands to work with and an end date named for getting the braces off this early fall. Exciting!

The head wound continues to heal and fade and flatten. Still got some flattening to go though! This pic is from a couple weeks ago now.

Mid-Mayish, Josh started going back to the office.

My sister came to town with the kids for a couple days and that was a quarantine pick-me-up and a half! So much cousin fun and a million popsicles!

Anna and Lasa have enjoyed getting to have friends over. Noah has too - I guess I just didn't stop to take pics? Sorry, Noah! Today he happens to be over at a friend's house actually.

And finally, we did a smidge of camping with Josh's new camp trailer. Noah and I did not stay the night as it was rainy and messy, but Josh and the girls slept in the trailer and lived to tell the tale. It involved a campfire bacon grease fire and some camp potty fiascos. Kayaking and quick pack up were the trips high lights, I think. Noah and I at least enjoyed the first few hours after arriving.

Anna took these last two stunning pics!

We took advantage of Josh being home and visited a new-to-us strawberry patch that happens to be super close to the house. Our usual patch, Cooper Creek, is not open this year. And the Kelley's Berries we went to with Emily's crew was a real let down. This Hammond Bros. Farms redeemed the strawberry season!

More pool days and a backyard bunny that uses Chewie's old doggie door and comes on the porch all the time now. We think Valley is a part dog. Ha!

GORGEOUS sky my dear friend, Gloria, gifted me with along the way to Chicago.

Gorgeous sunrise after I dropped Josh off for his hernia surgery.

Yep, surgery for Josh since we met our deductible on my surgery in April. It was go time!

Josh says it was a lot more involved than he expected and I laughed because that is what I said after my surgery. He has a lot of pain. And the pain meds take a toll all their own. And he still has pain. But it's all par for the course, we think. Glad it's done!

We are selling this pretty thing outta Anna's space and moving her into a desk instead. Growing up!