Monday, October 29, 2012

Happy Birthday Joshua!

I officially have 3 teens.  Its hard to know what to say after that.  LOL  I have found these years to be not so bitter as they are portrayed by many.  Its not to say that there aren't challenges - there are.  But the sweetness of developing a relationship, deeper conversations and growing maturity all make this age one that is a lot of fun too!

Happy 13th Birthday Joshua!  I remember praying for you for a long time before God graciously allowed you to join our family.  Your arrival was sweet and the years since have been filled with much joy, laughter and love.  I'm so very thankful for you!

I love watching you grow in your interests and desires to understand more about your faith, history and the world around us.  I enjoy the conversations that we have on a variety of topics and the ways that you challenge my thinking.
Joshua's day started with the breakfast of his choice - on the red plate!  If you notice the chair, my children love having a "throne" for the birthday person to sit in while he/she enjoys the meals of the day.
Its hard to be patient when you have a gift you are just so excited to give!  Swords, a shield, a mask - all important things for a hero to have in hand.
Lunch was outside and it was a beautiful day.  Pizza.  Most of us ate it as it was.

Joshua wanted his with ice cream on it.  He thought it tasted good.  None of the rest of us were swayed though.
We made a trip to the Lego store as he had something in mind that he wanted to get.

Home for cake!  A fun day celebrating Joshua.
For our family, the 13th birthday is a special one.  We have chosen to mark this year as a transition to adulthood.  We invite friends over to share with and then to pray over the newly turned 13yo.

The men had a time of sharing and then we all joined in for a time of prayer.
We had a barbecue dinner which was catered and gluten free!  (Q Shack for anyone local.  I was thrilled with this and they even delivered for a very small fee!)  It was delicious.
It was a fun time with family and friends.  I'm thankful for this sweet way of celebrating this milestone.
Joshua, I'm proud of you and love you more than I could even explain.  I know that God has great things in store for you and I pray that you would continue to seek Him with all of your heart.  I pray that you would stand firm in your faith.  I pray that you would be a strong, hard-working and caring man.

I am thankful for you and so glad that you are a part of our family.  I'm thankful for your heart and for your curiosity and desire to learn.

I love you!
Mom