Payton & Nick give talks in church...

Payton was asked to speak in sacrament meeting today. His topic was Joshua 24: 15 "Choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." He prepared this talk, with a little bit of help, yesterday. He told about his experience at Bishop Box's house and even got a little emotional. I know he was a bit nervous, but he stood up with confidence and had the audience laughing and then teary-eyed as he spoke from his heart. He did great! I am so grateful that he has had several spiritual experiences and that he truly knows what he is feeling.

Nick also was asked to give a talk in Primary. His topic was "Jesus was Resurrected and I can be Resurrected too". He talked about going to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights and the Visitor's Center. He talked about the huge statue of Christ and he brought our little statue from home to show. I am so proud of him. He was excited to give the talk and did a great job.

Nick chooses his profession...

Our most serious child has already decided (at age 8) what he wants to be when he grows up. After school one day last week Nick came home and said, "Well, I know what I'm going to be. I am going to be President of the United States." I stopped what I was doing and said, "Really?" He proceeded to tell me how he wants to do good things for our country and make new laws. He then said, "I will probably need you and Dad to help me, if you are still alive." We looked at a big puzzle we have of the country and after he realized how big the country really is he decided he would be Governor of the state of Utah instead.

Since then, we have given him the nickname "Gov".

Thankgoodness for good friends!

I am grateful every day for the great friends that Payton and Jantsen have. Payton has grown so much spiritually in the last year. A lot of that is because of the good friends he has in Hummer and Karson. I'm so grateful for the influence of the Framptons and especially Luke. Payton has watched him prepare for his mission and felt the power of the Spirit, last Sunday, as he bore his testimony. He has also watched Karson's older brother, Kameron, as he prepared for his mission and he hears about his experiences in Chile.

It is amazing to me to see the change in Payton as we have moved to the 9th ward. He goes to Young Men's without me even saying a word. He gave the priesthood lesson two Sundays ago. Greg helped him prepare. He stood up and taught with no hesitation. He was engaging and knew what he was doing. He and Hummer volunteered to go to Bishop Box's house tonight and teach him a lesson in "Preach My Gospel". I can see the confidence he is gaining that just wasn't there in the 7th ward. I believe this is mostly due to Hummer. I worried about moving to the 9th ward for several reasons. But I know that this is definitely where we are supposed to be.

This has been a hard year for Payton. He has learned a lot about himself and about other people. He and his two friends have really been through the "refiner's fire" and I can tell they are definitely better for it.

I am so proud of Payton. He has such a good heart. One example of this was when he broke up with a girl. He was pretty emotional and said, "I told myself I'd never make a girl cry." He told me that in one of President Monson's priesthood talks he had told the men they should never make a woman cry. He took that to heart and it was upsetting to him to think he had done that.

I am honored to be his mother and consider him one of my closest friends. I love him dearly. I love Hummer and Karson and consider them my own.

I feel much the same about Jantsen and his friends. We have been so lucky to have such good boys as friends to our boys. Jantsen has always been one to do what is right. He is such a thinker, especially when reading scriptures and talking about the Gospel. His closest friends are Seth Mortensen, Josh Elison and Scott Averett. Great boys and great families! He is so mature and talented in anything he tries. His favorite teacher, Miss Roach, told me that Jantsen is a "silent leader". She brags about her class, saying they all get along so well, they all listen well and ask deep questions. She said, "The class is this way mostly because of Jantsen". That really touched me and says so much about him.

The move to the 9th ward has probably been the hardest on him. He left lots of friends in the 7th ward. However, he has not complained once. He goes every week without a word and is excited to become a deacon. He is positive and makes the best out of hard situations. He is quick witted and has a great sense of humor. He has lots of self confidence in a humble way. He makes me look good as a mother. I love him dearly.