Double Digit Brigham!

Today is Brigham's birthday but since it falls on a Sunday this year, we decided to celebrate it on Saturday.  This birthday was very obvious to me just how much he is growing up.  He has the beginnings of the making of the mind of a young teenager.  First, he asked for things that were "cool" this year.  Second, he did not want any younger kids there.  Third, he didn't freak out with excitement with the gifts that he got.  He decided to play it cool which makes me giggle a little.  Fourth, he didn't want a theme for a party and wanted a normal cake (Daddy's favorite cake to be exact.)

But before we had cake, we opened up all his gifts. 

Brigham asked us for a leather jacket and a cross necklace.  The leather jacket made me laugh inside a little remembering when leather jackets were "in" when I was growing up.  When I asked him why he wanted a cross necklace he said, "Because it's cool!"  I laugh at a lot of things but I didn't find this funny.  Mormons are not known for wearing crosses because we focus on the suffering Christ endured in the Garden of Gethsemane, not the cross.  But that is not why it bothered me.  I have come to the understanding now that if a Mormon wants to wear a cross, so be it...as long as it reminds them of Christ.  We are known to wear CTR (choose the right) rings because it helps us to remember to make wise choices.  So as long as some type of symbol reminds you to be a better person, I say go for it.  But don't take a sacred symbol and turn it into something that is more about style.

Brigham and I had a conversation on this subject and it was one of those times that you walk away, as a parent, and know you did something that taught your child a lasting way of thinking.  I knew he understood and I was proud of him for still wanting it even though I told him he had to think of it differently if I was going to get him one.

 Brigham got a lot of Minecraft things thanks to MeMaw, Poppy, Uncle Chuck, Nanny, Poppy, and some of his friends.  You can't see his face but I love this picture because you can see the "awe" in some of the other kid's face when they saw him open up a Steve character.

Brigham had 7 friends over and it made me smile as I was reminded just how LOUD boys are when they are all together.  Oh, and very rowdy!  But David took them all to Nickle Cade, without all the little ones that were over at our house, and they were able to get out a lot of energy there.  So it all turned out great and I could tell that my 10 year old had a great time :)