Nursery pictures and a Primary miracle

The last couple weeks have been a little traumatic for Tyler. Leaving nursery and entering primary was harder on him than I thought it would be. He and Jackson have been in Nursery together for about 6 months, so that was very comfortable for them. I helped in Nursery after we moved here and even after that, I never had any problems with either of them wanting to stay. They loved it and they loved being together!

I scanned in these pictures that Brother Young gave us so that they'd be backed up and I would always have record of them. They gave him his own Book of Mormon with his picture in it, that he loves already.

So here's the story (the long version): The first week of the year, the older kids went to Primary instead of Nursery. Tyler and I sat in Primary for a few minutes and I was delighted he was sitting next to me and I have always loved the primary scene. They did the scripture and prayer where the kid assigned walked all the way up and stood at the podium to speak. Then they invited the Sunbeams to come up and be sung to since they were new. Tyler stood up and walked all the way up to the podium like he was ready to give a talk!! It was so sweet. And even after that he asked me when it was his turn to go up. Well, after about 2 minutes later, he ran out screaming "I wanna go to nursery" and never snapped out of it. Jeff ended up taking him home for the rest of church.
So the next week, I was really worried and hoping that for some reason, he'd be willing to give it another try. I sat with him again, but this time we didn't last half as long. He ran out and we sat on the couches, me hoping and praying that he'd be willing to go to his new class third hour. I just know my Tyler and when he's afraid to do something (or just doesn't want to) there's nothing I can do or say to change that. So a few minutes later, Kari Dunkley (the primary pianist) came over and talked to Tyler. He was shy for a few minutes, but then she hid behind the curtains with him and got down on his level and he let her in and talked to her. Then she said, "Would you like to see where I get to sit in Primary? I get to sit behind the piano. Wanna come with me?" and he said yes!!
So he followed her back to the primary room, sat on the piano bench with her while she played the first couple of songs. I heard him poking at the keys and I realized all the leaders were giving me thumbs up instead of frowning at me for his subtle disturbance. Tyler sat with her for a few minutes and then he sat with the rest of his class. Kari motioned to me to go away :) and I snuck out. I had to teach in Young Women, so all I could do was assume he was doing ok, but after church I walked to his class and he came out grinning with a bag full of handouts, pictures and goodies from his new teacher. He said, "Mom, Primary is fun!" and I couldn't have been happier!

I called Kari after church to thank her for taking the time to talk to Tyler. She told me that Tyler's name kept coming to her mind all week and she meant to stop by but didn't have the time, so she took the opportunity when she saw us at the couches. I knew this was an answer to my prayers! I am so thankful that Kari listened to the promptings and acted on it. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but to me it is another experience that teaches me that our Heavenly Father loves us all so much. That he is aware of our hopes and prayers and worries and concerns. And that he wants us to feel loved- even a little 3 year old who is scared to try something new. I think about how much I love Tyler, and realize that as much as I love him as his mom, God's love for him is even greater. I am thankful for angels in our lives and miracles that make life so sweet and enjoyable!