Can you believe he is 17

I often ask myself where the time has gone. Has it really been 17 years since Nick arrived in our family?
Wasn't it just yesterday that he was this little sweet baby?

 Let me tell you the story of  Nick.
I have to back track just a bit to show you how Nick fits into this picture. When Kris and I were first married...I mean the first sacrament meeting we went to as a newly married couple, we sat listening to the opening prayer and the person praying was blessing the little children in the ward. I immediately had the impression that we were not to wait to start our family. I was overwhelmed with that impression and leaned over to Kris and said "I just had the weirdest thought" and I proceeded to tell him what I had felt and with a smile on his face he told me he had felt the same thing. I think we were both in shock and did not know what to think about that. 6 short months later we found out we were expecting Nate. When Nate was 9 months old, I had a very special spiritual experience in which I heard a voice in the middle of the night saying "mommy, I am ready to come to earth" I didn't know what to think of that and remember saying "I don't know who you are, but go back, I am not ready for another baby" This happened 3 nights in a row and I knew this person was a girl, a very strong and valiant girl. When Nate turned 1 I found out I was pregnant. I thought it was the girl who had come to me previously. The night before our 20 wk ultrasound, I dreamed about Nick. I saw a baby with dark hair and the sweetest little smile. I saw him dressed in white. The feeling around him was one of peace. When we went to our ultrasound appt I said to Kris "This baby is not a girl, this is a boy" and I told him of my dream. We then had this confirmed at our dr. appt. We were indeed having a boy.

He arrived 3 weeks early on November 18, 1993. He weighed 8 lb 13 oz. My smallest baby. He arrived at 8:18 am and was perfect. He had dark black hair and was a very peaceful baby.
That would be the word I would use to describe Nick to this day. Peaceful.

And now 17 years later...he is not this little boy, this little baby...anymore. He is a gentle, handsome, smart, genuine, funny, creative young man.

Some of Nick's favorite things are
1. Apple Pie
2. Archeology
3. History
4. Playing Magic (a card game)
5. Reading
And he is way into Mythbusters, Ghost Hunters, History Channel and Scify Channel. So for his b-day we got him a night tour of Alcatraz Island and prison. We also got him a digital voice recorder so he can try his hand at communicating with the ghosts of Alcatraz. We will see what happens.
But let me just say, that as his mom, I think Nick is one of the coolest people I know. He is so good and so good to me. He loves the gospel, he loves the Lord, He is faithful and he is pretty darn amazing!

HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY NICK. WE LOVE YOU

tender mercies

I have been learning much in my life about the tender mercies of the Lord. Tender Mercies as Elder Bednar (quorum of the 12 apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) said are
"the Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits “his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men” (D&C 46:15).
How grateful I am that my Heavenly Father loves me enough that through his son, even Jesus Christ, I can be blessed with very specific, personal blessings and understandings that come with an abundance of peace. I remember a few years ago, when Nathan was in 5th grade. He had a very bad asthma attack, coupled with his vocal cords closing on him that resulted in him being in the hospital on a respirator and in a drug induced coma.  I remember that night knowing that the only thing I could offer up in behalf of my son was my faith. I had no power on my own of healing him, but I could have faith that the priesthood blessing which he was given would come to pass and heal him, I could have faith that his medical team would be inspired to know what was going on with him. I could ask Heavenly Father to let him live, to not take him home yet. As I prayed that night, out in a dark corner of the pediatric intensive care unit, I was blessed with the tender mercy of peace. How grateful I was that night for the powerful feeling of peace. To have comfort given to me immediately and to have the feeling that he would be ok wash over me. I learned about submitting to God's will that night and was grateful that all would be fine.

If you think about the time when the Savior was on the earth he promised his apostles he would not leave them comfortless. He would send a comforter to be with them. I do believe that we need to be in a frame of mind to receive those tender mercies and if we are, how wonderful to know we can feel them. When we lived in Harrisville, utah, we had a neighbor across the street from us. When we had bought our house, many on our street told us NOT to get to know this person.  Well, we became GREAT friends with the neighbor. Her name is Tyanna. She filled me up and I learned so much about compassion and service from her. In the short 2 years we knew each other, I learned much about the love of Christ and how to be Christlike and to be a missionary all the time. When we had known each other about 9 months, Tyanna was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. We thought the treatments were doing the job, but I remember many times listening to priesthood blessings given to her, by my husband. In them, he would bless her with comfort, strength etc, but never could he bless her to be whole, or to get well. During the time of her cancer and treatments, her husband became active again and their family was sealed in the temple. We moved to colorado in the spring that  year and 7 weeks later I got a phone call from Tyanna's daughter telling me her time was short, that she was at home on a morphine drip and that they expected her to pass at any time. I made it back to Utah the day she passed away. I was too late to see her one last time, but was blessed to have dreams about her, that she was OK and that she was happy. For months after I would catch a whif of Tide detergent and downey fabric softener in the most random of places.... at home depot, at a park....at a restaurant...and each time, I would have a thought pass through my mind "I am here, I am SO happy and I am at peace" I knew this was a tender mercy to let me know that she was OK and happy.

In the last few months, I have learned of so many people I know and love, who are struggling in some way or another...inactivity in the gospel, illness, divorce, job loss etc. I know that I could become VERY overwhelmed with all of this "bad news" but another tender mercy has been given to me and that is the ability to comprehend these things and to see the eternal picture. To know that Heavenly Father's hand is guiding us and is in all things.
I am grateful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am blessed daily by this. I am grateful for the knowledge that brings to me and I am grateful to have the only true church as part of my life. Sometimes I want to SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOF TOPS..... with in the gospel is found ALL the teachings and powers and of God. Now it is our job to let those around us know :)
I am blessed to have the friends that I do, who love me despite my MANY short comings. I am blessed to have a husband who supports me, up lifts me and encourages me. I am blessed by have 3 of the most amazing and wonderful children on this planet. I am blessed to feel the tender mercies of God when I need them.