My Birthday Boy

May 16, 2004. 10:17 am. An angel arrived. 
8 lb. 10 oz. 21"

Goodness personified. 

Today my first born turned nine.

Opie is a gift from God.

He is my obedient, tender-hearted child.

He wishes so badly to please others and to excel at all he does.

He is thoughtful, considerate and kind.

He is a dreamer and I love that about him.

More than anything, he is full of life. His laughter and ability to make others laugh is one of his many gifts.

He is special. I mean, special.

I think I take him for granted sometimes, since he is such an easy-going kid.

He has a bright future ahead of him.

Bright like his hair.

The hair that I still hold the first cut locks of.

This boy has been a joy to raise.

A sheer joy.

Age 3: Greenville, SC. At the park by the zoo. He loved that playground.

Age 3: Visiting cousins in Atlanta, GA.
I wish I could have made time stand still in this moment. He was giggling on the trampoline.
I remember not being able to take my eyes off of him. 

Age 3: The house he was first raised in. He used to climb up inside this chest of drawers/armoire on top of my clothes. I remember thinking at the time, "One day, I'll look back at this when he's too big to fit inside and realize what a precious moment this was." I was right.
Time, why must you hurry so?

Age 3: Greenville, SC. Near Reedy River Falls. A day of perfection. Look at that innocence and joy on his face. Oh, to be a child again. 

Age 4: Birmingham, AL. Our apartment at the Summit. I heard, "Mom! Come look!" And this is what I rounded the corner to. I grabbed my camera and laughed hysterically. What a silly boy!

Age 4. Birmingham Botanical Gardens. He was a ham for the camera. I remember feeling such a sense of fulfillment to see my first born growing into such a good, funny boy.
I was enthralled by this guy. Still am. 

Age 4. Visiting friends at Margeo land. He got to shoot his Daddy's B.B. gun and go four-wheeling and camping in a cabin. He still loves this kind of stuff. ALL boy.

Fifth Birthday at Crossbridge Church. He had a dinosaur decorated party in the gym with a bouncy house. It was the easiest and best party he'd had so far. 

Age 5. Gardendale, AL. Our little Alabama home. And our first snow there. It was fantastic. 

Age 6. Finally got the little brother he'd prayed for.
And what an amazing big brother he has been ever since.

Age 6. New Jersey. Celebrating his favorite holiday at the time: St. Patrick''s Day. However, after finding out that leprechauns weren't real, he was devastated and the holiday has never been the same. 

Turning 8 last year in Jersey. His Miami Heat basketball party. His favorite party of all time. 

Age 8. Christmas 2012. Made this gingerbread house with Mommy. Love those moments with him.

Age 8. NYC March 2013. Visited the Intrepid while Maw-Maw was in town. He loved the planes, but he does NOT love NYC. :)

Age 8. November 2012. Still a ham for the camera. And what a future this kid has....

Celebrating turning nine at Chuck E. Cheese. What a blessed day.

You make my heart full, Opie.

My tears over your growing up are comforted by the fact 

that I know you will grow into a man of God and do great things. 

I love you, son.

Remember to be patient with yourself, as you have your whole life ahead of you to become the man I know you will become. Laugh more. Worry less. And never forget that God created you for a specific purpose. A purpose that you are fulfilling every day. 
I love you more than life. 

Oh Snap! shots: Birthday Bashes

I seriously did not do this on purpose.

How cool is it that this week's theme was "Birthday Shots" and I am celebrating my birthday with a give-away, too?!! I couldn't have planned this any better if I'd have tried. I would give myself a pat on the back for having my act together, but not this week. 

The downhill cycle all started when:

I crammed my schedule too full.

Which caused me to let the house go...

Which caused laundry to pile up...

Which made me feel overwhelmed...

Which made me not feel like cooking dinner...

Which didn't mean a hill o' beans. I still had to cook...

Which means I still had dishes piled up, but I have not a dishwasher...

Which means I let the dishes go because I was sooo exhausted...

Which means I regretted that decision the next morning...

But, I had no time to do the dishes because...

I had crammed my schedule too full.


I felt guilty about letting it all go. But, as my oldest says, "It's my birthday month! So, I can do whatever I want... right?" :)


In Real Life, 

Oh Snap!

You want birthdays to be perfect, especially the cake...

You get the kids all dressed up for the occasion...

Sometimes it goes off without a hitch...

This is me on my second birthday. Wasn't I cute?

Other times, not so much...

"By golly, you're gonna eat this cake... now stuff it!!"

"I was fine until you put this dang carrot hat on my head! I look ridiculous!" 
(This is my oldest son at his Carrot Top themed first birthday party.)

Things can get kinda messy...

Or violent..

Superhero's chasing down a "villian" at my son's 4th birthday party.

But, no matter whether you celebrate their big day in NYC

Or at the park with friends and family...

Just remember the most important thing...

At the end of the day, we all get cake!

Thanks for submitting the birthday pictures! Next weeks Oh Snap! shots has no theme. Any funny pictures will do! I have some I haven't been able to use yet and I am dying to!

***The necklace with the most votes for my Birthday Give-Away was... #1! So, I'm ordering it for myself tomorrow! Thanks for everyone who voted!

Raindrop Brolly via Etsy

And Congrats to Mandee McDonald, who will receive the necklace she voted for, which was #3! I may have to buy one of these for myself, too! Hope you enjoy yours!

Mrs November Studio via Etsy

PS. Thanks for all who voted! There is another jewelry give-away coming soon, so stay-tuned! It's a good one!

It's My Birthday, So Another Give-Away

My birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and I've had trouble thinking of gift ideas to give my husband. 

Since an umbrella is the symbol I chose for my blog, I thought perhaps a necklace with the icon on it would make a nice gift. So I went on Etsy, and I couldn't pick just one!

That's where you come in.

Take a look at these and vote for your favorite one. I plan on purchasing two of the necklace with the most votes.

One for me,

And one for a lucky follower of this blog!**

So get to gettin' and leave a comment with your vote!

You must comment to be able to win!

**You must be a follower of Briantics to be a winner

1.

Raindrop Brolly via Etsy

                                                   

2.

Gleeful Peacock via Etsy

3.

Miss November Studio via Etsy

4.

Paris On Sunday via Etsy

5.

Silent Roses via Etsy

6.

A Twist Of Fate Design via Etsy

7.

Sanguine 'n Melancholy via Etsy

I also put links to the corresponding Etsy stores under each necklace. 

Check them out!

GOOD LUCK!