To My Claire, On Your Birthday...

 

Happy Birthday, Claire!! You've finally arrived...you're twelve years old now! Last year I wrote to you about how, in turning eleven, all you could talk about was how next year you'd be in Young Women's and going to girls camp and mutual and all of that jazz. My response was that I had a whole year to worry about any of that. Well, President Nelson threw us a curve ball when the age for entering the youth program changed and you became a Beehive in January! I love and sustain President Nelson with all my heart...except maybe for the tiny bit that is not happy that my baby girl grew up that much faster than I was expecting! :)

In all honesty, you were totally ready for Young Women's. With the change in the age for the youth program also came the announcement that programs such as Personal Progress would be changing at the beginning of 2020. You decided as soon as you heard that announcement that you were going to do everything you could to earn your Young Womanhood in Recognition award and medallion in your first year. I was a little hesitant that you'd be able to get it all done, but you made an appointment with Sister Austad, your personal progress leader, and the two of you made a plan. With hard work and diligence, you'll be able to get your medallion before the end of the year. I'm so excited to see you step up to this challenge!

You were also called and set apart as the first counselor in the Beehive class presidency, with Jacee Hammon as president, Courtney Bingham as second counselor, and Cassidy Morton as secretary. Coincidently, the presidency is also the entire active Beehive class! :) You accepted your calling with maturity and a desire to magnify your calling. You're working hard to love the girls in your class...even with the tension that surrounds your friendship with Courtney. You love going to mutual and helping to plan the activities for your class. You've even taught Beehives on Sunday, giving an entire 50 minute lesson!! With help from your Dad on how to format a lesson, you picked your own topic from the Come Follow Me manual for the youth, formatted your own questions, and we heard you did a fantastic job! I know that I could never have done something like that at your age. Your spiritual maturity astounds me.

Though you still have a month or so before you get to go to girls camp, the last item that you were so excited to be in Young Women's for was attending the temple do to baptisms for the dead. You expressed your desire to go monthly to the temple, and you got the ball rolling in January! It was such a tender experience for your Dad and me to be in the temple with you. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I watched your father baptize you and then confirm you as proxy for family names on both sides. It was an especially sacred experience for me, as it was the first time I had attended the temple to do any names from my family line. Your deep desire to be in the temple and to do family names has blessed me with a real desire, for the first time in my life, to do my family history and my ancestor's temple work. Even today, on your birthday, all you wanted was to be in the Salt Lake Temple ON your birthday. We had such a wonderful experience in that historic temple. You mentioned more than once that it was so neat to be where Dad and I were sealed and our family began. I felt that same sense of time connecting in ways I can't really comprehend...because I could sense you were in the temple with us that day of our sealing, too. It felt right to be back there with you! Your Dad and I look forward to many more experiences in the temple with you.

You've almost completed your 6th grade year...and your last year of elementary school!! It's crazy for your Dad and I to think that you've been in the same school for your entire elementary school career. We both changed schools multiple times growing up. It's been neat to see you have some of the same friends that you made in kindergarten! Of course, you've excelled academically. You were chosen to represent the 6th grade class and your school at the language competition at Weber again this year with your friends Ellie and Alauria. The three of you were determined to get first place this year, and you practiced and practiced. And you did it!! You continue to amaze us with your ability to speak the Spanish language. You also continue to love math, science, history, and writing and excel at all of them. You seem to be pretty ready for junior high and all that will entail! You've registered for all honors classes (except Utah Studies which didn't seem worth the extra project) and you're not worried in the least. You are a natural student.

During this last year, you've continued to have situations come up with your friends that are stretching you socially. You're learning patience and forgiveness, and how to have charity for those around you while at the same time setting appropriate boundaries and protecting your feelings. You are so easy-going that these situations don't seem to cause you too much distress, and I'm glad you're gaining these skills early.

You are such a blessing to our family, Claire! You and Sophie are still besties, and she'd be lost without you. You are starting to babysit more while I run quick errands, and I'm so glad I have you to help me at home! I'm loving how our relationship is evolving and we're creating a friendship together.  You and your Dad still have a special relationship, and I love to see how proud he is of you! I know so many great things are ahead of you this year, and can hardly believe that the next letter I write will be to my first TEENAGER! Gasp!! :) I'm not worried though. I know you'll always be such a delight at every stage of your life.

I love you, Claire Bear! Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mom

To My Joseph, On Your Birthday...

Po! You turned three!! I didn't know if we'd make it through you being two, but somehow we did it! I'm happy (and relieved!) but sad about that at the same time. 

Joey, you aren't my baby anymore! It breaks my heart a bit...you're my last one. And you were such a special baby, coming to our family to heal us. And let's be honest...you were such a good baby! Our delicious little muffin who just smiled and giggled and slept and made us all so happy all of the time. Now? Well, now you are a whirling dervish of destruction a good portion of the time and a stubborn, naughty little boy for a decent portion of what time is left. Seriously Po, you are something else entirely! You seem to crave mischief and mayhem! I can't keep up with you!! But even when you're being naughty, that smile of yours gets you out of a lot of trouble. I can't help it, that smile and those twinkling eyes of yours kind of own me! 

Even though you are by far our most difficult toddler, you are also our brightest! Thanks to (I'm a little ashamed to say it) educational programs and KidsTube, you know all your colors and most of your numbers by sight. You can count to ten and higher, and you love to count everything you can. Your favorite color is purple, and you kind of freak out if you can't have your purple plate and purple cup at meal times. You know so many animals and the sounds they make. You are one bright little boy!

You still love BYU and football, but you have also come to love baseball, basketball, and soccer. I think you mostly like anything that has a ball involved. :) You have also developed a love of "guys"... specifically your Star Wars and Marvel action figures. Your favorite thing to do is line up all your guys and simulate battles. It's beyond cute. You still like to work on things like blocks, Legos (especially if you're destroying something the older kids have built), stacking cups, and puzzles. 

This year has been the year you've made friends. You love your nursery friends so much! Benson and Logan are your favorite friends, but you talk about Laney too. I've been doing more playdates for you and your friends, and you've gotten to where you barely even say goodbye to me before you march right in Benson's house! You love your friends so much, and for the most part you play better with them than with anyone else. But your best best friend is your cousin Michael. Michael lived here with  Grandma Call for a month or so, and you two because instant buds. It was really hard on you both when it was time for Michael to go back to Texas! 

For as much as you love your friends, you still love your siblings best. You miss them so much when they are at school, and promptly start pestering them and picking fights as soon as they get home! You and Johnny are like fire and ice. You are either playing awesome together or making each other miserable. And you are both culprits in picking fights! In some ways, it blows my mind that with a six year difference between you, you two can still find so much to fight about! But then in other ways, it makes me so happy to see you being brothers. Sophie is still your best bud around the house, as she is still the most patient and interested in you! And you know you can depend on Claire if you need help with anything. I said it last year, and it's still true. You are the center of our family life, in every good way. 

Your Dad and I love you so much, Po! You make us crazy, but you are a living testimony to how much our Heavenly Father loves us and wants what is best for us. You fill our hearts and our arms with so much joy! I know that you and Luke are tied together in more ways than I can understand. You recognize him in any picture you see, and I'm excited to see how your relationship with him will grow. You love your Savior Jesus Christ. Your favorite song to sing at bedtime is "Jesus Christ!", which is "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ". You know who the prophet is by name, and you love pointing out temples and chapels when you see them...which are also temples. :) 

You are such a special boy, Joseph. There is such a big spirit inside of you, and I know you have a very special mission on this earth. I treasure the special relationship we have. The time we spend in the morning cuddling in my bed and when you ask for your baby song before falling asleep. I'm excited to see what this next year brings for you! Happy Birthday, my beautiful boy...I love you more than all the words could say.

Love,

Mom

To My Sophie, On Your Birthday...

Oh, Sophie...Sophie, Sophie, Sophie. I told you last year to stop growing up so fast!! And already you're ten years old! :)

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! What a fun year this has been for you! Because of year round school this year (yuck!), you've been in 4th grade for a little while now and you love it. You have been happy to go to school each morning, and have so many great friends. You haven't been struggling with the anxiety that you experienced before, and your Dad and I are so so proud of you! You really have worked hard to become stronger and to work through the things that bother you. You amaze us every day! And it makes us so happy to see you smile so easily. Your enthusiasm for life is a blessing to our family!

You continue to grow in your gifts and talents. You still love fashion and anything creative, and still have a great eye for both. You really want to learn how to sew, and I'm sure when we can get that going for you that you will love the creative outlet! You still love to read, and devour books at an incredible rate! I'm having a hard time keeping them stocked for you! :) You're also starting piano soon and you are so excited for that. I love how excited you are about the things you love, Sophie! You have such passion and it really is infectious. You have discovered that you LOVE the Pacific Northwest! We just got back from a weeklong trip to Washington and Oregon, and I'm pretty sure you would have been happy as a clam if we left you there! :) You loved the green, the humidity, the temperate climate, the ocean, the trees...all of it. We fully expect you'll live there someday!

Sophie, you are also one of the most caring and loving people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. There is no end to your love for your people. You and Claire and still best friends. I can't believe how well you two get along, and am happy every day that you have each other. You balance each other out so well! You love playing Minecraft with John, and it continues to be fun to watch you two grow in your relationship...though you still bicker almost constantly. :) And Joey? Well, I think you love Joey most of all! Since you were little, I have always known what a wonderful mother you will make. But as I watch you with Joey, I'm coming to envy your ability to mother! You really enjoy being with small children. You like playing at their level, and are so patient with them. You are incredible, Sophie!! Seriously, you are every bit the mother I want to be and you're only 10!! What a precious gift Heavenly Father has given you and I am completely confident that you will bless many lives with it.

Like I wrote you last year, I'm coming to learn more and more about you and it's helping me understand you so much more! We're starting to build more of a friendship and I love it. I know we'll be good friends and that means the world to me. You still have such a tender relationship with you Dad. You are his little girl, through and through. It warms my heart to know that you have that love in your life! Both your Dad and I have watched as your testimony has grown and we are in awe of the depth of your testimony. You understand the doctrines of the gospel and you love your Heavenly Father and your Savior Jesus Christ. Listening to you pray is a privilege. You really think about what you are saying and remember everyone in your petitions to Heavenly Father. I learn so much from you!

Happy Birthday, Sophie! I know that this next year will be full of so much happiness and growth. I'm so humbled to be your mom and I'm so terribly proud of you! I love you forever!

Love,

Mom

To My Johnny, On Your Birthday...

Happy Birthday, Johnny!! You are eight years old now...finally!! You've been waiting for a long time for this birthday. :)

This has been another great year of growth for you, Johnny. You continue to be an exceptional student. First grade didn't pose too many challenges for you, so you invested your energy into Spanish. You were intimidated by having to speak Spanish full time with Snr. Mora, but turns out (just like everything else) you took to it quite naturally! You're loving being able to converse more in Spanish, and often try to get the girls to speak Spanish at home by saying "No Ingles! No Ingles!" It drives them nuts. :) You have also continued to learn and love math and science. You absolutely love learning, and I absolutely love watching you get excited when you learn new things! I believe your love of learning will be a huge blessing to you in your life.

You have continued to grow socially, making new friends and deepening your friendships with your existing friends. You are always at the center of the organized games during recesses, and whenever we go anywhere there's always a kid that says, "Hi John!" Basically, what I'm trying to say is that you're super popular. :) We talk often about how to righteously use that influence, and your intelligence, and your good looks for the purposes the Lord has set out for you. It's my biggest fear for you...that you'll breathe in all those compliments and all that adoration and let it go to your head. Right now, you seem to understand. You are kind and inclusive, and I know you're a positive influence on your peers. And that makes this Mama's heart very happy!

You've very much increased in your passion for sports. Particularly football, though you really enjoyed playing basketball and soccer this year. We can't wait to get you on the football field this coming fall for flag football! It's been a fun way for your Dad and you to bond, play together, and have things to talk about. You two have found another way to bond this year when you went on High Adventure together! You hiked a total of 25 miles in and out with your Dad and the priests in our ward, and you did amazing!! You carried your pack most of the time, and loved living in nature for a couple of days. Dad said you fell asleep before your head hit your little camping pillow both nights. :) Your favorite part? Pooping in the woods, of course! With your love of hiking and the outdoors, there will likely be a lot more backpacking trips for you in your future. Dad took you and Sophie on an overnighter before the end of the season and you both loved it, and you liked having Sophie's company. Which is awesome, considering how much the two of you fight! 

This year has been an opportunity for you to learn more about your place in our family, and how to navigate your relationships with each of us. You fight a lot with Claire and Sophie, but I know you love them deeply. You miss them terribly whenever you aren't all together. But I know it's hard for you, not having a counter part like they do in each other. You miss Luke, and we miss watching the two of you grow up together. Gratefully, you have Joey around to drive you crazy just like a little brother ought to. He definitely tries your patience! But I wish I could find the words to convey the happiness and fullness in my heart when I see the two of you playing and wrestling on the tramp or playing with cars. Even with the years between you, you two are going to be the best of buds.

Like I mentioned, you and your Dad have had some fun opportunities to bond through the year and your relationship really has grown. You and I have pretty much stuck to our normal day to day interactions. Sometimes, things have been a little tense as you're trying to figure out how to manage your frustrations with life and other complex and uncomfortable emotions. Unfortunately, I don't handle that part of you with very much patience. I'm sorry about that! Luckily, we have that special mother-son relationship and it's never very long before we've made things right and are happy again. I love that special bond between us!

I would have to say your biggest area of growth this year has been spiritually. You've taken the call to prepare yourself for baptism very seriously. You continue to love the Book of Mormon, and never show any hesitation when it's time to gather and read as a family. And I'm always marveling at your retention!! Your primary teachers tell me how funny it is to see you not only answer their questions during class, but proceed to finish teaching the lesson! I know I've said it every single year, but it's even more true this year: I know the Lord has a great work for you to do! You are a mighty spirit John, and I know you sense that about yourself. I can't wait to see how you mature spiritually with your baptism and the companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life!

Johnny, I can't tell you all the ways I love you or all the things you do that make us so proud. You are a gift to me, Son! I love you more than all the words in the universe could say, and I'm so excited to see how you grow this next year. Happy Birthday, John-Boy!

Love,

Mom

To My Claire, On Your Birthday...

Happy Birthday, Claire Bear! You're 11 years old! And as you are always quick to remind me, that means you'll be going into Young Women's next year. And Girl's Camp. And going to the temple for the first time. Yikes...

But that's next year. I have a whole year before I have to write that letter!! So for now, let's just stay where we are and focus on the fact that you're eleven years old now. I can hardly believe it. You're the most beautiful, kindest, smartest, funniest, friendliest, all-of-the-"ists" eleven year old I know. It just keeps getting better every year!

This last year was a good school year for you again. You excelled in every subject again, and ended up doing SEM for language and math. You loved every minute of it, especially your time learning about Japanese culture. You were selected to represent Buffalo Point's fifth grade Spanish Immersion students at the language competition at Weber, and while the competition was obviously stacked in favor of the Hispanic kids and it was quite possibly the longest day of either of our lives...you and you two friends had the first honorable mention for your impromptu speaking skit. And in our opinion that put you basically in first place! ;) You made some great friends this year, and are still learning how to manage the interpersonal drama that comes with adolescent girls. :) You weren't a huge fan of your Spanish teacher, Señor Tapia, but you were patient and didn't let it ruin your year. I admire your ability to let things be. It's not a trait I have much of!

You have continued love reading, and have enjoyed reading many books this year. I can't even remember them all! But we've had a couple of occasions to go to Barnes and Noble, and I think you could live at the book store. :) I worried so much about your lack of desire to read a few years ago, but I can happily say I don't worry about that at all anymore! We've even been reading Harry Potter at the same time, and it's been fun to talk about the books. But your best reading buddy is still Sophie. The two of you devour series together and I can often hear you talking in your room after the light are turned out about your books. It reminds me of some of the best times I had with my sisters growing up.

Your love for the gospel continues to grow, and it makes your Dad and I so happy. You love Activity Days, and you can't wait to pass the rest of the requirements off now that you're eleven. You're already excited to start on your Personal Progress (I just wish you'd slow down a bit!!) You gave your first talk in Sacrament Meeting this year, and you did a fantastic job! Your talents for speaking and teaching in church and Family Home Evening have surely grown this year. A lot of that has to do with your growing understanding and testimony of the doctrines of the gospel. I love watching you build a foundation of faith.

You've conquered some difficult things this year, namely learning to ride your bike. You were under pressure to be able to ride before Bike Safety Week at school, and honestly we didn't really get you where you needed to be. That resulted in some tears and some real embarrassment that first day trying to ride in front of your friends and teachers. But you persevered, facing the embarrassment head on and then continuing to try until you managed to ride confidently. I couldn't have been more proud of you. I know a situation like that would have broken me into little pieces when I was your age! Just like every year, I continue to marvel at your confidence.

I think my favorite part of this last year is how much our relationship has grown. You are particularly sensitive to when I'm having a hard time, and you go out of your way to help me feel better. I love that you worry about me and want me to be happy. You enjoy sitting by me more than you used to, and have told me often that you wish we had more time together. We've had a few occasions to go shopping or run errands alone together and I cherish that time with you.

Well Claire, you are still every ounce of wonderful that you've always been. Your Dad and I couldn't be more proud of you!! And while I wish you'd stop growing up quite so fast, I'm every bit as excited as you are to see what this next year brings for you. I love you! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Love, 

Mom