"Kindergarten Graduation 2015"

This precious bundle of joy, that entered our lives 6 years ago, is about to enter the world of "big school" in just a few short months. I can hardly process the fact that he is as big as he is now, but at the same time, he is still my little boy. He is certainly growing up, but he still walks that line of wanting to be bigger, yet wanting to hold onto his innocence and his momma!  You can see it in his eyes. Elijah is such an empathetic, compassionate young boy, who feels the hurts and the joys with other people very deeply. He truly understands what is means to "rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:14).  I do not recall ever sitting down and having this conversation with him, but have realized it is simply the way God has made him. It is just who he is. He is a nurturer and an "old soul". He is quite perceptive, and you can't slip much past him! He is very intuitive and "in tune" with others. He is LOUD!  He is happy, he is creative. He is a lover of beauty. He is a perfectionist, and this trips him up from time to time. He is loyal, and protective. He is a thinker. He is tender-hearted, he is brave, and he is strong. 

He is our gift from God, our son. 

And, he is now an official 1st grader!!! 

Congratulations Elijah Brooks on your Kindergarten Graduation! You have made your family very proud. 

You did it! 

largest K5 class in the history of his preschool! 

Mrs. Karen, his lead teacher 

Miss Katie, teacher # 2 

New visor with his new school's name on it

and his beloved water bottle! 

little sis was quite proud all morning! 

"Mother's Day"

Mother's Day was a very special day, as it always is. However, my stomach also has a huge pit in it every Mother's Day as I watch Wyatt and Bradford have to go through yet another year without their mother's physical presence with them. But, I was very thankful to be with the children this year, and to have been with my own mom as well. Bradford had her dance recital over the weekend, we participated in the ovarian cancer awareness walk/run, and Wyatt was baptized on Mother's Day!  I thought it was a perfect day for Wyatt to publicly profess his  faith in Jesus Christ!  He was so sweet after the service. He said, "now I know for sure I will one day see Jesus and my mom again".  The Lord is working in that young boy's heart in a big way, drawing him ever closer to Himself. He has a strong desire to tell everyone about Jesus and says he doesn't want anyone to ever not know who He is and how much He loves them. Elliot's spirit was very much with us over the weekend at all of these special events. 

How blessed I am to be called, "mommy" by these two. 

and to be called, "Aunt" by this love...... 

....... and "Aunt" by this other love.  When Wyatt saw this picture, he said, "wow, it looks like mom is shining down on us" . 

cousin love! 

how is everyone growing up so quickly? 

Happy Mother's Day Bebe! 

"Special Events......"

Mother's Day weekend was filled with many activities. We spent a whirlwind 24 hours in Birmingham attending Bradford's dance recital, Walker and Wyatt's baptisms, a mother's day brunch, and the Ovarian Cancer fundraising walk. Emotions were running high as we congratulated Bradford on her accomplishments in her dance classes, praised Jesus for capturing Wyatt and Walker's hearts and hearing their professions of faith, honoring my sister's memory at the "mother walk" for the 3rd year in a row now, and celebrated another mother's day without my sister's physical presence with us. It was a weekend full of what I have heard called, the "ugly beautiful". There were so many beautiful moments interspersed with such pain and the ugliness of cancer and death.

"Teal Toes" 

I could not have been more proud of this little boy.  He ran the 5K with the grownups and then wanted to do the 1 mile fun run with the kids. Never have I seen him so determined to do something in all of my life. He said he wanted to run strong and hard for his Aunt Elliot 

Big smile at the start line, and "Coach Daddy" is whispering running tips in his ear! 

He shot out of that start line like a cannon, and kept running

I love this picture! 

I also love these next two of him running with Jay. I hope this might be something the two of them can do to together in the years to come 

Sprinting to the finish line 

So thankful for these 2 men in my life..., and so proud of Elijah for coming in 1st place in the kids' fun run! 

Her running participation consisted of running from food table to food table getting samples! 

Lots of smiles and lots of tears, as Jay had made it a goal to win his age division this year in the run. He succeeded, coming in 1st place, in memory of Elliot