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!