RYKER TURNS 3

Making it to a birthday while living in Vegas was no easy task.  So many birthdays and so few ways to plan them out when so many miles separated us.  So, when we could make it to one, it was a big deal to us.  We celebrated Ryker's birthday POJO'S style in Boise.  What a great day!!

February 2014

Who needs a fork??

THE BABIES TURN 18!

In September and December our two youngest kiddos turned 18 years old.  I tell ya, time really and truly flies.  I mean WOW.  It always seems like such a cliche but it's not, it's for reals.  Now, as I write this (trying to play catch-up) Joshua and Kassi are nearing their 19th birthdays.  Hitting 18 is such a milestone in the life of a teen.  We spend our whole childhood, mostly teen years yearning for that big day...the day we are "legal".  This is the day we think, "no one can tell me what to do ANY. MORE."  We anticipate our last year of high school.  All kinds of things go running through our minds about what it's going to be like, how AWESOME life is going to be.  Unfortunately it only takes a month or so till we realize it's pretty much just another number and with it more responsibilites than we hoped for.  But, it's not all bad.  Being 18 is a big deal.  Oh how I wish I could be there again.

I'm so proud of how Joshua has grown into such a responsible, hard working and talented young man.  I see great things in his future and I know he will go wherever he dreams of going.  I couldn't ask for a better son, really I couldn't.  He's everything and MORE I ever dreamed.  I'm thankful the Lord has loaned him to us all these years and I pray the Lord will use Josh in a mighty way.

6 weeks old

18 years old

When Pete came into my life, Kassi was 14 years old.  She has been a blessing to my heart from day 1.  Kassi is beautiful inside and out, smart, funny and very caring.  I love spending time with her and listening to anything she wants to talk about.  I know she too will go far in life.  I pray she finds her dreams and follows them.

One of Pete's favorite pics.

18 years old

Birthday Surprise

Surprise Chico!!

This year I wanted to do something super special for my chico's birthday.  My hubby is always doing such nice and wonderful things for me and I wanted to show my appreciation in a big way.  For the past 4 years Pete has talked about wanting to go to an Oakland A's game in Oakland, CA.  We've seen them play against the Texas Rangers but that was in Texas.  Sooooo.....

With a whole lotta sneaky, careful plotting I made it happen.  I made all the arrangements, some with a little help from friends and family and it was off to Oakland, CA on his birthday.  Boy, was he surprised!!

Gameday was on Saturday, Aug 3.  Happily, the A's won that game against...yes, unfortunately they were playing the Rangers again ( I was hoping for any other team, only because we'd already seen them play together).  The weather was beautiful and the seats were great.

Not only did we get to watch the baseball game, we did some sightseeing all around San Francisco.  What an amazing city.  I'd passed through there before but never experienced it quite like this before.  I fell in love with that City by the Bay.

On our drive back to Vegas we decided to take the long drive along Hwy 101.  It added a few more hours but it was well worth it.  What a great weekend we had, I'll never forget it.

Shell Beach, CA

Santa Barbara, CA

Happy 16th Birthday Josh!

  Rewind....Dec 6, 1995
 The time...10:58pm.
 The place...St. Lukes Hospital Boise, Idaho
  Enter in: Joshua Lavon Webb.
This beautiful baby boy came into this world with a full head of black hair, big blue eyes and screaming.  Weighing an incredible 9 lbs. 13 oz, the doc tells me "he's a big baby."  Really? YOU'RE telling ME that?  I was quite aware of that already, thank you very much.  It's not long and this baby boy is placed in my arms.  Not only is he big, he's absolutely BEAUTIFUL.  I'd never seen a newborn baby so beautiful before.  Don't get me wrong, Jessica was beautiful too, I couldn't take my eyes off her, but Josh was different.  He wasn't wrinkly, bald and squinty eyed.  I almost expected him to have little teeth already.  He was "well" done.  His dad and I stared in awe at this baby boy we had a part in creating together, because we well knew God is THE creator of all life.  We couldn't believe our eyes, "he's perfect".

Fast Forward to present day: Dec 6, 2011
The time: 10:00 am
My son, my pride and joy, my perfect blessing from God.  I'll never be able to express to you in words nor in actions just how much you mean to me, how much I love you.  I know I haven't been a perfect mom, but you have been a perfect son.  My heart and mind are filled with countless meaningful memories of each and every minute of your life.  I thank God for all the times of fun, laughter, trips, school performances, holidays, birthdays, the list goes on and on that we have shared throughout the years.  I pray for many many more years to watch you grow into manhood.  I pray that God will use you in a mighty way.  I chose the name Joshua for the Joshua of the Bible.  I loved how God used him in a mighty way.  I loved how God told him to be "Strong and Courageous"  Joshua 1:6.  That is what I want for you...to be strong and courageous in the Lord.

Happy Birthday my son.  I love you!  Mom

2 weeks old

The proud sister

5 weeks old

22 months old

15 yrs old

15 yrs old

In the Blink of an Eye...

My Boy Turns 14

Okay, Josh was just a baby the other day. Right? Yeah, more like 14 years ago. Sheesh, why do the precious things fly by and the yucky stuff seems to linger? I love being a mom, it's the best "job" in the world. I know I'll ALWAYS be a mom but I miss the little kid stuff so much. I remember when I couldn't wait for my kids to grow out of the "toy" stage so I wouldn't have so much mess around the house...oh what I'd give to go back to those days now. It was way more fun Christmas shopping for them then than it is now. All they want now is money and gift cards, that's no fun. A Christmas tree with envelopes underneath it, that's hardly an exciting sight. But, such is life. Our kiddos can't stay young forever and we must adjust to the fact that they grow up, move out and start their own families.

We celebrated Joshua's 14th bday at his dad's house. We all had a fun time and laughed a lot. Happy Birthday my boy...you are an amazing young man and we are so proud of who you are. I'm so blessed to have you for my son.

Turning 40

So tomorrow, January 13th is my birthday and I'm turning 40. It is kind of hard for me to believe. Knowing tonight is the last night I can say I'm thirty something is kinda surreal. BUT, also, it's just a number. So why sweat the small stuff. Right?

When my mom turned 40 years old I bought her a black t-shirt that says "I got this t-shirt when I turned 40" in big white letters, then below that in red smaller letters it says "I hate this shirt". Well, a few days ago I checked the mail and low and behold, worn and faded, out of an envelope I pulled..."the" shirt. Attached was a note that said "ha ha, remember this?" I was so surprised that mom had saved this t-shirt all these years. This shirt has now become an official hand-me-down for years to come. I will wear it tomorrow and probably here and there. Dawn is next in line so I will keep it safe, clean and free of holes.

I don't dread birthdays really, I'm always so thankful for being blessed with yet another year of life. Let's face it, we're all getting older so why dread the inevitable...be happy to be alive.