Words

"Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Whoever coined that phrase, was wrong. Words are very powerful.

What makes people say cruel things? Today Soaring Amongst The Clouds had three hurtful things said to her. One of those things was said about her, not directly "to her". The strange thing is, this person doesn't even know her. She's never met my Fair Maiden. How can someone make a comment (and a hurtful one at that) without even knowing anything about her? The other two were from a fellow college student. First he made a rude comment about her not being in class on Wednesday. Then he told her, "You are the grass people walk on." Granted, he was "smack talking" to her while he was playing a tennis match against her. He was trying to "psych" her out, but still! Why are people so rude, crude, uncaring and insensitive?

Years ago, when our children were wee ones, we watched Bambi. The little rabbit, Thumper, was reprimanded by his mom when he made a "not so nice" comment about Bambi. The phrase stuck with us. I have often quoted Thumper's mom, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all".

"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."- Ephesians 4:29

I STRONGLY believe in the scripture above, well not just the one above, but in scripture period! It's so much better to edify than to tear down. You can see it in people's faces when you say something nice or positive. I personally don't enjoy being around negative, nagging, rude, uncaring people. They tend to bring my spirit down. Years ago, I had a friend who was "difficult". She didn't have many friends because she wasn't an easy person to get along with, but I just accepted her as she was. My Knight always knew when I had spent some time with her. He would tell me, "Oh, you were with so-and so today right?" She sucked the life out of me. God has a funny sense of humor, cause people like this tend to gravitate towards me or should I say I gravitate towards them. I don't know which. Oh, let me clarify this, not ALL my friends are like this. :o)

All this to say, the words we speak make a difference. You can make some body's day by saying a kind word. You can put a smile on some body's face by saying something kind. A nice gesture goes a long way. It creates a ripple effect.

Remember that Jesus died for you... being nice to someone else is the least you can do.

Here And There

This week is going rather smoothly. But I feel a little disconnected. Can't quite pin point why. It's not a bad thing, just different.

My Knight's car is in the shop. Looks like it's going to need a new transmission. YIKES! God sure has a way of working things out. Airman G is here for his Spring Break. Soaring Amongst The Clouds has been able to work things out with her school schedule. She's not had to use the car, to drive to and from school. Which means. even though we are down one car, it's like we're not. We have enough transportation to go around. What an AWESOME God we serve. He ALWAYS provides for our needs.



Still Waters was involved in a little fender bender. It's really more of a left side front crack than a fender bender. Apparently, Still Waters had finished backing out of her parking space when another student backed into her. She quickly called her dad, "What do I do?" They exchanged information and went on their way. No need to involve the police or insurance company. Isn't that great?! Imagine that "humans behaving humanly... brilliant!" Sorry, I couldn't resist, I love that commercial.

Today was Steps' birthday. Happy Birthday Steps! You ROCK! Daughter of the King baked some cookies and took them (along with his gift) to his home. On our last trip to MGM Studios she had bought him a Pirates of the Caribbean pen. You see, he's a writer. I hear he really liked the pen and the box it came in. :o) She had lunch with his family. Then they swung by here to pick up G.I. Joe and headed out to church. By then it was time for his bible drill practice. While G.I. Joe is at bible drill, Daughter of the King, Steps, Jewel's (his mom) and the other youth worship singers practice what they'll be singing during youth service.



Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Airman G went to a Braves Spring Training game. They had a FANTABULOUS time. A mom from our local homeschooling group had two tickets that they weren't going to be able to use. She offered them to whoever wanted them. Another mom responded to the email before I did. But it turned out that her hubby wasn't going to be able to take the day off from work. So, she contacted me and blessed us with the tickets.

I had lunch with the Scrapper. We ate at her favorite bbq restaurant. We were there from 12:30p - 5:00p! I'm not kidding! It's been a while since we've had a chance to catch up. I enjoy our lunch/almost dinner outings. LOL! She was quite the chatterbox. She's so proud of her son, Airman G. He's a fine young man.

By the time I got home it was almost time to head out to church. We had an AWESOME prayer meeting. When I say prayer meeting, that's EXACTLY what I mean. We went through the prayer list and at times we'd stop and pray as the Lord would lead us to. Our pastor also asked the members if they had any prayer requests or praises. As we went through the room, we'd often stop and pray. It was an incredible prayer meeting. After the prayer meeting, he met with all the Sunday School teachers. We will be starting a "new" concept. Our pastor will be handing out topics and preach on it for 6 weeks. We as Sunday School teachers will be "reinforcing" what he's preaching. Which means that everyone parent and child will be hearing the same thing. That way the children and the parents can interact and talk about what was taught in class. When we were members at a different church, they did that. It really works. It brought families together. Not too different than home church is it?! My Knight and I are looking forward to starting this. I think it will unify our church and families.

Trust Me With Your Isaac

Trust Me with Your Isaac
adapted from Beth Moore's Whisper of Hope


For every Abraham who dares
to kiss the foreign field
where glory for a moment grasped
Is for a lifetime tilled...

The voice of God
speaks not but once
but 'til the traveler hears
"Abraham! Abraham ! Bring your
Isaac here!"

"Bring not the blemished sacrifice.
What lovest though the most?
Look not into the distance,
you'll find your Isaac close."

"I hear the tearing of your heart
torn between two loves,
the one your vision can behold
the Other hid above."

"Do you trust me, Abraham
with your gravest fear?
Will you pry your fingers loose
and bring your Isaac here?"

"Have I not made you promises?
Hold them tight instead!
I am the Lover of your soul -
the Lifter of your head."

"Believe me, O my Abraham
when blinded by the cost.
Arrange the wooded altar
and count your gains but loss."

"Let tears wash clean your blinded eyes
until unveiled you see -
the ram caught in the thicket there
to set your Isaac free."

"Perhaps I'll send him down the mount
to walk right by your side.
No longer in your iron grasp
but safer still in mine."

"Or I may wrap him in the wind
and sweep him from your sight
to better things beyond your reach -
believe with all your might!"

"Look up, beloved Abraham.
Can you count the stars?
Multitudes will stand to reap
from one dear friend of God."

"Pass the test, my faithful one;
bow to me as Lord.
Trust me with your Isaac -
see,
I am your great Reward."

Easter Sunday

We all went to the 8:30a Sunday service. Ok, you can now pick up your jaw from the floor. Yes, I got up early. LOL! My friend Chris, couldn't believe it when she saw us walking out church as she was walking in.

The service was great. I was a little disappointed that Papi and Granma didn't go to church with us. Deep down inside, I knew they wouldn't. They are none practicing Catholics. They respect our believes, but will not attend church with us. I'm just glad they came and spent the weekend with us. I love having my dad around.

Be warned, I wanted to post this quickly so the pictures are not in any particular order....


G.I. Joe spent the day playing around outside. He got the wooden bat he's holding from one of the Power Team events, that came to town about 7 years ago. Our Squires love playing around with those little bats.



The Warrior was outside playing with his brother. I'm really surprised he turned around when I called him. It's not that he's being disobedient. The reason I was surprised was because if I have the camera and I call him, he won't turn around.



I'm so glad I was able to capture this one. I always manage to miss it. Daughter of the King went to have Easter dinner with Steps family. She had a great time. She enjoys spending time with his family. Once they were done with their visit, they came over to our Castello. They had a late Easter dinner with us too.



This was right after Still Waters got her Easter basket. When our Fair Maiden's were younger, I use to put a new bathing suit in their Easter basket. It was to help "kick of" Spring and get ready for the Summer. Well, now that they are older they really have to try on their bathing suits. So, now I purchase two clothing items, for their Spring/Summer wear. The basket also includes candy. Not the commercialized Easter candy, but regular candy. Candy I know they like. Our Squires didn't get a bathing suit because the ones from last year still fit them. So they got two clothing items too. Airman G and Steps "did" get a bathing suit. So we kept our tradition going with them. :o) Airman G's bathing suit matches Soaring Amongst The Clouds' bathing suit and Steps' matches Daughter of the King's. Everyone is ready for the summer. Now if the weather would only cooperate. LOL!


Here we have Soaring Amongst The Clouds, Airman G, Susie Homemaker and The Patriarch. These are Airman G's grandparents. They are absolutely wonderful! Their pseudonym really need no explanations but I'll give one any way. :o) Susie Homemaker who loves the Lord. She enjoys cooking and baking. She loves being a housewife which in today's world is a rarity. Sad but true. I often wonder how the world would be today if more women were like her. The Patriarch is well, the head of the family. He's godly man. He has set a wonderful example for Airman G. He's been a great leader and provider for his family. Which also makes me wonder where we would be today if men would step up and be the leaders of their family. To many are mama's boys, not wanting to grow up, commit or just plain allow women to walk all over them. This is just my opinion. You are welcome to have yours.



I believe they are in the process of hiding eggs. Yep, Airman G and some of his cousins enjoy finding the hidden eggs. :o)



Here they are ready to find the eggs. They put her in the front hoping to coax her into participating. The two young ladies on side are Airman G's cousins. The one holding on to him for dear life is his sister, KT. The lady on the right is am old friend of the Scrapper.




I have to say this was one of my favorite shots of the day. I love how Airman G is carrying Soaring Amongst The Clouds backpack and the basket. I feel it's a gallant gesture. Young men/men today aren't so chivalrous. The Scrapper has done a fine job raising her son. I also think that being in the military has helped to enforce his upbringing. Soaring Amongst The Clouds is carrying a fleece Air Force blanket and travel size pillow case that Airman G's grandmother made for her. I know it will be a permanent fixture on her bed. LOL!

After church this morning, Soaring Amongst The Clouds went with Airman G and his family to his grandparents home. They had their annual Easter Egg hunt and dinner. Soaring Amongst The Clouds decided not to partake in the egg hunt. Even though all his cousins (age 15 and up) were hunting eggs, she felt a little funny doing that, so she helped hide the eggs. She really enjoyed meeting his extended family. Some weren't able to attend, but she is looking forward to meeting them too. After their visit, they came to our Castello to spend the rest of the evening with us. They also had a second Easter dinner with us.



I love this picture. I love sitting at the table and seeing my family all around. This was the first time both suitors had dinner with us at the same time. Airman G has eaten with us before and so has Steps, but they've not eaten with us at the same time. Good thing our table seats 12. They're plenty of room for Still Water's future suitor and our Squires future Fair Ladies. Not that our table is by any means "not full", but I look forward to the time when our children and their spouses will be breaking bread with us. What can I say, that the romantic and the mom in me that thinks that. :o)

This year Easter was a little different. Two of our Fair Maidens weren't with us the entire day. This is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. It's not a sad thing, it's as God intended. I thought that once it came, I would have a hard time letting go. But I see it differently now. I see it as our family expanding. I have always wanted a large family. I know you must think wow, having 5 children makes a big family. But remember, I wanted 12 children! ;o) I love and enjoy having Airman G and Steps spend time with us. I only hope and pray that they enjoy spending time with us too. LOL!

Since this Easter was a little different, we decided to change out Easter dinner and start a new tradition. We had a Cuban, Easter dinner. We roasted a pork shoulder. My Knight was the one that roasted it, he used his dad's recipe. By the way, my Knight is ALWAYS the one that roasts the pork. We also had black beans, white rice and Cuban bread. My dad brought the Cuban bread from Miami. So it was the authentic bread. YEAH! I completely forgot to buy some yucca. :o( For dessert I wanted to bake a flan, but decided not to. I didn't want to tempt my dad. He's a diabetic. I would of had to bake it the night before. The pork was going to be baking practically all day and I wouldn't be able to use the oven. Which means, if my dad saw it in the fridge, he'd want to eat some of it. There is WAYYYY too much sugar in a flan. So instead, Daughter of the King baked brownies. My dad is not a chocolate lover. No temptation there. ;o) I must say, I was very pleased to see Airman G and Steps have a second helping of dinner. :o)

My dad and mom weren't able to stay and have dinner with us. They had to leave before lunch because they don't like to drive at night. They can see fine, but they prefer to drive during the day. I was sad to see them go, but I was thankful for their visit.



................................ The man of my dreams and I.



................................. Daughter of the King and Steps



.......... Still Waters and her younger sister, Daughter of the King.



G.I. Joe asked me to buy him a pink shirt. Not many guys and get away with wearing pink. He's one that can. ;o) The Warrior loves to wear ties. He also loves to wear Hawaiian print shirts.



........................................... Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Airman G.



Papi and Granma (not a typo, that's the way we 'say' it) came to spend Easter weekend with us. They arrived around 9p, Thursday night. It was great! They have never stayed four whole days with us. We thoroughly enjoyed their visit. Do you know how hard it is to get everyone to smile and/or have their eyes open at the same time?! Well, it took 5 tries! LOL! I was unable to get a picture of my mom. She doesn't like her picture taken. :o(



While dinner was cooking, the "men" played, Call of Duty 4. They all enjoy playing it. Well, Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters play it too. Daughter of the King and I are not into video games. But that's all right, we enjoy watching and hearing them play.

This Easter day was different than all our past Easter days. But, I wouldn't of traded it for the world. I'm so thankful for God's blessings. I love my family. I love spending time with them. We were able to rejoice together. What more could I ask for?

How was your Easter day? What were you thankful for?

WHAT A Weekend!

The dwellers of the Castello were quite busy this weekend. If you want to see what we were up to, feel free to continue reading. Be for-warned... you're bound to smile, laugh and possibly shed a tear.


Late Thursday night, March 6th, Soaring Amongst The Clouds and I headed out to the airport. Airman G came to participate in one of his best friend's wedding. He was due to arrive at 11:56p. He didn't arrive until 12:35am. He wasn't expecting Soaring Amongst The Clouds to be there. His grandparents always pick him up. It's tradition for him to spend the night at their home. The following day, they lend him their truck so he can use it while he's visiting. It's a great tradition. He spends some quality time with his grandparents and he has a vehicle for his visit. Well, Soaring Amongst The Clouds did't want to wait until Friday to see him, but she didn't want to intrude in their quality time. She found out that they usually drive around until he gets out, then they pick him up. So, she wanted to greet him at the gate. We parked our car and we "people watched" for a while. I should mention that we were waiting at the airport for about 2 hours. She wanted to make sure we arrived on time. We drove through nasty weather to get there too, but it was worth it to see their smiles.

While we were waiting, she was texting her sister, Still Waters. She was telling her that there was a man standing watching the "tv" that announced all the arrivals. He had his hand inside the back of his pants and he was scratching his "ars". Yep that's what she told Still Waters. Of course Still Waters was grossed out, like her mama, she's a visual person. LOL! Her response was, "Such fowl language! How gross of that man to do such a thing!" Soaring Amongst The Clouds then told me where she had heard it. One of her professors is Canadian, she had said that word in class once. She had never heard it and thought it was funny. To tell you the truth, I like it much better than the word, but-. I think it sounds a little more... ah... refined. LOL! Needless to say, I've secretly said it a couple of times. But my Squires haven't heard me. I'll have to stop that before it becomes a habit. But is sure sounds funny.

He arrived while I was in the restroom, so I was not present when they first saw each other. Which means I wasn't able to take pictures. Oh, I forgot... right after I took the above picture, it said, "recharge battery". URGH!!! I can't believe I didn't charge it earlier. Anyway, I'm sure it was a happy reunion. They talked as we headed out to see his grandparents. They were waiting for him, but we didn't see them. Once we did, we greeted each other and talked for a bit. They are truly awesome. I really like them. Everyone said their goodbyes and we all went on our way. We didn't get home until 2:30a. We do not live close to the airport. But it was a great ride home. One could say that Soaring Amongst The Clouds was really Soaring Amongst The Clouds. :o) She was one happy young lady.





Friday morning Airman G came to pick up Soaring Amongst The Clouds. He had some errands to run before the wedding rehearsal and dinner. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with Soaring Amongst The Clouds (and she with him, I might add), so they spent most of the day together. They were also going to have lunch with The Scrapper and KT. Soaring Amongst The Clouds was a little nervous cause she has a little hard time understanding The Scrapper's sense of humor. She says she never knows if she's kidding or not. LOL! I know it's comforting to her to have Airman G with her. I snapped this picture before they left our Castello. Right before they left, I asked him to look after her and take good care of her. He said he would. I wonder if he knows and understands just how precious she is to us. Does he know she's worth far above rubies?



The Scrapper took this picture. There is a story about this tree. This tree was a sapling when the Scrapper and her family moved into their home. Airman G and KT have had their pictures taken in front of the tree since they were wee ones. Pictures of their first day of school, school spirit week, homecoming and any other special occasion.


I took this once they got home from the rehearsal dinner. They had a good time. All the guys were got together at the groom to be's home and hung out for a while. All the groom's men spent the night. I still don't think they had as much fun as we did at the "candle" party.


Saturday morning, everyone was up by 6a. It was baseball picture day for The Warrior, he had to be there at 7:30a. He also had a game at 9a. Which meant he had to be at the fields at 8a. So, my Knight and The Warrior were at the fields by 7:15a. As The Seamstress and I were heading out to the game, I got a call from my Knight. His car broke down right where they were having their pictures taken. So we had his car towed to get it fixed. It was freezing at the fields. The wind made it colder. The Fair Maidens and G.I Joe arrived right before the game started. The Warrior is on the Dodgers and they won 19-1. They stopped the game in the fourth inning. The Warrior had a great game. He is one great little player.

After the game, we all rushed home to eat lunch, take showers and get ready for the wedding. Well, I should say that The Fair Maidens and The Seamstress left a little earlier. Even though we have 4 showers in our home. The Fair Maidens only like to use "their" shower. The Squires use theirs. The Seamstress uses the guest bathroom and my Knight and I use ours. So the girls bathroom was going to be the busiest. I was please when we got home, they were all almost ready. Good thing too! They got a last minute call from the Congresswoman. She needed a ride to the wedding.



J & A's wedding was absolutely beautiful! They did something I had never seen before at a wedding. They did not light the candle like I've seen in all the weddings. Each set of parent walked down the isle with a glass, tube like vase, filled with colored sand. They laid it on the alter where the candles were. Then J & A took the vase their parents had brought and filled the longer glass tube like vase. During this time the minister was talking about, how God should be the foundation of a marriage. How the two become one. Since the sand has been mixed, it would be impossible to put the exact sand back in the vase it came from. Needless to say, I shed some tears. It was a beautiful ceremony. They both looked so very happy.



The wedding party. J's sister is the one standing next to Airman G. T is a very sweet young, funny lady. Sunday School is always fun when she's around.



The Scrapper and her beloved son, Airman G. He looked mighty handsome. His mama was very proud of him. She was beaming from ear to ear. :o)



KT, Congresswoman and Daughter of the King. These girls go against the flow. They are definitely God's Girls.



Congresswoman, KT , Daughter of the King and Steps. Good friends celebrating!




G.I Joe is wearing the pink shirt with the blue tie. One With Nature (Step's youngest brother) is wear the dark shirt shirt and his arm is draped over The Warrior's shoulder. Treasure is standing in the back. He came by this name because when The Warrior was younger he couldn't say his friend's name. He'd say treasure, so hence his name now. :o)



Daughter of the King and Steps. The Scrapper took this picture. She enjoys taking pictures. I'm glad, cause I benefit from them too. ;o)



Jewels and her hubby, The Mechanic. They are blessed with five young men. Poor Jewels, she's the only lady of the house. Wait a minute, that might not be such a bad thing. They all really do look after her.


Airman G and his grandfather. He is the apple of his grandparent's eyes. He has really grown into a wonderful young man. May God continue to bless him.



I think this is one of my favorite pictures. It reminds me of other pictures I have of the two of them. It amazes me how much they have both grown and matured. Be still my heart...



J & A were asked to play a game. This was a lot of fun. They each had to take one shoe off and give it to their spouse. The wife of the minister who married them was asked them some questions. The had to raise the hand that held the shoe of the person who was going to do what she was asking. Example: Who was going to be doing most of the cooking? They both raised J's shoe. You see, he's a chef! LOL! Who was going to be cleaning the commode? They both raised A's shoe. Who was going to be doing the groceries? They both raised both shoes. When something in the house gets broken, who was going to fix it? At the exact time, J told the best man to take off his shoe and give it to him and A pointed at the best man. You see, the best man is a young man of many talents. He's a fire fighter/paramedic, but he use to be our church's handy man. If I remember correctly, they didn't even get one answer wrong!



Still Waters, waiting to blow bubbles at the bride and groom. I love this girl. She's got a serene look about her. Makes me wonder what she's REALLY thinking.



Did I mention that is was a very cold and windy day? Well it was. I can't believe all these young ladies wore sandals!



Having fun with the bubbles. Hey Daughter of the King, you look like Mary on, So You Think You Can Dance. Can you say, HOT TAMALE TRAIN?! LOL!



I just love this picture. I love the way he's looking at her. This is the Soaring Amongst The Clouds we get to see every day. She is too much.




J and A heading out. They make such a beautiful couple. May God richly bless them.



After the wedding, Airman G's family were getting together at The Craftman's (his dad's) home for dinner. Airman G asked Soaring Amongst The Clouds to go with him. She was more than happy to. They had a great dinner and she got to spend some time with his family. We have met The Craftman many time before. He's quiet and very nice. I picked that name because his hobby is making things out of wood. He is very talented. A couple of years ago he made a little trinket box for KT. I couldn't believe how beautifully crafted it was. A couple of months later, he gave me a similar box. I keep my brother's stop watch in it. A treasure for my treasure box.

Airman G came by to pick up Soaring Amongst The Clouds around 4am. His plane was leaving early morning.


I'm not sure why an Air Force cadet is wearing a Harvard t-shirt. I wonder if he'd wear a Notre Dame t-shirt? You see, Soaring Amongst The Clouds is fascinated with Ireland. She hopes to one day travel there.



Sunday morning when I stepped out of my closet, this is how I found Soaring Amongst The Clouds. She had just gotten back from the airport. She was laying on my bed. My heart went out to her. I know exactly how she felt. I have been there too, many years ago. I have shed many tears for my Knight. Baby Girl, it won't be like this forever.



After we all got home from church, we had G.I. Joe open his present. Still Waters is doing the "Japanese" pose. Akiko is a Japanese student that stayed with us a couple of years ago. She told us and showed us how the Japanese pose with the peace sign. Except they use both hands. So we call it the "22" pose. I like the "22" pose. :o)



Here is Soaring Amongst The Clouds doing the "22". She had just woken up from a nap. She had an action packed weekend. Not just physically, but emotionally too.



I had no clue what her facial expression was, until I saw my Knight's face. She did it on purpose! He took the picture and started laughing. Needless to say, that because of it we had to....



Take another one.... :o) I keep telling them, don't fight the feeling, just go with it.




Daughter of the King and I had to do a retake too. These Fair Maidens, when will they learn. There is no running away from the mamarazzi. ;o)



The Warrior is the one that's following his sister's steps regarding picture taking. URGH!!! We had to redo this shot 5 times! He kept slipping away, ducking and sliding.



Ok darlin', you asked for it. :o) You pose it, you run the risk of having it posted. Too Funny!




A side of Soaring Amongst The Clouds most don't get to see. Actually, since Steps has been courting Daughter of the King, he's the only one that's gotten to see it. Well, he's seen a side of ALL our children that most have never seen. From the look on his face and his laughter, I think he gets a kick out of it.

Still Waters was on Spring Break last week, which meant we got to see her all day. YEAH!!! But her professors were meanies... they sent tons of homework. Since she is diligent, she got it done quick. YOU GO GIRL! So we got to spend lots of time with her. I LOVE that girl!

I don't usually wear dresses. I like to wear them because I feel so feminine in them. The problem is, I don't usually shop for me. The dresses I have in my closet don't fit any more (I've lost some weight... YEAH!!!). The ones that do fit are summer dresses. I had been looking for over 2 weeks for something to wear to the wedding. Everything out there is, dare I say... wantonly. Took me FOREVER but, on one day, I found 5 dresses! I was very excited! I even found brown shoes to match. :o)

Ooops, I forgot to mention that my poor Knight only got to see the ceremony. Someone else was going to ump the game he was scheduled to ump. But that ump had a family emergency and my Knight left just as the reception was starting. He's so compassionate. He felt bad for the head ump. He'd been there since 9am. I married such a good guy. I'm so blessed.

All in all we had a great weekend. Lots of fun, laughter, tears of joy and tears of sadness. We ran the gamut on emotions. My cup runneth over...

My G.I. Joe

.......................................... is 14 today!

He was an answered prayer to our three Fair Maidens. They prayed daily & more than once a day, for a baby brother. God heard their prayers and answered it on March 9, 1994. My Knight, our Fair Maidens and I were blessed beyond measure.

G.I. Joe is the kind of son everyone wishes they had. He loves God and it's evident in how he lives his life. He has charm and charisma. He's an all around athlete. He is easy going and funny. He has a way of making people around him feel at ease. He's a wonderful young brother and is setting a great example for The Warrior. He loves all his sisters and looks after them. It's a blessing that they all truly enjoy each other's company. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for him. I pray that he continue to walk the straight and narrow road. May his light continue to shine brightly.

My Dearest G.I. Joe,

You are above and beyond, of what I dreamed possible in a son. I'm so blessed and honored that God saw fit to have me be your mom. Your wit keeps things interesting around our Castello. I admire how dedicated you are. Not just in your school work, sports or in what you set your mind to, but in your daily walk with God. May you always walk hand in hand with Him. Stay the course...

I'll love you forever you...
I'll like you for always...
As long as I'm living...
My Baby you'll be...

love,
Mom~



Our Fair Maidens got him a card they knew he'd love. The outside is written in a beautiful script lettering and it decorated very manly and elegant. On the outside it says: "It isn't easy to find a birthday card as classy and sophisticated as you are." On the inside it says: "Happy Birthday!" But it has three monkeys and when you open it (it's a musical card), You can hear the monkeys laughing. He loved it!

The Warrior picked out a card too. The outside is decorated like a map. It says: "The relationship that brothers share is like a bridge connecting two great cities." The inside has a long bridge and it says: "One city is Awesomburg, and the other one's Buttville." Guess who's Buttville... Happy Birthday!" Needless to say he loved that one too. But (pun intended) let me add, there is more to this joking card. We were teasing about it later on. I wonder who's Buttville, The Warrior claimed it. You see, he's the one that gets padded the most around here. So he proudly said it was him. I tell you... there is NEVER a dull moment in our Castello.



Here's one most won't see... my Knight goofing off. He does it all the time, we just aren't quick enough to catch it in pictures. That drives me NUTS! I sure wish my eyes were cameras. Oh... the pictures I'd capture!!!



I love my G.I. Joe. I have to say this... he looks more and more like my brother every day. Seems like every stage he's gone through, he looks like him. It's funny how he never got to meet my brother, yet the things he says are things my brother would of said. My brother use to call our Fair Maidens, his girls. When G.I. Joe was younger, he use to call his sisters, my girls.



This type of picture is a classic around here. They take a close up picture of The Warrior's eye and somewhere in the background is G.I. Joe. Sometimes it's easy to spot (like this one) and sometimes you have to really look. I don't know how this "tradition" got started, but we have LOTS of pictures similar to this one.



For his birthday dinner G.I. Joe had talked about Steak & Shake or Sonny's. He loves burgers. We thought, why not Chili's. So that's were we headed. He was pleased, he ended up having a steak. Which he's a big steak eater. :o) Oh, I've decided that some time soon, I'm going to blog about the many times I "try" to take a picture and I get this reaction. So, be on the look out. You won't believe how many I've taken that are just "hands".



Ok, I can't tell you how many times I tried to have my picture taken with my Knight. We kept having to take it over and over. Cause you see, practical jokers kept getting in the way. I told you, never a dull moment. Guess who these jokers are?



Finally, we were able to get one, but I was expecting someone to jump in, so I wasn't smiling. My Knight... the man of my dreams. Yes, I still melt when he holds me and when I look into his deep blue eyes. Be still my heart...

After dinner, were headed home. Except my Knight and all those in his car (the Squires and the Seamstress) stopped to pick up some of her meds at the pharmacy. I went to fill up the car with gas and then a quick (yes it was) trip to Walmart. Still Waters needed some acrylic paint for a class project and Soaring Amongst The Clouds wanted to get a little something for Airman G. I think he's going to love it, but mums the word. ;o)

We all arrived home at the same time. Then it was cake time! YEAH! Let me tell you, 14 candles really sends up quite a bit of smoke. LOL! All in all I think my G.I. Joe had a great day. He got to spend the day with friends at church. He went to his drama gathering. Which by the way, his sister Daughter of the King baked brownies to share with everyone in the drama team. They all sang happy birthday to him. So you see, my children really do love each other. :o) What I blog about is true, just ask them...

Ooops, I forgot to mention, my Knight and I got him an ipod. The Fair Maidens are going to take him shopping. They want to get him an outfit. The Warrior wanted to get him Assassins Creed, but I said no. They don't know this, but that's what my Knight is getting for Easter. ;o) So, he decided to get him a cd.