Update on Elijah

 Dear Elijah, 

Wow my boy! How you have grown this year. I love you so much and you keep teaching me ALL THE TIME. 

• One of your favorite things this year was being in Fiddler On The Roof from January-July this year, with practices and performances. You loved going and your favorite person in the play was "Drew". He was one of the bigger boys and you loved him and was always around him. He was so patient with you as you jumped all over him and treated him as a jungle gym. 
• You started piano lessons this year! you are getting really good already. You have loved Tauna, which I knew you would because she is amazing. I'm so grateful for her and that she can handle so many different personalities of kids. 
• You are in the EPIC Children's choir and you LOVE, LOVE being part of that choir so much. You are practicing your Christmas songs right now all the time and you did the same in the spring time as well!
• You are in Parkour Classes at Stoic Parkour and it's your favorite thing ever. You love learning the tricks and it's perfect for your energy type. 
• You broke your wrist earlier this year in March! First broken bone for our kids and it was your wrist from jumping off the trampoline. We had to have you get casted, but luckily no surgery! We were very blessed to not have to worry about that. 
• You are constantly teaching me so much. I have been reading with you for a LONG TIME and I was worried that we needed to get you checked out because you were refusing to take time to read. But a few months ago when we were doing family scripture study at night we asked you to read and you said that you would! And then your proceeded to read every word of the verse perfectly! I couldn't believe it. It goes right along with how your personality has handled a lot of things. You have to know you can do it well before you will try at all. Reading has been like that for you. You still fight me when I want you to read to me, but you will read with us at scripture time at night and so far that is good enough for you and hence - needs to be good enough for me too!
• You are still trying to write better and better. You have work ahead of you, but you want it to look right and so you fight me writing until you can do it right. You have a lot of perfection expectations of yourself and it will take some maturity to wrap your thoughts and abilities around it. 
• You are amazing at math! You have zoomed ahead with your math studies and you on the level of a 10 year old (according to the program that we use). Math is definitely a strong suite for you. 
• You have been REALLY good with the dogs that we have been dog sitting. You are very aware of taking them for walks and making sure they are okay. I have loved seeing that inside of you, that softness of heart. 
• You have made a really good friend this year, Misha Vrajich. He is a kindred spirit to you! You guys get a long so well and I'm SO grateful for it. He is a good kid and you have been a blessing for each other. 
• You got baptized this year! It was the Saturday right after your birthday. Papa, Dani and Alan, Krista and Al all came down for it, then of course you had friends and the family that is close that came to it as well. You asked Alan and Papa to give the talks and Gabe and Talia were the witnesses to your baptism. It was a beautiful day for you! I feel like you are starting to wrap your heart around the Holy Ghost and what He can do for you in your life. It will obviously take a life time to really understand it, but you are getting there!
• I pray for you every night that you will always love the gospel of Jesus Christ and you will be a valiant defender of truth. I know that you will be. You are amazing at standing up for what you believe in. You teach me about courage all the time. I love how strong and compassionate you are all at the same time. You have a lot to do in this world!

I love you my handsome boy. 

Love, Your Mom