Brian is 30!

Today marks a momentus occassion.  My baby brother, Mr. Brian York, celebrates his 30th birthday.  And, what better way to recognize the joyous occasion than with a blog post. 

My brother and I didn't always get along that well.  Like any big sister, I had to pick on Brian. I liked to point out his flaws and shortcomings every chance I got.  And, like any little brother, he did whatever he could to annoy me.  As we've grown older, we still have our moments, but I have come to appreciate my brother for who he is.

My brother has a fantastic smile.  In fact, his smile often gives him away when he's lying or trying to play a joke on someone.  When he was a kid, he had the cutest dimples.  Everyone commented on them, and I was always quite jealous of those dimples. 

My brother is risk averse.  Some people might say he doesn't like change or he is cautious.  That isn't it though...not really anyway.  He just has to see how the benefits of the change outweigh the risk.  Typically, that serves him very well.  I mean, how else can you explain him landing a wife like Lauren :)  Clearly, however, he hasn't seen a lot of benefit in changing his haircut for the past 20 years.

My brother is frugal.  I do tease him about this sometimes (or all of the time), especially when he does spend every spare moment he has finishing his basement himself because he doesn't want to pay someone to do it.  But at the end of the day, he does very well for himself even at 30.  He has a boat, a great house, and is already saving up money for his kids to go to college.  Don't worry, he only has one child on the way, but there's nothing wrong with planning.

My brother prefers classic styles that never really go out of style.  Simple shirts, jeans, and tennis shoes are the staples in which he feels the most comfortable.  Part of the motivation here could have something to do with his frugality, because he gets more wear out of his clothes than just about anyone I know.  For instance, the same EIU tshirt has served him so well that he managed to wear it when meeting both of my sons for the first time.  Those are events that happened 4 years apart! 




In all seriousness though, my brother is a pretty awesome guy. He's dedicated, hard-workging and would do anything for his family and friends.  He's a great uncle to all of my kids.  He's a great dog dad and will be a great human dad to his baby girl.  He's also a pretty fantastic brother to both me and my husband.  I love spending time with him and wish he didn't live 3 hours away. I am so blessed to have grown up with him and, now that we're adults, to call him my friend.

Happy Birthday Brian!

Five Years Old

My little Bear Bear, you aren't so little anymore.  I blinked and suddenly you'd rather play hockey and Legos than snuggle up with your momma.  I relish those moments when a movie gets a little scary or you're tired and you just want to curl up next to me and lay your head in my lap.  Each year, they become fewer and further between, so I have to enjoy them while I can.

You love everything your daddy loves.  I can tell you really look up to him and want to be like him. I guess that is why you are so into Batman, hockey and Legos.  When we have a free day at home, you always want to either go out in the garage to play hockey, dress up like Batman or go in the basement to play Legos. 

You also share your daddy's love of the Lake, boats, standups, etc.  You pass your swim lesson levels the first try, which your sister has never been able to do.  You love driving the boats and waverunners.  And, you are on the verge of being able to start manuevering the standups by yourself.  This weekend when your daddy put his in the water for the first time, you had to go to the ramp with him and help make sure it went in the water ok.  You also had to try out the new Octane with him as well.

You constantly talk about how you're going to be "a worker" when you grow up.  What you mean by that is a construction worker or civil engineer.  You tell us you are going to design and build stores, houses, boats and cars.  Any time you see  road construction or even building construction, you want to get a closer look and are always evaluating what they're doing.  Many times, I don't even notice the construction, but you point it out and start to talk about how you're going to do something simliar when you're an adult. 

You also talk about getting married so you can become a dad.  You haven't figured out yet that the marriage itself doesn't make you a dad though.  You specifically say that you're going to marry Presley, the girl that lives 2 houses down and goes to your preschool.  Then, when you get married, you surmize that I won't be your mommy anymore because Presley will be  your mom.  I laugh as I try to explain that I'll always be your mom and, in that case, Presley would be your wife, but I don't think you totally believe me yet.

You have such a kind heart that it often amazes me.  Don't get me wrong, you can be as loud and rough as any 5 year old boy.  But at the same time, you can also be so effortlessly compassionate to everyone around you.  When no one is watching, you are so good with Fletcher; I occasionally catch you teaching him how to hold a hockey stick and how to "read" books.  Your teachers at school have even commented on how you jump to help even when you're not asked.  I think you really do have a gift for seeing people that need help and a heart that wants to do whatever you can to help them.  Just tonight while I was making dinner, you were insisting that you were going to help me by cleaning the house. Now, you also wanted me to tell you right that moment what all you needed to clean, but your intent was pure :)

You're also a worrier.  If we have less than half a gallon of milk in the fridge, you make sure I am aware. As soon as the car beeps to let me know that we are low on gas, you start asking constantly when we're going to get gas.  At the zoo, you fret any time we have to set the wagon aside to see an exhibit.  One of your chores is feeding the dogs, and you also give Jack a vitamin each morning.  You're fantastic at it, because you're so worried that Jack will get sick if he doesn't get his vitamin. 

I love  you more than words can express.  I had no idea 5 years ago how you would change my world and change me. You are an amazing little boy who is growing into a wonderful young man.  I can't wait to see what your future holds.  I am so thankful that God brought you into my life and blesses me with your presence every day. 

Milestones

I've been pretty nostalgic these past couple of weeks for a variety of reasons.  It's lead me to think a lot about this journey we call life.  It's funny how, when I am trying to recall when something occurred, I rarely recall first the number for the year in which it occured. Usually, I first remember something that happened either before, after, or around the same time.  Then, I figure out the date in relation to those important dates...those milestones.  For instance, 2012 is the year of Barrett.  If something happened in 2011, it was before Barrett.  2013 happenings are after Barrett.  And 2014 is when I finally started sleeping well again and regained my sanity!

These past few weeks, there are so many milestones converging at the same time that I am curious which one(s) will stand out as THE milestone that I track all the others against.  Will it be the fact that Fletcher turned 1?  What about Audrey turning 8?  Maybe it will be the fact that I stopped nursing Fletcher this week.  Or, it could be the fact that Fletcher started sleeping through the night 2 weeks ago.    Could the fact that Barrett is graduating from preschool next week stand out above the rest?  What about the fact that I am switching jobs after 11 years at the same company?  It could also be the upcoming birth of my neice.  I am sure I could continue to list things off...but I am tired and need to get some sleep.

My point is that there is a lot going on in our lives right now, and the vast majority of it is good...very good.  God has blessed me in so many ways, and I am so excited for what is to come.  But I am also thankful for the path I've taken to get here.  I am grateful for all of the milestones that have already come, for all of the people that have walked the path with me, and even the obstacles I've had to overcome.  I pray that God will continue to light my path every step of the way. 

Proud Mama

Yesterday we had Chinese food for lunch.  My fortune cookie at the end of the meal told me that someone near me would make me very prourd in the next few days.  I knew that today was a special day for Audrey, but I was still struck by just how much of a proud mama it made me.

At our church, the second graders spend Sunday School learning all about God's word through the Bible.  The children learn about the history and theology of it along with the song wtih the books of the Bible and some memory scripture.  At the end of the year, each child in the class is presented wtih a Bible that is engraved with their name.  I remember going through a similar experience when I was in second grade, and I still have my Bible.  It isn't the one I use every day though; it is King James after all.

Today was "Bible Sunday" for the second graders, which includes Audrey.  Without prompting, she was practicing her memory verses so she'd be ready to recite them in front of the congregation with her class. After we got home today, she went to her room and decided to read her Bible for a few minutes during quiet time instead of one of her books. I love that she is so excited about the Bible.  It makes me smile to see her excitement, and I pray it continues throughout her life.  I can't wait to see how God works in her life and uses her for his purpose.  Way to go Audrey!

Living by Faith

Each day, we make choices about who and what to trust, and much of the time we don't even think about it.  You may think, "Do I trust this person with a secret?"  Or, "Do I trust the my child to clean up her room?" However, you probably don't think "Do I trust the breaks on my car to stop me at this next stoplight?" or "Do I trust my oven mit to protect my hand from the hot pan?"  In those cases, you're trusting your breaks or the oven mit to do what they were created to do, and you don't even think about it.  You have faith that they'll do their job.

I am someone who grew up going to church, learned to sing "Jesus Loves Me" just about as soon as I learned to talk, and can't remember a time when I didn't trust the words of the Bible.  For a long time, I took that for granted.  Faith came easy, because I didn't even realize that I was putting my trust in God.  I just did because that's what I'd always done. It's similar to the breaks on my car.  You see, I'd never had a reason to question my faith in God, so I didn't.  It always seemed to work, so I just trusted. 

As I grew older, choices got harder, the world became more appealing, and, without even realizing it, I started to put my faith in other things.  I put my faith in my friends, my boyfriend, my education, and even myself.  As I did that, I started to notice that those things didn't always align with my faith in God.  Then, all of a sudden, instead of unintentionally putting my faith in those things, I was choosing to do so.  I put God in the backseat and put all my trust in those man-made breaks. 

Each day now, I have to choose where to put my faith.  I try to make it a concious choice; I try to choose God again day after day.  I'd like to say that I always put God above those wordly things, but I can't. I am human, and sometimes the appeal of the world blinds my eyes and I don't hit the breaks at all when I am coming to a stoplight.  As I am rolling through the intersection with cars speeding at me, that's when faith's friend grace comes to save me. 

As it says in Ephesians 2:8, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith."  That is to say that, even though I sometimes mess up and put my faith elsewhere, as long as I keep turning back to God, he will extend his grace and bring me home safely.  After all, the Bible also says in Matthew 17:20 "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed...Nothing will be impossible for you." 

Fletcher was baptized last Sunday, thus ceremonially beginning his journey with Christ. I am overjoyed that I am able to pass my faith in God down to my children, to teach them, and to show them what faith and grace look like.  Like any parent, I hope the path is easier for my children than it was for me.  I hope they make the right choices instead of the wrong ones and that they put their faith in God always.  But, I know they're human, and I know they'll mess up.  I just pray that they have faith, even faith the size of a mustard seed, and that they'll accept the grace God offers them each and every day.