I like to think that I'm a very thankful person. I figure I have a Savior, a family, a healthy family, a roof over my head & food in my kitchen - what on God's green earth do I have NOT to be thankful for?? I also like to brag on God and I know He likes to relive with me all the amazing things He's done over this last year. He tells us to remind Him... So, here's to bragging on the Father & finding the things that should overshadow the not so fun things.
This year has been wonderful & odd, all in the same minute. Ray has had a blessed year at work after a not so great couple years. He's still just amazing in EVERY way!! This time next year my guy will hit the big 5-0 and he'll be the cutest darn 50 year old to boot!! 3 mths after his b'day we will celebrate 30 YEARS so get ready for those 2 celebrations!! We together have done a lot of the big "P", parenting. He's the best partner in crime I could ever wish for!! The rock of our family who leads like a gentle giant. I love him & I could NEVER in a trillion-bazillion lifetimes express to the Lord how grateful I am for my precious husband!!
I don't like to talk about myself so I won't but I've been a Mother-in-love for a little over a year & I certainly LOVE that hat - you'd have to ask my new son what my grade is but I think I've passed with flying colors. Ray & I haven't hassled them too many times to be the 2 that have our 1st grandbaby... I've loved another year of being a wife, Mother, daughter...
Rachel is amazing as always! She has a job that she loves & we like to call her job...ministry, because she doesn't make a 10th of what she's worth. Rach has this extraordinary way about her - it's called selfless, unconditional, caring, kind, thoughtful, encouraging, LOVE, for every person that the Lord brings to her. This last year she is growing in ways, I swear took me till I was 45 (last year). THANKFUL for our eldest!! She is such a precious lady. She is waiting so patiently for her guy to find her & she is using her singleness for the Lord's glory!! Because Rach is so dang smart, she lives at home so she can travel the world! This Spring she took a trip to Israel for the 3rd time and late this Summer she took a trip to Ireland. She is already planning her adventures for next year to go visit her bestie Megan in Amman Jordan. She has missed her best friend since she moved this Summer but the Lord has been SOOO faithful to bring more covenant friends to her. I love the place she's in! I love more then anything to hear the wisdom that comes flowing out of her. She walks in so many gifts! She's a prayer warrior, discerning, she makes herself available to be a vessel for the Lord to speak through, she is SOOO wise beyond her years. Rach is undoubtedly the 1st born & I'm so very thankful that the Lord picked her to lead the troops!!
Ms. Sarah is an absolute delight!! She left us for 8 mths to live on her own with her bestie but she couldn't stay away for long -- no, she moved back home because she loves traveling & buying books & buying shoes & buying music equipment and MOST of all the girl LOVES to give her money away when the Lord leads her. She has travelled to NYC twice and Europe and many other states in the last year. She too is waiting for her prince but totally enjoying the wait. She serves at her church with her incredible gift of worship & oh how she makes her Momma and Daddy proud!!! Lots & lots & lots of changing in my little 5'4, tiny FIRECRACKER!! Her selfless love walk has been a miracle to watch this last year. I don't have a font big enough to show you how THANKFUL I am for the transformation that the Lord has walked her through!!! YIPPEE!! Man it's so hard not to brag but the girl is crazy awesome (she'll so hate I just said that, ha). I seriously don't know how I got the honor of being her Momma or Rachel's or ANY of them. OK. Anyway, this has been an incredible year of growth from the inside, OUT for my 2 eldest & I seriously can't be thankful enough to the Lord for all He's done in them both.
OK, moving on!!
I'll cover Austin & Hannah together since they're 1, right? Well, I just wrote their anniversary blog so you could go read that but of course I can think of lots more then what I wrote 2 wks ago. 1st of all they are THE MOST beautiful couple. Won't they make GORGEOUS babies?? --ssshh, I don't want to ever be the pushy Mom! Ummm, I love being around these 2. I love, love, love how they love each other. It's amazing to see your child love her husband the way you love your husband (mine). Those 2 are learning the art of marriage quite well. Austin has had a BIG change in his job - he is the worship leader at Life Church in Ft. Worth. He loves his job & we love to have him lead us in worship every weekend. He's an amazing worshipper & we are SOOOO thankful that the Lord picked our family to plop him in the middle of. He still likes hanging out with us so I think he's happy with his other family. It's amazing to me every single day that the Lord had him picked out to be in our family for his whole life. He's been a perfect 1st son-in-love!! Hannah is here at her old home a bunch!! Not because she can't transition out because she did that beautifully but she does some work for me & she likes to hang out here as much as she can...she also likes the food in our frig, the clothes in her little sisters closet & her Grandma. She comes in & it's like she never moved out and we LOVE it that way!! I love my Nan-tucket! Her job is also a mission field & she loves having babies to love on. I can hardly wait to see her be a Momma!! The talks we've had in these last 12 mths. have been talks I dreamed of having with my adult daughters when they were infants. I know I was quite ahead of myself but I did, sue me. She has been the perfect daughter to get married 1st because I think the next 1 will benefit from our "talks". Love her, thankful for her, she is pure joy to me!! Proud of our Benjamins and beyond thankful for them!!
Oh my little blonde beauty, Olivia! What can I say new about this lady? She's had lots & lots of God moments this last year. Lots of trusting the Lord & lots of growing up in the things of God -- and she has floored us beyond words!! She had her heart broke this year but came out on the other side with a precious new understanding of the grace & mercy of Jesus. I could go on & on about her maturity & her grace through her yucky times this year. That girl can trust God for her life/future like no other 19 year old I've ever known! She also had wonderful times this year and showed us all what we already knew, she rocked at being an incredible gf!! She is still our resident peacemaker, confidant, witty, happy-go-luck, selfless/servant!! Her sister Sarah wrote the most precious birthday blog (ck out Sarah's blog, she's an amazing writer, www.sarahjbaker.com) for her this past August and she put it perfectly, she said, -- She’s been a rock at different times for everyone in my family and she has this great ability to be exactly what you need when you need it. -- Just like the rest of them I am soooo thankful to be her Momma. I don't know what life would look like without her in it. She actually had many adventures this year. She too went to Ireland with her big sister & bonus brother Coty. She travelled to California w/ Hannah & then to Seattle to see her friend Casey. Lots of wonderful, wonderful memories that the Lord helped to heal over the not so good ones. She is getting ready to embark on a BIG year - starting hair school. I can't even imagine how great she's gonna be at that. People are so drawn to her so I know that the Lord will use her in a MIGHTY way at school & in her career. Tough year that she probably wouldn't want to ever repeat but SOOO much growth that ya can't learn in a book!!
My ace #1 son!! Mr. Grant! My baby who ain't such a baby no more. He's about 3 inches from being as tall as his sister Sarah! So super sad he's growing up so fast. He is crazily in his last year of elementary - my big 6th grader. Can it be that he's in the same grade that I was when I began my crush on Ray?? DO AS I SAY, not as I do... Well Grant has had a wonderful year. He's got a brother and that makes him quite happy. Grant loves, loves, loves Austin & after having a talk with him the other day he is even thinking about being super excited about the other 3 "sisters" having boyfriends & then husbands. Grant is beyond words, in love with every stinkin sport imaginable. If you know Austin you know he LOVES sports so I wonder why Grant is slightly/majorly obsessed? Yes, Austin is the reason! Grant has been learning balance with his love of everything sporty. I don't believe it's at all necessary for him to know soooo many stats, unless he can give me stats on things that REALLy matter. The whole raising a boy thing is still new to us but by cracky we will raise a MAN that puts the Lord 1st & his family next - the Rangers or the Cowboys or the Longhorns, don't get 1st or 2nd place (or 3rd). I know he's a young boy but habits start NOW and I can't wait till he's grown to teach him.
Grant is doing exceptionally well in 6 grade. Straight A's so far so I couldn't be happier. He is still the most lovable little boy. He is madly in love with his sisters & has grown out of the semi-annoying stage he went through. Thankfully it didn't last long! He hung the moon in their eyes so that makes me very happy. Grandma is still his buddy & he still spends a bunch of time in her room. I love having a son. He is funny & sweet & chatty & brilliant & kind & he's got amazing manners, he's sososo respectful and I get to be his Mom!! THANKFUL again!! How on earth do I deserve to be their Mom?? I'm seriously going to take God aside when I get to heaven & ask Him how did I get picked to have 5 incredible people to parent! And a husband that's amazing!! This lady is beyond THANKFUL!! The Lord gets ALL, every single solitary bit of credit for how amazing they all are. I am nothing without Him & I certainly can't do anything without Him. I'm humble that I get to walk through life with them.
Next time, since this got LONG (shocker) - I want to write about some of the other INCREDIBLE people that I'm soooo thankful for. I'll end this with some powerful words that are life & truth - Psalm 7:17 I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. There is no other way to be in life but THANKFUL!! Thanksgiving time makes us reflect on what we probably should have been thinking about daily through the year. There ain't time in this lifetime to be ungrateful or complain. His word says, Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18. FIND the good and be thankful. I'm telling you the more you SPEAK out your mouth the other, the more miserable you'll be. So go hug the 1's you love. Don't take 1 sec. with them fore granted!! Tell your loved 1's, I love you, every single day! A grateful heart is all a child of the most high, should have!! If you've lasted through this long novel, thank you. I pray it will spur something inside of you to go brag to God about ALL the blessings He's given you. Have a BLESSED Thanksgiving week & a wonderful holiday season! I love you all!!
No comments:
Post a Comment