Happy Birthday Kaleb

Today my oldest is fourteen years old! Yikes! Fourteen...

I love this guy.

My teenager.

He's a pretty cool guy.

He loves music, and has, from a very young age, been able to pick an instrument and learn to play it with very little effort.

He is passionate about life for the unborn. Few things hurt him more than the thought of millions of babies dying at the hands of those who should be protecting them.

He is also my politic buddy. We listen to some good talk radio together, and get all worked up together, and come back to the realization that God is sovereign together, every time.

He cracks me up because he thinks he's funny :)

He likes to cook and does a pretty good job at it too.

As our oldest he has been our guinea pig so to speak. We royally mess up with him everyday...then pray that God would just keep him somewhat safe from serious emotional damage from our parenting. Seriously he puts up with so much from me, and he is always ready to forgive.

He is also a very giving guy. Take today for example...he offered to babysit, gave Richard and I two tickets to a benefit concert He really wanted to attend, and some cash for dinner. A total night out for me and my beloved all on him. What fourteen year old does that? He has done things like this time and time again. Honestly, he was my life saver after we got back from Uganda. It was nearly two months before I felt well again, and he helped do so much around here during that time. When my dad died, he did the same thing. I am so grateful to the Lord for giving me such a loving and compassionate son. I pray the Lord has favor on Him and blesses him abundantly, all the days of his life.

Kaleb we love you so much. We are proud to be your parents. Continue to pursue the Lord with steadfastness. Hold on to your convictions. Love abundantly and give freely, because Christ has loved you with an everlasting love and freely given you all things. Live for his glory son, truly nothing else matters.

PS A piano????

Today Was A Good Day

Full of laughs...

A couple of weeks ago Kaleb called in and commented on a local talk show, and won a pair of tickets to a concert that benefits the orphans of the tsunami. We headed out to San Antonio to pick them up today.

Thanks to Richard's father's day present, I figured I could nail this trip, on my own, with out the hubby. I should have known there would be problems when I punched the address into the GPS and it offered me a totally different location. I figured it was close enough. Sweet little Samantha (that's the GPS voices name) totally led us off track, due to road construction, then got all mad like it was my fault!!! I've never heard "recomputing" sound so harsh.

We arrived at the radio station, 45 minutes later than we should have, thanks to Samantha.

I was irritated.

I think the kids were waiting with bated breath to see if I was going to loose it.

I just kept telling them not to speak.

Anyway, so we get to station and not only do we get our concert tickets, but all sorts of other free goodies. Cd's, movies, books it was really quite a treat. Then I got to speak at length to our local talk show "celebrity" about adoption. He and his wife need to adopt...and I'm not just saying that in the way I think everyone needs to adopt...they really do. Then we got a tour of the radio station.

Once we got on the road again, I was not about to put our fate in the hands of Sam once more. I determined to find my own way to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.

I made another wrong turn.

Got stuck in traffic for another 30 minutes.

Again, I informed the children it would be in their best interest not to speak.

As William screams from the far back seat, "Moooooommmmmy, I saw a Chick-the-Lay right back there. Moooooommmmy, the Chick-The-Lay."

There were no less then 9000 people in the Chick-Fil-A when we arrived...all of them had 12 unruly and loud children with them.

I informed the children it would be best if they just didn't speak.

They laughed.

Then we went to Wal-Mart. My highly intelligent, home educated son, had to go to the bathroom. He was taking an unusual amount of time, so I sent his brother in after him. He came out to inform me, his brother was not in the bathroom. Panic just about set in, but then I saw him....coming out of the women's restroom.

I nearly collapsed from laughter.

Later I asked him if he wondered why there were no urinals.

He said yes.

A Day Late

For my sweet Ugandan Princess,

Happy 4th birthday!

This girl is such a blessing to our family. She literally lights up the room when she walks in, with her big bright smile. She is loving, super affectionate, and extremely silly. A year ago, we were in Uganda, and I barley knew her. She has been through so much in the last 12 months, and she has proven herself to be extremely resilient. No matter what, it seems she is always looking on the bright side of things...she gets that from her daddy. Over the last year she has grown and blossomed in to a little girl who adores her siblings, and her daddy and mommy. She is always desires reconciliation when she has been naughty, it is in fact the only time she is not smiling and cheerful...when she knows that she has done wrong and there is separation between us. I love her dearly, and cannot fathom my life with out her. Though she has only been with us one year, it is hard to remember our family with out her. My only regret is that we missed her first three years. We are so thankful to our gracious Lord that HE chose us to be her parents. I pray she knows Him and loves Him all the days of her life, and that Richard and I will set an example for her of bringing our God glory all the days of our lives.

Happy Birthday Peanut! Daddy and Mommy love you!

A Post For Carol

I lack patience.