To Austin, on your 12th...

Dear Austin,
You are 12. This is it. Your last year before you enter the teen years that will carry you into college. I'm not sure why it all has to go so fast, but time really is flying by. You've made lots of changes in the past year that has you looking more grown-up now than I care for. The longer hair, the braces, and the contacts (along with growing to be about the same height as I am) have really pulled you away from looking like my little boy to looking like a full blown teenager. And since most of these changes have just happened over the past few months, I'm still not used to it yet. So if I look at you and looked shocked, it's probably not because you have a ghost standing behind you. It's because, for a second, I forgot you've been busy turning into a teenager. Don't worry, I will get used to it and we'll all be ok, but all this growing up can be hard on a momma sometimes. Just don't ever forget that I'm always up for a hug or cuddle, I don't care how old you are.
Here is your 11th year of life in pictures...

This is what you looked like last fall. Short(ish) hair, glasses, and no braces. Watch how much you change as you scroll through these pictures.

You and I spent the day with grandma last spring for the jonquil festival in Old Washington. It was so great to get to spend time together just hanging out and looking at things. You had your 2nd grade field trip here, so you enjoyed getting to see some of the places you hadn't seen since then.

The picture above and below are from the front lawn at Harding when we were there for spring sing on Easter weekend. We enjoyed getting to hang out with Kaulyn for a few minutes while we were there this year. Harding will always be one of my favorite places. You are very comfortable on campus and know your way around better than most visitors that go through there. You've always said this is where you want to go to college, and that just makes me happy. Seeing you and Aaron play on the front lawn just brings life full circle for me.

Sports aren't your thing, but you never complain about us dragging you all over Arkansas to watch your brother participate in events. You usually just find someone to play with or talk to and end up having a great time. This picture was taken at one of Aaron's trap shoot meets last spring.

You read over one million words your 5th grade year. You earned every single inch of the blue paper that this award was printed on. Reading is one of your favorite past times, and I'm so proud of how far you've come over the past few years. We're not even halfway through your first semester of 6th grade and you've already read more than 500,000 words, so you will end 6th grade reading even more than you did in 5th. You've already read more books than many people will read in their entire life. I love that you appreciate a good book and can't wait to tell me what is going on in your current book of choice.

We decided to have a garden this summer, and it was your job to keep it watered. You are the reason our garden (and our banana trees and palm trees) did so well. You were so dedicated to this job and it paid off by producing beautiful fruits and vegetables.

This summer you made the biggest grown up decision you could ever make. You went to Uplift camp at Harding and decided when you were there that you wanted to be baptized. You know right from wrong. You believe that there is a God and He created you and loves you no matter what. Don't ever forget that. This was a great moment for us all. You gave your life to God in one of our favorite places on Earth...pretty perfect if I do say so myself. I'm so proud of you for making this choice.

This picture was texted to me one night while you were at Mountain Fork Christian Camp. I'm not sure what was going on here, but it was the first time I thought about how long your hair was!

This summer, dad and Aaron went to Nicaragua for a week and left you and I alone. We decided to go to Dallas to pick them up from the airport, but not before we visited the Perot museum. We had so much fun in this place and could've stayed a lot longer if we would've had the time. While they were gone, I took you for an eye appointment and you decided you wanted to try contacts. So here you are, sporting contacts and looking more grown up than you should.

You started playing trumpet this school year and know about 6 notes right now. You have always loved music as much as I do and I think you'll do really well in band. You are so good about practicing everyday to make yourself better. Now we've just got to memorize those music notes!

You found a little painted rock one day at Roadhouse, and I just like this picture of you so I had to include it. You are just so stinkin' cute.

Annnnnd, we now have braces. We finally got Aaron out of his and then turned around and put you in them. I think Aaron wore the same color rubber bands the entire time he had braces, and you've already changed your colors 3 times now. Y'all couldn't be more night and day.

You've already killed 2 deer this year and you're itching to get back in the woods this weekend. I think you've made it a competition to see who can kill the most...you or Aaron. Aaron has decided he is going to tag out this year, so you've got some pretty stiff competition. Either way, I win because I get the meat!

Since your birthday falls on Thanksgiving Day this year, we had your birthday party last weekend. You invited your closest friends, Austin E., Micha, Clint, and Carter to spend the night and go to a movie. Y'all had a blast playing together and I somehow escaped without getting pegged with even one nerf bullet in the house. Again, I'm the winner. Except for the fact that I will be picking those things up for the next year.

So there is is. Your 11th year of life is just memories now, and we're moving on to your 12th year. My prayer for you this year is that you let God lead your decisions and choices that you make. Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest thing to do, but you always come out a better person for it in the end. Be a leader in church and at school. Keep leading prayers at your FCS meetings at school. Keep volunteering to serve communion and teach discovery hour at church. Step up and volunteer for things that are a little outside your comfort zone, because these things will help you grow as a person. I am so proud of you and I love you more than I could ever put into words. Happy birthday to you, my sweet Austin. May your 12th year be even better than your 11th.

Love,
Mom

To Aaron, on your 17th...

Dear Aaron,

You are 17 years old today. It seems like yesterday I was sitting down to write your 16 year old letter. Time is going by so quickly and I am learning to appreciate every minute I have with you while you're still living under my roof. You've had a busy year and in everything you've done, you've made your dad and I so proud. I know you get tired of me saying "make smart choices", but I really do just want you to be smart in your choices, and you've never let me down in that. I am just so proud and honored that I get to be your mom.

I usually fill this letter with advice for the next year, but at this point you know who you are and you know right from wrong. You have proven that you are capable of making good, sound decisions on your own. You know that the most important one to go to for wisdom is God. Pray about it. And then pray some more. You may not always like God's answer, but you've just got to trust that He will work it all out, because He always does. So my advice this year...keep being you. Keep trusting God. Keep serving others. Keep putting God's will above your own. Keep working hard in school and in sports. Keep being active. And most importantly, keep giving your mom and dad goodnight hugs and sitting in their laps from time to time. You will never outgrow that.

Here are a few things from the 16th year of your life:

The 2 pics below are social media shout-outs that you got for just being good to people. The first one was from an elementary student that wanted you to show him how to kick a football. You took time out of your Saturday to do this for him, and this was totally and completely your choice. I can't tell you how much good this does to your momma's heart.

The second pic is from a Friday when you and a few other guys went to the donut shop before school in your football jerseys. We don't even know who this person is, but she was impressed by the giving spirit of you guys and posted about for everyone to see. The fact that you did not do either of these things for recognition, but you chose to do them because it could help someone else says a lot about who you are as a person. 

 

You are a great big brother (most of the time). Austin loves you and looks up to you more than you realize.

After skiing for several years, you decided to try your hand at snowboarding last Christmas. I'm proud of you for stepping outside your comfort zone and trying new things. You were actually pretty good at snowboarding, but I think you decided you missed your skis after one day on this board.

One of my very favorite things about this year has been going to the gym with you. There were days that it would've been very hard to make myself go if you hadn't have been pushing me. Thank you for being a huge supporter in my journey to health and fitness, and throwing extra weights on my bar when I wasn't looking.

You've been working at Neighbors Emergency Center for almost a year now as a brand ambassador. Sometimes you are the mascot (pictured above), and sometimes you are just serving where you are needed. You've been so responsible with this job and have even chosen to cancel other things you've had planned so that you could help out your boss. Developing a good work ethic now will help you so much with whatever you choose to do in your future.

Your 16th year has been the year of the boats. I don't even know how many boats you have bought and sold over the past year, but I do know that you've been able to do it all with your own money and have made smart decisions in your buying and selling. This is a life skill that will follow you forever.

You do love a good boat ride.

You have had either a spacer or braces for 6 years, and you were finally able to get them off this year. Now it's your brother's turn...

You may not choose Harding as your college, but I do love seeing you involved in things that take place on campus. This was the football camp you attended there this summer.

You were a counselor at camp this summer, and this little guy loved you so much. You are so patient and kind with little kids, and I'm proud of you for giving them a good teen role model to look up to.

You went on a mission trip with the youth group this summer to Jinotega, Nicaragua. I know you worked hard on this trip and helped a lot of people with some of their needs. This pic is of you and Garrett ready to work.

You and dad climbed a mountain while you were in Nicaragua, and got a great pic from the top.

Again, boat life...

This was the first day of your junior year. Of course, you had to be at school at 7:00am for football that morning and Austin wasn't up yet, so this was the end of the day after your afternoon football practice.

 FOOTBALL! I love to watch you kick. It makes me so nervous, but I'm always amazed at how well you do on the field. As I type this I think you're sitting at 3rd in the state on PATs. You have always been gifted in the athletic department. I pray for you every single time you take the field. (Pictured above is Jayden, below is Remington.)

I couldn't have done a better job at handpicking your friends if I tried. You have surrounded yourself with good people that know how to have fun but honor God at the same time. I love every boy sitting around this table with all my heart..

So there's a few snippets of your 16th year of life. Right now you're probably looking at it thinking, yep, stating the obvious, mom. But years later you will look at it and think, "oh yeah, I remember that", just like we currently do with our scrapbooks. I pray that your 17th year is just as amazing as your 16th year was. Enjoy it. Live it to the fullest. Think about your future plans. Love with all your heart.

And make smart choices.

I love you,
Mom