To Austin, on your 14th...

Dear Austin,



You are 14 years old today, This is a birthday you've been waiting for years to take place. In Arkansas, you can get your driving permit the day you turn 14, but unfortunately for you, we've just moved to Texas where permits are not allowed until age 15. Yeah, sorry about that. I know bud, sad day.. But on the bright side, none of your friends are driving right now either, and you have an early school birthday, so you certainly won't be the last person in your class that can drive. Just trying to make it better here... moving on...

Bass Pro in Memphis

You and Jayden in Albuquerque

You and Aaron on a ski lift

Forever my ski buddy

This was behind our house at Sipapu at spring break

Waiting on laundry on the ski trip? You always travel with Uno!

I think we can safely say that your favorite outdoor activity is snow skiing. We've been going every winter for most of your life, and this year we got to go at spring break as well, and you enjoyed every minute of it. You are not a risk taker on the slopes (which is fine by me!) and are happy to make the same run over and over all day, every day. You are fine with skiing on your own and riding up the lift with complete strangers. You are amazing with meeting new people and are genuinely interested in them. This is true from the ski slopes, to school, to church, and everywhere in between. You are a people person, and I love that about you.

My handsome boys

Harding!

This was the day you read 2 million words in one school year. You actually exceeded that number by quite a bit before the year ended. 

This was at Aaron's senior dinner at church. 

Final concert at Genoa

This year has brought lots of changes for you. While you weren't excited about moving, there were never complaints or resistance. You were sad to leave your friends, but I think now that you've changed schools, you can see the value in the move and can appreciate why it needed to happen. You have learned so much this year already, and I'm amazed at all of the things you know. I'm so proud of you for taking on pre-AP classes and maintaining As and Bs so far this year. You know grades have never been something that dad and I have pushed, but the fact that you are pushing yourself in more advanced classes says a lot about the person you are becoming.

Band concert

Year end awards

Melyssa, Kyler, you, and I at Uplift

Playing cards with Paige and Anna in the stu

You love being on Harding's campus and still say that you will one day be a student there. As quickly as time is passing lately, we will blink twice and you will be smiling for your student ID. I'm praying these next few years with you go slowly, and I plan to savor every minute of it.

Why are you so stinkin' cute?!

Uplift had this pic on their website. I love it! You got SO many people's signatures. 

A fun day with Clint and Grandma in Shreveport.

Lunch on a rail car

School shopping in Dallas

First day of 8th grade

Over the past year, I have watched you become a man. You started having to shave. Your voice is unrecognizable. You're almost an entire head taller than me. And you're becoming so independent. You're not scared of anything. You can be dropped down into a field of a thousand people that you don't know and you will walk out with a handful of really good friends and a plethora of others that you will have shaken hands with and asked them how their day was going. I guess that's pretty much what happened as you started your school year this year. I was so nervous about you meeting people in such a big school, but by the second week of school they were yelling your name as soon as you were getting out of the car in the morning because they were happy to see you. What a gift you have, Austin.

The time we met Mrs. Kay again...

Our new digs

TMS pep rally

You and Tyler at a game. Y'all got to play at 2 games this year. 

This was your first band concert at TMS. 

And this was the jazz concert.

Family party to celebrate you! 

Advice for your 14th year of life:

• Keep being exactly who you are. You are an amazing human being. Don't change that for anyone. 
• Bullying tends to really pick up around your age. Kids can really be mean. I pray you never experience this, but more than likely, you will. My advice would be to ignore anything that anyone says to you that is meant to tear you down or upset you. Someone that talks to other people that way doesn't like themselves, so they seek to tear down others to make themselves feel better. Always be kind and move on with the people that say positive things and have similar goals as you. And always, ALWAYS know that you can talk to dad and I if you ever are bullied by anyone. 
• Keep people in your life that will help make you an even better person that you already are. Your friends will shape who you are. Be honest with them about who you are and what you believe. Don't ever be embarrassed about your beliefs and your commitment to God. Anyone that would make fun of that...they are not your people! 
• Don't give up easily when things get hard. Life is full of hard situations. From opening a bottle lid that's really stuck to lifting objects that seem to heavy, to doing classwork that seems impossible..all of these things help build character, which makes you a better person. 
• Don't even worry about having a relationship with a girl yet. You are 14, and your brain still has an insane amount of growing to do. The likelihood of you finding your future wife over the next year is not good, so just enjoy getting to know different types of people during your 14th year of life. 
• Look for ways to be Jesus to other people. You've been going to church your whole life, but you have people around you daily that don't know who Jesus is. Let those people see Jesus in you so much that they ask you why you are different so that you have the opportunity to change their lives. It's ok to be different, in fact, Christians are called to be different. Open doors for people. Pick up their books if they drop them. Help them if they're struggling with learning new notes on their trumpet. Pray for your friends. Invite them to church and church activities. 
• Last piece of advice: don't start getting an attitude with dad and I. We wiped your rear end, dried your tears, taught you how to hold a spoon and walk, taught you to read, and had a strong hand in helping mold you. You do not know more than we do, nor will you achieve that during this year, so bad attitudes and the common 14 year old thought of "my parents don't know anything" is not gonna fly in this household. 

Enjoy this year. Make smart choices. Keep being you. Love people. Be obedient to God. Get outside and enjoy nature. And keep on smiling that crazy, handsome smile. I am so proud of who you are becoming. 

I love you,

Mom 

To Aaron, on your 19th...

Dear Aaron, 

The years seem to pass by more quickly the older you get. So you're 19 years old today. This year has brought more changes in your life than any other year so far. It's always fun for me to go back and read the letter I wrote to you the year before to see where we were in our lives and thinking at that point. I went back and read the letter I wrote you last year and there was so much uncertainty at that time. A year ago, you had been accepted to several different colleges and a trade school and we didn't know what you would choose or where you would end up. You were the kicker for the football team and you were so good at what you did. You were constantly surrounded by friends that you had grown up with most of your life. While you had personal growth over your 4 years at high school, there weren't any big life changes for you until after your graduation. Our family as a whole has gone through a lot of changes recently, and we've definitely experienced some growing pains along the way. It has not all been fun or easy, but I believe there is a reason and a lesson for everything that happens.
  

You, Dalton, Austin, and Jayden in New Mexico

Glad I got video of the few minutes this thing actually worked! 

You are your brother's hero, whether he will admit it or not.

The grandkid gang at G-ma's.

Every member of our little family has endured a crazy amount of trials in a very short time period, but I think it's safe to say that you have experienced more personal changes than any of the others of us. My advice is to learn from what you've been through and ask God daily to help you understand the purpose of each trial. Life never seems to turn out the way we plan it. That fact used to cause me stress because I have always thought I needed to be the one that needed to be in control. But as I've gotten older, I've realized that sometimes I just have to get out of my own way and watch how God handles things. It's a hard lesson that has to be learned many times over. Pray for wisdom daily. You will never know all the answers to everything, but praying for wisdom allows God to step in and take over for you when you don't know what to say or do. Life is a series of one trial after another, but the growth always comes on the other side of the trials/disappointments/heartaches and that's when we realize that God is doing something bigger with our lives that we couldn't even imagine before. For every disappointment, ask God to show you what He has planned for you instead. The disappointment is not getting what we thought would be best for us, but God's reveal is showing us what He has that's even better. Learn to be patient in the waiting period and focus on living a Christian life. I am so proud of you for learning how to study when the classes are difficult and managing your time to make sure your priorities are in order. 

You sat down in my lap, then Jay sat down in yours. This was a uplift this summer.

Bison Bound!

One of your favorite things to do is be on a boat. 

Your yearly pic at camp, but this time at the new camp site. 

I am proud of you for being a counselor for the junior camp every year. The kids love you and you are so good with them! 

I used to think that the most difficult time in parenthood was when you were a baby that cried all the time, wanted to be held 24 hours a day, wouldn't sleep in your own bed, and absolutely refused to do anything that wasn't your idea first. But I'm quickly learning that I was wrong. That was hard, but it doesn't compare to this stage. It was easier then because I knew where you were, who you were with, every single detail of what you were doing, and had you in my arms for most of it. Now that you're out making your own choices, I am left to just pray that you are making wise choices. There is nothing more valuable in this life than your soul, so don't trade it for anything. Christian parents have the impossible task of getting our kids and ourselves to heaven, so everyone and everything who hinders that quickly becomes the enemy for us. Spiritual warfare is real and when the devil sees you making good choices, it makes him mad and makes him come at you even harder. Learn to recognize his face in other people or things that may be trying to lead you down the wrong path. Those people were strategically placed there by Satan himself and he is just watching and hoping that you will take the bait. These are times where you have to let Satan know exactly who he is dealing with. You are a child of the King. You have been bought with a price. You have been chosen. Surround yourself with good people that will help you grow in your walk with God. Learn to pray with and for your friends, and that God sends you people that will enrich your walk with Him. 

Spring break in Sipapu! This trip went down as one of our best family vacations yet! 

Since we go to stay on the mountain, we got to get out and walk around the ski area after closing time. 

Air time!

So handsome!

There's no telling what your life will look like when I write your letter next year. My prayer is that you use your 19th year of life becoming the man that God created you to be. Stand up for what's right with passion to the point that no one around you questions what you believe or where you stand on issues. Keep in touch with your family members. There is no guarantee on the time you have left with anyone. Take every advantage of your time at Harding. In the time line of your life, it's a small dot that can produce a tremendous amount of change. I already see changes in you after just 1/2 a semester that give me little glimpses into the man that you are becoming, and they are exciting and just cool to watch take shape. I'm so proud to be your mom, and watching you grow up has been the biggest honor of my life. I hope you never stop coming to dad and I for advice. We are not perfect and have messed up more times than you would even believe, but we've done our best for you and poured everything we have into you since before you were even born. Dad and I love you so very much and we are you biggest fans. We will never stop praying for you and we will never give up on you. 

Of all of the people that will come and go throughout your life, this guy beside you will always be your brother. 

Had to include a pic of your short stint at Tamollys. 

This was one of your last times to wear that #24 jersey. 

You and Jayden at Harding. 

Enjoy your last teenage year. There will, no doubt, be up and downs and highs and lows, but just remember that all of these are molding you into the person you are supposed to be. I'm sorry I can't make everything easy and take away all the hard things. It's actually incredibly difficult for me to just stand back and watch how you make it through things without dad and I, but we know that the growth you experience through that will be more valuable to you than our help. This summer Eric Petty reminded us that God never gets in a hurry and never does things in the time frame in which we think He should do it, and He's right. He sees the picture that we cannot see. Just remember that this is part of the process of becoming who you will be, and the good things outweigh the bad, by far. I encourage you to volunteer for things that will expand your world. In the chapel we attended with you a few weeks ago, the speaker said, "as long as your world revolves around you, it will always be small." Think about how you can help other people, through missions or service projects, or any of the countless opportunities that you are handed daily. This will expand your world and also reveal who you are to yourself and others. 

Time flew by. 

This was your last day of high school, holding a pic of your first day of kindergarten. I blinked twice and this happened.

The Senior reception at church.

The graduation ceremony.

Having you home this weekend for fall break has been awesome. I know this house isn't really "home" to yet since you've only slept here a handful of times, but we love just having you here and hanging out with us. You're blessed with a large extended family that loves you and would do anything in the world for you.  I pray you never forget your roots. 

Rose ceremony

My two favorite boys

Brynne's graduation

Stafford, Morgan, and Carter at the athletic banquet.

Your football coach, Coach Ray.

    

I'm excited to watch your growth over the next year. You are one of my very favorite people on Earth and it is an honor being your mom. I love you with everything in me. Happy 19th to you! 

Licking the pan at camp,

Our little family, soaking up some rays.

Top Golf!

Ryan and Stu...your Harding people. 

Love,
Mom