Happy Birthday Ray - Notes from YOUR Family!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAY!!! This is a birthday gift to YOU!!! All of your kiddos and some other special people in your life wrote some birthday wishes, just for YOU!! So enjoy these thoughts and words, telling you how very special you are to each of us!!

FROM RACHEL -

~Happy Birthday Dad~

So Today is the day of your birth. The day that you came into this world, 47 years ago. Then 22 1/2 years after your birth you had your 1^st and favorite daughter come into this world. I had the great privilege of making you a Daddy! Oh the Joy of being your 1^st born and your favorite,

(the 1^st will ALWAYS be a parents favorite).

That day on May 10^th I was given a very special gift from the Lord, an Amazing Daddy like you. You thought you were getting a blessing but it was me that got blessed that day.

You truly are my Hero! You have taught me how to live my life as a servant and to try and be 100% selfless at all times. You are truly one of the most amazing examples of the Love of Yeshua. It just pours out of you, all the time. There is a huge long list of things I know how to do in life, just because of you. I’m so grateful to be able to call you Dad! I Pray and Dream that 1 day Yeshua would be able to give me a man to call my husband that will have character like you - who will be funny like you - who is extra good looking (like you) - who will be able to cook like you -who will love me like you love Mom - who will be an amazing Father to all my kids like you are to us - who will be able to provide for a family even if it take 3 jobs to do so - who will be able to share the kingdom of God and be a light to this world. I pray everyday that my husband will be like my amazing Father - he has BIG shoes to fill! I love you so very much Dad, you truly mean the world to me and I’m so grateful to be your 1^st born. I pray that this year will be everything that your heart desires.

Have a Happy 47th Birthday Daddy!! Rachel

FROM SARAH -

Dad,

I don’t even know where to begin, really… Today is a day that I feel very grateful, because I have a Dad. While there are plenty of people out there that desire to have a father and may never have had one - or the opportunity to have the influence that only a father can bring - today, i am grateful for you and your daily influence - and the impact you have on me and my life.

You’ve been such a great Shepherd and provider for our family. Always doing whatever it takes to make sure everyone was as happy as possible.

You are a man that I admire on both sides of the coin. You’re an amazing Dad that always made us feel beautiful, respected, covered, cherished, valuable and worthy of all of those things.

Then on the other side, you’re a great husband, friend, employee, and father. Most importantly you have and continue to make Jesus the center of everything our family stands for and desires.

I couldn’t have asked for someone that was more reputable, more experienced, or above all, more kind and loving… you’ve always surpassed it all.

I love you so much and I am so proud to be loved by you.

You truly are a kiss from God just for us!

Love you,

Lou

FROM HANNAH -

What an amazing Daddy I have -- My Daddy, always the guy that would get the boogie man out of my room - not like normal Dads, but calling fire down from heaven. The kind of Dad that would sleep with me and Liv in the tiniest tent on our back patio (concrete) so that we wouldn't be scared, then get up and go to work. A Dad that would coach me in softball and encourage me to be the best shortstop ever. Those are only a few things that make you so wonderful. I don't feel deserving of a lot of the things you do for me. After a long day working you will still do whatever our family asks of you. Whether it's fixing the toilet, fixing our cars, taking us out on dates, making us dinner - even down to running to the store to get us tampons (ha, I know that will get ya). Your motto - whatever it takes. I will also always remember going to your side of the bed and whispering 1 word and you jumping to whatever I needed. I'm 18 and you will still stay up all through the night when I am sick. You are everything that the word Daddy means. You truly are the most amazing Daddy in the world.

I ALWAYS know that I have you praying for me and wanting the BEST for me. From my 1st memories as a young girl you began to build up in me a confidence of WHO I AM in Jesus. You have always told me I'm beautiful and I'm so thankful for that because YOU are the reason us girls never needed to be affirmed by a guy - because we have an amazing Daddy who built us up. If it wasn't for you I would have tried to find and seek those things out in a guy. Now I have kept everything for my husband and a lot of that, I have you to thank. I KNOW what I deserve in a man because I have you as an example. You treat Mom like GOLD, you have shown us girls what real, Godly men are and I just want to Thank YOU for that. I could really go on and on about how amazing you are and how thankful I am for you. So I will just end with this - Thank you for being the most selfless man in the whole wide world. For always putting Jesus 1st and then our family. Thank you for loving my Momma. Thank you for never being to busy to be OUR Daddy. Thank you for making us feel like we were the most important people to you in this whole world. Thank You for being such a hard worker.

Remember this - I will always run out to give you a hug when I see that you have pulled up to the house. I know I don't say it often, and I know I am not at home as much as I was before being a grownup but I will always be your little girl - I will ALWAYS remember who my 1st guy was. Happy Birthday Daddy, I love you more then the very last number, Nan

FROM OLIVIA -

Pops,

Today is your 47^th birthday and you are basically an old man now. I hope and pray that this is one of the best years ever. I know that 1992 was a great year for you because your precious blonde haired 4th daughter came into this world. But I really sense and believe that the Lord has great things for you this year.

Here are 47 reasons why I think that.

1. You have a heart of gold.

2. I have never in my life been around someone more selfless then YOU.

3. You believe in me and in my destiny in Jesus.

4. You have always spoke life to us kids - always spoke blessings over us.

5. You are the cheesiest person I know and very witty with your jokes.

6. You are a man after God's own heart.

7. You are such a hard worker. You provide and make money for me to live in a nice house.

8. You are the most kind hearted of all. A reflection of the Father.

9. You want nothing more then me (our family) to be happy.

10. You were and are the best traveling buddy.

11. I have straight and white teeth because I look just like you.

12. You are a servant of all.

13. I am who I am today because of the example you are to me.

14. Nobody can make me cry like you can.

15. I’m proud to call you my Pops.

16. You are NEVER too busy for our family. You come whenever we need you.

17. I love that I can call you dude and bro.

18. You are the best at giving high fives.

19. You were and are the best coach.

20. I love your heart for people. People are drawn to your kind heart.

21. You are a perfect example of a gentlemen.

22. Every man should want to be just like you.

23. All my friends should be jealous at how cool MY dad is.

24. You always pray for us kids.

25. You always find something encouraging to say when I’m feeling blue.

26. You can make a song out of ANY word that comes out of your mouth.

27. You always show us our worth is in Jesus.

28. I love seeing your desire for your work place to be saved.

29. I love that I am your favorite blonde daughter.

30. You are silly and SO REAL.

31. I love your pursuit for the kingdom of God.

32. I love that you can’t spell.

33. I love that you could talk to the wall. But I love that you are such a good listener.

34. You always speak your mind with a gentle, soft word.

35. You are the biggest giver I know.

36. Even in rough times you find the good in what’s going on. "economy"

37. Your ability to make me smile, amazes me.

38. You always put our family first.

39. You are the best leader of our family. I am proud to follow you. You lead us by the great example that you are.

40. You are getting older… and wiser.

41. Along with being the MOST selfless man, you are SO HUMBLE.

42. You have great scruff.

43. Even when I am stupid, you still cheer me on. You always pick me up when I fall.

44. You have the most willing heart to serve God and our family.

45. You always have the right things to say. Thanks for hiding the word of God in your heart.

46. When that special guy finds me & if he is half as amazing as you, i'd consider myself a lucky lady.

47. You make me the luckiest girl in the world to have a Daddy like YOU!!! If you were anybody else's Daddy, I would be SO JEALOUS!

These are in no special order, but these are just a few reasons why you deserve to have an amazing year. I love you SO, SO, SO much and I’m so grateful that I get to be your daughter. Thank you for loving Jesus and being a near perfect reflection of Him for us to see. Thank you so much for always making me feel special,

I LOVE YOU THE MOST! Happy Birthday Dad! Liv

FROM GRANT -

---RAY---

R OCKS

A WESOME

Y OUNG (SORT OF J)

M Y DAD

O ld

N ot the one on LETTER O

D ang, Miles Austin rocks

WOW YOU'RE 47!

I REALLY APPREESHEATE YOU.

YOU’RE THE GREATEST DAD EVER! YOU ROCK!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND I LOVE YOU!!!

YOUR SON, GRANT

FROM GRANDMA --

Happy Birthday!! I hope you have many, many more with each one being better than the one before! God bless you always with peace, joy, good health, prosperity and every other good thing He can think of! Googols of Love! XOXO Mom

FROM MEGAN -- (she is representing all your children that don't share your DNA but are your KIDS)

There are many things in life that I'm grateful for-my fam, being black, life, steak, music...you get the drill. One of the many things I'm grateful for is having a man of God like you in my life. Obviously, I didn't have the chance to have much of a father figure (put your tiny hand in mine) growing up. The Lord knew just what I needed when he placed you in my life.
You're such an awesome dad and I hope that my babies will adore their dad as much as all your kids adore you. Thanks for taking in all of us orphan kids and making us feel like one of your own.
I hope that this is a great year full of the presence of the Lord in every area.
Have a super awesome birthday, Pops!
I love you!!! Megan

FROM YOUR WIFE --

What can I say that I haven't said a million-trillion times?? Of course I can say it all over again and MORE. So, I will just follow my heart and write. I have such a thankful heart today. I woke up feeling such gratitude to the Lord for you. I love that our daughters can read my thoughts because someday, I pray they will have some of the same thoughts for their guy. I love that our son can read this because he will have Jesus and a living example in you - to strive to be like. In reading what our children wrote, they all said so much of the same thing. What a blessing you are to all of us.

I thank God for the man you are. I celebrate your life by telling you that you are such a precious gift to everyone that is in your life. I will try not to repeat things I have said before but I truly don't know what I did to receive such a precious gift. Your life that you have lived is such a testimony of God's faithfulness. He showers down love to you through His son Jesus and then through our children and myself. I love walking this journey out with you. You truly are my BFF. I thank you for your leadership in our family. I know it ain't easy but you do it with the confidence of 10,000. Thank you for loving me and reflecting Jesus in your eyes, hands & words. What a gentle man you are.

I think as we hit the years past 40 (not that we are old), we begin to think of what we are going to leave here on earth. Material things have never mattered much to us but ETERNAL things are what we have strived for, every day. Your selfless LOVE that only can come from the heart of GOD, your MANY prayers that have been prayed, your servants heart that lays down his life for me & our family, your unwavering love for the Lord that makes us all run this race with you, your wisdom that will be passed down for GENERATIONS to come in our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, & so on. Those are just a few of the things that these 47 years represent!! I thank God that you were born - I will spend eternity thanking Him for letting me spend my life with YOU!! Happy Birthday my Husband! I love you!!

!!!!!! HAPPY 47th BIRTHDAY !!!!!

Mr. Grant Daniel is 9 years old!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my precious SON - my FAVORITE Son - my #1 SON!!!! I know, precious isn't what a boy wants to be called but I think he's precious so that's what I will call him. He celebrated his day of birth a few days early because his birthday fell on a Monday so Saturday it was when 13 boys including Grant converged onto my house!! OH BOY!! I probably didn't think that 1 through to well, but it was all good. He had a football game that morning that took about 4 hrs. of our morning so "the sisters" came through like they always do and pulled together the last minute cleaning, cooking and ALL the decorating. Sarah was my favorite for the day - she did SO MUCH!! The birthday par-tay changed a bit because the rain that wouldn't stop for the week before. We took the boys to see the movie, "Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs". Grant had been waiting since they had advertised it on screen and it is 1 of his most favorite books. Great movie - we then came back and ate hotdogs, wrestled, had cake, wrestled, opened presents, wrestled - you get the picture. He really had a great time - everyone seemed to have fun - there was minimal repairs to his room - so it was deemed a success. On his real b'day, 2 days later, he was taken to breakfast by a sister, taken to lunch by another sister, given gifts by sisters, we all went to dinner and we are done...by the time of Grant's birthday Mom and Dad are shouting because his birthday ends the Summer of Baker kids b'days!!! 2 in May, 1 in July, 1 in August and 1 in September. OH BOY, but then quickly it's Christmas so whatev. Here are a few pics from his big b'day.

Here's the dining room all decorated by his sisters.

This is the car that I took so I got a quick pic of some of the boys.

At the movies of course -

not the best but it will do.

Getting ready for the cake - look at those sweaty boys hovering,

I can't believe I ate a piece of that cake. All 4 are cousins.

Almost all the boys. Grant was loving it.

The famous Grant smile. This is the best he can do for now...

After his Dad, Austin is his most favorite guy. Can we say idol! (Hannah's BF)

All 13 of them - my sweet nephew Landry is hiding but he's there.

And the goofy look - this wasn't hard to achieve.

PRESENTS - he was BLESSED!!!

And it's TACKLE TIME!!!

I really can't believe that he is 1/2 way to 18. I don't want to believe it. I know that he will go to college right out of high school because he LOVES to learn. But we do tell him that he must go to college near home. I ask him regularly - do you want to be a horn frog, a mustang or a maverick. That is TCU, SMU or UTA! HA, I would HATE for him to go far so why not use some early mind games on him, kidding. As I said earlier he is playing football. Dad loves it, Mom, not so much. It is NOT fun in the least to see him get hit or see him covered from head to toe in bruises. I HATE IT! I'm trying, but it is not my fav - at all. He actually played flag football around 5 but this is TACKLE and all I want to do is go tackle the boys that tackle him. No, it's not that bad. He is doing quite well for his 1st year of tackle. Ray is SO proud. He has gotten many tackles, sacked the QB, recovered a fumble and thrown up on the field. YEP, the throwing up was his proudest moment. He actually has heard stories from his Dad about Ray playing and always throwing up - and then he kept on playing. WHATEVER!! They made Grant come off the field and we actually took him home because he was sick! OH BOY! So, we are learning many, many things - how to be patient with coaches, how to stick something out when it is taking SO MUCH of our family time up (4 nights a week and 1 day on the weekend). Umm, it is teaching Grant SO MUCH too. We really couldn't be prouder and he LOVES IT! I don't know if it is because Dad and Austin love it so much but I think he loves it too. Austin however isn't thrilled that he is a Sooner but he has dealt with that and cheers for Grant and will NEVER cheer, GO SOONERS! It's not something his Texas blood can do. Here are some pics from his homecoming game.

Here is my tough guy - #52

This is my nephew Landry - the QB, #11

This is the down, set, hut business. He is READY!!!

Since this was "homecoming" they had a little ceremony at halftime.

Notice he isn't holding her hand. She must hold his arm.

The STUD!!!

Pushing THROUGH!! He is the big 1 with NO socks.

And this is after the game. Grant, Amelia and Landry. My sister

Traci's kids. Their Dad Darrell is 1 of the coaches.

I could go on and on for days talking about what a good boy Grant is. He is truly a JOY to parent. He is all of our pride and joy! I've never known to many 9 year olds that have 4 big sisters that want to be around him. They take him on dates, read with him, play video games with him (Sarah), wrestle with him, get ALL his kisses - they just all truly adore him.

He FOR SURE was WELL worth the wait. Since this is his 1st birthday blog since I have been blogging I will explain the details of how we came about having a 5th child. Grant is 8 years younger then our #4 daughter and we for sure thought we were done having children. Grandchildren were in our thoughts BUT the Lord had another plan. Around a year before I became pregnant for Grant - Ray had gone to have a physical and we had decided to have him get broke, (why do they call it fixed), anyway you get the idea. He was scheduled for a Friday morning surgery, I had already gone to the pharmacy on Thursday to pick up his painkillers so that he could take 1 first thing in the morning. Everything was in motion to get up the next morning and head to the Dr.'s - until.... someone woke me up around 3 in the morning. I felt very uneasy about something when I got woken up and I knew I must pray. I at 1st had NO thoughts that it had anything to do with Ray's surgery and I FOR SURE had NO thoughts about another child. But 1 thing was clear by the end of my talk with God - Ray was NOT to have that surgery 4 hrs. from then. After getting peace I went back to bed and woke him up to tell him what I felt in my spirit. He of course said, "OK I'm not doing it" & he rolled back to sleep. So we woke up the next morning and we talked through what had happened and what I was feeling but bottom line - I knew he wasn't suppose to do it. It had nothing to do with another baby, we were VERY happy with our 4 little women. We were BEYOND active with sports, traveling from state to state. We were planning a BIG trip to Disney World and we TOTALLY felt complete. WELL, THANK GOD the Lord Jesus knows SO MUCH more then us!! I wasn't old by any means but when you have your 1st at 20 - 35 seems "older" to start with the diapers again. SO, he did NOT have the vasectomy - life went on and we never really questioned God about it again. Then about 3 months go by and I am 34, I begin to pray and wonder if we ARE to have another child. I kept it to myself and just pondered and prayed about the idea. Finally I broke the news to Ray of what I had been thinking and talking to God about. He of course would have had 10 kids but this time, for a bit, he wasn't seeing it. You see, our girls were TOTALLY self sufficient - we slept in on weekends - we could be gone out of the house quick - Rachel was fixing to get her learners permit - we were head first into TEENAGE years. SO, he said he would take it to the Lord in prayer. To make a LONG story long, he began to think that we were to have another child too! WOW, this was crazy. SO, we did what most people think is quite funny and really we knew the outcome before it happened but we called a family meeting. Now we have had numerous family meetings. We have made BIG decisions in some of our family meetings. But this 1 was the biggest by far. We talked to the girls about what we thought the Lord was wanting us to do and we shared that we wanted a new baby to feel wanted by us ALL and not begin a life with a spirit of rejection. We wanted them to know that life was going to change a bit, for a while. Well the "new baby" won by a vote of 3-1, Sarah would be the 1 that held out. She DID NOT want another sister. She was in the BIGGEST time of her tomboyhood and another sister would have done her in. She wanted us to hurry because in her 12 year old words, "you aren't getting any younger". She was disappointed that probably Disney World wasn't going to happen. But we went forth with "God's PLAN" and I was pregnant probably within 30 days. When we found out he was a boy (and we were ALL in the sonogram room) - we were ELATED!!!! After a long pregnancy of Gestational Diabetes and other issues, our PRINCE was born. Of course Sarah fell head over heels for her guy, she was quite smitten with him from 1st sight. And when Grant was 5 mths. old the Lord provided and we took our Disney World dream trip. I truly in a TRIZILLION years could NEVER imagine life without Grant. He does complete our family. He is my Mom's very best buddy. At 9 years old Grant still prefers her over anyone in the world. He is a big part of the reason my 79 year old Mother keeps going everyday. She stays sharp in her mind to keep up with his questions. She is going to be the main reason that he is going to be such an INCREDIBLE man. I see now ALL the why's of having him. In the moment I wasn't quite sure but OH MY, I am sure now. God's plan is ALWAYS PERFECT, when we let Him lead us. So 9 years ago - our quiver was FULL!

Grant has such GREATNESS in him, he has such a gentle spirit, he is a leader and I can't even imagine what the Lord has for his life. Ray is going to start a class with Grant and about 6 other 7-10 year olds and the name of it is "Men of Honor". We are beyond excited to continue training him into the MAN of GOD that he is called to be. I am SO thankful that Grant has a Dad that is more of a Man of Honor then I have EVER known or heard of. He is a living example of Christ likeness. Grant is so blessed to have him for a Daddy and for a best friend.

Their mission statement is -- To call young men to a new standard of Manhood, that is Christ-likeness. To provide a catalyst and opportunity for next generation leaders to emerge and exhibit honor, integrity, chivalry and moral excellence. To create positive peer groups which support and exert positive peer pressure.

Their motto is --

I am a winner... I am a man of honor;

I do the right thing... because it's the right thing to do;
My word is my bond.
C.H.I.P.
Character, Honesty, Integrity, Perseverance.
If there is no man... I will be the man;
Manhood and Christ-likeness are synonymous;
Being a male is a matter of birth;
Being a man is a matter of choice;
There is no greatness outside of God;
1, 2, 3... YES!

So Mr. Grant - like I tell you at least every other day - "If I could pick from ANY son in ALL of heaven, I WOULD PICK YOU!!!! I love you more then the VERY last number (and we know there will NEVER be a last number, they go on and on)!!! I thank God for giving you to me to be your Mom. You are a TRUE GIFT FROM GOD!!! Thank you for always making us proud of the boy you are. You will NEVER bring shame to us because you are a Godly man, you are a MAN OF HONOR!!

Ms. Olivia Grace Baker

Today is the day that Olivia Grace turns 17 years old! OH MY!! To think that I was married at 17... She was born at 3 something (HA) in the afternoon but I do know she was 8lbs 14oz. - for some reason I can remember all of the kids weights but really nothing else, stat wise. I do remember their birthday even though I pause often to think about it. It's funny because Liv told me a few weeks ago - Mom, i was 8/14 on 8-14 - WOW, numbers are something that I usually think about when I see them like that but in 17 years, it had never dawned on me. Anyway, she is #4 and the baby of the girls. She held the "baby of the family" (which she use to say so fast and cute) for 8 years. Since her and Hannah are only 14 1/2 mths apart they both kinda shared the baby spot. We actually called them "the babies" for years - like till they were pre-teens. It was way easier to say "where are the babies" or "go get the babies" - so it stuck. Ray still every now and then will call them the babies. So, graciously Liv gave that spot up when Grant came along. She was the CUTEST little girl that you ever did see. Oddly enough she was VERY blond as a little girl (now it ain't so natural). I thought it was crazy that Ray and I would have a blondie when we both have/had such dark hair. Her and Hannah looked absolutely nothing alike. Hannah had the DARKEST hair and the blackest eyes and she is very fair skinned - Liv was the opposite. NOBODY ever believed me that they were sisters but OH YES they are.

I have wrote blogs about Olivia a few times before and I could repeat everything I said - X's a million so I thought, what could I say different today, on her birthday... It is early evening and I haven't wanted to start this because I just didn't know how I wanted to write it. I thought of a few things but nothing would do her justice. You see, she is special - I know, no shock for me to say that but she REALLY is special!! Some of the things I may write she may not even remember or I may not have shared them with her so I am going to begin to share with you and her, and see if I can do her justice.

Hannah was 5 1/2 mths. old when I became pregnant with Olivia. Some could say she was a SURPRISE but she wasn't. For the years that we had gotten pregnant WE had always taken control of when we would have another child. Well after Ms. Hannah was born I began to search the word and search my heart and discuss with Ray about this area of our life. We started to talk about ALL the blessings that we GLADLY will take from the Lord, anytime - financial blessing, health, wisdom, marital prosperity - but when it came to THE MOST amazing, beautiful & incredible blessing of all - we say when, why, how and WHEN! Let me just say I am NOT against birth control, in the least. But for that time the LORD had a plan for Ms. Olivia to come into this world and so He began to show us a different plan. Well we decided that we would trust Him because He was always for us, He always had our VERY best future plan - so we did. SO, 1 mth. later guess who is pregnant? YEP, ME! I was like - what, excuse me!? I would have dialogue with the Lord, "Umm, we had a deal here God - umm, NOW? REALLY?" So I began to question that I had heard from the Lord on this 1 - Ray didn't care if I had or hadn't, he LOVES his children and the more was ok with him. So would you say, "she wasn't planned"? or "she was an oops" but I would have to TOTALLY disagree! God Almighty in His perfect wisdom knew SO MUCH MORE perfectly then I (that isn't a shock to any, I know). He knocked my socks off with just how PERFECT a plan it was. For all of us "planners" this is tough but HE is THE PLANNER and I couldn't imagine Hannah without her Liv...

So now I will explain and ponder through tears I am sure what our family and life would have been without our Olivia. If I would have kept control - this is what WE all would have missed out on. We wouldn't have 2 precious babies in a crib, in the same room. Sarah wouldn't have had "HER baby" (because Hannah was Rachel's). Hannah wouldn't have someone to sleep with in a little twin bed, for YEARS. I wouldn't have had a blonde haired child. We wouldn't have pairs - Rach & Sarah - Han & Liv. Hannah wouldn't have someone to play dolls with. Sarah wouldn't have a few week old baby to hoist over the side of a crib and bring to me. She also wouldn't be as amazing with babies/children as she is. Rachel wouldn't have 1 on each hip. Ray wouldn't have someone to call liv, liv. I wouldn't have someone to match clothes with, like they were twins. Hannah wouldn't have someone to clean up after her - neither would Sarah or the rest of us. Grant wouldn't have "the prettiest sister", sshh, he's partial to blondes. Grant also wouldn't have someone to help him read. I wouldn't have 1 of the best organizers around. Hannah wouldn't have someone to tell ALL her hopes & dreams to. Sarah wouldn't have someone to tease. We wouldn't have someone to make cookies & brownies. Austin wouldn't have someone to cut his hair. Rachel wouldn't have someone that can clean as well as her to work for her. Casey, Ali, Kim and countless other people wouldn't have a bestfriend named Olivia. I wouldn't have someone to do my hair and eye makeup when we are dressing up. I wouldn't have a child that NEVER questions a request, NEVER! Ray wouldn't have an outfielder in softball. We all wouldn't have someone to laugh at till we cry. We all wouldn't have someone to laugh at when she sings every song so passionately (sorry, it's funny). SO many people, girls and guy alike wouldn't have Liv to help them pick out clothes at the store. Forever 21 would not be as successful. The local theaters would not be as successful. I think you get the picture...

Oh life without her would have been, not so amazing. Because those are some of the silly things but the things that I could share all day are the things that MAKE her the rarest of ALL GEMS!!! Olivia is truly the glue that keeps our little family unit together. If you asked Rachel, Sarah and Hannah who they are closest to - it would be Olivia. She has this ability to LOVE, SERVE and GIVE like very few can. I have said before and they would ALL agree, if I was to pick the very best qualities from Rach, Sarah & Hannah and roll it up into 1 person - it's Olivia. She is a JOY and a DELIGHT to parent. She brings JOY to our family like only she can. She lights up a room with her amazing personality and she is always the life of the party! Her humor is SO contagious. Liv is much like her other 3 sisters have been - far older then their age. If I was to name her friends that are her age on 1 hand it would be 2. All of her friends are much older then herself and they are all amazing people to boot. She has learned some AMAZING qualities from the people in her life and I am thankful to God for that. I could never explain to someone what I feel in my heart for her. She is NOT perfect and I would never want to pin perfection on anyone because that fall is devastating but she is practically perfect, HA - just kidding. I think of all the parents that have 17 somethings and I am SO BEYOND grateful for God's AMAZING "Grace" for all my children. Speaking of Grace - if she has any regrets about the day of her birth - it's that I didn't name her Grace!! She is quite partial to that name and I wish I would have to. It's really impossible to have people stop calling you what they always have. But her name is what she is - gracious. It also mean unmerited favor which is what she walks in. Ray and I are SO glad that God gave us our AMAZING "Grace"!! She is our SUNSHINE.

She has GREATNESS and destiny inside her! She will be and is an endtime warrior for the glory of God's KINGDOM!! She started rough with her walk. Liv was my only 1 out of the 4 that wasn't quite so sure about this dude, Jesus. I would talk to her about Him, just like I did the others - when she was 5 and under. I would ask her, "Liv, do you love Jesus"? she would say, "NO - I don't even see Him". HA!! What a spitfire she was and is. She warmed up to Him and began to read the Bible for herself, she asked Jesus to be her Lord and Savior around 7. Always in our home the children were learning Godly principles and Godly character - that was a norm, way before WWJD. She started to search out HER own real relationship with the Lord when she was about 12. I have seen her grow in her walk so much in these 5 years. She is truly an awesome woman of God. She passionately pursues Christ - she shares her love for Him, wherever she goes - she LOVES His people and is running a race that will never stop! I have wrote before about the servant that she is. She humbles me at her willingness to serve!!

SO Ms. Olivia Grace - the BEST is yet to come!! Your fella will come looking and find a PRIZE, 1 day. I have an awesome picture that the Lord dropped into my spirit about your future. It is bright, it is SO bright and WONDERFUL! I look forward to seeing your future unfold. I am SO GRATEFUL that I got picked to be your Momma! If I could pick from ALL the 4th children in heaven - I would pick YOU! I know my time is short to have you here with me and Dad but we will have such INCREDIBLE memories of this little blonde bombshell that will shake nations for the glory of our KING! I love you Liv - I am so proud of the standards you have, you will have a GREAT reward. Happy Birthday Shugar!

Here are a few pics of the Birthday girl!! Here is a RECENT 1 of her in ISRAEL!

Pretty as a picture!

SO SILLY!

And a few of her as a wee little girl~

Her and her guy (for now) - on their way to ISRAEL!

Her and Rach - #1 sis

Sarah and the BD girl

And a few of her and Han because there is just too many to choose from!

Liv and Grant - ahhh!

Liv and Austin - her other guy (Hannah's bf)

A sidenote to my girls - if you have a burning in your spirit and soul & you know it is the leading of the Lord - pray, seek God - talk to your husband, pray with him. Because you may just be in the beginning stages of birthing out a princess or a prince that will not be an accident - far from it - she or he could bring you more joy then you could EVER, EVER, EVER imagine. I am once again - thankful that Dad and I can hear the Lord's voice and heard it about our Olivia!!