We May Not Have It All Together...But Together We Have It All: It's Official

Sunday, November 8, 2009

It's Official

Our family has now officially entered a new stage of life, a stage of complete and total insanity. A stage of off-the-chart emotions. A stage of talking back. A stage of random conversations. A stage of lots of laughter. A stage of "maybe girls don't have cooties". A stage of eyes rolling. A stage of silly games and parties. A stage of "don't give me a hug when anyone can see - that's just not cool."

We have been in this stage for quite some time now, but as of today it is official. As of today, I will no longer have a home free of a teenager for 18 more long years. EIGHTEEN years of teenagers!!!??? Hold on tight...it's going to be a fun ride!
It's official that my "baby boy" is no longer my baby (at least that's what HE thinks! - but I know that he'll always be my baby boy). I'm not handing over the car keys anytime soon!

It's official that having a teenager in my home makes me old, and "old fashioned" (in his words). I remember so well when I turned 13, and my dad called me a "teeny-bop" for the following 7 years. I thought I was so old and wise. And it doesn't seem that long ago in my mind.

It's official that I love Brayden more each day. He really is a lot of fun to have around.

Me holding my sweet baby boy, 13 years ago

When he was about 5 years old

Wrestling the gators in 2005.

That wasn't that long ago - but it's amazing to me to look at this picture and see how much he's changed.

My teeny-bop. What a handsome kid!

6 comments:

Sister Kaylie Victoria Crofts said...: Happy Birthday, Brayden! It's Rachel's birthday today, too! I had forgotten that they share a birthday...one more year till I have a teenager!!; November 8, 2009 at 3:33 PM
Mark and Adrian said...: Happy Birthday Brayden!!! We hope you had a great day.; November 8, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Maria said...: Happy Birthday Brayden!; November 8, 2009 at 9:39 PM
shaley said...: He is a cute kid. Happy birthday to him! I love it. As parents we raise these kids...give everything of ourselves to them...love them...worry about them...and when they get older - we are an embarrassment to them...WHAT???; November 9, 2009 at 9:17 AM
kelli said...: Pretty handsome fellar yu got there! It was pretty crazy, how much he has grown in just he last 5years. He looked so little in the alligator pic!

Happy birthday Brayden!; November 10, 2009 at 7:19 AM
Becky said...: I can't believe that either! He isn't that much older than Jordan so that brings a little stress to my day:) I remember when you guys first moved here, helping him tie his shoes up camping and what a cute little guy he was...that seems like it barely happened!; November 11, 2009 at 10:16 AM

Kute Komments!

Jarin: "I've been waiting all day for Kamden to grow up...when will he grow up like me?"
4-2010

We were driving by a farm which was being fertilized. Jarin sniffs a big sniff and says, "Mmmm...that smells like my strawberry nose" (the strawberry nose was a yummy smelling gas mask from the dentist)!
Jarin: "Is is "fat man or bat man"?
Jarin "My heart is dirty and needs to be cleaned." Then I wash his face, and he says, "My heart is clean!" (He watched me put lipstick on once, and thought my top lips looked like hearts. Now he thinks that lips are hearts). Which makes me wonder what he thinks when he says, "The Holy Ghost makes our heart feel good."
Jarin asked with a great big smile that melts my heart, "Mom, are you being grumpy with me?" (yes, I was - but that started us both laughing instead!)
We were having a family home evening helping Emilie to prepare for baptism. We talked to her about making good choices and right vs. wrong. We were trying to prompt her to give an answer when Ira asked her, "What's opposite of right, (he asked it in the context of right choices), and she answered, "Left." (you should have seen the look Ira and I gave each other - it spoke volumes!)
Same family home evening... we were talking about the Holy Ghost. Jarin (being very tired and very sensitive at the moment anyways), started going balistic on us. Not only did he say he was scared of the Holy Ghost. And not only was he crying because he was scared, but he was SOBBING, and it continued for about an hour (which is when he fell asleep still crying)!! Then first thing out of his mouth when he woke up was that he was scared of the Holy Ghost! We think we are doing the right thing by teaching our children, but really - we have taumatized Jarin! I can only imagine what was going on in his little imagination. Did I mention that FHE finished earlier than planned?
Ira was feeling the baby move at a particularly active time. He said, "Is he moving furniture around in there?" (some days it sure feels like it!)
There was a baby being blessed in church Sunday, and Jarin saw the priesthood men in a circle, and loudly proclaims "Look mom, their playing ring around the rosies!"
Emilie asked me, "Since our eyes are blue, how come everything doesn't look blue to us?" I explained how we see through the black circle in our eyes. She said, "Then the blue is just for decoration?"
Jarin walks around the house constantly saying, and singing "I am a Child of God, and He has sent me here." And when anyones voices get too loud, he sings, "Love at home... Love at home..." I'm not sure he even knows the meaning of what he's singing, but it stops the contention and usually starts a few giggles.
Ira was talking about leap year, and Emilie asked, "What is leap year? Is it when we leap to school?"
Ira asked Emilie if you put plastic wrap or foil over a pan going in the oven. She said tinfoil. Ira said "Good thinking Emilie." She responded by saying, "No, I didn't think...my teacher told me." (thank goodness for teachers, so we don't have to think!)
Jarin asked me if he could have something, and I had told him no. He responded by asking again, then answering his own question as if he were me, "Of course you can sweetheart." (it's no wonder he gets whatever he wants - how cute is that?)
In church today, a half a second before the sacrament prayer was being said, (so it was very quiet in the room), Jarin observed that his dad was sitting on the stand, and calls out in his loudest voice, "That's my daddy up there!"
Brayden said, "I've learned to never mess with a pregnant person."
Today I told Jarin he was a sweetHEART, and he said, "No, I have a beautiful HEART, and mommy is beautiful too." (a comment like that, he can have whatever he wants!)
This one was said a year or so ago, but it was one of the best we've had ever - so it bears repeating! Emilie said to mom, "Someday I am going to marry my prince, just like you married your prince."
Jarin said, "We don't say 'monkey butt' do we?"
Jarin see's a bumble bee and says, "It's a bum-bum bee".
Emilie singing, "Loose, footloose, kick off my church shoes."

Hmmmmm...

I copied this from my sisters blog, but it's just too perfectly perfect to not be reminded of as often as possible!

Hmmmm....
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today!'So she did, and she had a wonderful day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.'H-M-M,' she said, 'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today!'So she did and she had a grand day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail.'So she did and she had a fun, fun day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.'YEA!' she exclaimed, 'I don't have to fix my hair today!'Attitude is everything. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

INSPIRATION

"A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation." Joseph Smith

"The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone. The things you do for others remain as your legacy."

"Fix it up...wear it out... make due...or do without!" - Gordon B Hinckley

"In righteousness there is great simplicity" - William R. Bradford

"The most important thing parents can do for their children is to teach them to feel The Spirit and recognize when it is no longer with them."

Elder M. Russell Ballard: "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children...What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

The adversary would keep us busily engaged in a multitude of trivial things in an effort to keep us distracted from the few vital things that make all the difference."-Ardeth G. Kapp