He's 12 Now

We used to joke that Everett was a preschool delinquent. I often gave him the choice of going to school, or staying home with me. He always chose staying home with me. We had the best time playing hookey. We would go feed the ducks at the park, run errands, or eat out for lunch. He held my hand everywhere we went. I remember asking him once if he would always hold my hand. "I will hold your hand until I am 29 years old," he promised me.

The good old days of holding hands ended very quickly.

Then there were the times I tried getting him to hold my hand secretly while we were at church. He had absolutely no part of that conspiracy, so I decided to outsmart him by offering him money. He reluctantly agreed sometimes for a few seconds if I gave him a dollar. It's been a long time since we played that silly game.

This past Sunday at church, Everett sat by me. My thoughts were centered on what a good boy he is. He will be receiving the priesthood soon. The next time we attend church, he will pass the sacrament for the first time. I guess I was overcome, because I discretely cupped my hand between us to see if he would hold my hand. Without hesitation he slipped his hand into mine. He never made any attempt to remove it either, he lovingly sat there and allowed his Mama to hold his hand for a few minutes.

These are the special moments in life that are priceless.


I asked Everett how he wanted to celebrate his 12th birthday.

His requests were very simple this year.He asked if he could stay home from school and spend the day with me. "Of course, you can!" We had an easy day preparing for his party and running errands.  Cozette loved having her Prince Eric home with her. (She loves The Little Mermaid).  He requested Chic-fil-A for dinner, cake and strawberry ice cream, and a competitive game of Bingo. The invitees to his celebration were Mommom, Papa, and Nikki since they are the only family that live near by.

He made it very clear that everyone was to give money. He has been saving to get an X-box 360.  He received a generous amount of money, too! As soon as the party was over, Brad took him to go buy his new game system. He was in heaven when he returned home.

 

Nikki was the recipient of the Bingo gag gift.

Before Everett went to bed that evening he told me that it was a great day.

I'm already plotting for the next time he might let me hold his hand again!

His Last Day

A lump formed in my throat as the Primary sang Happy Birthday to Everett. I tried to resist the tears, but I was overcome with emotion. Today was Everett's last day in Primary.  He will be 12 years old tomorrow. I asked him if he had any last words to say about Primary.

"I'm glad I'm finally out."

They all are at that age.

Still, it saddens me that he is growing up so fast. I distinctly remember his first day of Primary. He had the curliest red hair. I had a fleeting thought that he would be 12 before I knew it.  I am thankful that I was there to see him stand in front of the Primary for the last time. I love that he blushed as the Primary president acknowledged him. He stood there with that sly little smile of his. He was absolutely adorable.

I can't believe that he is now a young man.

The Sneaky Leprechaun

For the past 24 hours  Cozette has not stopped talking about the sneaky leprechaun.

"Mommy, you won't believe it, that sneaky leprechaun turned the toilet water blue at school today!"

"No way!" I responded.

Then I asked her, "What other tricks did the leprechaun pull on your class?"

" He turned our chairs over, he pulled out the books, and he pulled out all of the play clothes!" Cozette responded with great animation.

"Did you have to clean up the mess?" I asked her.

"Yes, but Mommy, the leprechaun left us gold coins to eat!"

"Mommy, are leprechauns girls or boys?

I told Cozette that a leprechaun could be a girl or a boy. Truthfully, I was not sure, so I looked it up . Leprechauns are usually in the form of an old man, so I corrected myself later.

"Mommy, did the sneaky leprechaun mess up my room today?"

"Go look at your room and see for yourself, I instructed her."

Cozette came running downstairs and said, "Mommy, that sneaky leprechaun made a huge mess in my room!"

"Actually, three little leprechauns made that mess in your room, and their names are Kayleigh, Everett, and Cozette!"  My answer struck her funny.

"Mommy, are leprechauns real?"

I hesitated for a moment, but I decided to tell her the truth.

"Cozette, leprechauns are pretend."

"But the real leprechaun is at school, right mommy?"

I guess I'm not ready to be that truthful, so I just agreed with her.

Last night I asked Cozette what she thought a leprechaun looked like.

" I think a leprechaun looks like a little fox."

I burst out laughing. I wasn't sure how she came up with that answer. I later remembered that sometimes, Cozette and I like to hide behind the wall when Kayleigh and Everett come home from school. I always say that we have to be quiet like a sneaky fox while we wait for them to open the door. I believe she associated a leprechaun to a fox, because they are both sneaky.

The last thing Cozette said to me before she fell asleep is that she was not afraid of the sneaky leprechaun. 

Believe it or not, one of the first things she asked me this morning was if the sneaky leprechaun would come back to her school next year.

And she asked if the leprechaun was going to turn the toilet water at our house blue!

My Favorite Martians

For some strange reason, we never get tired of posing for these crazy pictures. One time I thought my stomach muscles were strained from laughing so hard.

Seriously!

 

.It would be so sad to really look like this!

I

Beware:

The lips might get you!

I need to take a video of Everett laughing at this nonsense.

Watching him is hysterical.

Believe it or not, there's a few pictures of Mommom too!

If you need therapy, just go buy Photo Booth!