Turning 12 is a big deal

Spencer turned 12 on Sunday - Mother's Day! I loved sharing my special day with him. It reminded me of when he was born (8 days late!), the day before Mothers Day; Dave brought me flowers, and I got my first ever Mothers Day card from the hospital food service with my breakfast. This year we had 3 days of celebrating. To kick things off, he got to play paintball with Dave and a bunch of guys from church Saturday morning. Super fun for them! Then he requested Dungeness crabs for his birthday dinner, and we had those Saturday night.

My family LOVES crabs. It must be that Maryland blood in them. 

They tell me Dungeness crabs aren't quite the same as Maryland blue crabs (I'm allergic, so I wouldn't know), but they smother them with Old Bay and have a bit of a feeding frenzy. They're really big - about 2 lbs each. Just 2 crabs filled everyone up, and we even had some left over.  I also made BBQ chicken. 

The claws are always lots of fun to play with.

  

That's one big shell! They wanted to keep it, but I told them it would stink up their room.

I enjoyed a lovely Mothers Day brunch with all the ladies at church. Then Sunday night Dave grilled steaks and made the most perfect apple crisp ever. We gave Spencer a Nook (it costs twice as much as we were willing to spend, so he owes us 6 weeks of free babysitting), and the boys are all really enjoying it. And I love my new camera bag and See's chocolate! Monday morning I bought donuts for Spencer's birthday breakfast (see what I mean about spreading the celebration out over 3 days?), and then we got together with family that night and had a combined party for Spencer and Christopher, who turned 18 - another big year. I made Spencer a funfetti cake with raspberry filling and marshmallow frosting - his favorite. Have I ever mentioned how much I love pictures of smoke?

Spencer has been looking forward to this particular birthday for a long time. He received the Aaronic priesthood on Sunday, and he will pass the sacrament this week. I couldn't ask for a better Mothers Day gift than that! We have been blessed in so many ways by having a priesthood holder in our home, and now we get to have two. He will start attending church youth activities, scout camp, and temple trips. He is also excited to go SCUBA diving. I don't know if/when that will happen, but apparently he's now old enough. Twelve is a really big birthday!

From Mormon.org: What is the priesthood?

The priesthood is the authority to act in God’s name. The same priesthood authority that existed in the original Church established by Jesus Christ exists in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. The Church is directed and led through this authority.

All male members of the Church who are prepared receive the priesthood in order to help lead the Church and serve Heavenly Father’s children. A man with the priesthood might serve in some of the following ways:

• Leading congregations of the Church
• Performing the ordinances of the Church, such as baptism
• Blessing those who are sick

God expects those who hold this sacred priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ and serve with love, gentleness, and kindness.