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!

Let the Reunion begin!!!!

It is late and I just got the girls down not too long ago and the dinner dishes done. Whew ...forgot what it feels like to cook for the masses again! But I am loving it! The cousins are hitting it off well, and Miss Audrey is  loving her Uncle Lee and Aunt Lauren. They had never met her yet.

The weather has been unbelievable so that makes life even better. All the kids ( from Boston and Idaho were thrilled to have to put on sweatshirts this morning! Yes, that is another reason why we love our Washington!! During dinner, I kept looking at everyone and thinking to myself. All my children are all together, what a blessing! I am going to be with a very grateful heart.
Good night dear friend!

Shopping with the guys!

Audrey likes when Nana talks to her! Too sweet!

Looking forward to tomorrow!

When the kids were little I used to pray for one day to myself. It seemed like life was so busy with 4 kids, and that I never had a minute to even stop and think. Still I could hardly wait to wake up each day... to see what fun and crazy things life would bring with this crew of mine.



Now here I am (some 18 years from the time this photo was taken), and I can hardly wait for tomorrow and Saturday to get here!  All my kids will fly home in the next two days. We haven't all been together for quiet awhile. Most of the kids haven't even personally met Miss Audrey yet.



"Everybody deserves somebody who makes them look forward to tomorrow!"



The girls are excited that their cousin Kai is coming for a visit!



Hope this sweet guy, is ready for his 3 red headed darling cousins...this should be fun!

 So I have to hurry and get to bed, so tomorrow can come! Good night dear friends!

Cousins

 I remember some of my fondest memories when I was a child was going camping with my cousins. Also getting together on Christmas Day for dinner at my Grandmother's house with my cousins. When our kids were little, we were blessed to have some of their cousins live close to us for quite a few years. Still even as adults they talk about the holidays and times we got together and all the funny things that happened. And they are very close!
 Yes, having family ( cousins ) around, is really a blessing that many of us take for granted if we have always had it. Now my kids are growing up and we are doing all that we can to keep the next generations of cousins...close. It is hard when they live so far away, but it is worth all the effort that we make.
Just recently one of my great nephews got really sick. What a blessing it was to call all the family and asked each one of them to remember him in their thoughts and prayers. It just made my heart happy to have my kids ask on a daily basis how he was doing? Yes, that is how families are suppose to work! Helping and supporting each other. I hope my grandkids will be able to get to know their cousins...that would be a real treat in their lives if they do...and in mine too!



"Cousins are usually the first friends we have as children. No one will ever understand your crazy family like your cousins do even if you haven't talked to much lately."





"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."  ~Jane Howard

The Polar Express Cousin Party

The reason that I didn't write last night was because we were working all day and nearly all night to get everything ready for the Polar Express Cousin Party at Shirley's house, with her kids and grandkids. I don't know who had more fun, the kids or Shirley and I preparing it. We all got new and matching Christmas PJ's. So when the kids arrived they got to get one package  under the tree and open it...you guessed ...new PJ's.

Then after everyone got on their PJ's, then it was off to the kitchen for a Christmas Brunch. Which was mini pancakes, fruit and juice... on Christmas plates of course.

Then we had the girls line up and we gave them a ticket for the Polar Express, then I put on the conductor hat, they came down the stairs and I punched their tickets and lead them down the path to the movie theater room. There they sat and ate their little cheerios necklace that we made them. Then new the end of the movie when Santa gives the little boy a jingle bell...we gave each of them a jingle bell of their own.

This was the best little party ever. I love my nieces and nephews... now to be a part of their children's lives is a great blessing. What a wonderful Christmas to me this trip was.

Here are all those sweet cousins...how I hope that some day I can do the same for all of my grandkids. Cousins can be a great help in life. Yes, what a great Christmas season this already is!

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."  ~ Burton Hillis

Family

Tonight we had dinner with a one of our nephew in laws. He was in town for business, and we were fortunate that he had some time to visit with us. We are so glad that we had time to sit and visit with him tonight. He is an amazing young man and a great husband and father. I thought as we drove home tonight… what a blessing family can be in your life.  Also how neat it can be to bring someone ( that you never knew before ) through marriage into your lives,  and then over the years…they truly  become part of your family.  Now I know some times you can even have a hard time with those who are blood related to you, but all in all we are very grateful to the in- laws who have become a part of our lives.

It reminds me also how important family can be. How great it is when each family member supports the other, and now to watch the grandkids who are the nieces, nephews and cousin all become friends! I guess that is called the CIRCLE OF LIFE isn’t it?  Anyway, it is  a blessing to see these nieces and nephews of ours go on to be great Moms and Dads. It is fun for me… Aunt Lynn to be a part of their lives and now their kids lives. I feel very rich and very blessed.

Good night dear friends ( who also feel like family to me! )

 

“A happy family is but an earlier heaven.”      -- John Bowring

“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”   -- Jane Howard

“Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.”   -- Brad Henry