Monday, May 24, 2010

Happy 15th Birthday!

We just celebrated Landon's 15th birthday. Daddy took the afternoon off work. (He had a meeting in the morning, on a national holiday? What's up with that?!?  :)) We took the kids to play Laser Tag. (It was a hit! They told us it was "as" fun as some Disney World rides. Wow! ) Then we spent a few hours at Barnes and Nobles. (His request, of course.) We ended the day with his favorite dinner -steak. He's my carnivore. (And gets to enjoy it, in moderation.)

                              You can't wear a tie to Pinnacle Peaks...or, they'll cut if off. :)


                                 
                                                               A rugged minor...


A pretty Southern girl...


                     ...and a not so pretty Southern dad! Yikes!



 I shocked Landon and bought him all his favorite "junk" food. You can tell by his smile that this is extremely rare!   


This years birthday cake was a challenge to make. I didn't have a mixer, measuring cups, spatulas, etc. But, the twenty minutes of mixing with a fork, was worth it. He loved it. (At least this year they all recognized what it was. :))



Oh, so many candles! It's hard to believe he's 15. Every birthday I tell them the story of their birth, and how I felt when I first laid eyes on them. That feeling has only intensified over the years. He is the most amazing, wonderful, terrific, funny, caring, enjoyable, son there is. It's a privilege to be his mom.

                                              Happy 15th Birthday, my son!
                                                           I love you!!!

Monday, May 10, 2010

So Many Memories....

When we left Tucson eight years ago, we left some things behind in a storage area underneath our house. Now, eight years later...it's been opened!  There was my hair-salon equipment, a solar pool cover, extra house tile, etc.  But what was really funny to find, was the kids' Little Tike's slide.  And why did I save this??  Was I thinking they could use it when we returned?  It was one of their favorite toys. We kept it by the pool, and they would slide down "thousands" of times, so daddy or I could catch them in the water.  I guess I thought, if we ever returned, the kids would have remained three and six. I only wish!!  Unfortunately, I can't turn back time, but I am grateful for the memories I do have in this home. (Painting allows a lot of time to reminisce!)  The precious memories of my children taking their first step....decorating our first Christmas tree....every inch of this house has a memory, where I rocked them....played with them....cared for them..... read to them ....oh, so many!  Max and I took this old repo house, and made it a home. We worked many looooooog hours on it. Too many to count.  And, it feels just like yesterday Max returned from Desert Storm, and we began our new life together.

But of course, the bad memories have also crept up since we've been back. Like the time I got home from taking the kids to a miniature pony farm, and Max showed up early from work. With excitement, I started telling him about the fun we had at the farm. He stopped me mid sentence, (it's what you have to do when I'm excited about something, or you won't get a word in!).  He proceeded to tell me that he got a call from his doctor, who recently had removed a mole from his back. The doctor gently gave him the news that the pathology report came back....and Max had stage three melanoma! (The prognoses was about six months to a year.) I felt like someone shoved their fist in my stomach. I will never forget that day as long as I live.  But obviously, God had a different plan for my husband.  The short story is...after days of fasting and prayer, Max was cleared of Melanoma!  The doctor was shocked! We were elated, and our Lord glorified.  We will never forget, "The Miracle for Max!" 

A few years later, on a summer afternoon, I was reading to Landon when Max rushed through the front door with a dozen red roses and a card attached that read, "We have a healthy baby!" Backing up weeks before....a blood test came back positive that my baby (Payton) had a high chance of having down syndrome. (On a side note, if we could do that one over again, I would have NEVER gone through any testing to find out if she was healthy or not. What did it matter? We would have loved her with all our heart either way. She was our baby, a gift from God!!)  When we finally did get the results, we were thrilled, but not surprised. Backing up once again....the Wednesday prior, we were at church and asked one of our pastors if he would pray with us after service. He knew we were burdened, so of course he agreed. We  went into the sanctuary, sat down, and Max randomly open his bible and started reading. He opened it to a passage where Jesus was telling his disciples that if they had faith and would not doubt, they could say to a mountain go, and throw yourself into the sea and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. (Paraphrased by me.) I thought it was amazing, since we had just asked for prayer! So, I asked Max what chapter and verse it was, so I could write it in my journal when I got home. Well...he turned back the page, and as he told me, Matthew 21:21...we both had chills run down our spine!! We had done lots of research on chromosomes, and we learned that chromosomes "21-21," determined a healthy baby! Some might think it was a coincidence, but we know that God communicates to us in numerous ways. And, on that particular Wednesday evening.....He chose Matthew 21:21.  

The memories will keep coming, and I will keep smiling (and painting!)....and looking forward to making new ones!  :)

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Tucson

It's wonderful to be back in Tucson! I had planned on posting when I got here, but we've been quite busy. We stayed on base for the first week and then moved into our home....where we've been camping ever since. We have air mattresses, a camping table, four chairs, four plates....well, you get the picture. :) In my families eyes, we've really been "roughing it" without the internet or TV. (I'm still procrastinating on getting TV....I could easily live without it, but I don't think I'll get away with it!) Since we've moved in, our lives have only consisted of school, home repairs, trips to Lowe's, cleaning, painting....did I mention painting? The paint brush is forever indented in the palm of my hand. We decided to keep our belongings in storage until we get all the painting, etc. done. It's much easier without all that stuff in the way. It's actually kind of refreshing not having all that "stuff." Although, living out of a suitcase since February has its challenges, too. Like wearing the same three short sleeves shirts...and refusing to buy any more. :)

I did take some time to get outside with my camera when we got here. The blooming cacti and the wild flowers were amazing! There is light at the end of my paintbrush...and this is it. :) Enjoy a few shots of the beautiful desert!