wishes.

Birthdays around here start at breakfast.  You wake up and you get a present at each meal. 

The girls had been busting with excitement for a couple of days.   (Everyone has been earning their own money, saving some, putting some into tithing, and some into spending.  They all decided to put their spending toward a gift for Emmett.)

They could not WAIT for Emmett to open the things that they bought.  I love that my kids are so excited and enthusiastic about birthdays...it doesn't matter whose it is...they are totally thrilled about it.  So with every present there were all kinds of oohhs!  and aahhs!

There were homemade gifts, too.  Miriam made Emmett a little box out of paper and then wrote him sweet notes about his birthday and put them inside it.

The biggest oohhs!  and ahhs! came when Emmett unwrapped his BB gun.  Yes, folks, you read that right.  Emmett now owns a BB gun...followed by a fretful mom laying down the safety rules...a few times.  I can't believe it....

I am so happy that Emmett is in our family.  There is no one like him in the world. 

He is...

a kind older brother...even if he does know exactly how to push his sisters' buttons.

a voracious learner.

thoughtful of others feelings.

aware of what people need.

a loyal and true friend.

a thinker.

a planner.

an inventor.

someone who doesn't let obstacles get in his way.

independent.

sensitive to spiritual things.

a good listener.

someone with a great smile and a happy laugh.

great at excelling.

competitive.

a hard worker.

a blessing to his mom.

and a gift to his family.

He wished for a BB gun...and got it.

I wished for him to slow down the growing up...to wait for me while I get ready for him to grow up...to wait while I try to get used to him not being the baby that I held 12 years ago... and hoped that this day wouldn't come before I was ready...I didn't get my wish...

I did wish that he would grow up to be a sensitive, kind, and thoughtful person...that's a wish I'm getting.

older. LIFE.

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inspiration.

I've been inspired by an number of people and books.  For this project I was inspired by Stephanie Roberts' 365 days project and the book, A Year of Mornings.

I've taken at least one picture almost every day this year...I just haven't posted them.  So, I'm going to try to start posting images...just a picture. 

These are just little snippets of my day...an sweet little mix of things left behind by my kids as they hurry off to school, breakfast with Grace, a silly moment of the day, a funny interaction or connection between my kids...it will be kind of random....nothing ground breaking or super special or out of the ordinary. 

The title of the posts will be the day that they were taken this year.  For example:  Day 40 or Day 137.  (Hopefully, that math doesn't get the best of me...adding up the days of the year trying to figure out which one it is!)

inspired. LIFE.

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