Amos Turns TEN!!!

Ten Years Old Today!! Perfect little bookend to our family. Everybody Loves Amos. He's just happy to be here, and we're so glad he is. 💙

We had a party for Amos at Xtreme Air Mega Park with his cousins and friends. He had a great time!

I ask my kids these same birthday questions every year on their exact birthday. No prompting. Here are Amos' responses on his 10th birthday. :-)

1.  What is something Mommy always says to you?  I love you.

2.  What makes Mommy happy?  When I give her hugs.

3.  What makes Mommy sad?  Uhhh,hmmm, when she doesn't get things right. Like when you mess up, you definitely get frustrated.

4.  How does Mommy make you laugh? When she tickles me.

5.  What was Mommy like as a child?  Awww, cute person.

6.  How old is Mommy?  43

7.  How tall is Mommy?  5'5. I remember the first time I said 5'6.

8.  What is Mommy's favorite thing to do? Uhhh, hug me.

9.  What does Mommy do when you're not around?  Hang out with friends.

10.  If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? Photographry

11.  What is Mommy really good at?  "Photographry"

12.  What is Mommy not very good at? Track and field

13.  What does Mommy do for her job? Work at church. Make money.

14.  What is Mommy's favorite food?  This is one I don't know. You know, I'm just gonna take a guess...Texas Beef Skillet

15.  What makes you proud of Mommy?  After photographry....I'm proud of who she took birth to...I'm proud of who she birthed...That you found a man that you could marry...well, you did. You have before. (Me: lololol)

16.  If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?  Cinderella

17.  What do you and Mommy do together? I would say eat together. Walk to the park.

18.  How are you and Mommy the same? We like hugs.

19.  How are you and Mommy different?  I'm more into sports.

20.  How do you know Mommy loves you? Cause of what she does for me.

21.  Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?  To the beach

22.  What makes you happy?  Hugs

23.  What makes you sad?  Messing up

24.  What makes you laugh? Tickles

25.  What is your favorite thing to do? Hmm, play sports.

26.  What is your favorite food and drink?  Favorite drink is Dr. Pepper. Food, pizza.

27.  What is your favorite color?  Blue

28.  Where is your favorite place to go?  Panama City Beach

29.  What are your favorite movies or TV shows? Avengers End Game

30.  What is your favorite book?  Bad Guys books or Dog Man

Sweet Sixteen Sophia

She's Sweet and she's SIXTEEN today!! Happy Sweet 16th to my Sophia Grace.

I ask my kids these same birthday questions every year on their exact birthday.  No prompting.  Here are Sophia's responses on her 16th birthday. :-)

1.  What is something Mommy always says to you?  Go to bed.

2.  What makes Mommy happy?  When I tell her how much I love her.

3.  What makes Mommy sad?  When I make dumb jokes about how much I don't like her. (Jokingly, of course)

4.  How does Mommy make you laugh? Being stupid.

5.  What was Mommy like as a child?  Like me, I guess. 

6.  How old is Mommy?  You're 42, right?

7.  How tall is Mommy?  Unless she's shrunk, which hopefully she has, she's 5'5.

8.  What is Mommy's favorite thing to do? Stay at home

9.  What does Mommy do when you're not around?  Work and clean

10.  If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? Something random on social media blowing up.

11.  What is Mommy really good at?  Making people's birthdays special.

12.  What is Mommy not very good at? Not getting mad when someone brakes on the interstate.

13.  What does Mommy do for her job? She works at the church and does random stuff. You prepare each week for kids.

14.  What is Mommy's favorite food?  A good steak 

15.  What makes you proud of Mommy?  My first instinct is that you tried escargot. That was very brave. But my real answer is how hard you work to take care of us.

16.  If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?  The mom of Phineas and Ferb

17.  What do you and Mommy do together? We just go out sometimes. I think we do a lot of stuff. Talking or whatever.

18.  How are you and Mommy the same? I think we have very similar personalities. I'm just more opinionated than you. 

19.  How are you and Mommy different?  I'm stronger willed than you are.

20.  How do you know Mommy loves you? She's always trying. 

21.  Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?  Hawaii

22.  What makes you happy?  Anything from really good food to a stupid joke.

23.  What makes you sad?  When people talk bad about me behind my back.

24.  What makes you laugh? When people are funny.

25.  What is your favorite thing to do? Go shopping and eating and hanging out with my friends and watching cop shows and the first 10 seconds that I walk outside first thing in the morning and hear the birds.

26.  What is your favorite food and drink?  I love Thai food or some really good barbecue, like pulled pork sandwiches. Drink= Dr. Pepper or really good sweet tea.

27.  What is your favorite color? Hunter green

28.  Where is your favorite place to go?  On a roller coaster

29.  What are your favorite movies or TV shows?  I really do love The Rookie and SWAT. Gravity Falls would have to be one of my top shows ever.

30.  What is your favorite book?  Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe. 

Ezra is THIRTEEN!!

T*H*I*R*T*E*E*N 

Happy Birthday, Ezra!! So proud of him. 💙 

2 teenagers in the house! 😱 Just kiddin. When they were little, I remember not necessarily looking forward to this stage. But now that we're here, I can absolutely say that I love it (most days 😉) So many good, deep conversations and thoughts. So neat to see who God is making them to be. 

We went bowling for his birthday. 

His request: fresh from the oven, undercooked, chocolate chip cookies. 

We celebrated with the fam last weekend!

He still sat on my lap the early morning of his 13th bday. 😍

"What's it like not being a teenager? I wouldn't know."- Ezra Sartin, day after he turned 13. 😂

I love this kid!!!

Amos Turns NINE!!

 Happy 9th Birthday, Amos! He asked me in the car tonight why everyone kept asking him if he was having a good birthday. He sincerely asked, "How can you not have a good birthday?!" :) This is my boy who never has a bad day. For fun, I just asked Sophia to describe him. She said: funny, free-spirited, happy, and chill. I'll add...and oh so cuddly! God for sure knew I needed Amos in my life. He's a gift indeed. 💖

Every year I ask my children these same questions on their exact birthday.  These are Amos' answers at 9 years old.

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?  Do you love me?

2.  What makes Mommy happy?  Hugs

3.  What makes Mommy sad?  When a family member dies. :(

4.  How does Mommy make you laugh?  You make me smile a lot, not laugh. 

5.  What was Mommy like as a child?  I mean, you didn't really tell me much about your childhood that much.

6.  How old is Mommy?  42

7.  How tall is Mommy?  5'6

8.  What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?  To hug.

9.  What does Mommy do when you're not around?  Hangs out with friends.

10.  If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? Probably about like having the best photo shoots

11.  What is Mommy really good at?  Photography

12.  What is Mommy not very good at?  Running

13.  What does Mommy do for her job?  You make cute photos and then send them to their parents. 💓

14.  What is Mommy's favorite food?  I don't think you have a favorite food. Like a favorite favorite one that you love the most. (Shrugs shoulders.)

15.  What makes you proud of Mommy? I mean when you're like happy about what you've done. Like when you're like...yes, I did it.

16.  If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?  The mom from Encanto.

17.  What do you and Mommy do together?  Play card games.

18.  How are you and Mommy the same?  We both like hugs.

19.  How are you and Mommy different?  I'm good at running, and you're not.

20.  How do you know Mommy loves you?  Because how much she does for me.

21.  Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?  Go to Nashville to meet friends.

22.  What makes you happy?  Sitting down and watching TV.

23.  What makes you sad?  When I make a bad play in sports.

24.  What makes you laugh?  Sometimes when Dad comes up with something dumb and then he makes it like even dumber.

25.  What is your favorite thing to do?  Hang out with friends.

26.  What is your favorite food and drink?  Food- I have multiple favorite foods, but one of them would be cookies. Drink- Dr. Pepper

27.  What is your favorite color?  Blue

28.  Where is your favorite place to go?  Can I say vacation?

29.  What are your favorite movies or TV shows?  There's this new Ninja Turtles movie.

30.  What is your favorite book?  Caps for Sale!

Sophia is FIFTEEN!!

What a day to celebrate LIFE! Happy Resurrection Day AND Happy 15th birthday to my daughter, Sophia! Her first Easter birthday. 

(Throwback to Sophia holding a bunny💓)

So abundantly grateful for the significance of this day. My Jesus conquered death by His love and power. He is victorious...even over death itself!! He is alive. He gives life. He IS life. He is my abundant hope.

Fifteen years ago, the Giver of Life allowed me to become a mother! So so grateful for my sweet Sophia. She's genuinely one of the brightest spots in my life! She's smart and funny with a kind and caring soul. She was born for such a time as this! And I'm here for it! 

I ask my kids these same birthday questions every year on their exact birthday.  No prompting.  Here are Sophia's responses on her 15th birthday. :-)

1.  What is something Mommy always says to you?  I love you.

2.  What makes Mommy happy?  When we help you out with stuff or when we tell you that we love you.

3.  What makes Mommy sad?  When people aren't nice to you or other people.

4.  How does Mommy make you laugh? You don't even do it on purpose...you just do weird things all the time, and it's so funny. 

5.  What was Mommy like as a child?  Good. According to your music taste, you said you were basic. I'm sure you were still weird. 

6.  How old is Mommy?  41

7.  How tall is Mommy?  shorter than me...like 5'2 ish (haha, not really..she knows I'm 5'5!)

8.  What is Mommy's favorite thing to do? Relax, sleep, go to the beach, like chill

9.  What does Mommy do when you're not around?  Aside from talking to "folks" and spying on my entire life obviously, you work or hang out with your friends. 

10.  If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? The most likely situation would be that you would be a famous person that talks about Jesus or marry someone famous. Please marry someone famous.

11.  What is Mommy really good at?  Being a mom

12.  What is Mommy not very good at? Keeping up with trendy words and doing technology stuff

13.  What does Mommy do for her job? You work part-time for kids ministry and do photography.

14.  What is Mommy's favorite food?  Steak and pasta

15.  What makes you proud of Mommy?  How hard you work

16.  If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?  It's not a cartoon character, but you're like the mom on Liv and Maddie. She's crazy like you are. But not a bad crazy.

17.  What do you and Mommy do together? We ride in the car a lot together. A lot.

18.  How are you and Mommy the same? Our personalities are similar. But there are things about our personality that are different. There are aspects about our personality that are similar. 

19.  How are you and Mommy different?  We look different in ways. We're pigmented differently. Lol.

20.  How do you know Mommy loves you? One, she tells me. Two, she works very hard for me, Ezra, and Amos. 

21.  Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?  The beach or just home.

22.  What makes you happy?  When people say good things about me. Just hanging out with people and relaxing. Or just by myself. I love listening to music and playing Minecraft or just sitting outside.

23.  What makes you sad?  When people are unfair to other people or mean to me.

24.  What makes you laugh? Myself. And other people. Other people's existence. It's funny to watch other people sometimes.

25.  What is your favorite thing to do? I really like just relaxing or just talking with people or hanging out with Lagen on FaceTime or video games.

26.  What is your favorite food and drink?  This steak at Jay Alexanders. It's the best food I've ever had. My favorite drink is Dr. Pepper or Lemonade.

27.  What is your favorite color?  I don't know. Just all cool colors. Like blue, green, purple. 

28.  Where is your favorite place to go?  I love going to big cities. 

29.  What are your favorite movies or TV shows?  I really like My Little Pony, Power Puff Girls, and The Rookie. And the Spy Kids movies...they are sooo good!

30.  What is your favorite book?  Can I say Romeo and Juliet? It was so good. (She recently read the play at school.) And I love The Tattooist of Auschwitz. 

Ezra is twelve!

TWELVE TODAY

Me: What is your dream birthday, Ezra?

Ezra: I don't know.

Me: Do you like your birthday?

Ezra: I guess. I'm just getting older. 

Haha

I asked him if he told anyone at school that today was his birthday, and he had told one friend. 😂 I asked him where he wanted to eat for his birthday, and he wanted to check with Sophia and Amos first to see what they like. 😍

Oh man oh man, I LOVE this kid. I don't have to worry about him. He gets up when he's supposed to, showers without me telling him. He likes to look sharp and smell good. :) He has a big, protective, tender heart that only a few get to see. He's funny and athletic. He wants to do the right thing. I am so grateful God blessed me with this boy. I pray that he always follows Him. Biggest fan right here! 🙋💙

I ask my kids these same birthday questions every year on their exact birthday.  No prompting.  Here are Sophia's responses on her 15th birthday. :-)

1.  What is something Mommy always says to you?  Mommy? Okay. Ummm, I love          you, I guess.

2.  What makes Mommy happy?  When we say, "You're the best."

3.  What makes Mommy sad?  When we don't give you hugs.

4.  How does Mommy make you laugh?  You say dumb jokes, except like they're funny.

5.  What was Mommy like as a child?  (Laughs) Are we supposed to know that?  She            liked doing jump roping and cheerleading.

6.  How old is Mommy?  41

7.  How tall is Mommy?  5'5...imagine the next question is 'What does Mommy weigh?' Lol

8.  What is Mommy's favorite thing to do? Hang out with us.

9.  What does Mommy do when you're not around?  Hang out with friends and edit.

10.  If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for? Photography

11.  What is Mommy really good at?  Making people feel good.

12.  What is Mommy not very good at?  (Laughs) Being a bad mom.

13.  What does Mommy do for her job? Works at the church and photography

14.  What is Mommy's favorite food?  Steak, for sure.

15.  What makes you proud of Mommy?  When you stack that paper with your photography. :)

16.  If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?  The Pretty Princess

17.  What do you and Mommy do together? Watch shows

18.  How are you and Mommy the same? Tastebuds. 

19.  How are you and Mommy different?  Opposite personality...you're a peacemaker, I'm a go-getter.

20.  How do you know Mommy loves you? You tell me like every day.

21.  Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?  I will say Provinos.

22.  What makes you happy?  Soccer; sports.

23.  What makes you sad?  Getting a bad grade

24.  What makes you laugh? When people tell jokes.

25.  What is your favorite thing to do? Probably play sports

26.  What is your favorite food and drink?  Food- pizza; Drink- Dr. Pepper

27.  What is your favorite color?  Black

28.  Where is your favorite place to go?  Soccer fields

29.  What are your favorite movies or TV shows?  TV Show- Cobra Kai; Movie- Marvel movies

30.  What is your favorite book?  Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Daniel Ray Kirk

I write this from my heart in honor of my brother, Daniel Ray Kirk. I love this man. One of my very favorite people in this world. Let me tell you about him. He was truly one of the nicest people you could ever meet. He would flash that white, friendly smile to people. So gentle and so kind. He was a delivery driver for UPS. The people on his route loved him! Bringing him treats. I would be on the phone with him through his AirPods and hear him greeting people and them talking back. So friendly. He was a hard worker. Working for UPS is no joke! He excelled at it.

 He was a family man. His girls were the delight of his heart. He was a very nurturing dad as they were little...tending to them and the needs in the home.  As they grew, he loved buying them presents every time he got to see them. He took photos of them and did fun things with them. He adored them, and they adored him back. He loved his family (Mom, Dad, me) and spending time together...holidays, birthdays, vacations, special weekends.  It felt the best when we were all together. He was really a big kid at heart. My kids love Uncle Daniel. He was fun! He gave the best fireworks productions and spared no expense in doing so. He loved working on his car.  He kept it spotless. He loved music and singing. He loved the worship music at our church. He was a giver. Walking downtown, he was that guy to put money in people's guitars or donation boxes. Last year, he gave me his Apple Watch. He just wanted me to have it. He loved buying presents for people and doing surprises. He always let me hold him really long. We are both huggers. He's one of the very few people in the world that I could hug and hold for a very long time. It wasn't awkward. We were comfortable with each other and comforted each other. Occasionally, I'd sneak in a kiss on the cheek, and he would react as any brother and say, "Ugh!"  Lol.  

He fought loooong and so, so hard. It's been a journey. Over the last 5-6 years, I have had a front row seat to depression and alcohol addiction, ever so sneakily creeping in. It's hard to know which came first. He said, "You think you're okay and in control, but eventually you're not." Mental. Illness. Is. Real. Daniel would want you to know that. Just because you haven't experienced it, doesn't mean that it's not. I've never had a heart attack, but surely I can imagine how scary and painful that must be! Daniel would want to encourage everyone to have compassion and empathy towards others because you never know what they are dealing with. He certainly lived by this. Even in the midst of some of his most despairing times, he would say, "I really want to help others...I don't want anyone to be in the place that I am." I have seen him help others through the years. God delivered Daniel from alcohol addiction for a whole year, but the depression, physical ailments, and life circumstances still felt unbearable for him. 

Let me tell you something I witnessed most recently. Over the last several months, God did an amazing work in Daniel's heart, like nothing I had ever seen. He was devouring Scripture, listening to sermons and worship songs. He couldn't get enough. He joked that he had read more of the Bible in those months than he had in his lifetime combined.  (And we grew up in church and Christian school!)  He couldn't wait to share what the Lord was teaching him. I've never personally witnessed someone this eager to know God! It was amazing. And I can't tell you how many praise sessions I had alone in my house or car, raising my hands and saying aloud, "Praise the Lord!" and just weeping with joy at what God was doing in Daniel's life. God reminded me this morning that He answered my prayer on this earth!! I witnessed a miracle. Daniel knew, and oh how he KNOWS Jesus. He would REALLY want you to know Him too. 

His story did not end as I thought it would. Even as recently as this past Thursday...after going through something hard, he said, "Maybe this can be added to my testimony!" I cannot and will not pretend that the hurt and pain I'm feeling isn't horrible. I miss him already. I would give anything for one of those really long hugs. But I DO NOT grieve without hope. My pastor's wife, who is also one of my dearest friends, said, "Angela! He's not depressed anymore! He didn't wake up with anxiety today! He is so whole and feels so loved and joyful right now." And to that all I can say is, "Praise the Lord."  

Daniel wished to raise awareness of mental health issues. Life is precious. Reach out if you are hurting. Reach out to me! Dial 988 to talk to a professional at any time! You are NOT alone. God wants to help you in this lifetime. If you are alive, you are here for a reason. There is HOPE. You might not see it, but you must believe it. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."  John 10:10

In helping to raise mental health awareness, if you have a close friend or family member struggling...don't' give up! Keep loving them. We tried all the things, but a professional told me that letting them know they are loved is about all you can do. And we did that. To the very end. Be kind to people and show compassion. Jesus wept when He saw His friends weeping. The Bible says love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  

Daniel, I'm going to miss you so much. I already do. You're a good man. I'm so proud of you. I will see you soon.

Love,

(As he would call me) "Big Sis"