I just realized that I haven't shared some very good news! Patrick and Amber got engaged on June 30th!.

Here is how he pulled it off:  I told Amber that I had tickets to the Florence Freedom Baseball game and asked them if they'd like to go with us. Baseball has been so much a part of Patrick's life for so long that it only made sense that he would propose at a baseball game! He had it arranged ahead of time with the people at the game that they would call Amber up (she was chosen at random(ha ha) from the stands to come up on top of the dugout and play the "what's in the box game" between the top and the bottom of the second inning. The first box had a sponge in it and they asked her if she'd like to trade for what was in the second box. The second box had a battery in it so they asked her if she'd like to trade for what was in the third box. The third box had a doorstop in it.  Then the emcee said that there was one more box but that her friend, Patrick would have to give it to her. With that, Patrick walked up on top of the dugout and dropped to one  knee and asked her to marry him in front of the whole stadium! The crowd went crazy cheering and Amber was in total shock and awe. What she didn't know was that her Mom and Dad and their best friends were there watching from the wings along with Patrick's grandmother and aunt, and Amber's cousin Michelle, who along with me set them up on their first blind date.

I was video taping the actual proposal but here are some pictures taken with my camera right afterwards:

On July 26th Amber's Mom and Dad had an engagement party  for them at their home. Here are some pictures from that party: (It was a luau/swim party)

They are getting married in October of 2009. Happy planning days ahead!

 

 

Austin's place in this family

Now I ask you to look at these pictures and tell me that Austin isn't a very lucky and loved little boy!

(Patrick and Austin eating at Skyline while out with Emily in June)

Ok, so I'll admit that I'm a terrible journal keeper. It's not that I don't think about it, I do. I will work out a wonderful entry while I'm doing laundry, or watering flowers, or doing dishes and then...well, I just don't ever sit down and enter it. You should read some of the wonderful things I've come up with in my head! No, really, they are very good!

(Austin and Sarah Kate on our Green River Camping/Boating trip this summer)

I was just looking through some pictures that I have on the computer and realized that I have darn cute kids! Then I was struck by how very lucky our little Austin is to have the siblings that he has. While sometimes I feel bad that he hasn't had someone close to his own age to play with on a daily basis like Patrick, Emily and Sarah had. He's definitely missed out on a lot by not having that but what he has instead is something that not too many kids get and that's having three grown up siblings that think he's the absolute cat's pajamas. Plus he has Sarah's husband, Bennie and Patrick's fiancee Amber that are so good to him. I mean this kid has it made. He gets to do a lot of things that he wouldn't ordinarily get to do if it were just his Dad and I to entertain him. He is so used to being around adults that he actually prefers adults to kids if the truth were known. That isn't always a good thing necessarily but it's the fact of the matter.

(Austin and Emily playing around at Grandma's when Em was home in June)

Being older parents this time around makes me think of things that I didn't really worry about with the first three. While we did have a will when they were little directing that they would be raised by my sister if anything were to happen to us, it wasn't something that I really worried about happening. With Austin, that possibility is a little more uppermost in my mind at  the time. I hope that I'm around to attend the graduations of Austin's children but if I'm not and even if I'm not around to attend Austin's graduation from high school I know that he will be well loved and taken care of by three of the  best siblings a kid could ever have.

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My heart is almost too full right now to do this entry justice but suffice it to say that I have been given one of the greatest gifts of my life this week.  It is my daughter, Emily. She has been home for a much anticipated visit. Our hearts are full with love and gratitude. A family restored is one of God's greatest gifts. This is the very first picture I have of all my kids together!! I love it!

Emily left to go back to Florida today. She took a major chunk of my heart with her. I so dearly love that girl.

My Yankee Doddle Dandy

I had a picture CD that I picked up from Walgreens that I had completely forgotten about. I was thrilled to open it and find these pictures of Austin from the 4th of July last year. I just had to share them. My little Yankee Doddle Dandy!

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I must sadly report that our joy was shortlived. Sarah miscarried over the weekend. They are heartbroken but are being real troopers. They will try again and I know that in the near future we will have wonderful news to share. I just keep wishing there was some magical protective blanket that we could wrap around our kids to protect them from ever having their hearts broken.

That's right people!!! I'm joining the Grandmother's Club and I couldn't be more excited! Sarah and Bennie are expecting in December! Having had a baby late in life myself I wasn't really baby hungry when some of my friends started getting grandchildren. But I've noticed in the past year or two that I've felt that hunger growing. Austin is 9 now (THAT is impossible to believe!), I think we've just about squeezed every ounce of baby out of him and I find myself really missing having a real little one around.

Sarah and Bennie have experienced infertility issues and after the first attempt at artificial insemination (Yes, it's Bennie's baby) they were successful!

I had always imagined how it would feel to hear that a grandchild is on the way. Well, let me tell you, I had very much underestimated how wonderful that would feel. It's hard to put it into words but I can tell you without question that it feels wonderful! My baby is going to be a mother! It's kind of like my child squared! It's exponential love. I can't wait to meet this little soul and spoil it absolutely rotten. Yep, I'm going to be one of those obnoxious grandmothers who pull out tons of pictures and expect everyone to ooh and ahh over my perfect grandchild. Fair warning!

 

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Well now, haven't I just been the picture of dedication to this journal? I can't believe it was June when I last was here, but I see that is true. 

And now here we are with another Christmas almost upon us. Unbelievable! Unbelievable? Not on your life. When it comes to believing, I'm the biggest kid there is. I truly do believe in Santa, and angels, and miracles, not necessarily in that order, but come to think of it, I believe in them all equally so it doesn't matter which order I put them in.

Several years ago I had a Christmas Angel come to my rescue in the form of a burly man with a lock jimmy in a cold, rainy parking lot on Christmas Eve when I was absolutely worn out and had locked my keys in my car. I had been shopping all day and was making my last stop at the grocery store on my way home. I was short on nerves, energy, patience, joy and money by the time I pulled into the parking spot on that very cold rainy day. I jumped out of the car and shut the door and instantly realized that I had locked the keys inside. I literally buried my face in my hands and made a 360 degree turn standing by my car as I cried out "Oh NOOOO!" In the space of the 3 to 4 seconds that it took me to make that turn my angel appeared. He was standing on the other side of my car by the passenger door and he had a lock jimmy in his hand. He said to me, "Don't worry ma'am, I've got ya". And just that quick he had my door open. This happened so quickly I cannot even tell you how quickly it happened. There was no way that anyone had time to call anyone. He was just there...with the tool needed and he opened my door. I thanked him with tears running down my face and was reaching for my purse to pay him but he wouldn't let me. He simply said, "Merry Christmas, ma'am." and as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. Yes, I believe in angels.

I've been doing a lot of reading about angels lately and I've learned to call on them daily. I ask the angels to surround each of my children and keep them safe every day. I imagine the bright light of angels surrounding them. I know that the angels are there. I ask the angels to surround our family and all those we love and care about.

As I'm putting my purse in my locker at workI ask the angels to surround me as I go about my shift and to give me knowledge and a sharp mind that I won't miss something as I assess my patients. I ask the angels to surround each of my patients and to give them comfort and healing. I can tell you, honestly, that my shifts go better when I do this.

I've mentioned before here that I have been at the bedside of many dying patients and that the presence of angels is a palpable thing at those times. I know it as surely as I know my own name.

We are all in need of angels and  I believe we all have them. I also believe that we don't call on them nearly as often as we could and should. God gave them to us and they love to be called upon.

Tonight we put up our tree and decorated it while listening to the Alabama Christmas CD that has been a tradition at our house since the 1980's (it was so long ago that we used to do it to the album). I truly believe that every year I get more choked up than the last because the memories of my now grown children hanging these same ornaments that we hung tonight grow dearer and dearer in my heart. Tonight I watched Austin hang the ornaments with the same excitement that I used to see on their little faces and it made me so homesick for those little faces. And just as I was feeling sad that they were all grown up and weren't here with me participating in the decorating of the tree, I realized that God is so good. I could be decorating this tree by myself just remembering what it was like to decorate a tree with my precious excited children. But I wasn't alone. There was my little Austin, singing along with me and talking about each of the ornaments just as Patrick, Emily and Sarah had done. How dare I be sad? I was about to miss out on enjoying what I did have by worrying about what I didn't have. And just as that thought popped into my head I realized that angels abound in my life. And I asked them once again to surround my children with the white light of their protection and love.

If you're reading this, I pray that angels surround you and those that you love.

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