Happy 24th Birthday Bryce!

Twenty-four years ago today, on a beautiful spring afternoon, this little man made me a mama.

Motherhood truly does raise the "love level"" of ones heart, and it happens so quickly. In the very first moment I laid eyes on Bryce . . . and Taylor, and Brady, and Brogan, and Teddi too, my love grew in an indescribable way. I am amazed by God's "large capacity" design of a mother's heart, complete with a love supply capable of doubling, tripling, quadrupling and on, and on, and on! What a privilege it is to be a mother. Oh the precious gifts I have been entrusted with.

Bryce, my firstborn, so easy going and even tempered-- a perfect introduction to motherhood!

My brown-eyed blond, with sweet curls, that I just could not bring myself to cut . . . and then daddy snuck him to the barber shop. Bryce, remember how proud you were of that new barbershop haircut? The one that made your mama gasp? You were still as handsome as ever.

Then came hockey . . .

and brace's . . .

and music, loud music . . .

and paintball . . . and cars . . . and graduation . . .

and responsibility . . . and jobs . . .

and then you enlisted in the the Air Force . . .

and suddenly you were all grown up, and ready to fly, and fly you did. You have been on your own for three years now, and though it was hard to see you go, watching you soar has been one of my greatest joys!

What a reward as a parent, to look into the face of your adult child--and realize that they are all that you hoped for them, and more. I think at that moment a mama's "love level" raises again in a whole new way!

Happy Birthday to my independent, Survival Instructing bird-- who can do way more than just fly! I love you Bryce Evan! Thank you for making me a mom, oh how my nest has been blessed!

Blessings from my nest ~

Tina

Thankful Thursday ~ My Brady

I couldn't let the day go by without sharing a few of my thankful thoughts . . .

My original baby will fly the nest in less than a week, my Brady boy. He was my "lastborn" for 12 years, until Brogie's arrival made him a big brother . . . and now he is ready to spread his wings. He will head for Spokane next Wednesday morning, to live with big brother.

This is hard . . .

but, today I am thankful for the old spark plugs that were taking up space on my kitchen counter this morning. I am thankful for the fact that they were there because Brady did his own tune-up on his Volvo station wagon, all by himself . . . and it runs--well. I am thankful for the music that is too loud, blaring from his bedroom. I am thankful for his very talented guitar playing and for the way he just plops down beside me and plays--wherever, whenever. I am thankful for his perseverance, and the fact that he now has a homeschool high school DIPLOMA in his possession--it was a long road, but the success is sweet. I am thankful for eighteen years of pouring into a boy, and the joy of seeing a very responsible young man take shape. I am thankful that he loves Jesus. I am thankful for his unconventional ways of thinking, of living, of doing.

I am thankful that two nights ago, I watched as he prepared a gourmet meal for four of his closest guy friends. Steak shish kabobs (marinated in his own recipe), grilled asparagus (also marinated in another of his own recipes) and homemade sweet potato fries. Is that not impressive? And it was self taught. I don't make my own marinade and I don't grill, honestly I'm not sure if I have ever made shish kabobs. He did his own grocery shopping too. I thinking he's ready to fly . . .

I am thankful that this was the scene on my front porch yesterday. . .

We have baby birds, again, and yesterday the first one-- of four, took flying lessons. If you read my Memorial Box Monday post "The Nest" a couple of weeks ago, you will know that the Lord is using these little birds once again, to minister to my aching heart. (" The Nest: Part II" is coming).

I am thankful for Brady's future, knowing that his steps are ordered by the Lord. I look forward to seeing how God plans to use Brady. I have a feeling it's gonna be big.

Today I am thankful for the growing pile of Brady's neatly packed belongings taking up the corner of my dining room-- because it means he's still here.

Today I am thankful that we get to hold on to his noisy little self for just a bit longer . . .

Blessings from my teary eyed nest ~

Mama bird

Happy Mother's Day!

I love being a mom, it's been a wonderful week!

On Friday I was honored by my Brogie boy at a Mother's Day Tea . . .

(Translation . . . she takes care of me then you give kisses.)

We moms were serenaded by the most precious group of

Kindergartners (about 100 in all), it was a joyful noise!

We were then served tea and cookies in their classrooms . . .

and showered with gifts-- like the card at the top,

and the classic plaster of paris golden handprint. Love it!

He was so proud!

"Mommy, was that your best presents you ever got?"

"Oh yes, Brogie, it was!"

Another beautiful card, from my Teddi girl.

(My children, working in separate classrooms, both drew me

with a large red nose. I think they think I'm a clown . . .

oh well, I think clowns make great mamas!)

My Teddi and her handprint gift . . .

another "best present I ever got".

Teddi overheard a friend and I earlier this week telling each other to have a Happy Mother's Day--to which my baby girl added, "I looooove Mother's Day!" Four little words. Four powerful little words coming from my daughter who waited three long years for a mama to call her own. They were heartmelting words to this mama.

My nest was blessed today, with four of my birds,

and my son-in-love bird here to spend the day with me!

I missed you Bryce Evan, my firstborn bird.

The Newlys gave me a sweet smelling candle, along with

some yummy apricot/peach jam-- perfect for spreading on a

beautiful loaf of their homemade bread!

My Brady boy brought flowers home late last night. They were waiting for me in the kitchen this morning when I woke up, along with a lovely Thank You card. For the full Brady affect though, you must see the picture below . . .

When I mentioned that I wanted to take a picture, and asked him if he would get my big glass vase down from its high storage spot he answered, "NO! They need to stay in that!" So, stay in that they did. That's my Brady, and that's why I love him so!

Lastly, I received a card from this boy, but not just any card. That would be waaaaay too normal for us, and besides, Bryce does not believe in conventional greetings.

Last year my Mother's Day card was a dog in a race car, it arrived in a brightly colored polka dot envelope. The card had a cute birthday message, which had been re-worded by my eldest, into an appropriate Mother's Day greeting. This year I received this . . . a dancing polar bear, with penguins as back up. It also plays music. Loud music.

"You can't touch this . . . do,do, do,do (bump, bump)do--do, do--do. Do, do, do, do (bump, bump), do--do, do--do."

But wait, there's more. Along with the creatively re-worded message, there are Dora stickers, wiggly eyes, and . . . if you look closely, you will see that the back of the card is covered in black fake fur. In Bryce's personal note he mentions that I might regret buying Brogan and Teddi crafting supplies--pointing out that these are the long term effects of said supplies. Regarding the fur, he writes, "I don't know why I thought the fur was needed, but it really adds a touch of class and luxury." Oh yes, it certainly does--the fuzziness also added a great element of surprise as I reached into the envelope to pull this masterpiece out!

He ends with, "Anyways, thanks for all the love, thanks for embracing my oddity (you still have a good decade of it left in Brogie!) Thanks for being supportive of my crazy job, thanks for the care packages, the prayers, 7 metric tons of Dr. Pepper in high school, sweet tea, hugs and arts and craft instructions." Love, Bryce

About embracing the oddity, and still having a good decade of it left in Brogie . . . my big boy's proudest moments are when their baby brother says or does something crazy to prove that their legacy will live on in our home! Do you see Brogan studying his brothers behavior in the photo above? Yep.

It's in the genes . . . no wonder my babies are drawing me with a clown nose! On that note, I will wish a happy Mother's Day to my own mama, and thank her for the most important family value she instilled in me, and my sister, and our two brothers.

Laughter.

Thanks Mom!

Happy Mother's Day to you Mom, and to my mother-in-law who happens to be the best mother-in-law in the world. To my step-mom, who has embraced our craziness, thank you. To my friend Rosemary, who is 78 and my BFF---thanks for being like a mama to me. To my sister, and my sister-in-laws--I love sharing motherhood with you! To my friends and my mentors, thank you for the many things you teach me.

Lastly to my bloggy friends--whether you are a mom of many, mom of some, mom of one, or perhaps longing to be a mom. Thank you for sharing my everyday life with me . . . the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens. Most of you I have never met face to face, yet there is an inexplicable bond that we have because we share life with one another. Thank you for your encouragement and wisdom. Thank you for sharing my laughter and my tears, thank you too, for sharing motherhood with me.

Blessings from my oh so very blessed nest ~

Tina

Happy Birthday to My Taylor!

My first baby girl turns twenty-two years old today. She arrived on a hot and humid Saturday afternoon, six days early, just in time to be the best Mother's Day present I ever received-- and she has been blessing me ever since!

My precious, not so little, nine pound, two ounce bundle of joy . . .

Born in Okinawa, Japan.

(I love, love, love that both of my girls were born in Asia!)

My shy, but silly little girl.

My sensitive, thoughtful, put others first, girl.

My, she's growing up way too fast, girl.

My graduated with honors in the Florida sands, girl.

My, baby is a bride, girl.

My soaring bird . . .

My girl has been a wife for nearly a year now, I knew she would do well, but I had no idea just how well. The Newlys run a tight ship. They made it a goal when the new year started, to live on a $10 per week grocery budget. Ten dollars . . . and they are doing it! With coupons and freebies, a lot of deal shopping, and simple eating, they are doing it-- sometimes with money left over! Every month they donate the equivalent of their grocery budget to a different charity supporting food or water. They share their experience on their blog, "The Adventures of Taylor and Frankie", in a Menu Mondays post each week. There is much to be learned from these Newlys!

If you will allow me to share (brag) just a bit more . . .

This is a glimpse into my girl's heart. It's her own birthday post, I borrowed it from her blog, justaylor. . .

My Birthday is coming up!!!

And all I've asked for is this...

Really, that's what I want.

Those of you who know me know that I don't need much. And you know that I don'twant for much. I really can't think of one thing that I need. A new hair dryer would be nice, because mine is a hand-me-down and slow, but it works just fine. Yeah, I like new shirts, but I have plenty right now. And I really don't even need Nerds Rope, but some people insist on buying me gifts. ;)

But those of you who know me and are likely to be buying me birthday gifts, well you know what I really want. Something I always want...

Clean water.

This means so much more to me than getting presents for my birthday.

Can you imagine the joy behind this picture?! I can't think of any birthday present that would make me happier than this little boy is...

Frankie and I have plans to build a well. He says this year. I say that's bold. But we know God can do big things. So we're working in lots of different ways to raise money to go towards the cost of a well. Receiving money for my birthday for this cause is exactly what is on my b'day list! :)

Is that more than enough to make a mama proud, or what?

To my sweet Birdie ~

You make my heart soar. The way you walk out your faith inspires me to do more, to try harder. I am honored to be your mama. Happy 22nd Birthday baby girl. I love you with all my heart! ~ Mom

Blessings from my nest ~

Tina

Almost Wordless Wednesday (and the Newly's giveaway)

{A ladybug friend }

{Grinner's grandest grin.}

~ Taylor and Frankie, a.k.a. The Newlys, are having a Mother's Day giveaway over on their sweet little blog. All you have to do for a chance to win is leave them a comment -- by clicking here! They will be so blessed if you stop by!

Blessings from our springtime nest ~

Tina

Twenty-six years today . . .

I've been married to my high school sweetheart, my hometown boy. My parachuting Pararescueman, who told me after three years of dating that he was joining the Air Force* to learn a foreign language and become a translator. Sounded safe enough. Will you marry me? Sure. Whatever. Twenty six parachuting, repelling, deploying, mountain climbing, scuba diving, flying all over the globe, years later. Here we are. In case you wonder, he never did learn a foreign language. How boring would that have been?

Ten moves, fourteen different "nests", three birds . . . and then another, one bird flown to follow in dad's footsteps, our China bird finally home, another bird married--and flown, and now another getting ready to fly . . .

Empty nest? No way. Crazy nest? Yes. Transitioning nest? Yes. True love? Yes. Wedded bliss? Not always. Hard work? Yes.

Worth it? Oh yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Twenty-six years of yeses!

I love you babe, with all my heart--and then some! (Big bunches, really big bunches.)

Blessings from our anniversary celebrating nest ~

Tina

Memorial Box Monday ~ The Lemonade Stand

It's time to share another story, and place another

treasure in our Memorial Box. For my full scoop

on what a Memorial Box is see this post, which

will also link you to my friend Linny's blog

-- where Memorial Box Monday got it's start!

Memorial Box Monday ~ The Lemonade Stand

We began Teddi's adoption in June of 2007, just one day after seeing her face in an email I had received from rainbowkids.com. We were in love! A couple of weeks into the paperchase Taylor decided that she and Brogie were going to do something that would help get us one step closer to China, and their waiting sister . . . they were going to have a lemonade stand.

I was a bit skeptical. The base house we were living in at the time, was off the beaten path. I wasn't sure how much "lemonade traffic" we would get. Still, we made a trip to the store for lemonade mix, some lemons, and some clear plastic cups. We came home and I mixed up two gallons of lemonade, while Taye carefully cut the lemons into wedges-- wanting each cup to have its own pretty garnish. We also made a nice big sign that read, "Help us bring our sister home from China!" (of course we graced it with a picture of Teddi's cuteness). My entrepreneur and her helper were ready to set up shop . . .

Still, I was concerned that getting customers was going to be a problem. My very optimistic nineteen year old told me not to worry-- she had a plan. She was going to load up a small table, two chairs, the lemonade, lemons, cups, ice, and sign, and her three year old brother, and find a spot to set up business. I wasn't even sure we were even allowed to do this on our military base, but I wasn't going to be the one to stop her. So they left, and I prayed (with my doubting little heart), "Lord, would you please make this successful, and bless Taylor's efforts."

Taye drove about three blocks from the house, to a grassy corner near one of the main intersections on base, and they set up shop. It was June in south Texas, it was noon, and it was HOT. It wasn't long before my cell phone rang, Taye's excited voice was on the other end, "Mom, people are stopping, they are giving us donations, one man just gave us a twenty!

The Lord was indeed blessing my babies efforts! About an hour later, I grabbed my camera, and a chair, and I headed for the corner where the kids had set up shop. I was going to go get myself some ice cold lemonade . . . and some pictures of my babies doing business. I got to the corner and parked, and Taye was just finishing loading up her truck. The lemonade was gone (as was my photo-op). They had just sold their last cup.

The salesman on a later date.

One daughter with serious faith.

One sweet, yet sweaty, three year old brother "helper".

A flock of thirsty (and generous) customers.

Two gallons of lemonade . . .

SOLD!

To the tune of . . . . . . .

$97.25 in one very blessed hour and fifteen minutes!

Sometimes God's generosity just blows me away!

I ran across the lemonade sign in the closet a few weeks after Teddi came home from China. I thought it would be fun to see our girl in person, holding the sign, that one year prior had held all of our hopes.

A lemonade dream come true. The Lord's provision. A sweet girl home forever.

Father, thank you that when my children came with childlike faith you blessed them so very generously. Thank you for the hearts of thirsty strangers, who blessed us, and played a precious part in bringing our Teddi girl home. Thank you for lemons, especially for the one (pretend of course) that will go into our Memorial Box, to remind us of Your unfailing goodness towards us!

He is good. Always!

Blessings from my nest ~

Tina