Nothing Better than Homemade Birthday Cards!

So my kids were more excited than I was that yesterday was my birthday.  Talk ensued throughout the day about birthdays and how old one is, etc.  Lane and Alli played "birthday party" with their stuffed animals and dolls.  Apparently, this mom shares her special day with Lane's beloved "Monkey" as it was his birthday yesterday as well.  Later, when we picked Alex up from school, he asked what time I had been born and was curious as to if I was really old already or not quite.  I happened to be on the phone with my mom so I asked...I believe she said I was born at 7:05a.m. so yes, to Alex's thrilled little self, I had been old(er) all day!  Then my 3 precious children somehow got on the subject of gray hairs...and Alex asked: "So, how long have you been paying for your blond hair?...You know, Mom, to cover up all the gray?"  Lane & Alli laughed as though that was the most hysterical thing they'd ever heard and then proceeded to ask me the same question over and over again - in between their sweet little giggles, of course.  I am afraid that they were all a bit disappointed to know that this blond hair is all mine, free of charge, courtesy of God and the genetic makeup of my parents. (Now, as for the the gray...well, if I have any they are courtesy of my 3 children themselves!  And if there are any, either gray blends well with blond or in my aging years, I am losing my eyesight and simply can't see them.  Either way works for me!)

Later last night, the kids were beside themselves with excitement to give me the cards that they had made just for me.  I cherish all things the kids make but these cards each had their own particular little story.  

Let me begin with Alex's card.  He had gotten really upset the night before and came out of his room almost in tears.  When I asked what was wrong, he commented that he had been working on making me a card and had just "messed up the whole thing because he had put a 38 instead of a 39 on it."  I am not quite sure if he was upset because he had to start over or because he had made a mistake.  However, what mom wouldn't mind if her child inadvertently noted a younger age on her birthday card that he had made?  The humor of it was lost on Alex but not on me!

Card made by Alex

Then there is Mr Lane.  He's such a simple guy...not too big on details if he is the one having to provide them and he always beats to his own drum!  One of his cards exemplified just that.  He got a piece of paper, folded it in half lengthwise, scribbled something on the outside, wrote his name on the inside and then had Alex, Alli and Leland sign their names as well.  Then he got a used piece of tape (I have no idea from where but it was clear that it was used) and taped it shut...card complete and finished.  He later made another one with a little bit of Alex's assistance, I believe.  It took him two days to complete.  After he gave it to me, he informed me that the picture on the inside (which was so much marker that I am surprised there wasn't a hole or two...or three) was an Easter egg!  Now, only Lane would know what an Easter egg has to do with a June birthday...but I am sure there is an explanation there somewhere! 

Cards made by Lane

And last but not least is Alli...the card she made is very detailed and representative of many things (though I am not completely sure what all those many things are...).  I asked her to tell me about all the little pictures - the face is me, 2 are hearts, one is my phone, one is lipstick, one is my wallet, one is a toothbrush & one is a river (interesting to say the least)...oh & that # in the bottom left corner...'that's how many you are, Mommy!'...That would be sooo awesome if that number were reversed and similar to Alex's mishap and just a couple of years younger at 37, but oh no, it's a 73!  Nice!  

Card made by Alli

And so on that note, I must say, that for "73" I feel incredibly youthful!  They always say that whatever doesn't kill you, will keep you younger...I am hoping my kids and the many treasures that they add to my life will do just that - keep me young.  The first thing I learned at age 39 is that there is truly nothing better than homemade birthday cards from my kids!

A Blink of an Eye & the Ring of a School Bell

And so it was...as simple as that...a blink of an eye and the ring of a school bell...and suddenly, the oldest of my babies is now a 7th grader!  Wow!  It seems it was just yesterday that I was suffering my first bouts of morning sickness (that would end up lasting 4 months) when I was pregnant with him...and then, several months later, came the labor - a 36 hour, all in my back, labor...the kind of pain no one bothers to warn you about - the kind that makes you wonder why anyone would ever even consider having a second child after suffering through that...

But here he is...a little over 12 years later extremely proud that he is now officially a 7th grader!  And here I am still humbly amazed at the amount of love I feel for him...so much that I would endure all of that sickness and pain (and then some) all over again if it meant always having him in my life, protecting him from harm's way, sheltering him from all the bad that the world offers up...Yet, today is one of those point's in life in which God is preparing me in the tiniest of ways for future times...times in which, I, as a mom, must let go.  You see, with each passing year (and oh my, how quickly they pass), I have to let go just a little more...not because I want to - because if I could, I would keep Alex, Lane and Alli little forever...but God's design on life was that He gives us these gifts - (we call them children) - but they are not truly ours to keep - they are ours to raise in the manner in which God has planned and then we must let them go so that they might become the person(s) God intended them to be.

My prayer as a mom has always been to raise my 3 little blessings to be the best they can possibly be in every way, that they will know the difference between right and wrong, that they will show respect, that they will know and love God and oh so much more!  "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it."~Proverbs 22:6  I hope and pray daily that we are doing just that.  I like to think that we are but also realize that sometimes, we fall short.  However, I must brag a bit on Alex...the awards he received at the 6th grade Awards Ceremony last week are indicative that maybe, just maybe, we are doing something right.  He received the Perfect Attendance Award - this child loves school and loves to go to school! He also received awards for Reading and Band - two activities at which he not only excels but also enjoys greatly.  He was the recipient of the All "A" Academic Honor Roll Award - not only does he like school, he takes an active role in learning.  While I am not a proponent of standardized tests, I am beyond proud to share that Alex earned "Commended Performance" on both his reading and math TAKS tests.  He also placed 2nd in UIL spelling.  Lastly and the award for which I, as his mom, am most proud is the Citizenship Award that he received.  It wasn't an award awarded by the teachers, but rather an award that was voted on by the students in regard to one's character and how they treat others, etc.  I am proud that he chooses to be this kind of person.

Don't get me wrong, he isn't perfect...not by a long shot...and that boy who received that Citizenship Award is the same one who is quick tempered and smart mouthed here at home - he seems to always think that he needs to get the last word in...(I have no clue where he got that from because we all know that I must have the last word!)  So, while we often have a meeting of the minds, I know that he knows right from wrong, has a contrite and compassionate heart, that he knows and loves Christ and is growing into the young man God intends for him to be.  Today though, when I ever so slowly blinked my eyes and the final school bell of the year rang, he proudly proclaimed that he is now officially a 7th grader!  Little does he know that no matter what grade he is in or is promoted to, he is and will forever be, my baby!