Dear Keaton,
Today you turned 13 years old. It has been an "emo" day for me for a few reasons. One of which is you are now a teenager and I know that in the not so far away future you are not going to like me as much as you used to. Now, I realize that this is normal, and that it is part of growing up & separation from your parents-but son, it's still hard. Part of the reason is that you are such an awesome kid. I mean, if you were a snot & a crappy little stink it would be so much easier. But you're not. You are a pleasure be around. You are a joy to parent. A really good, sweet boy.
Let me tell you a few things about you & why I feel the way I do about you.
You were born on the most gorgeous day...I know I've told you this but truly, it was one of the top 5 days of my life. Your birth was so easy, without one ounce of pain, and with so much joy & happiness attached I thought I could have been in heaven.
The first few months of your life were sort of a blur to me but I have photos of you & I together so I know I was there. I do remember the amount of clothing you had. All boy. Without a stitch of girliness or pink to be found. I think dad picked out 90% of them. Here you are posing with some sports equipment. Boy, were you a cutie pie. And you could hit a home run at 3 months. What a bonus.
This photo always cracks us up. One reason is for that preppy outfit you had on. This is partly because of our "Ivy League College Aspirations" for you. And partly because mom loved the Baby Gap. Oh yes, much of dads hard earned money went there. The other reason we love this photo is that it shows your personality. Mr. Serious was not going to smile for NOBODY. Not even the Kiddie Kandids lady with the Elmo puppet, dust tickler, squeaky toy, red ball, green ball, football, whistle. Nope.
You were a good-natured baby but you had one thing on your mind. GO GO GO! You were the quickest thing ever. Pretty skinny & the fastest crawler I had ever seen. So fast even, we took you to the Utah County Baby Crawl-off where you beat 20 other kids by a mile. You won us some free diapers & groceries & tickets to the Jazz game to crawl during halftime where upon the starting bell you spotted the Jazz Bear dancing around the floor & you had no interest in crawling to dad holding a bouncy ball. Dang Jazz Bear.
You learned to talk very well-probably because Lindsay & Hannah never shut -up. They would make you repeat the things you said the cutest-like, snowman, snake, "Bisneyland", but really the words you said the most were dad & ball. You were very much a boy-such a contrast between two barbie-princess loving sisters-you wanted nothing to do with their crap & spent hours playing with cars, trucks & trains, balls & more balls.
On our drives running errands or bussing the girls around we would locate construction vehicles and you would name them. You learned them through a couple of your favorite books. Your ever expanding vocabulary included: backhoe, erf ekscfator,(earth excavator), cement/dump, semi-truck, frontloader.
You have always been adored by two older sisters. Even though you are spread out in age-you have had a close friendship. Moms love that. And coordinating outfits.
Here you are on your first day of preschool. So excited. The second day not so much. You realized it was alot of sitting still and listening but you did like some of it. The question here is: how did those shorts stay up?
at age 3 & 4 you wanted all your stuff to be blue. You loved wearing hats & boots & had a tool belt that was on you constantly. The highlight of your days was when dad came home. You would follow him around the rest of the night, helping him & being his little buddy. That was sweet. I Loved it.
This long letter wouldn't be complete without an entry about Batman. You are about 4 in this photo and on your 6th batman costume. You loved it. Practically everyday you would put it on and play superheroes. You especially liked to do this with your friend Tyler. I totally supported the creative & imaginative play-except the times you tried to jump from high places. Not so supportive of Emergency Room visits.
Disclaimer: guard is on the pink, bic razor. Settle down. I did not let my 5 year old really shave.
This next picture reminds me of that feeling of knowing you have such a handsome boy and that he may have girl trouble in his future. Sigh. What a heartbreaker.
You have been one of my favorite photo-shoot subjects over the past 13 years. Thanks for that.
Our hearts swell & eyes beam with the kind of boy you are. Honest, hard-working, FUN, smart.
love, love, love to watch you play soccer. You truly have a ton of athletic ability. You can play ANYTHING! You also run like the wind, baby! Here you are calling to your teammates. You are a terrific team player.
Emma is so lucky & blessed to have a big brother like you. Thank you for the example you set for her & others. You are protective, playful & sweet towards her.
This photo always cracks us up. One reason is for that preppy outfit you had on. This is partly because of our "Ivy League College Aspirations" for you. And partly because mom loved the Baby Gap. Oh yes, much of dads hard earned money went there. The other reason we love this photo is that it shows your personality. Mr. Serious was not going to smile for NOBODY. Not even the Kiddie Kandids lady with the Elmo puppet, dust tickler, squeaky toy, red ball, green ball, football, whistle. Nope.You were a good-natured baby but you had one thing on your mind. GO GO GO! You were the quickest thing ever. Pretty skinny & the fastest crawler I had ever seen. So fast even, we took you to the Utah County Baby Crawl-off where you beat 20 other kids by a mile. You won us some free diapers & groceries & tickets to the Jazz game to crawl during halftime where upon the starting bell you spotted the Jazz Bear dancing around the floor & you had no interest in crawling to dad holding a bouncy ball. Dang Jazz Bear.
You learned to talk very well-probably because Lindsay & Hannah never shut -up. They would make you repeat the things you said the cutest-like, snowman, snake, "Bisneyland", but really the words you said the most were dad & ball. You were very much a boy-such a contrast between two barbie-princess loving sisters-you wanted nothing to do with their crap & spent hours playing with cars, trucks & trains, balls & more balls.
On our drives running errands or bussing the girls around we would locate construction vehicles and you would name them. You learned them through a couple of your favorite books. Your ever expanding vocabulary included: backhoe, erf ekscfator,(earth excavator), cement/dump, semi-truck, frontloader.You have always been adored by two older sisters. Even though you are spread out in age-you have had a close friendship. Moms love that. And coordinating outfits.
Here you are on your first day of preschool. So excited. The second day not so much. You realized it was alot of sitting still and listening but you did like some of it. The question here is: how did those shorts stay up?
at age 3 & 4 you wanted all your stuff to be blue. You loved wearing hats & boots & had a tool belt that was on you constantly. The highlight of your days was when dad came home. You would follow him around the rest of the night, helping him & being his little buddy. That was sweet. I Loved it.
This long letter wouldn't be complete without an entry about Batman. You are about 4 in this photo and on your 6th batman costume. You loved it. Practically everyday you would put it on and play superheroes. You especially liked to do this with your friend Tyler. I totally supported the creative & imaginative play-except the times you tried to jump from high places. Not so supportive of Emergency Room visits.
Disclaimer: guard is on the pink, bic razor. Settle down. I did not let my 5 year old really shave.
This next picture reminds me of that feeling of knowing you have such a handsome boy and that he may have girl trouble in his future. Sigh. What a heartbreaker.
You have been one of my favorite photo-shoot subjects over the past 13 years. Thanks for that.
In addition to you being smart, cute & agile the characteristic that I love & appreciate is that of kindness. You have always just had that nature towards people. It is very much like your dad & I'm sure glad you inherited that from him.
Kindess is underated sometimes in life son, but it will not go unnoticed forever. I tell all 4 of you kids that it's great to be cute but being kind is more important.
Our hearts swell & eyes beam with the kind of boy you are. Honest, hard-working, FUN, smart.Lots of good stuff. At age 11 you love to read & skateboard & play basketball & build stuff.
You also love to go camping & fishing & would do that everyday if you could.
love, love, love to watch you play soccer. You truly have a ton of athletic ability. You can play ANYTHING! You also run like the wind, baby! Here you are calling to your teammates. You are a terrific team player.
Emma is so lucky & blessed to have a big brother like you. Thank you for the example you set for her & others. You are protective, playful & sweet towards her. On your Priesthood Ordination day I loved how you took it so seriously & tried to understand everything that was expected of you. You have great faith & a strong testimony. You have a heart that wants to serve others & welcome them into the fold. These things will help you become ready to serve a mission in 6 short years. What a great opportunity for you & what a blessing to the church. You have all my support in that & I hope to be a mom that can help you be ready for that.
You have so many, many gifts & talents, Keats. I have loved watching you use those for good as you have grown. You have learned to be a good, loyal friend. You have learned to serve your family & ward. You are learning personal responsibility at school & to be self-sufficient.
You are an avid-outdoorsman & are a great Boy Scout.
You are such a bright spot in my day. Almost always cheerful with a great attitude & with that great smile. You are still so cute. When I look at you I can't help but think of the sweet baby & cute little boy you were & see the handsome & talented & spiritual young man that you are today.
Happy Birthday Son, you are one of most incredible people I have ever met. How in the world do you suppose I got lucky enough to get you for a son? I thank my Heavenly Father daily for you. Love you.
Love,
Mom
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