9 Years Young

James turned 9 on Monday, March 16. His birthday included a room reno so stick with this to the end. 

9 Year Old Checkup Stats:
Appointment date: Friday, March 27, 2026
Weight: 71 pounds (74 percentile)
Height: 55 inches (83 percentile)
Doc Witt mentioned that in the last year, James has gained 7 pounds and grown 2.5 inches. Man he can pack the food in now, I can only imagine what the teenage years will be like.

On his birthday, James brought chips to his class for his birthday treat. For dinner, he picked mashed potatoes and gravy with chicken. (We ended up using up a turkey we had in our freezer.) He asked if we could go mini-golfing at Fat Cats. We had a free mini golf coupon and only had to pay $10 for 3 of us to go. It was a glow in the dark mini golf course and not to make this about me, but I had 3 hole in ones! We had a Sunday birthday dinner for James and George at my parent's house and James requested stroganoff for dinner with rolls, mushroom bacon salad, and an ice cream cake. James and George's birthdays are back-to-back days.

Sunday, March 15

Monday, March 16

My parent's started a new idea this year which is to have their grandkids over for a birthday sleepover (when they are school aged). James went to their house over the weekend. He had the best time picking out a book at Barnes and Noble, eating "the best burger of his life" at "5 Guys," making a giant banana split with BYU creamery ice cream, playing a game, and getting donuts in the morning.

Friday, March 20

BIO

James has one of the biggest hearts. He loves to think about others. You should hear him pray. It is touching. He prays for people I'm worried about by name and checks in with me regularly to see me if they still need prayers. I couldn't ask for a better big brother. James is so sweet with little kids, especially his sisters and cousins. He likes to learn and asks to go to the library to get books about topics he is interested in. Recently, space has captivated him. James can do anything he sets his mind to. He needed to score xx amount of points during his basketball season for a prize and bam! Points scored before the season was half over. To be in the 20 club at school, he needed to read all the Battle of the Books and did that with months to spare. James is an avid reader, writer, and Lego builder. Piano isn't a chore but a hobby that we have to limit at times. He has progressed through piano levels at an impressive speed.  James has become a friend guy and I'm so glad he gets asked to lots of playdates and birthday parties.

PRESENTS

James enjoyed the mini foosball table he got, Legos, a kodama from grandma, a drone course, game, and more.

Our gift to James was re-doing his room. James asked for sky blue walls and we decided to go with an animal theme since squishmellows hold a big place in his heart. I painted his room, and let me just say that my kids are the best cheerleaders. They watched me and kept coming back to see the room's progress. "Mom, it looks so good!" "I didn't know my room could look this pretty!" I learned James is handy during this process. He removed all the switch plates from his room as I taped and prepped to paint. I didn't show him how to do it either. The wall color we picked (after trying 4 samples) is called "Soar" and I am very pleased with it!

James' room has become the popular hangout place among the kids. I often can't find James for long periods of time only to discover that he is reading on his bean bag or building Legos on his desk. He really wanted more space to play and mission accomplished. It was time for an upgrade!

BEFORE

AFTER

DEETS

The hardest part of this renovation were the light fixture, curtains, and bed! I returned 2 other ceiling fans. The first fan Andrew put up broke within 2 days due to its poor and cheap quality. Finding the right curtains was tricky. I returned 3 sets before landing on the perfect ones. We tried one other color for the curtains (sour cream) but liked the blue best. I ordered the wrong size hence the multiple returns. The bed is awesome and a dream come true for James, but mounting it to the wall took skills. Andrew ended up getting anchors to attach the bed to the wall and now it is much sturdier and less wobbly.  Thank you Jessica for helping the design come together so beautifully! She knows what looks good and helped a lot.

Ceiling Fan from Amazon for $49.42 (35 in)

Bean Bag from Grannie (from Amazon) for $64.46

Bed/Desk/Dresser from Amazon for $315.62 + Full sized mattress $107.32=$422.94

Hammock/Net from Amazon for $10.72

Panda Duvet Cover from Amazon for $53.13 +White Duvet Insert $26.85= $79.98

Panda Rug from Amazon for $29

Green Mushroom Lamp from Amazon for $42.97

White Sheets from Amazon for $15.57

Black Curtain Rod from Amazon for $17.15

Blue Curtains from Target for $45.13

Green Tub from Target for $6.88

Hookrack from Target for $26.86

3 Wood Frames from Target for $19.34

Black Folding Chair Walmart $35.39

The grand total for James' room was: $801.35.

I told Andrew that for our birthdays, we should re-do our bedroom. We've done our kids! I have big ideas but probably should have waited a few days/weeks/months before brining up another project... ha

Happy Birthday James!!!