Happy Belated 6th Birthday Isaac!

Happy Birthday big guy!!! As usual, I am late in writing this but as long as you are still 6 years-old, I think that it still counts:) This past year has been an great one. You started Kindergarten and you were very excited about it. You love and look up to your two big brothers. I think starting school gave you a hope that you would someday be as big, smart, and cool as they are. Little did you know that you were already awesome and smart before school began.:) But I guess hearing that from people other than your mother probably carries some extra weight. So, school has been a great boost for you. Your teacher's name is Mrs. Mauldin. You played soccer this year and love it. You also are playing basketball. Your coach, Coach Ollie, coaches both of your teams. The basketball team is new so you boys are still finding out what the game is all about but you don't seem to get too down about it. You are enjoying the learning process and you love defense! Whether it is basketball or soccer, you always favor defense. You are quick and aggressive but not a ball hog which makes you a pretty good teammate. You are fun, have a good attitude, and play hard. Your coach likes all of that so you get a lot of playing time. You also began piano lessons this year. You love music so I think you are going to really like learning how to make your own. You enjoy listening and singing in the car, on your iPad, watching videos, etc.. Some of your favorite songs are "Carry Me" by Jars of Clay and "Pompeii" by Bastille. Your dad and I hope that the piano lessons just further your love of music. You are a smart kiddo with good rhythm so I bet you will pick it up quickly. Over the past year, you sure have grown up, Ike. Until recently, I thought you were kind of a stubborn kid with a not-so-awesome attitude about most things. Little did I know how much you would change. You actually have become one of the more agreeable kids in our household. You are open to new activities, new foods, and new experiences. You have a good attitude about most stuff. You are even beginning to enjoy your younger brother. Mac things you are amazing and his celebration of all things Isaac can be a bit tiring. But for the most part, you seem to take him in stride. You make his day when you ask him to play with you. You still play with Sam a great deal too though. At times even, I think Sam gets a bit envious of your new friendship with Mac:). I love the fact that you boys are ALL good friends. You all play together so well and really include each other. That does this mama's heart good. I mentioned that you have always been a bit more stubborn than some of the other boys. Although you have matured a great deal over the past year, that stubbornness has not gone away completely. You have kind of tweaked it to look more like determination:). Any goal or task you set out to accomplish or complete, you stick at it until you get it. You a determined little boy. It is how you have learned to read, swim, ride a bike, even color better. You just keep doing it until you have mastered it. At times this can be tiresome, especially for the mom who has to chase you back and forth down the street helping you get the bike going, but this quality is teaching you so many new skill and it will serve you well throughout your life. Isaac, I am so proud of you and the boy you are becoming. You love to snuggle, and I love that too. You are quick-witted, deep-thinking, and really quite interesting. Thank you for making my job more fantastic, more challenging, and more entertaining. I love you buddy! Happy Birthday!!!!!

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!

Happy 11th Birthday Will!

Happy 11th Birthday Will! Where has the time gone? Where is the little boy that at 2 years-old complimented me on my belt and at 4 years-old cried with me about my Granny’s passing? Where is that little boy? That little boy is gone and in his place is a too rapidly growing, too quickly maturing 11 year-old. But you know what? You are an awesome 11 year-old! I miss that little boy but I love the sweet, big boy that you have become. You have always been good to your brothers and even though you are getting bigger and needing more space, you have not changed. Sure, you give them a bit of attitude from time to time but I get that. They all think you hung the moon so they follow you and invade your space quite a bit. But for the most part, you are kind and gracious to share that space with all of them. You are fully immersed in 5th grade now and this year seems to be going smoother for you than the last one. You are no longer the “new kid” and you have found your circle of close friends. Unfortunately, you are more interested in your friends than your school work and that is reflected in the work you bring home. You are a super smart kiddo. Your teachers and your parents know this. We wish you did. You are playing soccer but it isn’t really your thing. You are participating because we made you. Right now, sports just aren’t what interest you. We keep encouraging a variety of activities in hopes of lighting a fire under your butt and getting you excited about something but you just haven’t found your passion. In time, that will come. Okay, so you found one passion this year, girls. You are becoming quite interested in them and have your eye on one or two. Unfortunately, you don’t believe me that regular showering will help in wooing the girls so we discuss your hygiene almost daily Maybe I should be thankful that you don’t love to shower. You are a sweet and handsome boy. The girls will find you soon enough! Will, you are a really great kid. Your heart is tender. Your spirit is good. You are extremely empathetic and very loyal. I love you and want everything in the world for you. And you know what, I am quite certain you will probably get that! Happy Birthday Sweet William. You make me proud.

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Happy 8th Birthday Sam!

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Happy 8th Birthday Sam! You are an awesome kid and I am so glad we get to celebrate your big day with you. You are a special guy with a lot of heart. You are tender and thoughtful. You are sweet and loyal. You have one of the best hearts I know. A few months back, you got an invitation to a birthday party. You came in excited to show us. I was sad to have to inform you that we would be out of town on that day so you would not be able to go. Your reply, “Good ‘cause I didn’t want to go if Will and Ike were not invited.” You are just that kid who thinks of others. You are happy with others and sad with them too. This year you finished first grade and moved onto second. You loved your teacher last year. This year, on meet the teacher night, your new teacher, Mrs. Anderson, had a fun size chocolate bar on each of the desks. You turned to me and said, “I am so lucky! I had the best teacher in all of first grade last year. This year I think I have the best teacher in second grade.” You started piano lessons this year. At first you thought it was fun but you are a perfectionist so it quickly became a source of frustration for you. You lasted about 9 months. You tried baseball for the first time last fall. It was a real welcome to Texas. All the kids were quite familiar with the game but it was new to you. You were hard on yourself but had a great coach who encouraged you and really worked to develop your confidence. You did try to run to third after one at bat instead of first but with each game, you got better and we couldn’t have been more proud. After that one season, your team was moving onto a more challenging level so you decided to throw yourself back into soccer. Your team in the spring didn’t quite have it together but now you are on a new team and it seems to be a better fit. Your coaches are very enthusiastic and encouraging and they love your energy during the games. They love your heart. And that is who you are Sam, all heart. When you are sad, it is heart-wrenching. When you are excited, it is awesome. You are still my most ticklish son, and your laugh is contagious! You are an incredible little man, and I am so proud to be your mama. You make me smile with your large vocabulary. You make me laugh with your take on life. There is already so much wisdom in your little body. You take care of your younger brothers and idolize your older one. Thanks for making my job easier. Thanks for making my days brighter. Thanks for making me want to be a better, more empathetic, and loving person. Thanks for being you.