Mom, is it my birthday yet?

Being programmed to stand and smile when he heard his name, Justice still struggled to obey.  "Mom, they always laugh at me" was his response when given the 'evil eye' from Mom.

His sisters, each in their own varying degrees of pre-teen drama, stood and smiled.  One, quickly and meekly.  One with the flip of her hair and a cock of her hip.  One that actually curtsied.  The last, waving with her presidential smile.

Each week, another church...usually 3 different ones.  He was tired of everyone looking, poking, hugging, and laughing at him.  Why was it always funny when he stood up?

His Daddy, as always, introduced our family.  Starting with his wife, then the oldest child to the youngest.  By the time the congregation had seen the display from each of his sisters, and Daddy made a 'short joke'..."Son, are you standing?!  I can't tell!!" ...Justice was mortified.

Giggles erupted, his face reddened.

Mom, pushing on his backside..."Son....stand up!"

After a lightening speed 'stand up-sit down', his Daddy would say "Justice is 4...almost 5.  His birthday will be on the airplane."

How could folks not giggle at him....he's so darn cute.

But he doesn't understand that.  All that mattered to him was his birthday.

We threw together a quick party for him on the last Saturday we were Stateside.  Surrounded by my family to watch the season opener, we sang, ate a big cookie with an Alabama "A" on it, and he opened gifts and cards containing green paper.  -  "That's done."  I thought.  "Mark that off my Mommy to-do list".

 

But to Justice....it's wasn't done.

The next few days were filled with much stress.  Packing, repacking, unpacking, packing again.  What goes back to Portugal?  What stays.  Do we have room?  How much does this weigh?  What is most important right now?  Pictures of my childood, or pictures when all the girls were babies?  Both can't go.....

Justice played, watched American cartoons and enjoyed the last minute attention from grandparents.  All the while counting down in his head....thinking....."on the plane will be my birthday!"

We arrived at the airport in a whirlwind of last minute plans coming together.

Is Bro. Calvin here?  He's supposed to take our van.

Where is Pawpaw supposed to meet us?  We can't go through security yet, he's not here.

Gramps and Toni made it.  Gramps is never late.  (Like his oldest son)

Do any of our trunks weigh more than 50 pounds? "Lord, please no....I want everything that's in them!"

Deep breath....

Oh look, Bro. David came to say bye...but we're already in the security line.  Run, leave bags, quick hug.

Inconsiderate people.  Only concerned about themselves. Not offering to help a family of 7 with stuffed carry-ons, and help 5 kids remove their laced up, double knotted tennis shoes.  They pass us by in a huff....

"Patience, Nina......we don't have to do this for another 3-4 years."

Security alarm goes crazy....I look up...Lib is standing, eyes wide....."What did I do?"  She, my 'collector of little things' has an old, worn out cell phone in her pocket....Daddy takes it out roughly, tossing it into a tote going down the belt...frustrated....Lib gets a tounge lashing.

Justice still thinking...."It's about to be my birthday!"

We get on the first of three planes.

"Where is everyone sitting?  Who's scared?  Who's more scared and needs Mom or Dad next to them?  She got a window seat last time!  That HAS to go under the seat in front of you, for the 6th time! My stomach feels queasy and nervous.  Did you even eat breakfast?  I left my picture at Mimi's!  I'm SO ready to be home...."

These are random phrases floating through the air of the 4 rows our family takes up.....

We take off and I try to leave my stress and anxiety on the runway as we ascend.

The seat belt light goes off.....Justice looks at me....."Mom, is it my birthday now?"
"Not yet" I tell him.  "On the next plane, the really big plane that takes us over the Atlantic ocean.  On that plane you will turn 5!"  I try to sound excited for him.  My head pounding.

5 Hours later........

On the big plane, he sits in the row behind me.  With his biggest sister, surely she can handle him and let Mom and Dad sit together.  The flight attendant arrives, "Um, excuse me mam (In terrible English) "you have to stop your son from pushing the call button.  He keeps calling the flight attendants."

Deep sigh...defeated......"Come up here son...sit with me."

He's seated, buckled, playing his new video game.  I start dozing off.....

"Mom.....Mom....(poking me)...Is it my birthday now!?!"

I look at my watch, foggy headed trying to think what timezone we were in...."Yes, son.  In Portugal, it's your birthday."

Anticipation in his eyes, he starts looking around.  Almost in a panic.

Then it dawns on me...

He was expecting a PARTY on the airplane.



Exhausted I explain that's not what I meant and not what his Daddy meant everytime he heard his Daddy tell churches that he was going to turn 5 on the airplane.

Brows furrowed, he frowns.

"You are NOT the nice Mommy right now." he says.....

At that point, I didn't care.

I giggled, kissed his head and went to sleep.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"A Very Happy 5th Birthday, to my One and Only Son!"

I Love You Justice!

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

Our oldest daughter Brooklyn turned 12 last week.  Feels like yesterday I was going to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning to be induced.  She was a week late and I couldn't take another day of pregnancy.  Contrary to popular belief, I don't enjoy being pregnant.  Although all my pregnancies were healthy ones without any complications and my Doctor told me I was a 'baby making machine', I did not like the discomfort of being huge, hot and irritated.  (Looking back now, I think the irritation came from not being able to drink caffeinated beverages.....Coffee solves a world of problems!)

I remember hopping around the house, be-bopping up the steps to our little townhouse just a few days after giving birth, my family amazed at my 'quick' recovery.  I told them that I felt better the day after Brooklyn was born than any day of my 9 month + 1 week pregnancy.  And every baby afterwards was the same situation.....recovering from child birth was so much easier than walking around pregnant for 9 months.

So, today I'm celebrating 12 years with that little, dark headed, jaundiced bundle of joy!  She's been a delight to help raise and I feel priviledged that God would choose me as her mother.

She celebrated her birthday this past weekend with 2 of her closest friends. The pijama party was a lot of fun and different for the two girls invited.  PJ parties aren't very popular here....but they had a great time.

So, here goes my top 12 reasons I love Brooklyn:

1. She helps me the most with improving my language skills.  (That's after I've embarrassed her by butchering a language she speaks so beautifully!)
2. She's an excellent student that cares about her grades and her performance in school. (Opposite of me!)
3. Although she's not the best at keeping her room tidy, she has amazing organizational skills.
4. She's the typical bossy oldest sibling, but does well when needed to care for the younger ones in our absence.
5. She recognizes when I'm down, when I need a hug, when I need someone to volunteer to wash dishes, when I need time alone....she's sensitive and aware of others around her.
6. She makes a mean fiesta chicken.
7. She says, "Thanks Mom" a lot.
8. She taught me how to listen.
9. She taught me how to put someone else's needs before my own. 
10. She still holds my hand when we walk around in public. 
11. She has the love of Jesus in her heart.
12. And last but not least....you all know what's coming......She's MINE!  Thank you Lord!

"Happy Birthday Brooklyn Malena! I Love You!"
Love, Mom

Happy Birthday Trinity!

Trin (snaggle tooth) on her 7th birthday with her sisters Lib and Brooklyn.

Trinity, our youngest daughter, turned 7 on Tuesday.  It was a local holiday in our town, so schools were out and we had a beautiful day geocaching!  She even lost a tooth on her birthday!

So, in concordance with my normal birthday routine, I'll list the top 7 reasons why I love Trinity:

1. She waits on me to come to the living room when we are going to watch a family movie so that she can sit right beside me and share my blanket.  She's always been my best cuddler.
2. I never have to tell her twice.
3. She recalls bible stories with much ease when she is faced with real life situations that parallel biblical accounts. ( such as...."Mom, that was scary!  But God protected us like he did Daniel while in the den of lions!")
4. She is an excellent student that loves school, math and reading.
5. I have more pictures in my 'keep box' from Trinity than all my other children combined.  She's always drawing me something.
6. She's very sensitive.
7. She's MINE!

Trin (middle) with her sisters Faith and Lib

"Happy Birthday baby girl! I Love You!"
Love,
Mom

Liberty's 9th Birthday

This weekend we celebrated our third daughters birthday.  Born the smallest out of the 5 and still to this day remains that way....

1. Liberty is a quiet and unassuming child.  
2. She doesn't do well in crowds, but loves individual attention.  She's sincere and will share her heart if she can trust you.
3. She's easy to please...
4. and grateful for all that she receives.
5. Takes care of her belongings and remembers who gave her what..and for what reason they gave it.
6. She's an excellent student, the apple of her teacher's eye.
7. She's a picky eater but will tell you I'm the best cook in the world.
8. She gives the best hugs....and most of all....
9. I LOVE that she's mine!

So there you have it, 9 reasons I LOVE my Liberty.

"Happy birthday sweet girl!  I Love you! ~Mom"

Happy 10th Birthday Faith!

 My second born daughter turned 10 yesterday and as all you mothers wound tend to agree, it came way too soon.

 We celebrated with a party at our home on Saturday.  Her request was for a few kids from school to come over and enjoy a banana pudding....easy to please.  Which I will consider my #1 top 10 things I love about Faith.

 #2 - I love that she's always eager to laugh or make someone else to laugh.

#3 - I love that the only present she asked for was a slingshot.
#4 - I love that she knows my every move in the kitchen and can guess what I need next.  We're a great team.
#5 - I love that she likes to be different. (Even when it causes me great stress on school mornings!)
#6 - I love how independent she's become since moving to Portugal.
#7 - I love that she gave her heart to Jesus this summer!
#8 - I love that she's a great big sister to her younger siblings.  And a pretty good little sister to Brooklyn.
#9 - I love that she's very tenderhearted towards all animals, big and small.
#10 - I love that SHE'S MINE!  Thank you Lord!


"Happy Birthday you sweet knucklehead!  We love you so much and we're very proud of you!"
     Love,
       Mom and Dad

Happy Birthday Justice!

My lil' man turns 4 today!  We celebrated last Friday so Nanny and Papaw could be here for his party.

He is such a joy and he melts my heart.  Something about this boy...my only son.

When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted, he said, "The black kind."  I'm hoping he meant chocolate and he doesn't remember me burning a birthday cake in the past!  (Cause I never burn anything...ahem...)

Now....in honor of Justice's 4th birthday I will list the top 4 things I LOVE about my son:

1.  He is one of a kind.  The youngest and only boy in a house with 4 older sisters makes him not only tough, but incredibly cute.

2.  He tells me daily, "Mom, I loves yous kisses!"  and he will fight his Daddy with all that is in him if he thinks his Daddy is going to 'steal' my kisses.

3.  He is my only 'cuddler'.  None of my girls really liked to cuddle when they were his age.  But they're beginning to see the benefit of cuddling with mom....

4.  He's mine!

"Happy 4th Birthday Justice!  You're my favorite 4 year old in all the world!"
Mom

Make a Girl Smile, Will Ya?!

Okay..look...I'll admit it.


I love birthday's!!

Especially when it's my own!




I've been singing 'happy birthday to me' all week long. The neighborhood kids playing in my home always tell me it's bad luck to wish someone happy birthday before their birthday, especially ones own self.

But that didn't stop me....I kept on singing. (and they kept on rolling their eyes)


So there you have it...Today is my birthday and I'm thrilled about it! No shame involved.

My one birthday wish, beside not having to cook supper tonight, is this......

To see how many different states, countries, continents I can get happy birthday wishes from.

Easy peasy, não é?

So leave me a quick comment telling me happy birthday and your location.

I'll love you for it.

"Happy Birthday to me...happy birthday to me....."

This and That

It's really very cool that the schools here in Portugal will allow you to bring a cake and celebrate your kids birthday. Brooklyn wanted me to make a giant cookie for her birthday party, but I had to make two of them because those kids LOVE my desserts! It's the sugar....the desserts here in Portugal aren't nearly as sweet as the ones we Americans make!





I always try to make something different. The kids loved the giant cookie. They said they'd never seen a cookie so big!






We celebrated mother's day the same day as you guys did in the States. Here are a few pictures from Mother's day at church.








This week has been so nice. The weather is absolutely beautiful! I'm having a hard time staying indoors.

However, I'm mothering a very sick boy that has the chicken pox....he is so pitiful. Would you say a prayer for him?



Hope you guys are enjoying your week......

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

Saturday was Brooklyn's 11th Birthday. We had a pic-nic planned, but the weather was nasty, so she decided she'd like to go get a hair cut instead. So she and I spent a few hours out together at the salon and then a cafe for pastries and coffee.

She'd recently gone shopping and had purchased some really cute dresses that make her look, well, like the pre-teen that she is. So I think she wanted a new hair cut to go with those dresses.

These are her 'after' pictures:






Last night at church we had a party to celebrate a few birthdays. Trinity and Brooklyn were included. Here is a picture of them praying after we sang happy birthday.....



well....we were supposed to be praying...Trinity looks like she's getting ready for bed.


Anyway...in honor of Brooklyn's 11th birthday, here are the top 11 reasons why I love my precious daughter:

1. She's considerate and sensitive.
2. She's an excellent student and always does her best in whatever she attempts to do.
3. She's maturing into a precious, young christian lady who loves to hear the story of her birth.
   
4. She loves her Daddy and will defend him till she is red in the face.
5. She recognizes when I'm stressed out and offers to help without pointing out that she knows I'm stressed.
6. She's easy to please and grateful for what she gets.
7. She reads better than I do...In two languages.
8. She shares her room with her 3 year old brother without fussing....well, without much fussing.
9. Although she misses friends and family, she thinks living in Portugal is pretty cool.
10. She tells me how skinny I am.
11. She's mine! Thank You Lord!

Now, aren't you jealous you don't have a cool 11 year old like this living with you?!

;)

Have a great week ya'll!

Happy Birthday Justice

Ain't he a cutie?!

(That hersery's syrup in the picture was sent here from our good friends in Alaska!)


That little ball doesn't stand a chance....



Justice and his special friend, Sarah.







I can't believe my baby is three. It feels like I've always had a diaper bag, car seat and sippy cup with me. But not anymore...times are changing. We're coming into a new stage in our lives. Our babies are growing up, becoming more and more independent.

I'm enjoying every stage of their lives. From my almost adult sounding conversations with my 10 year old daughter...all the way down to my silly conversations with my son.

These are the days we looks back on with love and say...."remember when.....??"

My Uncle Danny, who was my Pastor for several years, used to shake my hand after church on Sunday mornings and say, "Girl, you've got it made!" But with several babies in tow, lugging car seats and a 15 pound diaper bag, I didn't really feel like it.

But today I do....I've got it made!!

(Especially since I received this in the mail on Wednesday....giggle....Thanks Rebekah!)



Have a great weekend,