Happy 12th Birthday Will!

Happy Birthday big guy! I cannot believe that you are already 12! Throw a few more boys in the mix and the times just flies by.:) This year is a big year for you. You started 6th grade and moved onto middle school. You have a locker and change classes. That took a few days and a few hiccups to get perfected but you are cruising along now. You really like middle school and your friendships that you are continuing to develop that you began in elementary school. Your best buds are Caleb and Braden. Unfortunately, Braden is moving this Spring, and you are dreading it. He is a very good friend and I am sad to see him go too. You got a cell phone this year just before the start of the new year. It isn't anything fancy but you are super excited regardless. And I didn't realize how much I would enjoy you having a phone but there have been times that it has come in super handy. So, I am praying you stay out of trouble so it doesn't get taken away. We might both be in trouble then:) You and Sam elected not to play soccer this Fall but instead are doing a running club. Sports aren't really what interests you right now so this running club has been a nice compromise for all of us to keep you active. You do love art. You got to choose that as an elective this year. Of course, you are rockin' that class on your grade card! Will, you are an awesome kid. You have a really kind and thoughtful heart. You are sweet and patient with your brothers, and I could not do this mom thing without you! You love Jesus and are learning to really look to him during your times of doubt and worry. You are becoming a wonderful young man right before my eyes. I love you Willboy and am very proud to be your mama!

Happy 9th Birthday Sam!

Well Happy Birthday Sam. Of course, this post is late for your big day but that should be of no surprise. We run late alot these days:) And although this is late, were were on time celebrating you and all your 9 years. We celebrated with a gaming truck party for you and several of your friends. You had a blast with all your buddies! Sam, you are awesome. You are in 3rd grade now, and Ms. Brunner is your teacher. We had a parent-teacher conference this week and she said that she would like to have 22 Sams. She said that you are so sweet and a very hard-worker. She also said that you have a whole lot of friends in class. Really, neither your dad or I were surprised by all the kind things she had to say about you. We could say the exact same things and more. This year instead of playing a sport, you and Will are participating in a running club. You really want to play basketball, even talk of going pro;), but until basketball season starts, you are running. You are also very much into Minecraft. You play it on the x-box, wii, computer, my phone, really any electronic device. That is also what you and Isaac and Mac are dressing up for Halloween. Your bestest friend outside of your brothers is Karl from school. You two have great fun together. You are a fun and likeable kid, and I am sure many people think they are Sam's bestest friend. You are very inclusive and always open to new adventures. You work hard and love even harder. You take guilt very easily. I know that you got that from me. I do always want you to be thoughtful and considerate of others but guilt can be such a drag. I pray you become less inclined to feel guilty and instead just love others and let the rest go. I love you very much and am so proud of the young man you are becoming. You have a contagious laugh and are a great snuggle bug. You freely hug and that is awesome. You are obsessed with our dogs, Pepper and Stitches. You just can't believe how cute they are:) Sam, you are a sweet spirit, you love Jesus, and I am so proud to be your mama! Happy Birthday Sam!

Happy Belated 3rd Birthday Mac!

Happy Birthday Buddy! I am SUPER late in writing this post but frankly, life has been crazy busy. I will attribute most of that crazy to you;) so I hope you understand. Let me begin by saying that you are awesome! You are really a lot of fun. Everything is exciting to you. If I offer to take y'all swimming, you are ready to go. If I ask if you want a snack, you come running. If I buy bread at the store, you are over the moon! You are great and life to you is F-U-N! Because of this "go for it" kind of attitude, you can be challenging. You are always into something. I'm not sure I can really fault you for it though. You see your brothers doing things and you figure out how to do them too. And since there are four of you and one of me, you have some free time to get into some trouble. (You are too smart for your own good.) Last summer you wandered away from your dad at the family reunion at the Red Apple Inn in Heber Springs, AR. It is an older resort with lots of older people. It is a prim and proper kind of establishment. When we found you, you were naked and peeing in the Inn's fountain right in front of their floor to ceiling windows that looked into the breakfast brunch;) I think you left a long lasting impression on the Red Apple Inn and I am not sure we will be allowed back.:) This year you also cut your own hair with dad's clippers. You found them out on the counter and started at the center, front of your head. They were on the shortest setting so we just went ahead and had your head shaved. We were leaving for Disney World the next day and I think some people thought we had brought a child for the Make-A-Wish Foundation:) You love playing outside, no matter the temperature. If I say that it is hot, you say, "No, it not hot. It warm." You love to play all sports but you love just kicking the ball too. Right now, you want people to kick with you but you require that everyone begin with exercise. We probably spend more time "exercising" than playing soccer. And I will say that if anyone were to see what you have us do and the fact that we do it, they would think we were not right;) I think you enjoy seeing what you can make us do. And then laugh on the inside at how ridiculous we look:) Mac, you love to laugh. You smile a lot. You are full of life! Yes, you have moments of frustration and scream but mostly, you are joy. You are beginning to really play with Isaac who has kind of taken you under his wing in the last few months. I think you will be great friends one day very soon. Mostly right now though, you are my buddy. You kind of go everywhere with me. You always wanna go. You think I am amazing. The feeling is mutual;) Many of my errands are twice as challenging because you are my sidekick but they are also always much more interesting. They are always more unpredictable when you come along. Mac, I love you very much. And even though you create quite a bit more work, you are worth it. I love that when I call you dude, you say, "I am not dude. I am Mac, MacArfur, M A C." I treasure our bedtime together when you say, "Goodnight Mom. I wub you." It just melts my heart. I am so thankful that God gave you to me. You make me a better mom and a better person. Thank you for challenging me to be better, smarter, faster, and more open to all the little blessings in life! I love you and Happy Belated Birthday MacArfur:)

Happy 5th Birthday Isaac, a little/lot late!

Happy birthday Ike! You are 5 years-old and boy are you growing up fast. I think having two older brothers that you really think are spectacular is rushing the process. You just want to do and be all they are. Wow! How a year has changed you! Last year at this time you were crying when you had to go to preschool and never wanted to leave my side. You were clingy! Now, you can’t wait to go to school and always walk out with a skip in your step and a smile on your face. That makes me feel sooooo happy! And although you are not super happy when I have to get a sitter or when I leave for anything, you at least make the best of it while I am gone and celebrate when I return. A mom has got to love that:) You are playing soccer again this season. You are the only boy in the family playing this Spring but you don’t seem to mind. You just go out there and do your thing. You are fun to watch. You are also interested in music right now. While the other boys would rather watch a movie in the car, you quite often will choose to listen to music. Your favorite two songs in the car are from the soundtrack to Cars the movie and one from Jars of Clay:). We listen to them over and over as we drive down the road. I am not sure you ever get tired of those songs. You also pick up other songs really quickly. So quite often I will see you playing on your Kindle and singing to yourself some song you heard on the radio or off of tv. You also like to keep the beat with your finger and dance now and again in the car. You might just be our musician of the bunch! You are also so smart. You are learning so much at school but really, the world is your classroom. You say the funniest and really, some very witty things. You are sharp! You are also very honest. You say what you mean and mean what you say. And although some might take offense to the way you approach them or don’t approach them, it is always genuine and a person has to find that refreshing. We know what and who you like and what and who you don’t. It makes me frustrated sometimes but mostly makes me laugh and shake my head:) Isaac, this is a big year for you. You will start school in the Fall and soon my morning entertainment will go from two to one. But I am very excited for you. You are a special guy, and I cannot wait to see all that God has planned for you! Happy birthday Isaac. I love you to the moon and back, and I am so proud to be your mama!