Tuesday, December 25, 2018

2018 Ornaments





Bailey girl-
            You have really grown up this last year and blossomed, and your love of the outdoors hasn’t wavered! You are really and truly your happiest when you can be wild & free outdoors. One of the things that stands out from the last year is your love for plants. This year we added a backyard garden and you were self-appointed chief gardener. You made sure everything had water and picked things when they were ripe. You even had your own garden in the ditch. You loved reading about edible plants and ask for an Aloe Vera plant for your birthday. You also enjoyed reading The Secret Garden, which has the theme of transformation. Don’t ever forget that- “Two things can not be in one place. Where you tend a rose my lad, a thistle cannot grow.” Along those lines, my hope in your love of plants is that you never forget us memorizing John 15 last Spring- “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Don’t ever forget who the master gardener in your life is and allow Him to pull the weeds & prune things in your life as He sees fit.  It may hurt, but it is for your good. Remember that you must abide in God to bear fruit and I can’t wait to see that fruit. We couldn’t love you more!

                                                                                                              
                                                                                                           Love, Mom & Dad


Blake-

            What a year you have had! Some memories we don’t want to forget are you getting your guinea pig, Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You & dad did the Sky Coaster at Schlitterbahn. You got 3rd place in the breaststroke at CHAMPS!!! You got your reading glasses! You got to watch The Dark Knight series and ended up as Batman for Halloween You started washing with daddy’s soap and sleeping with his pillow because you wanted to smell like him. You got to play your first season of baseball. Me, you and Weston WON the Amazing Race!!!!!!!!!!! You got really interested in airplanes/flying and are currently considering a career in the Air Force. Another thing that has stood out to me is that it seems like lately you have had one thing on your brain and that is fishing. You are either wanting to go fishing or you are shopping for more fishing gear. It reminds me a little bit of toddler Blake who said “keys, tractor, go ride, keys, gator, Pa, etc.” : ) It has been fun to watch this new hobby. In the Bible, Jesus was friends with some fishermen. I want to share with you, the same thing Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Follow after Jesus with all your heart and share that good news with others. We love you buddy!

                                                                                                       Love, Mom & Dad



Blair Bear-
            It wasn’t hard to think back on the year and decide what ornament to get you- a guinea pig ornament! However, if we could have found an ornament that represented your kind and sharing heart we would have. Blair, you are not perfect, but you really are a sweet heart and it is a gift you like to share. We will never forget on Thanksgiving Day that you held hands with Beau and tied with him in the Turkey Trot instead of trying to beat him.  You sure love your guinea pigs and you have had them almost one year! A sweet part of your day is giving them loving and head scratches. We love your play dates with Alivia and her guinea pigs, playdates with Abby making Guinea Pig Land and making buildings for the guinea pigs. And we love that you were Butterscotch for Halloween. 

                                                                                                            Love, Mom & Dad



Beau,
            Gosh you have grown up so much this year. You are no longer our baby boy, but you are also not quite one of the big kids. We know it is hard that Bailey, Blake and Blair can always do things better than you, but you sure try to keep up pace with them! One of the things we say A LOT lately to you is that you can do hard things. You hiked a couple of miles to see the Window at Big bend and you joined your siblings at ACS where you learned to count to 20. My favorite hard thing you did this year was learn to swim! And swim you did! You were so excited to finally have your turn on the Blue Wave and for you that also meant biking to practices. You were one of the few 4 year olds on the Blue Wave swim team that swam all the way across the pool, plus you did it in 52 seconds! It was really fun to watch you and we were so proud! I know at times it may seem like you can’t do something or that something is too frustrating, but always remember that YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!  We love you Beau!!!

                                                                                                            Love, Mom & Dad

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