Firsts

There are so many firsts in a child's life, and today I was able to experience another one in Donovan. Because he is 12 now, it didn't occur to me that he could still experience firsts. My 'duh' moment of the day.

Today, because he is in Young Men's, he wasn't able to go up with the other Primary kids during Sacrament Meeting to sing. So, for the first time since his Primary life, he was able to sit with me and enjoy the other kids' singing. Then, I realized that I had not written about him passing the Sacrament for the first time last week, or going to Young Men's for the first time two weeks ago.

He seems to be getting so old, yet at the same time, he is still experiencing firsts. So, now, the next time I tell him, "You're getting so old, stop growing," I'll realize that in some ways he is still very young, like a baby, experiencing many firsts, and I'm just a young mom still trying to figure him out.

The Big 12

Last Saturday, Donovan turned 12 years old. Where has my baby gone? We had a quiet party, just us, at home, with cake and presents. Then, on Sunday, Donovan was ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood. Now we have two priesthood holders in our home. Unbelievable! I am so pleased with the way that he conducts his life, I could not be happier of the decisions he has made. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

This is Donovan at 1 month old. This is one
of the pictures we took in his blessing outfit.

The famous birthday cake. Devil's Food Cake
with Milk Chocolate frosting. Delicious!

The look on his face is priceless. He was
so excited to be receiving this gift, the Rubik's
Revolution game. He really wanted it. LOL

Another favorite present...a video game!

Sean's Birthday

Today was Sean's 11th birthday. It is so amazing how quickly he has grown up. He's not the tiny baby that he was in the NICU, but now he's becoming a young man, and in a couple years; a teenager. It's a scary thought. :o)

This was when Sean was only 1 day old.

This is today. Isn't he such a handsome,
and cute young man?

Sean loves his Pokemon.

That sure was some good tasting cake.

Christmas

We had a great Christmas!! It wasn't big, we didn't get a ton of presents, but we had a great time being together as family. The kids sure loved the gifts that they did receive though.

Making Cookies

I decided to bake a whole bunch of sugar cookies for our neighbor gifts. They were Santa shaped, and I included frosting and other toppings so that our neighbors could decorate the cookies themselves. After I was done baking all the cookies, Alayna and Matthew decided that they wanted to make their own cookies using the leftover dough. They had so much fun doing this. Their cookies came out really well. They were very tasty.

Christmas Choir

The kids participated in their school's Christmas Choir this year. They practiced every Monday for 6 weeks for an hour and a half. It was a lot of work, and time, but it was so worth it. They performed tonight at the school for many parents.

Santa

Tonight we went to our Ward Christmas Party. It was a lot of fun! There was a ton of food, including a variety of desserts to choose from. While the kids were in line to see Santa, the adults played a game of Bingo. I won a small Care Bear's puzzle. Finally, after much waiting, the kids made it to Santa's lap.