A Few More From Graduation

Aaron listening to his teachers.

The boys and me.

Grant attentively watching the ceremony.

Aaron's Preschool Graduation

Aaron has grown so much this past year. We'll forever be grateful to Mrs. Adrienne and Mrs. Jerilyn for their kindness and wonderful teaching abilities. Aaron really enjoyed preschool. He has one more year before he starts kindergarten since he misses the cutoff by about a month. He and Grant will likely be in the same preschool class next year!

Here are some pics from the little graduation ceremony ~


Here he is walking down the aisle.


And receiving his diploma.


Singing a song with his class.

Teaching Our Children

Tonight we had a cool experience with sweet little Aaron, and I wanted to write about it before I forget. We were reading to Aaron and Grant from the children's Book of Mormon, and after I read, Aaron started asking some questions. We answered his questions, and then Mike and I testified to him and to Grant that we know that The Book of Mormon is true. Then Aaron said confidently and with a smile, "I know the Book of Mormon is true too!" I asked, "You do?" And he said "Yeah." Then, totally on his own, he said, "I know the church is true too." I said, "How do you know that? Is it because you feel good when you're at church?" He said, "Because Jesus told me it's true. I knew all day today that the church was true." What a sweet boy! After our discussion he prayed before bed and asked God to help him to keep the commandments. After his prayer I asked him if He knows why God gives us commandments. He said no, so I explained that God gives us commandments because they help us to be happy and keep us safe and because God loves us. I went into more detail and explained that God blesses us when we keep His commandments. It is so neat to be able to share our feelings about this beautiful religion with our children and for Aaron to openly and sincerely share his feelings as well. I'm so grateful for all that Aaron is learning and experiencing in the church's Primary program. It is awesome! His testimony is growing, even at this young age, and I know he knows of the love that his Heavenly Father and Jesus have for him. It is never too early to help our children develop faith! I'm so glad that we have open communication and that he feels comfortable asking questions. Questions, of course, are how we learn and grow. I'm so glad Aaron knows that there is someone bigger watching over him who loves him and cares about him. He knows he can always pray to his Heavenly Father and that He will always listen, and this is such a blessing. I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest thing we can ever teach our children -- for them to know that God loves them and is always there for them! What a great evening!

Happy Birthday, Granty!

This is Grant when he first woke up this morning. If only we could all look this cute first thing in the a.m.! :)

I decided I would write "birthday" letters to each of our children on their birthdays. They can collect these when they eventually leave home (yes, they will leave home) ;) and have a bundle of letters to take with them filled with memories and milestones.

Dear Grant, one of my sons and best friends,

You are 3! When you were born we had no idea how wonderful you would be. You are such a fun, light-hearted, sweet-spirited little boy. You bring us SO much joy! You love playing with Aaron, your best friend. You are fiercely loyal to him and will always defend him and take his side. :) I think you two will always be best friends. You enjoy reading books (and often want to take over and do the "reading") and love playing cowboys with Aaron. You want to do whatever he is doing. You love your cousin baby Max and often want to hold him. You love to eat. It is hard to keep up with your appetite! You particularly like fruits and vegetables, which is probably why you are so strong! You seem to have a strong, solid build, and people often make comments about this. :) You love strawberries, blueberries, yogurt, oh, and ice cream! You are a natural at sports. You instinctively know to dribble the soccer ball and to keep it pretty close to you. We are signing you and Aaron up for soccer for your birthday. I think you will really enjoy this.

You say very good prayers. Once a babysitter told me that you prayed before you went to bed. She said you went on and on and on as you prayed, but she said you were so sincere. This really touched me, and I think it touched her too. You love Jesus and Heavenly Father, and you know they love you too. Once when sitting in church, you told Daddy, "Jesus loves me." Oh how wise you are! :)

I can always count on you to make me smile. You give the sweetest hugs and will often hug for a long period of time. You love seeing Daddy when he comes home. You say the funniest things. A few weeks ago you and Aaron were up before I was. When I walked into the kitchen, you said, "Mom's awake! Da, da, da!" Yesterday after waking up from your nap, you emerged from your room and exclaimed, "Cock-a-doodle-do!" You are constantly keeping up smiling and laughing.

You talk very well. People often comment on how well you speak. We think it's probably from hearing your big brother speak a mile a minute! :) You have really enjoyed going to preschool. You seem very bright. We were at the playground the other day and you identified a hummingbird and named it without any coaxing. You seem to remember well the things that you learn. We feel so blessed that you are so healthy and happy. We hope you always know of our great love for you and of the immense joy that you bring to our family. You are such a special little boy. We can't imagine our lives without you! We love you! Happy birthday, Grant! Here's to a great year.

Love,
Mom

Living Room: Complete!

Our new couch.

Aaron and Grant in front of our TV with white mantle beneath.

Our new chair.

Side table.

Photo gallery of sorts. :)

The kitchen is the heart of the home, as the saying goes, but the living room is a close second. It's in the living room that we hold Family Home Evenings, watch TV together, read together, laugh together, visit with friends, and generally "take a load off." We finally acquired enough furniture to "complete" this room. Turns out we bought the same Ashley furniture that my sister has -- who knew! It's pretty comfy; I can see why they bought it, too!

Happy Mother's Day

We want to thank our amazing moms for all they sacrificed to rear us, to care for us, to teach us, to guide us, and to help us. Because of you, we have a great family with two amazing little boys who bring us an enormous amount of happiness. Thank you for your sacrifices!! We hope you can look back and consider them not as sacrifices, but as investments. Thank you Mom and Dianne for your great examples of immense love and selflessness.

Happy Mother's Day to our moms, and to all the moms out there who give and love so freely. You are awesome!