T-W-E-N-T-Y! 20!?

Yes, you read that right, on September 5th, my oldest turned 20 year old. 

I'm not going to lie. It seems surreal to have a 20 year old, but I'm so glad that I do.

I love this guy (or do I have to call him a man now???). He's super smart, he has the biggest heart, and he has a pretty sweet stache!

20 candles may not be enough to have the fire department on speed dial, but apparently they can be a bit challenging to blow out.

You can watch the video HERE (https://youtu.be/qBgF3gUsOKI)

Long or Short?

Wordless Wednesday:

Nativity 2015

HAPPY 2016!

May this be a happy, healthy, and blessed year for you and yours.

We haven't acted out the Nativity for years.

Clint and I decided this is a yearly Christmas tradition we'd like for our family to have.

We feel it is important to center our Christmas on the Savior and His birth. Hopefully this year will be the beginning of many nativity plays to come.

MEET THE CAST:

(Note: each child chose their own part)

Mary- #2

Joseph- #4

Baby Jesus- #6

Angel- #5

Shepherd- #3

Wise Man- #1

Narrator- Clint

Photographer- Rachael

Luke 2

1. And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should betaxed.

3. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and theglory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David aSaviour, which is Christ the Lord.

 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

Matthew 2

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Secret Santas

A few years ago we started this Secret Santa tradition.  Each of our children draw a name.  Throughout the month, they do secret acts of service for that person.  They also give a small gift to that person. We exchange the Secret Santa gifts during our Christmas Eve festivities.

This year we started with the youngest to oldest giving their Secret Santa gift to the person they drew.

#6 --> #2

#5 --> #1

#4 --> #6

#3 --> #5

#2 --> #4

#1 --> #3

Christmas Day in the Morning

Wordless Wednesday

New Car!!!

It was a really good day last Friday! 

After driving a rental car, fighting with the insurance company, and having to share a car with #2 & #3, #1 was finally able to buy himself a new car! 

Okay, it's not "new -new", but it's new to him.  It is a newer model than his previous car, and it cost him less money!  SCORE!

He spend most of  Friday night detailing it from head to toe, and making it his own.

We're so happy for him!  He works hard, and totally deserves it.

Friday night was also our high school's homecoming game.  We played my dad's al mater, the Wasps, and lost! 

Nineteen

Over the weekend we celebrated #1's birthday.  He turned nineteen years old, and I'm still in shock.

Where did my baby boy go?

I love celebrating birthdays.  I always try to spend the day focusing on that person, what I love about them, what they add to our family, and how I've become better by having them in my life.

 This guy has taught me a lot!  Being the first born, he has been the guinea pig.  He's helped me to learn how to be a good mother.  He's also taught me patience, the importance of having trust, and what it means to unconditionally love someone.  I am and always will be forever grateful God trusts me enough to be his mother. 

 We usually do birthday parties around dinner time but this year due to #1's work schedule we ended up partying over an early lunch.  We had his favorite dinner - pork chops, rice, and broccoli (except I ran out of broccoli and forgot to buy some at the store so we had peas).

For his cake, he requested the same thing he has for the last 4 years - a BTS Cake.

 There were practical gifts, edible gifts, and one big gift. . . .

 a computer monitor to go with the new PC he's been saving up for and just bought himself.

Happy Birthday #1.

Guardian Angel

Late last Wednesday night, as we approached the crest of the hill by our house, the one that looks down on the entire valley below, we could see emergency lights - police cars, ambulances, firetrucks, etc- a lot of them, just down the street.  

My heart sunk, and began beating irregularly as I thought of #1 who would have been on his way home from work.

At that very moment as the what I call "mom-panic" was setting in, I receive a text, from #1.

"I've been in a wreck"-

My mind screams at once, What? No! This isn't happening.  Where are you?  Are you hurt?  Is anyone else hurt?  Was it your fault?

I think because he knew my mama-heart couldn't handle it, and because we had two little sleepy girls in the back, Clint dropped us off at home, and he and #2 and #3 went down to investigate the flashing lights below - and yes they belonged to #1.

 While they were gone, I was a nervous wreck.  Luckily I had two kids there with their own cell phone.  I was texting them both- Is #1 okay?  Is anyone hurt?  What happened?  What can you see?  How bad is it? etc etc

Unfortunately, Clint had told them to stay in the car, and they couldn't see or hear much.

 Finally close to 1 am, 1.5 hours later, my baby boy walked through the door.  It was the best feeling ever! 

 Here's what happened:  The car you see in this photo was stopped at a stop sign facing west.  The red truck was stopped at the stop sign facing east. #1 was headed south about 40 miles per hour, up the hill to our house with no stop sign.  The car pulled out right in front of  #1.  He hit his brakes, and in the split seconds before impact, knew he needed to swerve hard or he would t-bone right into the girl sitting in the passenger seat. He swerved fast enough, and hit her on the back right. (You can see this in the photo above)

His car ricocheted off the car and crashed into a brick fence.  The girls flew into the truck.

The amazing part - no one was seriously hurt.

5 days later, #1 is extremely sore (all his airbags went off).  He tore the soft tissues in his neck and spine, which he is and will for quite some time be seeing a doctor for. But there was no blood, no broken bones, no concussions. . . It was a miracle.

After sending a photo to my mom, her response was, "#1 had a guardian angel with him for sure!"

After the panic and stress has settled, and I've spent time reflecting on this traumatic event, I know that she is right. He did have a Guardian Angel there protecting him, and helping him maneuver his car so he so no one was hurt. This accident was in Divine hands, God's hands. 

Celebrate Summer

Summer vacation has gone by way too fast!  We've been having so much fun, I've hardly had time to blog it all.  What have we been up?

 Last week Clint dusted off his cowboy boots and extra large belt buckle and took #2 and #4 to the Rodeo.  They all had a boot-scootin', rip-roarin' good time.

 We've also gone to a baseball game or two.

Apparently, selfies are a must at baseball games (basically selfies are a must for these two anywhere)!

 So are photos with the team mascot.

We also had Clint cousin, Samantha and her fiance stay with us for a few days.  They're getting married in September.  And yes, I made sure there was no hanky-panky going on.

wink wink

One nice sunny hot day, we took them up to the local reservoir to work on their wedding tans.  As soon as we arrived, the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up.  We were only there for 20 minutes.  It was awesome!  Oh well. . . 

 We've also done some car repairs (when I say we here, I really mean #1).  He super mega talented when it comes to fixing stuff. If you ever need something fixed, he's the man!

 We've also spent a lot of time reading on the sleeping porch/patio (whatever you want to call it).

(When I say we this time, I really mean we.)

 We've also spent most Wednesday at the library where they play a movie, and serve popcorn, all for Fah-Weeee.  Yep, our library is the bomb-diggity!  

We've also sought refuge in the bathroom for an hour when a huge thunder storm rolled in during one of Clint's games.  They eventually ended up canceling the game.

And last but not least, this summer recap would not be complete without me mentioning that we've also shucked a lot of corn (when I say we here, I mean #6.  We took a vote, and crowned her the family's official corn-husker).