Let the summer fun begin!

 We kicked off summer with a traditional camping trip with our former small group friends, including Ashton's half-sister Ariana.  Both the kids and adults had a great time!  As always camping is Ashton's happy place!

Boy party: Micheal O, Aaron, Xavier, and Ashtong

The "twins" all grown up!

Lastly, Ms Taylor and her new husband Stephen came to visit the group at the campground.  She brought with her your half-siblings Noel and Eli.  You didn't want much to do with them, but I figured I'd include this picture in case you are ever interested in the future.

So much growth

Ashton has made incredible growth this year, emotionally, socially, and academically!  We are so proud of all he has achieved this year!  At the beginning of the year, he struggled with math and was significantly below grade level.  This year he closed the gap and is almost at a 7th-grade math level in many areas. A little more tutoring and he will be all caught up!  He also did a fantastic job improving his grades in all his subjects.  Really applying himself!  Socially he has made himself a nice group of fellow knucklehead friends, whom we have the pleasure of meeting.  He also has really proven himself very gifted when working with younger children.  He loves playing with our little neighbor Grayson, and yesterday when we went to a friend's house he entertained their visiting 6-year-old nephew extremely well! He will be fantastic in his CIT job this summer!  Emotionally he has gotten much better at self-regulation and self-awareness.  We still have some things we are working on, but his growth has really been incredible!  Sometimes now he will even joke around with us!  It's fun!  I pray that Ashton has a fantastic summer and continues to blossom!

Such a creative boy!

Ashton has been making some incremental improvements at school and at home.  He made the honor roll last quarter, and his grades for this quarter look amazing.  He is really putting forth more effort.  He said he has been inspired by his English teacher Ms. Schaper!

He continues to love all things guns, much to his Mama's discomfiture.  He purchased with his birthday money several Orbeez guns (like a water pellet gun).  It's awe-inspiring how much he knows all about them including how to take them apart, how all the spring mechanisms work etc...like I said in some ways, it's quite impressive while in other ways it terrifies the bejeebbers out of me!  I pray that as he grows and matures he will maintain a healthy respect for any kind of weapon toy or real.

Lastly, Ashton has been recreating our house layout in Minecraft Creative.  I've got to say I am super impressed.  Maybe one day he will take over Daddy's business!

A Minecraft representation of our kitchen/living room

It's April: We have a newly minted teenager in the house!

Easter was quiet this year.  Lily was away traveling in Costa Rica, and Ashton's buddy Nathan was there too.  So it was just Julia and Ashton, but they still had a great time searching for eggs and eating candy!  Then we went to have a late brunch with Pop Pop and his lady friend at their retirement community.  Ashton and Julia were super well-behaved!  I was so impressed!

The day before Easter I took Ashton up to Mr. Rick's house again to play Airsoft!  As always he enjoyed himself.  However, I do think he has a special affinity for Mr. Rick's Airsoft Gunroom and his husky puppy!

Also, I have been so impressed with Ashton, two Christmas' ago he received a pug "Lego" set.  It was really challenging and at first, I thought he wouldn't finish it.  However, lately, he had been gung ho to finish it.  Staying up late each night, completing each layer no matter how tedious.  He finally finished this week!  Needless to say, we are very proud of him for sticking with it!

Hours of perseverance!  Go, Ashton!

Ashton also received his 3rd Quarter report card!  It appears as if he made the honor roll!  Way to go Ashton!

Lastly, we celebrated Asthon becoming a teenager last week!  We had a quiet home birthday on his actual birthday with just some ice cream and a few gifts.  He received his first $100 bill from mommy and daddy, and two gift cards.  On Friday after school, he had two friends from school (Stephen and Micheal)  over, to hang out, and enjoy food and cake!  It was so fun seeing him with his buddies.  They are all cut from the same exact mold.  They are little copycats of each other making jokes about skibbity toilets and being rizz.

$100 bucks!

That smile says it all!

Happy 13th birthday Ashton!

Kinda quiet for Ashton lately

 Things have been relatively quiet on the Ashton front lately.  Not a whole lot to report!  Ashton overall seems to be doing well in school. Math seems to be giving him some trouble lately, but he is finally receiving some much-needed extra support, so hopefully that will give him the boost he needs.  He loves being with his friends, and takes every opportunity to hang with them!  Ms. Nanna took him snowboarding about two weekends ago (his 2nd time).  I was nervous because even though he had taken the snowboard camp lessons a few years ago they never took him up on the lift.  However, he went with some buddies, and sounds like he did fantastic!  Hope to purchase him a season pass next year so he can get more time out on the slopes!  Very proud of him!

Another half sibling!

 On January 9, 2024,  Mr. Rick and his wife Tiana welcomed another baby boy!  Cillilan Lane on Jan 9th, 2024.  I believe this little addition means Ashton has 5 siblings through Ms. Taylor, 4 siblings through Mr. Rick, and 3 siblings through our family, equally a grand total of 12 siblings!  So he is one of 13!!!!!  He doesn't seem to care at the moment, but maybe one day he will!

Just an aside, last night I was overseeing Ashton doing some make-up work for Art class and he had to fill out a self-reflection form.  One of the questions was on a scale from 1-10  how creative are you and why?  I don't think he wanted me to see it, but he rated himself an 8, and said because my mom always says how creative I am!  Loved it!!!!!  

2023 Coming to a close

Hard to believe two more days and then it will be 2024.  Ashton has grown up so much this year, both physically and emotionally.  In the last 3 months, he has really stepped up his game.  He has become more mature, more responsible, and more enjoyable to be around.  

He continues to amaze me with his engineering brain even though sometimes it drives me nuts.  He has a fascination with how things work and is always taking things apart and exploring how things work.  Even if it includes breaking things such as playstations and bikes, and drilling a gazillion holes into our walls so he can hang his hammock from the ceiling!  He loves creating and building things such as basketball hoops, and wooden Christmas trees out of pallets, and turning his closet into a gaming space. He continues to build amazing creations with legos, watching videos.  He loves using Daddy's drill and got his own drill from Mr. Rick for Christmas. He is excellent at figuring out how to solve problems such as putting on bike racks or putting together a bicycle.

Christmas Drill from Mr. Rick

Christmas Tree made from pallets

Homemade basketball hoop with rim from an old bicycle

Just hanging around after drilling a gazillion holes in the ceiling to find the joist

We spent Christmas Eve with one of Ashton's best buddies from Lisbon and our family friends.  They went to church with us and enjoyed a raclette dinner together.  And Christmas morning we spent with Pop-Pop and in the evening we enjoyed our traditional Chinese food dinner with the Pop-Pop, Lily's boyfriend Raymond, the Rinkes family, Jennie, Steve, and Jax Lane.

Christmas morning!

Christmas Eve with the Conte family

Someday maybe he will smile for a family picture!

He also has developed some more friendships.  Being invited over to other people's houses and having friends over to our home.  He continues to love to ride his bike and for Christmas, he got a Jetson electric scooter bike.  He has expressed an interest in mountain biking and has even built some mountain bike trails in the woods in our backyard, but still hasn't taken me up on my offer to go actual mountain biking yet.

We had a Chanukah party with our family in December and Ashton pretty much kept to himself until Cousin Eric pulled out the Nerf guns. Then Ashton was all in!!!!

Praying that the awesomeness that Ashton has exhibited towards the end of 2023 continues into the New Year!