Benjamin's 16th Birthday - November 8, 2014

Our dear Benjamin is already 16 years old.  I can't believe it!  He such an amazing man!  He is humble, yet confident.  He is a peacemaker, a friend maker, a backpacker, and big snacker.  He is so respectful, thoughtful, and kind.  He is such a good example of service, leadership, and faith.  He is smart, active, and tough.  He really understands people and loves them.  I look at him and see true greatness.  He is the same kind of man as Captain Moroni, Nephi, President Hinckley, and King Benjamin.  We are so blessed to have Benjamin in our family!!!  The world is blessed to have him here at this time.  Heavenly Father has a lot he needs Benjamin to accomplish; you can just see it!  I love him so much!!!

Benjamin, we love and trust you so much!!!  We, your parents, are inspired by your tremendous example and encouraged by your respect, understanding, and love.  You know we aren't perfect, yet you humbly obey and respect us.  We want to be better, much better because of you.  Thank you!!!  We love you!!!

Our dog Brook died on Benjamin's 16th birthday.  She chased a buck across a sharp fence post and sliced her hide and muscle wide open about 10 inches.  The vet said it would take multiple surgeries, thousands of dollars, and she might die anyway.  So we decided to put her down.  She was a sweet dog.  She was so good to all the kids.  We will all miss her.  We enjoyed taking her running in the mountains.  She loved that, especially if there were deer to chase and ponds to swim in.  She didn't have a mean bone in her body.   We were blessed to have such a sweet dog, even if she was a drool machine.  Heavenly Father sent just the right dog for our family.  But now things are just a bit more simple and that's good for now.  Luckily Benjamin was not that close to Brook, so it didn't totally ruin his day.  But several of the kids took it pretty hard.  They were dear friends with Brook.