Elias turned 12 last week. Wow do Caleb and I feel old! The thing he wanted most for his birthday is a .243 hunting rifle. We were unable to purchase a gun in Idaho because we're not residents here so we owe him one as soon as we get back to Texas. Turning twelve is monumental on it's own but in addition he was also ordained a Deacon on Sunday. It took a little work to get all the proper documentation to have him ordained outside of our home ward but thanks to a great Bishop in TX and great Branch President here in ID it all went smoothly. The Branch President wanted us to do it before church started so that Elias would be able to help support their small group of young men pass the Sacrament. We thought that sounded like a great idea. So 5 min. before church started Elias went up to sit on the front row and asked what he needed to do. He was basically told, "your isle is that one" and that was it. I have to say he did great with basically no instruction. I guess he actually has been paying attention to how things are done. I'm sure in a couple weeks when we get back to Houston he'll get a thorough instruction session. In RS meeting the lesson yesterday was ironically on the Priesthood. The teacher was an awesome lady who in looks and mannerisms reminded me of Kathy Bates. She made a comment that for some years now she's been a widow and not had the Priesthood in her home. She said that there is a marked difference from the time when the Priesthood was there and when it wasn't. It occurred to me that as Caleb travels (which is frequently) our family has missed that presence in our home as well. I'm so excited that we'll now have Elias as a Priesthood holder to fill in for Caleb when he's gone. It won't be long before Isaac is right there too. We're so proud of Elias and the decisions he's been making. It's sad to think that he's 12 now and we really only have 6 more years with him before he'll be off on a mission and then to college. Guess we better make the best of these next few years!
