It's Great To Be Eight!!!

I for one cannot believe I am old enough to have an 8 year-old! Seriously, it is just mind-boggling to think that my baby boy is 8! In celebration of his special day, he had a few requests. He wanted to have dinner at Los Hermanos, including the ice cream they give out for birthdays.

Lindsey enjoyed the ice cream as well.

Then, he wanted us to all go bowling at BYU game center.

Check out Mr. Studly waiting for his ball!

He gives the ball a hurl . . .
. . . watches its progress . . .

. . . a little nervous anticipation . . .

OOOOH!!! Not what he had hoped for!

Bradley gives it a try, with the handy little ramp they have for kids.

Even Lindsey bowls a few frames . . .

. . . and gets a congratulatory hug from Bradley!

Ah, the presents . . . every birthday's highlight. Nathaniel was pretty happy to get an awesome new set of scriptures and a sweet case.
And of course he was double-thrilled with his new Zelda video game.


That is one handsome boy. I'm so proud of him, so proud to be the mother of such a special Spirit child of Heavenly Father. He amazes me every day, and has since he was born. He is so good and so genuine, not to mention smart, thoughtful, and loving. When I grow up, I want to be just like my son.

Cub Scout Olympics

So, Nathaniel turned 8 just in time for the Cub Scout Olympics. He had a fantastic time and participated with the other boys in various competitions. Here are a few highlights.

Check him out getting set up for the softball throw. That is MY kid -- he's got his mother's arm!
Getting ready for the 50 yard dash.
He is pretty darn fast, I have to say.
Standing long jump!

He's got some pretty good air, there!

At the end of the day, he was pretty happy. He had a lot of fun, thanks to the great leaders who put together an awesome activity. He's really excited about being a Cub Scout.

Baptism Day

Wow. All I can say is wow. I have been to many baptisms over the years, and all have been spirit-filled and amazing, but none have compared to the one we experienced together as a family. Nathaniel was baptized on June 2, and it was a truly special experience. I knew going in that it would be wonderful, but I was not prepared for the overwhelming Spirit I felt as I watched my own little boy, dressed in spotless white, enter the waters of baptism with his father. Just witnessing him taking this first step on the path to his own salvation was such a reaffirmation of the fact that he is God's son, with eternal potential. The Spirit testifed to me just how much my Heavenly Father loves this boy, and it increased my love for him, which I never even knew was possible. I am so grateful for this experience and pray it will be a special memory for Nathaniel throughout his life. All dressed in white.
After the baptism, with dad.


Lindsey says, "MY Daddy."
My wonderful angels. How I love them!!!
A very happy young man. I'm so proud of you, Nathaniel!

GRRRR...

Ok, I got these two posts backwards; did them in the wrong order. Now I can't figure out how to swap them without deleting and starting over. So, you know what I'm trying to say....

Nathaniel was playing with the 3rd and 4th graders this year, so all the kids on his team were 2 or 3 years older, and most were much bigger. It was his first year of a game that actually looked like soccer and not just like a pack of kids chasing a ball around in a herd.


It wasn't until, unfortunately, his last game of the season that we discovered he seems to be a natural goalie. He asked the coach to put him in, and he amazed everyone! Unlike several others before him who just basically watched the ball hit the net, Nathaniel dove on the ball and made many fantastic stops. Of course I'm biased, but the kid is good! He really enjoyed it too; it boosted his self-confidence like crazy! He ended up keeping the other team to just 2 goals, and his team won 3-2. The boys were thrilled -- it may have been the only win of the season for them.


Check out my cool gloves!!!


All alone in that big goal!


Diving for another save! What a cutie!



I love my soccer guys!

The Near Post

How we love soccer season! Nathaniel is playing for his 4th time, I think, and Bradley for his first. It was too adorable to see my little Scootie out there running around after the ball! Although we missed more than half of their games while we were in Georgia, they still had a great time playing, and we had fun watching!

Check out Bradley with his teammates -- those girls are dwarfing him, the little guy!


He was especially good at throwing the ball in bounds. And of course, the real thrill of soccer -- the post-game treats!!!

Home Again

Thought I'd share some of my favorite photos of Adam . . .

Hello friends. Well, we are back from Georgia. I wanted to update you guys and to thank you so, so much for all your kind words and prayers. We have truly been sustained in this incredibly difficult time by our friends and ward members. I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love from our ward and from the wards of Mel and Adam, Adam's brothers, and my mom's ward in GA. It has been inspiring to watch the Gospel in action, to witness others truly bearing our burdens and mourning with us. I could never express how much it has meant to our family.

We got back to Provo last night. The flight was fine, though the kids were a little restless. It was nice to be able to visit our loved ones back home, especially amidst the beauty of the springtime. Adam was buried in Augusta, Georgia; the ceremony was very nice. It was presided over by Elder Stephen D. Posey of the Seventy, who is our former Stake President and a great friend of both our families. He's also a funeral home director there and spoke at the service.

I'm not sure how many of you already know this, but Adam's dad was stationed at Ft. Gordon, GA many years ago -- twice actually. Once they were in the Harlem Ward, which is our home ward where we lived before moving here. They also were in the Augusta Ward, which is the ward Chris and I both belonged to for many years when we were younger. There have been so many amazing connections we have discovered -- one was finding out that Chris' mom babysat Adam when he was a baby. Chris would have been 10 or so, and very likely helped his mom with Adam's care. It is no wonder they are such great friends. Bishop Cox, Adam's dad, served in the bishopric in Harlem and was over Young Women; he was a powerful influence over many of my friends who grew up in that ward, and he was very likely a chaperone at many dances we attended as youth. (Poor guy.) So many people have been affected by Adam's death; everyone who ever knew him seems to have loved him deeply. He's just one of those people you love automatically.

My sister is doing as well as can be expected, I guess. As you might expect, she is in a bit of a daze still. Even I find myself thinking I am going to wake up at any time and find this was just a very long nightmare. Now is when it gets real -- in everyday life. When Melissa has to wake up every morning without him. When they don't come over for dinner and TV almost every night. When I don't hear his characteristic knock on my door and see my sister run to greet him with hugs and kisses. When I don't find him (and Chris) assembling a Bug engine on my kitchen counter. When I don't see him wrestling and playing with my kids on the living room floor.

I'm just so thankful for my testimony of the Gospel. I have learned that when we hear that God will not tempt or try us above that which we can bear that He means that only when we turn to Him for strength. Without that faith and guidance, we couldn't bear this. My sister has faith I only dream about -- she is an amazing example to me. I know that even though this situation is hard, it is God's will and all is right. He will assist us in enduring it if we are faithful.

Thank you all again for everything. Jessica, I have to single you out as the orchestrator of so many blessings for us. Thank you for being a fantastic Relief Society President and a wonderful friend.

Please Pray for Us

Monday, March 19, 2007

Provo man killed in scooter accident

Daily Herald
A Provo man in his early 20s died Sunday after being hit on his motorized scooter Saturday morning near the campus of Brigham Young University.
Police say the driver of a Honda Passport was turning left from University Parkway onto 500 East and didn't see Adam Cox on his scooter traveling in the opposite direction.
"The Passport turned left and the scooter hit the right front tire," said Provo police Officer Hiatt Bean who responded to the accident.
Cox suffered severe head trauma in the collision and was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in critical condition.
Bryant Larsen, a spokesman for the hospital, confirmed Cox died Sunday from his injuries.
Cox was wearing protective head gear, Bean said, and the Passport driver hadn't been cited pending the outcome of the investigation. He said the Passport driver didn't appear to be negligent in the accident, but that he simply hadn't seen Cox on his scooter.
"It was quite sad," Bean said. "The young man who hit him was quite upset. I mean, how could you not be."
Capt. Mike Harroun of the BYU police department said Cox was married and had been a part-time police dispatcher for the university for two years. This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.

Missing My Grandmother

I am starting to miss home more and more these days. I have always missed it -- don't get me wrong -- but after nearly 6 years in Utah, it is starting to really hit me just how long we have been gone and how much we are missing with regards to our family. Everyone at home has given up on us, I bet, but we are going back at some point. It has just taken a long time for us to figure out what to do with life. And I have no doubt that we were led to move here by the Lord, and He will lead us home when the time is right. Being on our own has been a tremendous blessing for our marriage, and Chris and I have learned to lean on each other much more than we ever did before. It has been a positive experience in so many ways.

Isn't my grandmother a Betty??? I love this picture of her. She is a beautiful person, inside and out! A few days ago she sent me the sweetest email, which made me long for her so much. What an example she is to me of a kind, generous, loving woman. She is the tender matriarch of our family; we all love and respect her beyond measure. Hearing her kind words has me reflecting on all the things I miss about her and about home. I miss my family the most -- my mom, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws! Enough wonderful people to fill my mom's house to overflowing. How I long to hug and kiss them all!

I love this photo of my kids with my granny, taken last summer. It's not compositionally the best -- Nathaniel doesn't look too happy, and the light from the window is not good -- but I love seeing her love my children. They adore her so much. Especially having Lindsey, her little namesake, on her lap, is such a sweet image. I can't wait until she can hold them all again. Those of you back home, take care of each other! Enjoy every minute of every day that you have to be together. I can't wait to be back home again.