Xan the Man Turns 14

Our biggest baby, our thumb-sucking obsessed toddler, our funniest little guy who loved an audience, our piano-playing/swim-team/runner, our fifth child turned fourteen this weekend.  Alexander Blaise, who has gone by "Xander" for most of his life but more recently has been shortened to "Xan" by his siblings, celebrated his big day in style!

One and always having fun

We started with a family breakfast of (his choice) crepes, strawberries, whipped cream, Nutella, plus eggs and bacon.  Was Nutella spread on bacon and ingested? Yes.

We missed you JP (at school) and Maggie (at a beach volleyball tournament)

Then we opened presents, which is always fun with Xander because he "doesn't like to ask for things because he doesn't like to be disappointed" so he gets very happy and surprised by each gift.  He definitely has dropped hints over the past few months about things he likes, so we made it happen.  He got new white sneakers, real Birkenstocks, a cross necklace, a few outfits, and a nice high school sweatshirt, gift card to buy clothes (he's grown so much this summer!) and a fun book.

Grandpa is confused as to why these are so popular!

After breakfast, we (Phil, Xander, Declan, Brendan and I) headed to Worcester, MA to our hotel for the night, hoping the kids could swim in the pool before our room was ready but apparently that was not allowed, so we walked around the city for a bit.  We spied the Dude Perfect merch truck:

Stopped into a coffee shop for a drink:

Beer...Root..Beer.

Took some photos in front of a mural:

Cross your legs, cross your legs, everybody cross your legs!

Then we headed back to the hotel to find out our room was ready and they could swim!

We showered and went to a vigil Mass at St. John's, the oldest Catholic church in New England outside of Boston...and we could tell.  It was beautiful but there was no air conditioning and it was HOT.  During the Mass, a homeless (?) man walked all the way up to the front of the church carrying a folding chair, knelt down and prayed for a few minutes before leaving.  I know I shouldn't judge, and he was probably a really nice person, but my Spidey senses went off and I was cold sweating/tingling for the rest of the Mass, constantly looking out for him to walk back in.  He didn't, but we did see him on the street later in the evening.  So sad.

After Mass, we went to The Mercantile restaurant for dinner, which was PACKED and I was so thankful that Phil had made a reservation a few days earlier.  We still had to wait awhile, but the timing worked out perfect.  Cheers to 14 Years!

The waitress heard me mention that Xan was the birthday boy, and brought him out a yummy dessert with no singing... just what he would have chosen himself!

Then we walked next door to the DCU Center for the big show!  Dude Perfect!  These tickets were Christmas presents they have been waiting 7 months for, and it did not disappoint.  They wore their Dude Perfect shirts for the first time as well:

We had great floor seats, and I was texting the mom of Declan's friend who was also at the show to see where they were sitting, which was way up in the nosebleeds, and when she spotted us so close she texted "You splurged!"  I am typically very frugal, but I did splurge because I bought them very early, they were Christmas presents, and the show was on Xander's birthday - and I was proud of my old generous self.

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DJ Mykael

The show was definitely for kids, and very boy-humor heavy.  If you watch Dude Perfect, you know their style - funny, athletic, competitive, Christian, silly.  I was happy to be there to watch my kids enjoy it so much, but I definitely would have skipped it and made it a Father Son event if it wasn't on Xander's birthday.

Eight years ago, I bought tickets for Phil, Andrew and Eamon to go meet Dude Perfect when they came to Rhode Island:

12 year old Andrew and 10 year old Eamon

So it's cool to see they've only grown in popularity and are still a big deal in the Martin household.

The show ended around 9:15 and we walked back to the hotel which was a little sketch but we made it safely.  The boys ate some Pringles and went to sleep around 10:30 (very late when normal bedtimes run from 7:30-8:30) so it was a fun night for them!  Everybody woke up around 7am and we ate breakfast at the hotel and then they swam again before we checked out and headed home with a pitstop at Trader Joe's.

Alexander Xander Xan, you are indeed becoming a young man as you get ready to start high school next month.  Your classmates each wrote the nicest compliments about you in your 8th Grade yearbook, describing you as hilarious, easy to talk to, a true friend, a good listener, welcoming and inclusive, etc.  You have become our right hand man this summer, helping at home and the shop, babysitting when needed, and willing to make our lives easier when you see we are struggling.  You picked up waffle-cone making and scooping as if it's in your genetics, and you are growing in confidence and empathy.  You make us laugh with your wry observations and we are so proud of watching your work ethic grow.  You may be a young freshman, but you are certainly ready!  When you were a little guy, we used to call you our "evil genius" because you would use your intelligence to be naughty, but now you use it for good... mostly :)  We can't wait to see all that you will do with the gifts you have been given, and we are beyond grateful that we are able to watch you grow and thrive.  Happy happy birthday and we love you to the moon and back and back again!