JUDE

I want to write down memories of each of the kids. Time is so fleeting and I swear I’ll never forget the little things they do, but I do forget! It’s quite heartbreaking, actually. I am thankful for videos and I have been taking videos, but I have not been journaling hardly anything. So here I am going to record things I want to remember about each of my boys.

Jude- Jude is such a loyal, tender-hearted, good little boy. He wants to badly to choose the right. He is a loyal companion to his mama and would follow me anywhere. He takes everything I say to be gospel! I’m so grateful he’s my first-born son. He is tender and nurturing to his younger brothers and a good example. He loves nothing more than sharing tender moments with William and Woodrow when they give him hugs and kisses or they are playing together and laughing. He savors those moments. He has really been enjoying his school lessons. He has learned so much these last few months since we have been doing school consistently and he is enjoying learning. The other day after we finished our lessons, he turned to me and almost looked like he was holding back tears and said “Mom, I love doing school with you. I love you so much. You’re the best.” It made me feel so grateful that we are homeschooling. It has been confirmed to me time and time again that homeschooling is right for us. It has been wonderful to finally be in a place we are consistently doing school and enjoying it for the most part! We love The Good and the Beautiful curriculum. I shudder to even imagine homeschooling without it! He absolutely loves spending time with Dan and gets so sad every morning when Dan leaves for work. Their favorite thing is to go to the bike jumps together and bike around. Jude, Abraham, and Dan are always going on camping and fishing trips together. They’re the best of friends.

Ian Reynolds Photography

Jude loves reading books and listening to books on tape. He is a sponge and has an intently focused look on his face as he absorbs the information and then asks 100 questions. We absolutely loved reading Swiss Family Robinson together. He never wants me to stop reading. If it was up to him we’d read for hours! He has an inventive mind and will surprise me with the smart ideas he comes up with. It is not uncommon that I realize he is getting smarter than me! He is a critical thinker.

He loves nature and frequently thanks Heavenly Father for the trees and the flowers and the pollinators and “our beautiful earth.” He is very obedient. I’ve talked to him about bad pictures and things on the internet that can be harmful to us that we don’t want to look at and he is very conscientious about it. If he sees a picture that makes him feel uncomfortable he will talk away or turn it off. If there is a part in a movie that is scary to him, he will refuse to watch the movie (I’m talking movies like Lion King and The Good Dinosaur!) He is sensitive to the Spirit. He is a very good example of reverence in Primary and is impressively knowledgeable about the Gospel. I wish I had been writing down more details and quotes of things he says and does. He is always making us laugh. Like when he does that new dance move that Dan taught him or his singing.

He learned how to ride his bike so fast and is now on a pretty good-sized bike. He loves riding his bike and exploring nature. His favorite thing to watch (and essentially the only thing he will watch besides a few movies in the car) is “Jonathan Bird’s Blue World” on YouTube.

He is always watching out for his brothers and is very protective of them. He is Abraham’s keeper and is constantly telling me what Abraham is up to (because Abraham is very frequently sneaking or getting into mischief). I can count on Jude to keep an eye on the younger boys and always let me know if something is wrong.

I wrote this down in November of 2017- “While massaging my feet he sang me this song – Oh Mommy, I love you so much. You are so beautiful. I love your face and your nose. I love everything about you except your crossness. That is literally the only thing I don’t like…” (He sang that to me!!!!) While watching the choir sing at Conference (April 2017) he said, “Look at those two girls. They’re so beautiful. Lots of girls are beautiful.”

We were driving in the car and he was just asking a bunch of questions. He asked, “Satan doesn’t have a body, right? Because he didn’t choose the right.” And also, “I wish we knew who Heavenly Father’s father is.” And then Abraham said from the back of the car, “Heavenly Father has night vision.” And Jude said emphatically, “OH YEAH. (Nodding). HE DOES.”

On March 12, 2017, Jude said “Woods bit me and it hurt but I smiled and said thank you because I wanted him to feel happy.”

That just encapsulates the preciousness of this little boy! He is never happier than when he’s with his family doing something outside. Yesterday we were eating dinner outside and he said, “This is my favorite time of the day. It’s just so beautiful out here.” They have a couple girls that are about 13 that babysit for them and whenever I ask him about it he says, “Oh, it was great. They are so cute.”

It has been so wonderful to watch him grow over the years. He used to be really “shy” (which I actually think is completely normal for young children and I don’t like it when people label their kids and say “oh he’s shy” in front of them, like something is wrong with them). Anyway, he used to be “shy” and scared of taking to older people, etc, and he has really grown and I am so very, very proud of the boy that he is.

Ian Reynolds Photography