Today You Are Thirteen

Dear Jett,

Happy 13th Birthday! You're officially a teenager! I was reviewing the past 13 years in my head and thought about how quickly you've grown and how it really does feel like yesterday that you were a fluffy-haired towhead, who loved to love and laugh. And I guess things really don't change all that much except maybe the hair and the fact that you now are taller than me. Man, you really grew this past year. 

This year you really put a lot into learning more about cooking and practicing it every chance you got. I'm not gonna lie, I really like the benefits. I think something I'll always cherish, however, is just cooking with you. Making a meal or a dessert together is one of my favorite things we do. I never really got to do that with my mom; cooking wasn't supposed to be a fun thing in my house growing up, but I am really happy it is in our house. I love trying a new recipe together and taking pride in our final product.

Something I have always loved about you is how gosh darn funny you are. I love your infectious smile and laugh. I love your wit and sense of humor. I love that you can make me smile and laugh no matter what mood I'm in. I love that your humor uplifts and brings joy, and with that I see your empathy and love for others. Your level of humility and kindness is something many adults don't quite grasp. It's such a gift to all those around you. You are a good brother and such a good son. You put others before yourself and are sensitive to other people's needs.

I love that you're adventurous and always up for trying new things. I love how persistent and driven you can be whether it's schoolwork, trying to jump the wake, or learning a new computer program. You are so smart and so capable. I rarely have to get on you about homework, and every time I check your grades, you always have A's.   

Jett, you're such a good kid and a good person and I've known that since the day you were born. I remember holding you in my arms, staring into your chubby little newborn face, and recognizing your spirit, like I've known you forever. I love being your Mom. I love that you still want me to tuck you in at night. I love that you still want hugs and kisses and that you still tell me you love me no matter what setting we're in. 

I want all the things for you, Jett. I want you to always feel joy and love. I want you to go out into the world one day and spread your goodness and discover everything you want for yourself. I love that you have a testimony of the gospel and that you have a relationship with your Heavenly Father. I hope you continue to cultivate that and always look to Him for guidance and support. I hope you always know how much I love you. I will always be here for you and I will always love you no matter what. Life is hard sometimes and you will struggle with things that will make you want to turn inward, but I want you to know that even if you don't want to talk about it, I am always here to sit with you and hug you. I will always be your Mama and you will always be my sweet Jett.

Happy Birthday, teenage Jett.

I love you, 

Mom

Today You Are Nine

Dear Miles,

Another year has come and gone and it's amazing just how much you've grown in that time. You're taller, smarter, kinder, and stronger. You've had experiences that have stretched you and helped you realize just how capable and brave you really are. You've had ups and downs, but have found joy and confidence through it all. 

You love the water. I thought of all the fun things you've done this year, a lot of them are in the water. You played in the ocean, went fishing, went down HUGE scary waterslides at Splash Summit, swam in the pool in the backyard, went crawdad fishing, and did a lot of wakeboarding! Speaking of wakeboarding, you learned how to wakeboard this year! And you are so good at it. I've loved watching you figure it out and improve with every run. I've loved seeing your confidence grow and your great big smile even after face-planting. 

Something else you've really impressed me with is baseball. Having played baseball my entire childhood, it's been fun watching you enjoy it as well. Except you are actually good at it. Ha ha! You're a fantastic batter and can just about hit anything. I think the best position you play is catcher, which is really amazing since you sit and let balls hit you over and over again. But you're focused and collected and confident, and that's just really cool. 

Other things you've enjoyed are snakes, catching snakes, reading about snakes, exercising, writing out exercise plans for your friends and I, going on Mommy Son Dates, playing video games, and building with Legos.

Miles, I love how much love you have to give and how you give it freely. I love that you're kind and helpful. I love that you think of others and want so much to make people smile and feel happy. I like that you're funny and goofy and that we can joke around with each other.

Something fun that happened this year was that you and your brothers made cars for the pinewood derby. You were supposed to race yours with the Primary kids, but a couple days before, you had to come to the Young Men derby since I had to be there with the Young Women and Dad wanted to watch your brothers race. So you brought along your car and when they asked if you'd like to participate, you happily joined in and smoked them all! You got first place! It was hilarious. 

Miles, I love how brave you are. I love that you're up for new and exciting adventures. I love your positivity and your ability to find the good in things. I hope by now you've realized just how good a kid you are and how much you are loved. You are so smart. You are doing 4th grade math at 3rd grade. You are a great reader and you love to learn. You're a good friend. You've made some wonderful friendships this year because you know how to be a good friend. I love your hugs and snuggles and your desire to be near me. I love watching you grow up, but I think you're doing it too quickly.  

I hope this year is wonderful and fulfilling and that you continue to learn and grow and be happy. I hope you continue to choose the right and to listen to the Spirit. I love that you've developed a love and understanding of the Book of Mormon as you've read it on your own. Your Heavenly Father loves you so much and your dad and I love you so much too. 

Thank you for being such a great example to me and for loving me, even when I'm not being very lovable. Thank you for being my baby and for letting me be your mommy. I've loved every minute of it. Truly. Being your mom is the best thing ever. 

Happy Birthday Sweet Miles!

I love you so much,

Mama 

Today You Are Fifteen

Dear Cruise,

You are fifteen today. FIF. TEEN! I feel like we just celebrated your 14th birthday, and yet here we are, number 15. Which makes me feel old. Like, really old.

You did a lot this year and grew in so many ways. You went to your first dance, graduated from jr. high, got your first job at the Megaplex, went to FSY, repelled for the first (and apparently LAST) time, got your Patriarchal blessing, saved enough money to buy yourself a Nintendo Switch, and finally got your braces off! 

Last night, as your dad and I were cleaning up the house and blowing up balloons, the three of us got to talk. I told you about the night before you were born, and your birth day. I told you stories about your babyhood and toddlerhood, and I got to reflect on your childhood and all that you've overcome and accomplished. But most importantly, I got to express to you how much I love you and how grateful I am that you're my son. I honestly can't imagine my life without you.

You are so incredibly lovable, Cruise. You're genuine and funny, and possess an admirable ability to know who you are and not be ashamed of it. You stick up for yourself, you're quick to apologize and own up to your mistakes, and you love your family deeply. 

One of my favorite stories from this year was when I picked you up from work and you told me about your first experience with a "Karen". She had come in demanding popcorn without the yellow flavoring and you explained to her that all the popcorn has it. She demanded you make her some without it. So you got your manager to come over to the till with you and address the issue. You wanted to help and be a good employee, so you tried to come up with solutions. But instead of appreciating your willingness to make her happy, she looked at your manager and said, "Will you tell him to shut up before I slap him?!" The Mama Bear in me wanted to find out who that lady was and tear her a new one. But then you explained that you responded to her in a respectful way, but still sticking up for yourself. You told her that what she said wasn't nice and that you were trying to help her. Luckily your manager was there to relieve you and you "took a water break to cool down." I was so proud of you. For almost fifteen years I had gone to war for you with principals, parents, coaches, and random people who should've known better. I had tried to teach you how to advocate for yourself and to be confident. And here you were, fighting your own battles and sticking up for yourself. I was so proud. I am so proud. And even though I really wanted to hunt that lady down, for the first time I truly knew you were gonna be just fine in this crazy, angry world.

Another small but favorite story was when I came to pick you up from work and realized I had forgotten to bring your wallet you had requested so you could buy a cotton candy. So I walked in to buy it myself, and there you were in your purple and black uniform, smiling ear to ear, ready to take my order. You excitedly told everyone there that I was your mom. And that made my Mama heart happy. You love so outwardly and loudly and I hope that never goes away. Because it's one of my favorite things about you. 

Something else that I loved this year was when we went to get your Patriarchal blessing and the Patriarch asked you to bare your testimony. You bore the most beautiful testimony and I felt the Spirit so strongly. Something I know about you is, when you say "I know", you really do know. You don't have doubts, otherwise you wouldn't say it. What an awesome gift to have! 

Cruise, I could go on and on about how much I love you and all the great things about you. You keep me on my toes, you make me genuinely laugh out loud, you respect me and love me. Tonight as we met together as a family to go over this week's schedule, you ran up to me, gave me a massively tight hug, and told me how much you love me. Just out of the blue. As you hugged me, I felt as if it was my birthday too. And in a way, it kinda is. I was born a new person: a Mother. It was the most transformative day of my life. And here we are, fifteen years later, and I love you more than ever. 

Happy Birthday, Cruise. I love you so much!

Love,

Mom

Modeling the apron you made

Goblin Valley

Goin' to the 9th grade dance

The Resiliency Award

2nd place in the school art show

Happy Birthday!