Today You Are Twelve

Dear Jett,

Holy moly you're 12! It's your last year as a tween! That's absolutely crazy to me seeing as just yesterday you were 8 months old and crawling around on the floor, biting the dog with your love bites. But you are quite the young man now, Jett. You've always been an old soul with an amazing sense of humor. You are wise beyond your years and the kindest person I know. You care so deeply about others and find ways to help people who need it. You are beloved in all groups you frequent. You're not only kind, but you are such a funny kid. You make me laugh every day, and laughing is one of my most favorite things. I love that you can laugh at yourself and have the confidence to just be you. 

You are also an incredibly smart kid. You learn things quickly and you love learning. You problem solve and never give up quickly. Quite often I find that you've read up on something or watched a documentary or video about a subject to understand an interest. Your classmates find you to be so helpful to them when they're struggling understanding something. 

You are so talented as well. You are my I.T. guy when I'm *this* close to throwing the computer against the wall. You're creative and come up with the best stories and art. You are an amazing wakeboarder. You are SUCH an incredible baker. I don't know how you do it, but your baked goods blow my baked goods out of the water. Just the other day you made pizza dough and made an entire pizza from scratch to share with the whole family. Holy cow I LOVED it!  I just absolutely adore cooking and baking with you. It will always be one of my favorite memories.

But my most favorite thing about you, Jett, is your ability to show empathy and compassion. And your ability to see things from another perspective. Most adults can't do that. You help your dad and I out so much, especially when you see us struggling. You help your brothers all the time. You see a need and fill that need. You go above and beyond what is expected. Just a few weeks ago I woke up on a Saturday to find that you had cleaned the entire kitchen. Like, DEEP cleaned. I never asked you to do that. In fact, I've never asked you to do that. But you saw the need and cleaned it and it was glorious. 

Something I love is that you message me every day while you're at school. I don't know if it's frowned upon or not, but you always find time to shoot me a quick message to say hi and to tell me you love me. I always look forward to it. I love our silly banter and that you like talking to me. I love that you come to me with your worries or struggles and that you feel safe confiding in me.

I am so pleased with the man you are becoming. I have been so blessed and can't take much credit for the person you are. You were born the funny, kind, empathetic, snuggly kid that you are today. Gosh, you are such an example to me. I want to be like you when I grow up. 😊

This year is your last in elementary school. You are going to be moving up and on and that totally blows my mind. But you are so ready for more opportunities and responsibility. I have all the confidence that you will rock jr. high. I am so happy that you love your current school and that you've made good friends. I am so grateful that you have kids around you who appreciate all your goodness. Continue to keep good friends.

Jett, boy, I just love you! I hope you've had a fantastic birthday. You bring our family so much joy and you make my Mama heart so proud. Thank you for being such a good son and a really, really good person. 

Thanks for letting me be your mom and your friend. 

Love,

Mom  

Today You Are Eight

Dear Miles,

Gosh, I can't believe you're eight already. It went so fast! People often say, "It seems like just yesterday..." but really, it really, really does. One minute you fit in my arms, all tiny and snuggly, and the next you're all arms and legs. But I'm glad you're still snuggly. You woke up this morning, excited that it was finally your birthday (you've been counting the days for months). You went to get dressed and lo and behold, you grew out of a pair of jeans and a favorite shirt. It's like your body was just waiting for your birthday be rid of your size 7 jeans and size small shirts. Thank goodness for hand-me-down clothes!

Miles, I first just want to say how pleased I am with who you are and the choices you make. Yes, you make mistakes just like the rest of us, but you make a lot of really, really, really good decisions. You are a good friend, brother, and son. You're smart and love to learn. You are kind and respectful. You are funny and helpful. You look out for other people and you know right from wrong. The other day, I sort of choked on something at dinner and I started to cough. And I coughed and coughed. You came up to me and patted me on the back, then ran to the kitchen and got me a glass of water as quick as you could. No one asked you to, you just saw the need, and took action. That's the sort of person you are. I'm so blessed to be your mom. 

This past year we have found ourselves still in a massive pandemic. It's been tough to be a kid during this time, especially for kids like you who need friends and school and playdates. You started a new school this year with new teachers, new friends, new routines, and a few new clothes. You met it with optimism, hope, and complete joy. You've made friends easily and have loved learning new things and having new experiences. And as tough as it is for me to send you out into a world that gives so many reasons to stay at home, your happiness and excitement make it so much easier. You're such a good example to me and so many. 

Miles, this year is a big year for you! You're getting baptized next week and that is so exciting! Today I asked you if you were ready, and you said, "Oh yes! I am so excited!" I asked you how it feels to be eight, and you said, "happy". You're making such an important decision and I am so pleased that you're excited to be making covenants with your Heavenly Father who loves you more than either of us can fathom. I'm so proud of you. 

Thank you for being my baby. I couldn't have asked for a better kid to be my youngest. Today I looked at those clothes you grew out of and realized I'd never see those clothes on one of my kids again. It's weird to mourn things like that, but as you grow, each thing you grow out of becomes the last, and I'm a little sad. But you've got a lot of things to grow out of still, and I'm grateful for every day I have to watch you grow, and grow, and grow out of more things. 

Miles, I hope this year is so kind to you. I hope you continue to love school and make friends. I hope that this pandemic will finally end and you can play maskless and attend all the parties, play with all the kids, and not have to worry about such depressing issues. I hope you never lose that joy and hope that beams from your adorable, toothy face. And I hope you never question how much you are loved. My goodness, you are so loved. 

Happy Birthday, sweet boy. I am so grateful I get to be your Mama. 

Love,

Mom

Today You Are Fourteen

 

My Dear Cruise,

Wow. I just can't believe how grown up you're getting! Despite the fact that it makes me feel incredibly old, I just love watching you grow up and become your own person. This past year has been crazy, especially since you had to do 8th grade at home and we are yet STILL in a pandemic. But you've been awesome through it all and I am so very excited for you to be able to go back to school and have an amazing year! I'm especially excited that you applied and got into Honors Art. That is going to be such a fun class and I know you'll continue to grow in your art and creativity. I am just so proud of you! You're going to do wonderful things.

Well, this year you got your very first grown up cell phone. I remember you getting your very first baby cell phone. It was an Elmo phone and you got it for your 1st birthday. You LOVED that phone and played with it all the time. You've had your hand-me-down iPhone for a whole day now and you already love playing with that one. 

My, how the years have flown. You used to be this adorable chubby baby and now you're an adorable big teenager. I love your sense of humor and how you never act like you're too old for Mom's hugs and kisses. I love that you can talk to me about anything and I love that you are so unique and your own person. I love that you write and draw. I love that you are so creative and imaginative. I love your confidence in who you are and your fearlessness to interact with the world. I admire that a lot.

I hope this year is good to you and that you'll get to learn all sorts of new things and make new friends. I hope you continue to develop your skills and learn more about yourself. I hope you continue to grow in the gospel and that you'll always lean on the Lord and your parents. We love you so much and we love who you are and the man you're becoming. I say it every year, but it's always true: I love being your mom! And I am so grateful that I am. It's never boring. 

I can't wait to see what you'll do this year! Have a great one, kiddo! Happy Birthday!

I love you so much,

Mom