Turning into a Young Man...

This is how we started our morning... on the FOOTBALL FIELD where else?

Today my little boy turned 12! I can hardly believe it! It seems this is a birthday we have been talking about for a long time now. We have always talked about when Zach would turn 12 and receive the priesthood. I always wondered what our lives would be like at the time...

So, here we are today! This is it!

Right now Zach is at the priesthood session with his dad, Halle is asleep (which is amazing) and the kids are playing night games outside with the neighbors (I can hear them yelling and laughing outside the window) and I have been thinking alot about this boy of mine. He is such a good kid, I just love being with him! I just wish he was home more! :) His days consist of school, homework, physical therapy, and football practice almost every night! And I think we may be crazy but he just tried out for a 6th grade basketball team that is playing in 3 different leagues during the week and he MADE it!!! But that's just what we do at this house, we move on from one sport to another! :) No really, Zach LOVES it and he wouldn't have it any other way! I know we have to have a happy medium somewhere, and I know that Zach can get overwhelmed if he has too much going on at once, we just really need to be careful. Usually MY happy medium and Morgan's happy medium are 2 different things though. I will have to say though, that I would much rather have him busy playing sports, than getting into trouble cuz he was bored or had too much time on his hands.

And this is how the day ended...

Zach finally got to go to the Priesthood session of General Conference tonight, for the 1st time

ON his birthday! Zach's birthday always falls on the weekend of General Conference. So, this is something he has been looking forward to for a long time! He was so excited to go with his dad tonight! We got him this new suit for his birthday, he was so excited to wear it! He will be getting ordained in a couple of weeks and be able to pass the sacrament at church!

I remember the weekend we brought him home from the hospital it was Conference and it was so neat to have this healthy newborn baby in our tiny little one bedroom apartment and be able to listen to conference and just hang out and hold our new little one who was the first to make me a mommy! Oh, we were new at parenting, and he was so patient with us! (Still is)

I love this candid picture of Zach, this is how you see him MOST of the time! He always has a smile on his face! Oh, he looks so old...

Z hangin out with a few of his friends!

Every year on the kids birthdays we let them choose their "special" place to go eat. Zach chose Tepanaki! Yummy! A place we all love to eat at! Well, Halle didn't love it so much!

My happy boy!

I was going through some old pictures of Zach from when he was little. Well, when he was LITTLE was before we had digital camera's. So all of his pictures are in books. I was so good about getting them developed and putting them right in a book! He would love looking at them, I miss that with my other kids, cuz now days all our pictures are just on the computer, I rarely even print them out anymore! :(

This is a picture of Zach in the 1st grade, they had COWBOY day at his school, this was all we could come up with! He looks more like a farmer to me! Ha ha!

This is Zach on the first day of pre-school. He went for 2 months while we were living in St. George and then we moved to Phoenix and I never put him back in there. He was my only one to go to pre school, if that even counts! I think I just thought he HAD to go, cuz that's what everyone else was doing... silly mom!

When Z was in kindergarten and 1st grade (and a little bit of 2nd) he wrestled! I thought it was cute when he was little, but it was so stressful for me when he was out on the mat! I didn't like it! Luckily he injured his back and we had to take a break from it and just never put him back in!

I will never forget when Zach was in the 2nd grade and ALMOST broke his nose!!! Yes, he was playing catch with his dad in the backyard and was going to catch a pop fly and missed! It got really swollen and bruised, but healed up fine! He just had a REALLY fat lip for a long time!

I know he will kill me for posting this picture, but I think it is so cute! When he was little he loved to sit on the toilet backwards! Well, I guess he sat a little too long this time and actually fell asleep! It must have taken him awhile to get it out! ha ha!

These were our family pics in '05 the year Boston was born! I loved this one of he and his sister walking and holding hands! :)

The boys! Zach was so happy to get a baby brother!

Zach swimming with the dolphins at Sea World

July '05

I had fun going through these old pics of him tonight! Me and my sister were talking today about the happy kid Zach was and still is! There is really no one else like him! He was the most vibrant happy baby ever! He is so fun to be around! I just love this kid!

So, Happy Birthday to you bud! You are growing into a Young man, and I can hardly stand it! I'm going to enjoy every step of the way!

12 things I love about my 12 year old...

1. his smile

2. his laugh

3. his kind heart

4. his enthusiasm for sports

5. his enthusiasm for reading (NOT)

6. his willingness to help (when Morgan's not around, he is always so sweet to help me do things, like getting my door, pushing the cart, carrying in the groceries, carrying my bags so I can hold Halle, I don't even have to ask... he is such a gentleman!

Every morning when I take the kids to school I love to watch Zach as he walks into the school, he ALWAYS holds the door open for whoever is going in, (a teacher, a mom, a student) it is so sweet!

6. he loves to stay up and talk at night

7. his innocence

8. his smelly self after football

9. his love for food! ( just like his mama)

10. his love for music... and ability to sing the words to a song after only hearing it a couple of times!

11. his love for his family

12. for wanting to choose the right and be a good example to his friends

I am so proud to be your mom Zach! I love you!