How could he be this old?

Today is Lee's 23rd birthday! How can that possibly be that old? I still remember he and Lauren sitting on the porch, proudly showing the pumpkins they picked out.



Then it seemed like before I knew it... he was getting as big and tall as his older brother Brad!


Now on his Birthday, he is with Lauren again, but this time she is with him and Caitlin, taking their engagement photos. He is our last to be getting married. Oh my goodness, the time has flown by. How we love our boy! He has grown up into an amazing and sweet young man, and I am so grateful to be his Mom. We are excited about welcoming in Caitlin into our family. Now a new chapter begins for him and for our family!


How blessed we are to see these sweet kids ...grow up, and meet such amazing people. Just to have the chance to watch our family keep growing, makes me grateful for the opportunity to be getting older myself...thought I would never say that..but I am!
Good Night dear friends!
And Happy Birthday sweet Lee, we love you more than words can say!

She said YES!

Our youngest son Lee proposed to his girlfriend Caitlin tonight in Idaho. He worked long and hard to make it look just picture perfect. And with the help of his talented sister Lauren ( the photographer ), and many of his friends, you can see for yourself...I think he accomplished it!
How exciting, our last kid is getting married, hard to believe he has grown up so fast!

 He even made the ring box with the help of Lauren and his friend!

 The mood lighting was beautiful!

I think she was surprised and happy!

So glad you were BORN!

Today is our youngest son Lee Austin's 22nd Birthday! Where has the time gone? I can't believe that he is that old already!
I thought I could tell you alittle about him with all these fun photos of him in our lives. Obviously you can see why we are so glad he is a part of our family!
He wasn't our biggest baby, but by far got to be our biggest baby AFTER he was born.  Like this shirt on the right that I made for him and Lauren to match. It was so tight getting it on ( just look at his little wrist ) that we had to cut it off of him after the Christmas photos! :)

But you can see him here at Lauren's wedding last year, that he has slimmed down a bit and looks great in his clothes! :)

Lauren was so excited to get a baby but yet wasn't sure when she came to the hospital to see him. Think she finally figured out that he might be taking a little bit of the attention from everyone. She wasn't sure about that. She couldn't wait for him to grow up and learn to pretend. She had always wanted a puppy, so as soon as he could crawl, she taught him how to bark and put a rope, string, fabric, phone cord or ANYTHING she could find around his neck. Yes, he is lucky to be here and lucky that we rescued him from his Big Sister Lauren on a daily basis!

He she is, still has something around his neck! At least he is big enough to take it now!

He is always one for an adventure and has always been easy going!

He is crazy about his cousins, wish we had more photos of them with him. Here he is with Bethany and Baby Jesus, yes he was our Joseph that year, it fit him perfectly because he has such a Good Heart!

Now look at them all gron up ( on the top right ). 

Lee has always been his Aunt Shirley's favorite and everyone knows that! 

He also has been a Favorite Uncle Lee to all the kids!

We lovingly call him the Child Whisperer! :) It's true, he is a Natural at that! 

Now you can see why!

We call Lee ...Austin, as much as we call him Lee. Austin is his middle name and he was named after his Great Grandmother Bertha Mable Austin! She was still alive when he was born and she was so excited that we gave him her maiden name! 

One of his favorite places is also our family's favorite places ...Port Townsend, since he was born, we have gone there for Family Reunions, yes it's part HOME to all of us!

Right now his home is in Idado where he is going to college, yes I am afraid he is becoming a bit of a cowboy at heart! I am sure the love of Country Music will be next! :)

 
Lee's first word was BALL, and I swear he hasn't let go of one since he was born. He has always been a Natural Athelete too!

Well Lee, we love you and are so glad that you were BOURNE ( private joke with this photo), to our family! We wouldn't be complete without YOU!!!!

Happy Happy Birthday to you!

Starting over and Just finished!

Today I went back to Weight Watchers. It has been over a year since I have stopped swimming and with that lack of exercise, I can see my body changing.It has been almost a year since I have been back to W. W.  The Doctor doesn't want me to start swimming until after the flu season is over. But I realized that I need to get this extra weight off before I even think about going back to swimming.
I should have kept going to my weekly meetings, getting out of those was when my struggles started. Since I am a life time member, I knew if went back and if my weight was over 2lbs of my goal, that I would have to pay. I just kept thinking I would wait until I got a bit of weight off...that was the problem.
So I knew today when I went in that I would probably have to pay, and I did. I wasn't over my goal weight that much, but I still knew it was time to go and get started. I am glad I did. One of the ladies that worked there 3 years ago when I first started, was back there today. I was sooooo glad to see her again, I think she was as much help as anything else in Weight Watchers. What a blessing to be with her again.

After that I went to Amy's and hung out with the girls. I finally finished Lee's afghan and got that mailed out today. It seemed to take me forever but actually it was only a couple of months. I am so excited for him to get it. Since they are still having Snow in Rexburg, he will probably still be able to use it.

christmas 2014

Well dear friends, I finally got my computer fixed and since that time...I missed a few days of blogging. Christmas was nice and quite actually. Woke up late...that is what happens when you only have a 21 year old at home. Then we did Face Time and with the kids, and that was a Gift in and of itself. Then after we ate breakfast ( which was almost after lunch ) we headed off to Amy and John's house and spent some time with the girls. I tell you just being with children on Christmas, does make it all worth it all.

Amy showing Audrey how the game works.

After all the gift were opened, what does Jenny spend the next few hours play with. A empty cracker box and wrapping paper! Who needs toys?

Cutest little Reindeers ever!

Lee is holding up pretty well, swelling just starting but still he was able to join us.

John and his new Driving Jacket! It will go great with his car.

This weekend we had a sleep over with the girls, since in a few days school will be starting. One of the things they did while they were here...they made cards and Snack Hats. These consisted of Lee's hat and then they made the top to put on it.

Then on the inside they made a pocket to hold their snacks ( which were crasins ) for now. Then all they needed to just reach up to their secret snack door on the hat whenever they got hungry! Shoot, I need one of these hats! Love to see their creativity!

Happy Birthday Lee!

Twenty years ago, Jeff and I headed off early to the hospital for my C-section and arrival of our last baby...Lee Austin. We had talked about him so much, that is seemed like everyone was excited to meet him. A lot like we felt with all the other kids and our grandchildren.... and no Miss Audrey has not made her grand entrance into the world yet. I will tell you when she does.
I think the thing that struck me most about Lee is how he just seemed to complete our family, he was our fourth child and everyone couldn't get enough of Baby Wee ( as his sister Lauren used to call him).

He was the most shy of all of our kids and he was just happy to let his big Sister Lauren ( only 2 years older ) take center stage and he just followed her lead ( which was dangerous sometimes :) She loved him from the start and couldn't wait till he would grow up enough, to pretend with her. Most of the poor boy's life, he had something tied around his neck and Lauren telling him to bark like a dog! :) The fact that he survived those younger days with Lauren is a miracle in and of its self! :) But still they were always buddies and best friends!


But as you can see here that Best Friends thing ....never changed between them, and WE ALL feel the same about Austin Tashis! ( It's was a family nick name )

So even though he was our last, we have loved having him in our family! He has a heart of gold and is one of the most compassionate guys around. I feel blessed to be his MOM and so grateful that he is happy and enjoying school and his wonderful roommates. He has had his challenges but continues on and that will take him far in life! Yes, Lee Austin...we are so glad that you arrived 20 years ago today... our lives have been blessed ever since! Happy Birthday son!

Waiting! Wondering! and Wishing!

 Waiting!  ( 9:00 a.m.)
Today I went with Lee to get a brain MRI. We have already seen 2 other Doctors ( Specialists ) since he has been home in the last 5 days. Still have no answers ...only suggestions for medications or injections that we could give him...not knowing if what is exactly wrong with him, we decided to hold until we feel right about something. One thing that we kept feeling like we needed to do was to have an MRI on his brain. So that is why we went ahead and scheduled that for today. As I sat there in the waiting room, I silently prayed for two very different things...one that we would find something that would help us figure out what the cause is for these attacks, that he has been having for over 3 years. Then in the very same prayer, I prayed that nothing would be terribly wrong with him...hoping it would be something that we could fix, and not some life long disease or problem. Then I realized that the prayer I had to say next was... to bless him and us, to be able to handle whatever the results are, and that we would know the next direction to go. I also prayed  that Lee would be able to feel some peace if we do get bad news. So I am still waiting, they told us that the DR should be reading the MRI and getting the results to us by 4:00 pm today. 
Need to stay busy and yet continue to pray that as his MOM, I will know what to say and do. I love this boy, it hurts me to see him go through all these tests with no answers. I want so bad to help him in some way and I know I can't. But I can be a strength to him and one who continues to remind him where to get his hope and faith from. My heart still hurts...I need to pray harder!
Wondering! ( 3:45 p.m. )
The nurse called and told us that she had the results back. I know from previous experience IF the nurse can tell you the information ...then it is good news or no news.  If she tells you that your results are in and to hold so she can put the Doctor on the line... then things are bad. She didn't say wait for the Doctor and then proceeded to tell us that everything on the MRI done on his brain looked good and nothing abnormal. I was relieved because there were a few big things that they were looking for, and they weren't there. Still I am worried how Lee is going to take it, when yet another test didn't make us any closer to getting an answer.
Wishing! ( 10:45 p.m. ) Now all I can do is wish and pray that we will get an impression or some thing to let us know what avenue to take next. Until then, I am going to count this as a blessing, his brain looks good...that is no small thing!
Need to go to bed and relax, kind of a stressful day!
Good night dear friends!  

 

 “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”  ~Abraham Lincoln

 “Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.”  ~Howard W. Hunter

Perspective...end from the beginning!

So glad that I didn't see the car until after I knew that Lee was OK. It made my stomach sick to see it. I can't even imagine what it would have looked like or what would have happened if he had been going faster than 40 miles an hour. He was getting on the on ramp at the time.
It made me think of a story that Lauren sent to me, I will share part of it hoping... that all of us can remember that our Heavenly Father is in charge, He is always watching over us. I know that is true! Below is part of the story!

"Allow me to share with you an experience from my own boyhood. When I was 11 years old, my family had to leave East Germany and begin a new life in West Germany overnight. Until my father could get back into his original profession as a government employee, my parents operated a small laundry business in our little town. I became the laundry delivery boy. To be able to do that effectively, I needed a bicycle to pull the heavy laundry cart. I had always dreamed of owning a nice, sleek, shiny, sporty red bicycle. But there had never been enough money to fulfill this dream. What I got instead was a heavy, ugly, black, sturdy workhorse of a bicycle. I delivered laundry on that bike before and after school for quite a few years. Most of the time, I was not overly excited about the bike, the cart, or my job. Sometimes the cart seemed so heavy and the work so tiring that I thought my lungs would burst, and I often had to stop to catch my breath. Nevertheless, I did my part because I knew we desperately needed the income as a family, and it was my way to contribute.

If I had only known back then what I learned many years later—if I had only been able to see the end from the beginning—I would have had a better appreciation of these experiences, and it would have made my job so much easier.

Many years later, when I was about to be drafted into the military, I decided to volunteer instead and join the Air Force to become a pilot. I loved flying and thought being a pilot would be my thing.

To be accepted for the program I had to pass a number of tests, including a strict physical exam. The doctors were slightly concerned by the results and did some additional medical tests. Then they announced, “You have scars on your lung which are an indication of a lung disease in your early teenage years, but obviously you are fine now.” The doctors wondered what kind of treatment I had gone through to heal the disease. Until the day of that examination I had never known that I had any kind of lung disease. Then it became clear to me that my regular exercise in fresh air as a laundry boy had been a key factor in my healing from this illness. Without the extra effort of pedaling that heavy bicycle day in and day out, pulling the laundry cart up and down the streets of our town, I might never have become a jet fighter pilot and later a 747 airline captain.

We don’t always know the details of our future. We do not know what lies ahead. We live in a time of uncertainty. We are surrounded by challenges on all sides. Occasionally discouragement may sneak into our day; frustration may invite itself into our thinking; doubt might enter about the value of our work."

I loved this talk, I love the reminder it is to all of us to remember that God is in charge and sees our lives from the end to the beginning. How thankful we are that Lee is OK. Faith and courage = HOPE !

Good night dear friends!

You can read the whole story HERE:

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. " ~Abraham Maslow

"The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning."  ~Ivy Baker Priest