My baby's a Deacon!!

In September we celebrated Mike's twelfth birthday. It was a very busy week with a lot of excitement. His birthday was pretty quiet, we opened a few presents, sang to him and he went with me to mutual for the first time. (it was weird to be there and see my son among the youth.)

The next day was his big birthday dinner with family and friends. Kirk ordained him a deacon and we all enjoyed Mike's favorite birthday treat, pumpkin pie. It was a very special evening and we are grateful for everyone that came to support him. Usually the ordination is done on Sunday, but we got permission to do it early so Mike could attend a youth temple trip on Saturday. Both Kirk and I were able to be there for this special experience. It was also temple day for our stake so when Mike was doing baptisms there were several friends looking through the glass with tears in their eyes. Many of them have watched Mike grow up since we moved here. Then on Sunday he passed the sacrament for the first time. It was a very exciting and emotional week for this proud mama. I can't believe how fast my baby is growing up. He'll always be my little man, but each day I can see changes in him that amaze me. He faces a lot in his young life and struggles, but I know he'll be okay.

This was also a big year for Mike because he started middle school! He loves it and it's been a good change for him. It's been fun to see him discover his interests and try to assert more independence. It's been rough because this is a time when kids start to become more independent and Mike is starting to lose some of that independence. He has great teachers and adults that care a great deal about him which has helped so much.

We are discovering some cognitive challenges and are trying to get him help so he can pull up his grades. Boys with Duchenne's can have problems with executive functioning and memory processing and even some ADHD. I found a resource by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy that really opened my eyes. It described Mike and his experiences in school to the t.

It's been a busy fall full of changes and tests and new things for Mike, but he seems to be doing well. He has the reputation among his teachers as the class clown. Funny boy!!

So there you have it! I don't know where the time went and how my kids got so big so fast. I swear I just blinked and they got huge! Crazy, crazy!!! Here are some pics of my little man, who still loves to give his mama hugs thank goodness!!!