These cute boys were born while I was in my junior year in high school. It was quite a rarity for someone my age to have infant aged siblings but, I enjoyed it. I absolutely love that I was old enough to enjoy so many first events of these little ones lives. I was on a date the night that Dayn was born. I was sitting with Dalton in the front yard when he took his first steps. I fed them baby food and bottles, carved their pumpkins, assembled their "Santa" toys on Christmas Eve, took them on walks in their little double stroller. Daynon was Kelton's age when I graduated from high school. Dalton was only 4 1/2 when I left to go on my mission. Those cute little guys were only 8 when I got married. Now, they were walking across a stage to get their diplomas and move on with their lives.
The boys have worked very hard to get where they are. They are both very intelligent and talented. They are both master pianists and can play nearly anything that you put in front of them. They both are athletic and were avid soccer players until they had injuries in junior high school. They both decided to forgo the usual high school, leave their friends, and go to an alternative high school that offered both a high school diploma and an associates degree in college. They both graduated with honors and received tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships for their academic work at this high school.
Dayn ended up skipping eigth grade so that he could finish high school with his brother. After not being fully satisfied with his ACT score, he retook the test and raised his test score 11 points with the second test. That is unheard of. That pushed him up to the level of not only having the pick of any university that he wanted but, also in the ring for scholarships.Dalton graduated valedictorian of the small high school with an unheard of cumulative 4.0 GPA in both the high school and college classes. He got a 35 on the ACT and only missed a 36 by one question. He has received a full ride scholarship to BYU.
Although the boys have their own separate circles of friends, they are each other's best friends. They share nearly everything and would stand next to and defend the other no matter what life would throw at them. I remember once while playing soccer, Dalton was hit and hurt. Daynon went and stood by his brother's side until the ref called the foul and then helped his brother off the field. They are extremely loyal to each other and are always concerned for the other's welfare.
So, for me, watching these two make that triumphant walk across that stage to receive that diploma cover was a bitter sweet moment indeed. I am so proud of these boys and all that they have accomplished yet, I am not quite ready to admit that they have grown up.
I look back to when I was their age, freshly graduated from high school and the world was my oyster, the thrill of new college experiences, open possibilities everywhere and it seems like it was just yesterday, not 16 years ago. I think for the first time, in a long time, I wished that I could go back and relive those years again.
As we left their graduation, I turned to my dad and told him that I was having such a hard time letting them go. I wasn't ready for them to grow up and move on. I felt as though they were my own children that were wearing those caps and gowns. My dad, ever wise, put his arm around my shoulder and told me that I had more influence on who they have become than I would ever know. However, I think that the opposite is more true. Those cute boys, have helped me become such a better person, friend and mother. I will forever be grateful that I became a much older sister to two fantastic young men.
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment