How is it possible that I have a 12 year old?! Not quite sure, but she is sure growing into an amazing and beautiful young woman. I couldn't be prouder.
This year she has been playing the piano and the violin. She prefers the violin and begs to quit piano, but I told her she couldn't quit until she can sight read the hymns. I hope she keeps it up!
She LOVED playing volleyball until her foot got injured. More about that below. But we are hoping she can start playing again this summer. She is an incredible baker and makes the yummiest cupcakes and treats.
I couldn't ask for her to be a better example for her siblings. They look up to her, and rightly so. She was born looking at things as right or wrong. She was rulesy from a young age and always wanted to choose the right. She has chosen great friends who are kind and respectful (and funny!). Her best friend is Jillian Harris and I'm so glad they have each other!
And she is really getting an opinion about her wardrobe. She loves new clothes and so that's what she received this year for her bday.
(I love the cute card Chloe made her that said Happy 12th Bday!)
For her 12th birthday, we wanted to start a tradition with our kids of taking just the birthday child up to General Conference. We are blessed that Grandma and Grandpa Foster own a condo literally across the street from the conference center and temple. So we flew up to SLC on the night of her birthday. And wouldn't you know it - Grandma had made cupcakes and decorated the place just for her. So cute!
On Friday, we did a little sight seeing and headed over to the This Is The Place monument. Can't believe all the years I lived in UT and had never visited there. It was awe inspiring to reflect on the trek of the pioneers and the joy they must have felt as they arrived in the valley, knowing this was the place they would finally settle.
Grandpa F then (per my request) took us on a little tour of where he grew up in SLC. This is one of the homes he was raised in.
Since we didn't get to take Hayley out ON her birthday, we did her birthday lunch on Friday. She had never been to The Cheesecake Factory so that's the place she picked. Good choice!
While we loved the one on one time with Hayley, my desire for this trip was that she would gain a stronger testimony of the gospel and that she would feel the Spirit this weekend. Friday evening, we went to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and watched the movie "Joseph Smith, The Prophet." Such a great movie depicting the life of the prophet and all of the struggles he went through as he restored the gospel. At the end of it, Hayley said - "Wow! That was really sad." As she watched the trials he experienced, I know she felt the spirit and gained a greater respect for Joseph Smith.
We had tickets for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning sessions of general conference. And all of the sessions were amazing. Two of the things I had prayed about before conference were specifically answered in not just one, but several of the talks that were given. It was such a personal experience and testimony that Heavenly Father answered my prayers through those talks.
What an amazing sight!
She has her temple recommend now and I can't wait to take her to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. I love when our stake YW president said "I don't want to hear the youth say - I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday... They should be going NOW to the temple and doing baptisms." They can go now and feel the spirit and enjoy the blessings of the temple. They don't need to wait until they're going on a mission or getting married.
At some point during the weekend, I came across this quote from President Hinckley and showed it to Hayley.
After she read it, she said, "Can you print that so I can have it in my room?" Be still my heart. What an incredible missionary she will be!!
And here was one of my favorite quotes from Conference:
It was such a special weekend we had together up in Salt Lake. I made her journal it all, and hope she will remember it forever. I hope she never forgets the sweet feelings she felt and that it helped bring her just a little closer to her Savior.
We drove home with Grandma and Grandpa on Monday. Wouldn't you know it - we hit a blizzard going to Jacob's Lake. Who would have thought it was still snowing in April. Crazy! But....if you have to be stranded somewhere for a couple of hours, this is the place. They make the BEST warm cookies straight from the oven. We may have had a few. . .
The Friday after we got home, poor Hayley had to have her foot operated on. She had a bone that stuck out below her ankle, and it needed to be shaved down. They also needed to reattach a tendon. Doctor says she has extra stretchy ligaments and the surgery would help tighten everything up. He also put a position in so that her foot would be straighter.
I felt so badly for her when they put the IV in and she was in a lot of pain. Those darn IV's are the worst! The closer we got to her getting wheeled into surgery, the more teary I got. I hate to see any of my kids in pain, and I wanted to stay by her side the whole time.
She was getting more nervous as we waited. When they wheeled her off, and we had to go back to the waiting room, I needed a few minutes to compose myself. Brent called the waiting room the Parent Recovery room because I was having such a hard time.
Surgery went great and took about an hour. However, the anasthesia made her so sick. As soon as we got home, she proceeded to throw up every little thing that went in her mouth. We needed to get the Vicodin in her, but she was supposed to have food on her stomach. We gave her some anti nausea medication and that seemed to help . . .until Saturday night when she proceeded to throw up. All. Night. Long. Poor thing.
The good news is that after Sunday, she wasn't in any pain. Stopped taking the pain meds. And she even went back to school by Tuesday so she could take her Aims test! So grateful she is having an easy recovery. She'll be in crutches three weeks, and then back in her boot. Hopefully she will be over it all by the time summer comes!
We were so grateful for all of the friends that came by to wish her well. It definitely cheered her up. Lots of balloons, candy and treats. Aunt Marci also brought some tween magazines and she LOVED reading through those to keep her occupied. By Monday she was bored to death and sick of the TV. I think she was excited to actually get back to school!
Sure love my Hayley and count myself lucky every day to be her mom!
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