Happy 15th Birthday, Zachary!

When I was young, it seemed like the years went by slowly.  I was always wishing they would go faster.....faster for the next birthday.....faster for Christmas......just faster.  Now that I'm older and our children are getting older, I want the years to go by slower, but they don't!  The funny (strange) thing is that even our children think the years are going fast!  It's just the nature of our fast-paced society! 

So, here I am, blogging about our second-oldest child's 15th birthday. Wasn't it just yesterday that we brought Zachary home from the hospital???? It sure seems like it!  However, I know that it is true.  He's really fifteen! Zachary, though very specific about the food he wanted for his birthday, didn't seem to care what his cake looked like or what his party "theme" was going to be.  I suppose that's just the way it is with teenage boys!  I found some neat party plates at Target and they became the inspiration for his party.  Daughter, Lauren, made the party banner.  So cute! For table decorations, I cut shapes out of colored paper....colors that matched the plates and napkins. Another son, Jacob, has a marble collection and the marbles and strips of curled paper tucked into glass vases made perfectly colorful centerpieces! The cake was also decorated using the party ware colors. It was a quickly-made cake, so it's not perfectly flat and smooth, but it worked out well and was very tasty! On Zachary's actual birthday, during the past weekend, we took a family trip to Arlington, TX. During our late-morning breakfast/early lunch at Cracker Barrel, the waitresses treated Zachary to "Coca Cola Chocolate Cake" and ice cream. He was a little embarrassed that they sang to him, but didn't seem to mind the free dessert!

The afternoon was spent at Texas Rangers' ballpark for a Junior Rangers question and answers event (our younger two participate in the program and the rest of the family got to tag along) and then a baseball game that evening. So much fun! The Rangers won in an exciting and close game!

July 27, 2011 - A Letter on Your 15th Birthday!

Zachary,
We are so very proud to have you as a son!  You are a great Christian example to others!  We appreciate you for who you are and for what you do to help us and others.  We look forward to seeing how God will use you as you strive to be His servant!

You are our GPS and we couldn't make it without you. (literally that is usually true...especially in big cities!)  You step up as a leader and "head of the house" when your dad isn't home and are much more mature than your age would imply!  As a mom, I appreciate that you are so willing to take charge (in a respectful way) and do whatever needs to be done.  You are a great role model for your brothers, even though they might now want to admit it! 

Thank you for your work ethic, for your leadership abilities, but most of all, thank you for making the decision to follow Jesus.  We look forward to watching you  continue in your walk.

We love you very much,
Mom and Dad