Today is special!

I cannot believe that today...my son is 16. It seems amazingly surreal to me. He looks more like a man every day. Leaving that little boy behind more and more as he grows. But still, there are times when he just seems to be a boy that needs his mama. Don't tell him I said that! And Nick, if you are reading this....you so know its true!

I remember this day - 16 years ago. I remember Kevin and I waking early to go to the hospital and my dad helping us get everything ready for our hospital trip! We were so excited. After I got the hospital, we put on my James Taylor CD and we just waited for Nick to come out! My mom waited for hours with us. Anxiously awaiting that little boy, wondering what we would do with a boy. I too wondered that same thing. Thank goodness we had my mother in law. She came for the birth and stayed with me for 2 weeks. Being a boy mom was somewhat intimidating. I had never been around boy babies. Seriously! I had one sister..and a girl house. Now, I can't imagine NOT being a boy mom. THAT is my calling, and I love it!

I loved my doctor that delivered Nick. I am sad that he passed away just a month ago. He was an amazing Christian man that prayed with us the moment Nick was born. Dr. Perry prayed and thanked God for our baby and prayed that he would be used for His glory. Amazing huh??? Dr. Perry liked James Taylor too. We all enjoyed it in between various pushing and breathing exercises.

When Nick was born, I remember the feeling I had when I looked as his little face. I thought he was the most beautiful thing I had EVER seen. I still feel that way sometimes when I look at him. I am so blessed to be his mom. Kevin and I are blessed to share in the joy of raising such an awesome son. (He has two great brothers too) We seriously enjoy Nick.

He'll be driving soon on his own in his 1992 Ford Ranger Truck. He is getting very excited about that. We'll go next week and get his license. I wonder what he'll want to do first.

Being 16, do you remember it? I do and it was awesome. I had the time of my life. I have incredible memories of being a teenager and I pray my boys have wonderful memories too. I am praying that the Lord protects Nick and uses him to His Glory. Sometimes I think that as our kids get older and reach those milestone ages, like 16 - we consider them mature and grown. And though they are, they still have much growing to do. Even though I may see a young man on the outside of Nick, the inside is a 16 year old boy that still needs guidance (with some room to make mistakes of his own) and protection (with soft boundaries sometimes to allow him to fall and get hurt at times too). I feel I've reached a part of parenting that can be so hard. Allowing them to live their own life. That means not controlling every action or fixing every problem they encounter. Wow!!! So hard!!!

But I know, that my FAVORITE verse is true for my son too. The Lord KNOWS the plans He has for Nick. He knows the successes he'll have and the falls he'll take. And he weaves everything together for HIS good because HE loves Nick and Nick is called to his purpose. I know this. I remind myself of this sometimes (like now) when I get a bit fearful of letting go. I have to let go a bit more every year. You will too if you haven't already. If you are still enjoying the K5 - 5th grade years.....enjoy every minute. If you are in middle school years....find something to keep you sane and tell yourself its just 3 years! And if you are 9th - 12th grade...I bet you are finding lots of fun again right? Seasons.....they change and keep us growing as parents. I love that. Nothing boring about this job!

As I write this...there are two teenagers filling water balloons in my bathroom and throwing them at Max and his friends.(out of the windows thank goodness) My doorbell is being pushed (just for fun) a million times a second just because they want to see what our dog will do. That is obviously fun. Did I say highschool age was fun??? I have a headache now...but still thankful for my crazy, loud, awesome house of boys!! But I do need Advil.

Happy Birthday Nick! You are a treasure!

The Message has an awesome version of Psalm 139 - Share this with your kids today if you have a few minutes. Children truly are a gift from God.

Psalm 139

A David Psalm

1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I'm an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you're there,
then up ahead and you're there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can't take it all in!

7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I go underground, you're there!
If I flew on morning's wings
to the far western horizon,
You'd find me in a minute—
you're already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I'm immersed in the light!"
It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.

13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.

17-22 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I'll never comprehend them!
I couldn't even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
And you murderers—out of here!—
all the men and women who belittle you, God,
infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
See how I hate those who hate you, God,
see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Your enemies are my enemies!

23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I'm about;
See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.