Sweet Things

It was always important to us for our children to be close.  They were always expected to attend each other's events unless, of course, they, themselves had an event.  This meant that the youngest was at ALMOST EVERY game, contest, etc. of his older siblings.

So now, the youngest is the one with lots of activities beginning.  He is in Junior High sports, so has a lot more games.  Last night was his final football game, and since she didn't have college classes or work obligations, the oldest was able to drive over two hours just to see him play.  That's pretty sweet!  The way it worked out she was even able to stay all night and leave early this morning to get back to college and work, so it was just a down and back trip.  But even if it had been, she would have done it.

Another sweet thing happened Saturday.  After I spoke at the Ladies' Day, I decided to go to the biggest craft/vendor show in Oklahoma, "An Affair of the Heart".  I would have been fine going alone, but my oldest son decided to join me. I was shocked he even wanted to go!  The 17 year old had been a few times and only liked it because of the cappucino/frappuccino, and this college boy did enjoy the food samples, but I think he really just went to spend time with me because I didn't get to see him during Fall Break.  He knew I was sad about that.  That's pretty sweet!

I know that as they get older and have their own families, these times won't happen.  They will be busy and my husband and I will be making the special effort to go visit them and their families.  Whether near or far (they say it will be near because they want to stay close to family - all but the youngest who's planning to live in Florida!), we will go.  Those sweet times will continue.

Thank you, L and Z, for these sweet things! I love you both and appreciate you taking the time to do what you did! :) MOM

Lauren's 21st Birthday Party - Opening the Time Capsule

It's over, but I haven't taken down the decorations.  I think I'll leave them up just a few more days.  The party is over, but the fun memories remain!

We celebrated Lauren's birthday with a Minnie Mouse them, at Lauren's request.  I didn't want it kiddie looking, but just pretty.  She picked hot pink over red, so the sugar cookies were ordered in that fashion. A friend of ours has a business in Wichita Falls, TX, so if you're interested, I can give you more information.

My mother-in-law make Lauren's birthday cake.  She's probably made almost all of her cakes, though I remember making a few of them (very few!) and ordering one!

Lauren was excited!  This is the 21st party I have decorated for this sweet girl, but it's the LAST ONE! Ha ha!!  We will have a party for her next year, if she desires, but she knows that this was the last "big" one where we decorate and invite everyone....(though for a free meal, the family might still come :) ).

Isn't it strange how things go so quickly when days and nights sometime seem slow?  Twenty years ago, at Lauren's first birthday party, we made her a Time Capsule that was to be opened when she turned 21. I got the idea from my sister-in-law, Robin.  She had done this for her children.  But this 20 years went fast!  That first birthday party really doesn't seem long ago, though other things seem longer.  I guess special times do tend to seem not so long ago.

This note from her grandma came with a locket.  It told about the locket and how old it and the chain were.

My sis-in-law did something special by putting everything that Lauren's cousin's had been doing on her envelope.  She also put a picture, a little note written by she and her husband, and some colorings done by her small (at that time) children.

Lauren got letters from her great-grandparents, who are no longer living.  That was special and really neat to be hand-written. This note was from her dad's grandmother.  She included a $2 bill and a newspaper note about the changes coming to money.  Her grandpa also gave her $100, which looked fake compared to the money today (which really looks fake!).

This letter was from an uncle who was a Postmaster.  It was neat reading it with him right in the room that day!  How special!  He included a stamp.  They've sure gone up!

One set of great-grandparents gave her a card explaining the meaning of her name and this birthstone angle.  They've both passed away, so it was extra-special seeing this special memento and his writing.

This was Lauren's most special gift - an engagement ring one of her great-grandpa's gave to her great-grandma, who she never knew, but resembles in pictures.  He wrote a letter, which made us cry.  It is 75 years old!

I have to admit that since Lauren opened her time capsule, I've been tempted to want to peek into the boys' and see what's there!  I have been tempted, but I won't do it. I want to be surprised along with them, some day, if that day comes when they turn 21.  That will be special, just like this was.  And it will be here before we know it.....

Another thing I gave her at this birthday party was all of the birthday letters and blog posts I've written about her.  Each year I wrote her a letter (hand written many years, then these posts). I can't find a few of the years, but hopefully some day I will!  

Happy birthday, Lauren!  We are so very thankful that God gave us to you and allowed us the opportunity to be your parents. We are thankful that He is molding you and using you for His good purpose.  Continue to walk in His way and let Him direct your paths.  Love, Mom

Happy 21st Birthday, Lauren!!!

Well, it is here.  The 21st birthday of our oldest that we planned for 20 years ago, on her first birthday.  That birthday party was special. We had family members write mementos that would be given to Lauren on her 21st birthday - 20 years later.  That time capsule was stuck on the top shelf in a closet for what seemed like would be forever away. But it didn't take long to get here. Not long at all!

There are so many emotions about Lauren turning 21.  For one, the world considers her an adult - "legal" to drink.  But you know what? Lauren doesn't care about being able to drink legally (or illegally for that matter).  That's not important to her.  It doesn't affect her in any way.  Her "party" will be fun...and she will remember it....and she won't have to worry about what she might have done during the celebration.

Lauren is more mature than I was at 21, and I was married!  She has done things I probably never would have done - like gone off to Disney World to work last semester on the College Program!  What a wonderful experience!

She's fun. She's funny. She's talented. She's beautiful.  

But more than that, she strives to live her life in a way that pleases God.  She doesn't go along with the crowd, but strives to be the example of Jesus to those around her.  

We're proud of Lauren. She is pursuing her dream of being a sportscaster, just last night having made her TV debut on the college student-produced TV show.  

She's dreamed of that since the 5th grade when she first decided to go that route.  She's job shadowed Emily Jones at the Texas Rangers and been working towards that dream since that time.

But with all of those accomplishments and dreams, being a follower of Christ and sharing His love with others is what we want for her more than any earthly accomplishments.  Our prayer is that she continues to mature, that she marries a man who has those same goals, and raises our future grandchildren up in the Lord and His church.  Nothing else matters.

We can be successful parents in many ways, but if we have failed at teaching them the spiritual truths of God's Word, then we have failed.  Lauren knows that and believes it.  She knows that is the most important thing in life.

Lauren, we love you to the moon and back. We look forward to spending the weekend with you and seeing you open your time capsule and other special gifts.  The years have passed quickly, but we're thankful to have seen you grow every step of the way.  We are thankful God allowed us to be your parents.  We have been blessed by having you in our lives.

I'll leave this post with my favorite passage, which you've known most of your life.  Follow it, always.
I love you!!
MOM :)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

    and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Another One Leaves the Nest....

When our oldest three were young, we would go to Walmart a lot, it seemed (now I avoid it and drive extra miles and spend a little more, just to go to Target or Sams instead!).  I usually had two shopping carts for groceries and the three kids until they were older or I didn't need as much, then I would let them walk in front of or behind me.  I would tell them they were like little ducks in a row and I was the momma duck, keeping them in line.  Oh, those were the days! I miss those days.  We call them "B.T." because it was before the youngest, Tyler, was born.  I would love to go back to those days, but have Tyler little then, too!  I absolutely loved those days!

Now we have great days, too, but they are different. This summer was a different summer because our daughter was gone the majority of it, but it was nice because our oldest son wasn't gone much at all and neither were the younger two.  Since the oldest was gone a lot, though, we really didn't have a lot of "whole family" times. When we did have it, we made the most of it.  This past weekend we requested no cell phones, no computers, no plans - just family time.  We cooked, ate good meals together, played games, watched a few movies....just spent time together before the oldest two packed up and moved to college.

Tears came during the lead up to the morning they left.  Thankfully our whole family was able to go, unexpectedly.  The middle son ended up needing an appointment in Oklahoma City and the only day open was moving day, unless we wanted to wait until the end of September.  Since five of us were going, the youngest thought he needed to go, too.  Some people would think it was bad to get him out of school for that.  We don't.  Family time is special to us, even more important than other important things, at times.  We wouldn't make a habit of it, but for that day, it was worth it.

My husband wrote about our oldest boy leaving for college (posted below).  For two years it's been just the three boys here together with us.  It's hard with him gone.  The youngest one misses him terribly.  I've been okay, surprisingly.  I think it's because I know that it's best for Zachary. He's 19. He's been "grown up" for several years.  When he writes that he's going with friends up there already, I am thankful.  He met some of them on his trip to Vienna and it was time for him to be away from home.  In school, he had lots of friends, but he spent his time, for the most part, with his brothers and all of us. He will enjoy making life-long friends at college.  I'm excited for him, even though seeing his empty room across from ours is tough.

Zachary,
We love you very, very much. We are proud of who you are, what you stand for, who you live for, and most of all, for allowing God to direct your path as you follow the example of Jesus.  We look forward to seeing what He has in store for your life!
Mom and Dad

***

Written by Joe...
Two years ago I wrote of our daughter, Lauren, going off to college and how we would miss her and that we would be praying for her. Now she is a junior, and I still miss her. I still pray for her daily and often throughout the day. But now there is a new twist to life, my oldest son, Zachary, left home yesterday for college.

Dads think differently of their boys than they do their girls. They always have and always will. Our daughters are the ones we want to protect and we want to be their heroes. I believe we try to make our sons an extension of us. We don't want them to do the same as we did, but we want them to do better. We want them to treat people better than we did. We want them to succeed in areas we didn't. So many of us get caught up in trying to live our lives through them, that it sometimes it causes a strain in our relationships.

I can honestly say that God blessed me with three very special sons, and I will miss all of them when they leave, I do hope it will get easier to let them go, but I don't think it will.

As far as Zachary is concerned, he passed me years ago in the character department. He's so mature. We have felt like we were raising an adult for the past several years. He has been a Christian example to me for the past few years. Watching him grow as a Christian and not give in to peer pressure has not only been an example to others, but also an encouragement to me. I know he will do well, and I know God has great plans for him. Men have a hard time talking to each other about how we really feel. And it's hard for me to express the love and pride I have for Zachary.

When I come home from work or from speaking about the Tipton Children's Home somewhere, or preaching, the first thing I notice is the cars in the driveway. (From Lori: It looks like a used car lot. A very USED car lot!) Coming home at noon today and not seeing Zachary or Lauren's car in the driveway reminded me that life is short and our the time with our kids is even shorter.

Let me encourage all of you who are reading this to spend time with your children, talk to them, love them.

I will pray for each of my kids every day, but I will say a special prayer for Lauren and Zachary. It's so much easier when they're at home. I do hope it gets easier....I miss them....

Summer Vacation 2015

Every time I think, "This may be the last time."  And this time was no different, except this one really probably was the last time. The last time we will go on a "big" family vacation with just the six of us. Most likely next summer, at least one of the six won't be going.  Change is coming.  And though I may not like it, I know it will be okay.

So for this summer vacation, we went to Florissant, Colorado, which is just west of Colorado Springs.  We stayed up a mountain in this beautiful home found on vrbo.com.

When we look for a house to rent, price matters, but since we booked later than usual, we didn't have as many options.  This one cost a little more than we usually pay, but had everything else we/I wanted. I like a nice kitchen. It's fun to cook in and clean up a beautiful kitchen, for me, anyway!

It was especially helpful to have a nice, well organized kitchen because we are getting ready to remodel our own, and it gave me some ideas.

We also want plenty of comfy seating.  One house we rented was skimpy on the comfy furniture.  This one had tons of space and comfy places to sit!  This basement room was our favorite.  It was a basement, but also opened out in the front part to look like the lower level of the three stories!  It was a "rec" room, they call it.  We enjoyed it, immensely!

Another requirement is a place to eat outside.  We ate some evening meals out on the patio.  So nice!

We like outdoor things to do, but being on a mountain limits the things to do.  The homeowners did have a horseshoe place that Joe and the boys really enjoyed.  If it was our own house, we would put in a basketball goal!  But, for little ones, there was a baby swing and tire swing hanging from a tree, plus they had a few other outdoor games to play.  Our family enjoyed running and walking the roads and exploring the mountain a little.

The only thing we did as an activity was go up Pike's Peak on the Cog Railway.  This little marmot is the only animal that lives that high on the mountain.  They remind me of prairie dogs.

There was quite a bit of snow/ice on the road near the top at at the Summit this year.  And it was windy!!  Fifty-five mile per hour winds and 27 degree wind chill.

But we made it! And had their delicious donuts and hot chocolate!

On the way down the mountain, I was alone. The rest of my family hiked back down.  The youngest vows to NEVER, EVER do that again!!!  We thought he would decide to ride down, but he didn't.  Now he wishes he had, but some day (hopefully), he will look back and be proud of that HUGE accomplishment!  They were SORE for a few days!!  They didn't even want to look at the mountain the next day when we drove into town to eat! Ha ha!

This wasn't our cog. Ours was double, but I like this picture. It reminds me of "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood". :)

This was the morning we left Florissant.  We were ready to get home, ready to not climb stairs, and the boys were ready to hit golf balls out in our wide open field (can't do that on a mountain unless you want to spend a lot of money on golf balls!), but wow! What a great vacation home!  There were five bedrooms, two living areas, an office, four bathrooms, and much more.  The last night we played the hide and seek game, "Sardines".  It was so much fun and there were lots of places to hide!!!

My kids doing the obligatory picture.  They were okay with it :).

We hiked this long (not showing the whole thing) road and Joe and the boys ran it a lot.  It was 2.5 miles just down the mountain to the main road!  I can't imagine this in the winter, but would love to be there to see it some day!

Joe and the boys played golf here one day. It was a beautiful course!

Colorado sunset....
One of my favorite things about vacation was that Wednesday night Joe had each of the boys come up with a short Bible lesson.  He did one, too.  We sang, we listened to each of their lessons, we read the Bible, and then talked about what they each chose.  Interestingly, they all went together.  I think that's because the Bible is meant to go together. It DOES go together.  That evening, plus the other devotional times we shared, singing in the car on the way....those are some of my favorite memories.

The hiking group!  The two oldest boys made it down the mountain in 2 hours and 51 minutes!  They RAN because they wanted it to be over!! :)  Joe and the other two made it in a little less than six hours.  They ran a little, but mostly walked.  They were all tired, very thirsty and hungry when they came down!  I'm so proud of them!  And guess what? My husband runs the Pike's Peak Ascent and Marathon this weekend!  He's CRAZY! Ha ha!!  

Celebrating at WDW!

So, we just got home yesterday afternoon from a trip to Walt Disney World.  It was a very different kind of trip for us.  We've never been gone away from our children that long!  It was nice, but kind of weird, too.  

We weren't away from all of our children, though.  We met up with the oldest! She's working at WDW this semester on the College Program, so not only did we get to see her, but she also got us into the parks for FREE! Can't beat that!!

We also got a discount on our room.  This is outside on our balcony at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's beautiful there! Who wouldn't want to see giraffes outside their door every day?!  I wanted to bring one home!

Lauren considered this our birthday celebration and Disney is HUGE on helping you celebrate! We received birthday buttons when we arrived and restaurants treated us royally when they knew we were celebrating!  On of our sons said it was a 2nd honeymoon, which topped our first one to Amarillo, Texas, by quite a bit! :)  Vier means celebrate in Swahili!

We went to Animal Kingdom on arrival day, then went to Magic Kingdom the next day.  Breakfast at the Beast's Castle in the "Be Our Guest" restaurant was great! The food was fancy-ish and we didn't like all of it, but it was good.  It wasn't our taste, but we know that many, many would like it.  We would order something a little different if we were to go again.  But the castle was beautiful!

One of our daughter's roommates was working at the Christmas store that day, so we went by to visit her.  What a fun job to say "Merry Christmas" every day! :)

That night we ate at "Whispering Canyon" at the Fort Wilderness Lodge.  It was great and lots of fun!!  This huge mason jar was the biggest water glass my husband has ever had. He was sooooooo happy!!

The "skillet" was great, too!  Served family style and in a never-ending fashion, this meal really fills you up!

They had a few fun photo props to take pictures.  I really liked this jail!

If you need ketchup at this restaurant, you don't just ask for it, you YELL it!  'WE NEED KETCHUP!"  And then the table with the ketchup takes it to that table!  There were 15 bottles on a table at some times! It was definitely a play on words for this place to be called "whispering".  There's NO whispering! Ha ha!!  Such fun!

You can't beat seeing "Wishes" at Magic Kingdom.  Our daughter told us the story behind the song the little girl sings at the beginning and end of the fireworks show. She had cancer and her wish was to be a part of MK in some way. It's her song that plays and may be her even singing it.  She passed away, but she did get her wish.  What a beautiful song and story!

The most beautiful part of the trip was seeing the annual International Flower and Garden Festival going on at EPCOT.  It was truly amazing!

God made beautiful flowers and man finds a great way to share them all with us!  Especially at EPCOT!

We ate at "Canada" on EPCOT day.  It was a delicious steak!  And great desserts!

Our daughter works in the American Adventure as part of the staff at the Liberty Inn.  What great memories she will have!

In Germany I found the best dessert ever - a caramel bar! It's in the Werther's store, but it's not Werther's caramel (or if it is, it doesn't say it).  It was so good, I got it two days in a row!

They couldn't leave Elsa and Anna out of the flower festival!  Elsa can't freeze the flowers now!

I had always wanted to go to this festival. It was beautiful, but also educational.  We learned so many things about plants and how to plant them that we didn't know!  But mostly, we got to enjoy the unique way Disney does things!

Another treat was this violet lemonade made with real violets! I talked our daughter into eating the flower.  She wasn't impressed, but it was just strange, too!  But, the lemonade was delicious!

We ended the day with Illuminations.

The last night we ate at Cape May in the Beach Club Resort. It was a lot more seafood than we like, but the food was delicious! They gave us a special birthday cupcake, as well.

The sandcastle they have displayed is so neat! We sat right by it!

That day we were at Hollywood Studios. We took the time to go to drawing class. Can you tell what we drew?  I thought we all did pretty well!

My husband and I sat in the old car replica for a quick photo. It was fun getting lots of pictures of just us together! We never do that!

We ended the evening with "Fantastic"...a wonderful ending to a great trip!

Animal Kingdom Lodge is a great place to visit!  It is expensive, so it was especially good to get a great discount on the stay.  In fact, that's the ONLY way we will be staying there!

But the perks of staying on Disney property is really worth a little extra money.

Our trip home started early.  We had to leave the resort at 3:30 a.m. (Florida time) and arrived in Dallas at 8:05 (Texas time).  After stopping for Bible class, worship, and lunch at Babe's Chicken, we arrived home at 4:00 p.m.  The boys were glad to see us, and we were glad to see them!

It was a very special trip and we had a great time celebrating many things: Our birthdays (a month apart, but celebrating in-between the two), our anniversary (early for 27th, but a late 25th), and our daughter being a Disney CastMember (CP).  Another of our daughter's roommates gave us a special welcome packet for celebrating our birthdays and anniversary when we visited her at the Boardwalk Resort.  

And now we're celebrating being home! :)

(I'm adding this photo after posting this, so it's just tagged on to the end. This carriage is from the movie "Cinderella". It's the real carriage that was in the movie! So cool!!)