Zachary's 21st Birthday & Time Capsule Opening

What a fun time we had Saturday!  My parents came to town Friday night, and my mom, Zachary, Lauren, and I spent all day Saturday cooking for Zachary's 21st birthday. The 21st birthday in our home is special because the kids get to open their time capsule that was made at their 1st birthday party.  So for 20 years that sack that was his time capsule has been safely stored away.  I've never even peeked to see what was put in any of them, so it's always exciting to me, too!  

Lauren bought Zachary a yummy cookie from a shop in Oklahoma City she had made with the Italian flag on it. She gave it to him on Friday.  We gave him a special book, which I'll tell about towards the end of this post.

Originally Zachary wanted to cook all of the food for his party, but in the end he decided it would be easier for him if we all helped! It worked out perfectly! He chose Italian food, which was great because he and Lauren spent three weeks there in May (which I haven't yet blogged about, but need to!).  I'm usually not one that likes the food I've cooked all day. I guess just being around it all day makes me not like it, BUT this time I have to agree with those who said - it was all delicious!  Everything just seemed to go right, and turned out like it was supposed to (yippee!).  

Most of the decorations I had for this theme, but was really excited to see the "Hunts" brand of large tomato sauce at Sam's. Mine were so old and had been in the garage and gotten too hot, I guess.  The red cans make it extra cute!

Walmart had these red and white plates in a "picnic" section, but worked great. I ordered the Italian flag napkins from Amazon. 

 The traditional "cousin" picture.  The little ones are second cousins. They make parties even more fun!

My mom made two chocolate pies (Zachary loves that one she makes) so we would be sure to have enough dessert. Zachary had requested that I get a church friend's banana pudding recipe for his main dessert. We put candles on it!

And then it was time for the time capsule opening. I remember using slick paint on that sack at the last minute before his 1st birthday party thinking I should have done something different - more special. But I didn't let myself change it, either. It was fine!

 There were lots of special things in the capsule.  A red wagon from Grandma (my mom) that had a message of how she pulled Zachary in that wagon a lot when she kept he and his siblings a few days in the summer when I worked part time.

 An extra special handwritten letter from his great-grandpa with his first wedding band in it.  Oh, I wish that grandpa was still alive to have seen this, but how neat that he has this memory and keepsake.

 A plate and napkin from his first birthday party. The candle was in their too. I should have used it for the "1" of "21"!! (But I had no idea it was there! Ha ha!).

 A letter and pictures from family members.  It was fun ready them and looking at the pictures.

When Zachary was born one of my friends gave me a scrapbook keepsake book. I kept it up well and it was something special that just he had.  It tells funny sayings that he would say. I enjoyed reading that again. 

 The book we give them when they turn 21 is the words of the book "Just in Case You Ever Wonder" by Max Lucado. The words are put to pictures of them growing up.

It was a LOT of work, but I'm proud of it and know Zachary will be, too.  I loved looking through pictures of him. It brought back so many memories and tears of joy, happiness, and a little sadness at how fast it's gone.

And I love the main point of the book - that we taught Zachary about God...about Jesus....about Heaven.

Another special thing was in the time capsule. This book. I wrote a letter to him in it - a really long letter. I'm not sure he's even read it, yet! Ha!  And I had letters that I wrote to him each year.  Some will be blog posts that I print out.  And two years were missing for some reason. I got a little overwhelmed a few years and had a hard time keeping up. It seemed like I was always writing and maybe I just didn't do them??  I don't know. Hopefully they'll show up. If not, it's okay.  

I'm not sharing a picture of it, but one thing we did last week was watch the commercial we made for Comanche County Memorial Hospital about Zachary being born and having Group B Strep.  The commercial was good at the time, but they made it waaaaayyyyy close up so our heads are HUGE! And I have on way too much makeup!  But Zachary and Lauren looked cute :).  It didn't show Jacob, although he would have been born at the time.

Then the party was over.....

On Sunday, Zachary's actual birthday, Mom and Dad were still in Tipton. We all went to Bible class and worship, then had a quick lunch before they headed back to Texas and we left for Texas....visited the DFW area for a few days for a quick vacation trip.  We worshiped at Roanoke, TX, then at in Carrolton at Babe's. A fun and delicious ending to Zachary's special day!

Dear Zachary,
When I think of you celebrating your 21st birthday, my heart is filled with pride.  God allowing me to be your mother has been one of my biggest joys of life.  After always wanting a big brother - or any brother - it was fun having a boy! I'd never been around boys other than my dad, grandpas and your dad, so actually being around a little baby boy and raising him brought all new experiences in my life!  And I have truly loved every minute of it.

I'm writing your letter a few days late, so it's a Wednesday. Just tonight at Bible class, you taught about two miracles of Jesus - Him healing the woman with the issue of blood and Jairus' daughter being brought back to life.  As you taught, I just kept thinking about your wisdom and knowledge for your age.  I know people think it's our doing (your dad and I), and I hope and pray that we have taught you a lot and you did learn a lot from us, in reality I know that a lot of what you know you have learned on your own - by digging into God's Word yourself.  That's what it should be and that's one thing I love about you.

As you attend college and learn in classes, I know that you are doing what you can to shine your light for Jesus in any way you can.  In a small way, but something that I have seen you do, is that you get to know people. You learn their names. When I've been with you on campus, you speak to them and say hello to them. You do what you can to make them feel like you care.  I can't remember what you said exactly, but I remember you saying you were specially trying to learn people's names and say their names.  You know....that is something people need to hear and you are doing that.  That one thing made a big impression on me. It's something I need to work on myself.  You teach me things all of the time.

You're so mature for your age.  I thank God for what He has done in your life and how He is molding you into what He wants you to be.

This summer has been special for you and for us.  We have had you here, which I never would have thought possible. You've worked at the children's home helping organize and plan events, camps, etc. You've directed QMCC camp session with your dad for the 3rd year, baptizing someone for the first time and influencing many others who are on their own spiritual journeys.  You've gained knowledge in your future career, but been an asset and helper to all who needed you here - especially to your dad.

I'm going to miss you when you go back to college, but am also excited about your junior year.  You've made it a goal to have lots and lots of people in your apartment.  Hospitality is important to me, and I think all of our family feels that it's important. It's so great to see you willing to open up your college home to reach out to others.  They will be thrilled! :)

Zachary, all that your dad and I wanted for your future was to know that we loved you and for you to be a faithful Christian and a worker for Him in the Kingdom.  You are doing just that.  There's nothing more to say.  All I can say is that I love you and am proud of you.  Most importantly, I believe you are doing God's Will.  You have Him at the center of your life.  I pray that He is always the center.  If He is, all else will be okay.

I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. Now and forever my baby you'll be.  MOMMA (You call me Momma. Not all the time, but often. No one else does :) )

Back to College Time!

After a little more than three months of having our two college kids home, our son had to go back yesterday.  I got to help him move in, which made the whole process a lot more bearable for me.  This closet area is really nice! He's an R.A. (Resident Assistant) this year, so his room is FREE, bigger, and has a bathroom he shares, but is in between his room and the other, so he doesn't have to go to the general dorm floor bathroom.

We quickly filled up that nice closet, making it for clothes and a mini kitchen.  His bbq grill lives in his trunk, along with all of his grill utensils, so that frees up a lot of space!

The room is basically like last year's dorm room. In fact, pretty sure that he set it up almost the exact same!

Making up his bed made me feel like I was getting to do something big! I doubt it stays looking like this, though :).

His desk area was expanded a bit with some shelving.

It's not all put together yet, but will be soon. He took his really nice desk chair, so at least he'll be comfy when he sits there.  He doesn't like the window open.  I sure would!  Maybe he will sometimes, though.

He got the TV all hooked up, even though he's really disappointed that he won't be able to watch the Olympics at college. The college cut cable.  Guess the tens of thousands of dollars tuition couldn't cover that! Ha ha! (Thankfully we're not having to pay all of those tens of thousands due to scholarships and awards, but still.....cutting sports channels is crazy! Gonna be lots of unhappy college kids!

The bathroom is so big!  It must be handicap assessable, which is very good to do in all private bathrooms, of course.  It will be so nice to not have to go down the hall if he has to get up during the night.  I wouldn't have liked that, either!

And now something interesting: Zachary had a ziplock bag full of sunglasses.  I displayed them for him, commenting on how many he had.  He said, "Oh yeah, if you didn't know, I collect sunglasses!  I pick them up whenever I can!"  Ha ha! A lot of these were free!  Some I know he'll never wear (thankfully!) :)  

As I hugged Z bye last night, I cried. I cried leaving, but not for long.  This morning I get a little sad when I look in his room. It's straighter than it's been in many months, not just because of his stuff, but with our kitchen remodel, a lot of things were stored in his room.  His bed is straight. His high school graduation t-shirt quilt is laying out on top, showing me years and years of memories.  It's bittersweet.  I'm proud of him and excited for him.  I want him to be where he is and to be doing what he's doing.  But I'm selfish, too.  I miss him.   It takes me a few weeks to adjust to the "new" and since the two oldest are leaving at different times, it gives special time with me and our daughter to do some things before she leaves.  

God has ways of preparing us for all of these transition times.  It also brings us closer to Him.  This morning I'll start writing out my ladies' Bible class lesson for our new year which begins Wednesday night.  I've had a long summer break from that, so it's time to dig deeper in God's Word in a different way that I did this summer.  That's a good thing.

Please pray for all of the college kids as they begin this new semester.  They are at such an exciting time of life, but, sadly, for so many, it's an unsure time of life. They need our prayers.  They need  to know people care about them. 

Happy 20th Birthday, Zachary!

I'm posting this a few days late, but the message is just the same:  HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, ZACHARY!  It is unbelievable that you are 20, but you ARE!  What a wonderful 20 years it has been!

It has been so much fun having Zachary here at home this summer! Next year he won't be here because he'll have an internship somewhere, so we've made the most of him being here.  For a "job" this summer, he's making cinnamon rolls.  He's done a great job and been about as busy with it as he's wanted to be!  Plus they've sure smelled good when he's been able to make them at home!

A major milestone he's had this summer is getting his braces off!  It was a looooonnnnngggg time coming, and he's been a real trooper through the whole thing.  It's worth it in the end, but I know it was definitely a pain!  What a beautiful (handsome, I suppose he would prefer!) smile!

Instead of a large family party, we just did our own family party. We ate Mexican food and bowled.  It was a lot of fun!  It's always fun seeing someone else wear a sombrero and get sung to!

Since this is a few days late, it gave me an opportunity to post about something Zachary did a few days after his birthday. He was down to teach the auditorium Bible class for this past Wednesday night.  The topic was "Homeland Security" and had to do with what parents could do to prepare their children for the world and "war zone".  Even though he doesn't have any parental experience, he has lots of experience being a "kid" and is a great example of how to live in the world and not of the world.  The material was basically prepared for him, as he only had to add a few of his own thoughts and experiences, but he did great!  He'll do that full-time as a youth minister, so this was just preparation for his future, Lord willing.  

Zachary,

I'm so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to be your momma.  (He calls me momma...the only one who does!)  It has been a wonderful blessing to raise you, and I'm so very proud of you - for who you are and for your work in God's Kingdom.  I look forward to seeing how He uses you in the years to come.  Thank you for being such a great brother to your siblings.  We appreciate you very much.  We are always here for you.  We will always love you.

MOMMA :)

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

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!!  

Zachary's Graduation and Party - May, 2015

It feels kind of strange for half of our children to be out of school, but as of Sunday afternoon, that has happened!  Our second oldest child, oldest son graduated as one of eight Valedictorians for his class of 19.

This class has been competitive from the beginning.  They loved trying to get the highest grade and do the very best in anything they did.  But they got along well, too.  They were and are a super-talented group in many areas - academics, sports, public speaking, art, and just in gifts and abilities.  

Zachary and the other Valedictorians gave a speech about one or two minutes long. They used the word SUCCESS, each taking one letter to come up with a word to be the theme of their speech.  The first person told about the word success.

Zachary was awarded his diploma by his dad because Joe had previously been on the School Board.  That was pretty neat!

Photo: The parents and the grad.

Photo: The graduate and his family.

Photo: The graduate with his mom's side of the family.

The graduates throwing their hats!  I really like this picture!

Photo: Zachary's Trinity Knotted Tie! He YouTube'd to figured it out!

Photo: The eight Valedictorians.

We had a graduation party the day before his graduation. About 40 people attended the party. It was a lot of fun!

We are so proud of this young man! He has truly been a joy to raise. We say he was born a little man. He really was.  And being almost 19, it's like we have been raising a young adult for several years. He certainly didn't need much parenting.  He sometimes "parents" me! Ha ha!

Photo: Grad with Grandma and Grandpa

I couldn't have made it in time for the graduation party, or any of the events during the few days before, without my mom!  My husband and family always help, but without her help, there would have been a lot of undone things and a lot of dirty things! Dad helped run errands, too! Thanks to both of them!

Photo: Grad with Grammy

We're proud of you, Zachary!  Congratulations on your graduation! We look forward to seeing where God leads you in the future!