Once again I’ve been trying to get here all stinkin’ week! Life is just going so fast…..
Anyway, this last week was another mile-stepping stone for my little family of three. My baby turned 12! I am now mom to a 15 yr old & 12 yr old – they are in 9th & 7th grade….how crazy is that?!
My heart aches at how quickly the last 12 years have gone by. I am such a different person now than I was then. The least of which is the obvious – I am now 12 yrs older 😀 … funny how instead I feel as if I’m 12 years younger. I am thankful for this because it is ONLY by the Grace of God and Him working in me that I can so fully & honestly say, I feel & think of myself as younger and I believe that is okay.
On to the birthday — it started with breakfast and Christine getting to open gifts first thing in mom & dad’s living room.
Here are some pictures of the day: My view while finishing my coffee & Christine opened gifts. This is sitting on my mom’s couch ~ the peonies & daisies are from the front porch.
Vince & dad got Christine a 22 for her birthday. She shot a couple weekends ago for the first time and was quickly hooked. She is a really good shot. :-D! They found the gun at a pawn shop, I guess it was in tough shape. They took it all apart, refinished the wood, cleaned up & oiled it and got it all put back together.
How Vince wrapped the 22 – he rubber banded a bow on :-D:
Then she & I headed out to pick up her birthday cake {yes, I bought both their cakes this year – just absolutely no energy/time to bake a cake and decorate it} and made a quick run into Target to pickup plates & napkins for later in the afternoon. We actually found a pair of jeans & a t-shirt she like and that fit too! Skinny jeans and a “regular-old-t-shirt-but-a-cute-one-meant-for-girls”.
Then we headed to a candidate forum. Both kids were so gracious with the reality of having to share their birthday with events for the campaign. I am going to repeat what I said about Vince and I mean it just as heartedly for Christine… I don’t mean this to sound prideful, but I am so thankful she is such a good kid. I know it is only by the grace of God. I also know that because God gave us freewill it can change at any moment. Christine is thoughtful towards & kind to others. She is also very empathetic, she hurts & feels deeply with others, as much as for herself. She enjoys design, color, texture. She can spend hours listening to stories and creating and drawing clothing fashions. It will be interesting to see what comes of this interest.
We went up to my Matt & Samantha’s after the forum. Christine LOVES ribs, so mom had them all ready & we took everything up the road for a beautiful afternoon and family dinner. When we got up there – Matt was waiting to take Christine, Vince & dad out in the plane to have fun shooting. What a birthday! She got a fly-out, target shooting afternoon – with her OWN 22! {I wasn’t there – I didn’t actually take the below picture, my brother did}
While they were gone flying & shooting – mom, Samantha, Ali & I hung out at the cabin. I took a ton of pictures of sweet Ali. Here she was smelling the flowers for me.
When they came back we ate dinner, had cake, visited, then they went out shooting again. This time just a walk away. At 9:45pm mom & I decided to go find them 9… When we found them, we just had to try it too. {I am shooting the gun I sold my dad a raffle ticket for when I was in high school, uh 20+ years ago!} I haven’t shot a gun for 10+ years, and this made the 2nd time in my life I have shot, yet I actually hit the target! Out of the six shots I shot, I got one bull’s eye & 5 in the two circles next out from the bull’s eye. There was a spinning crow target too, I hit it 2 or 3 times. I don’t remember how many I shot, but if there were more, they totally missed the target. I have to say, I was impressed with myself & my kids were proud of me. 😀
“I am still hanging onto the following verses. I have emphasized for what they mean to me. I am so comforted to know He already has a plan for each of us – and that plan is for our best. Also, that He listens when we call on Him and pray. And – the best. He promises when we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call upon meand come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13″
I am so very, very thankful He has it ALL in control!
{side note: I LOVE that for her 12th birthday she got a 22, clothes, dangly earrings, backpack, notebooks & an obnoxious pen. So wanting to spend time with her brother, uncle & grandpa; yet, still so girl.}