Happy 14th Birthday, Liam!

This is my new 14 year old. He's clever, charming, witty to a fault, and agile as they come! I've been in love with Liam since before he was born. He is that baby that was happy and fun. He was the pre schooler that craved any kind of puzzle or brain teaser. He was the elementary kid with THE most energy and spunk. And now he's a star middle schooler that is well known for all the good and bad reasons. He loves life. He loves making people laugh. He loves pushing my buttons. He's a joy above all and making goals for the future man he wants to be. Happy birthday to my lacrosse star, my gamer, friend maker, and the most electric person I know!!!!

Happy 13th Birthday, Liam!

Dear Son,

Thursday you turned the big 1-3!  I drove down to where your dad lives to surprise you with gifts, balloons, and a breakfast of powdered donuts at 7am.  Things have been rough between us the past few months, so when you came bounding down the stairs and the smile of surprise showed up on your face, I beamed.  You hugged me so tight and grinned so cute when I informed you about your nutritious meal I had for you.  You opened your gifts and gave me more hugs.  I then left to face a commute and another work day.

3pm rolled around and you wouldn't believe it... but you called me!  You called me using your phone that you only use on your friends lately and told me you had a really fun day!  I was so happy to hear your happy voice and hear about your day full of friends making you feel special throughout the school day.  You've become so popular with the whole middle school in only a couple months!  That big smart brain and super quick wit has gotten you in a lot of trouble this school year, but golly has it bought you a lot of fans.  It's something to behold.

Dad sent me a photo of the gift we all pitched in to buy you.  A dirt bike - your own motorcycle essentially and you were so amazed!  The photo shows the pride in your eyes that you get to fix that bike up with your dad and have that time with him.  Plus just plain delight that you get to drive a machine like that at your age!  So awesome for you!  You guys are going to have so much fun!  You are one lucky kid to have a dad that does really manly cool things with you like this, boating, golfing, camping, and all the tough chores and fixing upping around the house.  It's fortunate he involves you so much and loves you so much more!

My mom called me to say she got to talk to you on your birthday too and she loved every second of the conversation.  Thanks for loving her and letting her chat a bit even though that's not your thing.

Last night we did our own celebrating together!  I picked you and your friends up to go out to the Tepanyaki Grill to watch our food catch fire in front of us.  Your girlfriend, Sam, screamed when the fire would go and you were so amused at her reactions throughout the night.  After dinner, we went to Provo Beach to play on the Flow Rider.  Your new buddy, Travis, was cute as he watched you enjoy your evening on the water.  You taught both him and Sam how to get on and surf, but they let you take over most of the time because they saw you are a natural and loved watching you balance and play. You all were cute together.  I loved when Sam would lose her balance and you guys just ran to her to help in any way you could and ensure she wasn't hurt.  Such gentlemen.

On the way back, the back seat laughs were darling.  I am so glad you have good friends that really care about you and you care about them in return.  You all are so grown up!

Today we have just been hanging out, you and me.  I love watching our shows on TV and laughing our heads off together.  We rewind things a lot so we can laugh again!  We did our daily trampoline jumping tonight and laughed a lot then too.  You make life funny and interesting and never ever dull.  I am glad you are here.  I miss you when you are gone.  I love you with all I have, kid.  It's been a rough year, but I think the next year will be a more bonding one for us.  We still have a ton more to learn... about everything... but more importantly about communicating together.

Thanks for being you.

All my love,
Mom

Liam's Talk Today

Good morning, Brothers and Sisters.  

My name is Liam Peterson and my mom is Gina.  We moved into the ward in January and have really liked being in the ward with so many nice people, and we really like being close to the canyon.  A little about us:  We like to go on hikes, we play with friends, and also we read together each night before going to sleep.  We have been reading scriptures, but afterward we enjoy reading books about boys my age and their pet dogs. We just finished reading Old Yeller and laughed so much during the adventures in that story.

We were asked to speak about the sacrament and renewing our baptismal covenants today.  I like thinking about my baptism and how close I felt to the Spirit that day.  My dad baptized me and gave me the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I have been taking the sacrament my whole life, but after my baptism it definitely meant more to me each Sunday.

After Jesus was resurrected, He appeared to the Nephites in America and taught them about the Gospel. While He was there, He taught the people how to prepare and partake of the sacrament.

Jesus broke the bread, blessed it, and commanded that the disciples who were with Him partake of it. He said, “And this shall ye always observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread and blessed it and given it unto you.

In 3 Nephi 18:6-7 is says, “And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.”

The Savior also blessed the wine and commanded the disciples to drink it. When they drank it, Jesus said, “And this shall ye always do to those who repent and are baptized in my name; and ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.”

Jesus Christ taught the disciples that when they partook of the sacrament, they were renewing their baptismal covenants to always remember the Savior, to take His name upon them, and to keep His commandments.

Fast forward to today.  Here at church this morning we partook the sacrament ordinance that Jesus taught about back then. It is important for us to remember that each Sunday we have the privilege to renew our promises and to think about Jesus Christ while the sacrament is being blessed and passed. Because we are given this special opportunity, we should show Heavenly Father our gratitude by being reverent.

I am thankful that we can come to the chapel every Sunday and take the sacrament bread and water.  I have a testimony that it represents Jesus Christ’s body and blood. I pray with my mom every morning and every night that I can remember Him and make good choices at school or wherever I am.  I challenge each of you to pray for this too.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Happy 11th, My Darling Boy!

Happy 11 years to him. Happy 11 years to me. He made me a thing I always wanted to be. A mom. He arrived here at only 6 lbs which I took as an added blessing for him to be small in my arms a bit longer than the norm. My real life dolly. The hard parts have been real, but the good parts supersede and magnify my joys in motherhood. His every success is my daily prayer. His confidence in himself is my eternal goal as I raise him. 

He is a blessed boy. I know our Heavenly Father has legions of angels watching and protecting him from the womb to now ... a handful of them are on this side helping him along. I thank the Lord for these special players in his life. I owe them everything.

So proud of my boy!

This darling child called me today while he was spending time with his dad and other loved ones. That alone brightened my day. He then went on to tell me 3 awesome things among other sweet details! 1. He's in a play at school and invited me to come see it in a couple weeks! 2. He told me how much he likes his mainstream class and how comfortable he is now. He fits in, is making a lot of new friends, and feels happy with himself! 3. He told me he's been staying out of trouble on the bus this week because he's reading the book I gave him Monday morning. He's excited for the second book and wants ME to read the first one to get on the same page with him! He is a dreamy little dude. I needed that conversation today!

A lotta love

I love this boy with my whole heart and my whole soul. He teaches me in ways I never thought were possible and with big stuff I never thought I needed. He and I refine ourselves bit by bit and grow closer together as time goes on. As a mother, I'm reminded regularly how spiritually immature I am... which is humbling and essential so I aim higher. May the Lord bless all you parents as you strive to raise your babies with love and understanding (with them and yourselves). They are ours to impress upon for only a short time.

Liam's 10th Birthday

 He had a great day!  It was a beautiful Sunday!

 

One Year

Exactly a year ago these young sweet kiddos met each other for the first time.  They have each come a long way to calling each other siblings and showing true concern and kindness towards one another. I am so grateful for darling children who enrich my life and help me grow right along with them!

Jenna, Liam, and Ben at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City, Utah

Color Me Rad 5k Fun Run

We had so much fun this morning running and walking and playing in the colors!  Liam is the best sport and I sure love spending time with him!!!!

Before & After

I took the day off work

I feel so fortunate to have been able to walk Liam though one of our beautiful temples today and explain the special and sacred things we can do there. His favorite room was the Celestial room... mine too. The Spirit was felt so strongly. I am so grateful for these kind of experiences with my Liam. — at Payson Utah Temple.

He's just so darling...

As Liam and I were walking downstairs for breakfast this morning he said, "I had a fun weekend!"  And I said, "Really?  What was fun?"  He said, "Yesterday."  "Are you telling me you had fun scooping leaves and pine needles?"  "Yeah, I guess I am!"  (Today was our yard waste pick up day and we didn't get to that task Saturday... Liam and I kicked butt at dusk trying to get everything we could to the curb.  Was so proud of him for helping me so much - and proclaiming his love for me all weekend too.  He melts me.)

--I posted the above to Facebook this morning.  The entire weekend was pretty dreamy.  The kids were great Thursday night when Liam got back to us and then Friday we all went to see Cinderella at the Megaplex (in our haste to make/eat dinner prior, I managed to slice the tip of my finger off - which was an adventure to say the least, but I got some sympathy from the kids so that was nice).  After the movie we got Coldstone ice cream!  Saturday was a lazy morning watching Indiana Jones then I took the boys to a Lego event and Tadge took Jenna on a date to Red Lobster and Justice for Girls.  We all got back to the house around the same time and hung out the rest of the day.  Got a lot done on our list of things to do before Tadge left town Sunday morning.  Sunday morning we rushed to get Tadge to the airport then I rushed to get the kids to church. Church was a success and everyone came home with a great attitude and Ben especially seemed gratified with his attendance which isn't the usual since the last hour of church is not his favorite.  I took Ben and Jenna to their mom's and all three were so cute and nice in the back seat... which isn't the norm.  I complimented them all.  It's so great to see them jive and not compete with each other.  I told Liam on the way home that I was needing a nap badly and he asked nicely if we could build a fire and roast marshmallows.  I said yes, but I'd be taking a nap afterward.  He was excited!  We managed to build a fire in the rain and roast a few mallows.  It was fun to be with him and work together.  He even went and got me a drink of water while I roasted a mallow for him so it was perfectly brown and melty in the middle!  We cleaned up our mess and went upstairs together.  He said it was time for my nap now!  So cute.  I laid there for awhile and yelled to him (in his bedroom) that I couldn't fall asleep.  He came in and adjusted my window blinds to darken the room and suggested a melatonin.  I laughed.  He was so sweet and thoughtful!  When I woke up we made popcorn and watched some TV as he built a fort out of couch cushions.  Then I got the gumption to finally go do some yard work since the city clean up day was this morning and all material that goes to the dump needed to be put out to the curb... and we had no time for that work on Saturday.  We worked together to rake, scoop, and sweep up leaves and pine needles around the property.  Even got some debris out of the playhouse that has needed attention for years it would seem.  We met the neighbors and talked to them for a bit too.  It was a nice evening of hard work.  When it was time for bed we snuggled and talked for awhile.  He started reciting an older YouTube video that we both loved and made me laugh (Dear Kitten).  He told me he loved me and I'm the best mom... I melted many times the past 5 days in his company.  I love my Liam so very much!  He really is a good little man through and through.--

Terrarium Class

I signed Liam and myself up for a terrarium class this morning! I was totally excited to finally learn this art I've seen on Pinterest for so long and Liam got on board once we arrived and he realized what it was! Totally fun and we'll be making a bigger version next time... maybe a bonsai garden!

— at Cactus and Tropicals.

 

 

Trip with Dad to Yellowstone

4th of July in Indiana

I love watching the fireworks from my parents front yard!  So do the kiddos!

Crayfish trapping with Dad

Making contact with the ball - He did it!

Golfing boy

Mother's Day

The Hunt

Liam's Aunt Alicia would be proud. He really cleaned up in about 45 min of walking around. The perks of living near a golf course, exercise, and free golf balls.

Ski Tricky

Liam's Baptism - Dad's Birthday