A Teenager

Tim and I have a TEENAGER now. That is so strange to say!! I feel like I should still be a teenager, not a mother of one! Often, people have said to us... "Just wait until you have teenagers". The world portrays teenagers (and marriage) in such a negative light. People used to say, "just wait!" about marriage too. Well, we have waited! Marriage has gotten richer and sweeter with time and having a teenager like Reece is A JOY.

I have shared with you before that we had no idea that God was going to call us to raise children for Him when we got married. It was on our honeymoon that God spoke very clearly to me about His plan for us to have children.

 "In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? 

Godly children from your union."

Malachi 2:15

So, we stepped out in faith and asked God to give us a baby. 

August 7,2003... God gave us a beautiful gift. 

I didn't take many pictures of his pregnancy because I didn't feel beautiful.

I didn't realize until after he was born how beautiful that process really was!!

(Also, one of Tim's orthodontist friends put braces on me. I got them off right after he was born. I seriously remember my teeth hurting more than childbirth did because I had just had my braces tightened!!)

This was the night before he was born.

We went out to eat the night before. I was terrified of delivering a baby.

Jennie came to see me.  She didn't have any babies yet either.

This was a very foreign world to both of us.

 Ready or not, Reece was coming. 

He was so beautiful. Not at all what I expected him to look like. He had really dark hair and dark eyes when he was born. He looked like a beautiful Mexican baby! 

With time, his hair and eyes changed colors.

We were so in love with the child. 

We had no idea how to hold him or change his diaper.

We had to learn EVERYTHING.

God used Reece to change me.

He used Reece to give me a LOVE for having children.

God has used Reece in huge ways in Tim's life too.

Tim says his boys are his best friends. He would rather be with them than anyone else.

"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart"

Is 40:11

We adored this child and being parents.

Reece got croup as a tiny baby and it gave me a heart attack. That would be the first of MANY motherhood heart attacks.  

(I could have never imagined him getting hit by a fast ball in the face years later!!!)

These next pictures are *pictures-of-pictures* so they aren't the best quality. Reece began to blossom into the most gorgeous little boy.  At 15 months old, he became a big brother. I remember crying over his crib the night before his brother was born. I apologized to him!!! That makes me laugh now. I had no idea the GIFT God was giving him... a best friend for life.  

 We have grown in the Lord together. 

God used homeschool and His Word to teach me as He taught them.

Reece (and Crew) look a lot like my dad. Reece reminds me a lot of my dad in character too.

He is kind. He loves babies. He is a GOOD FRIEND. He is gentle.

 Tim has taught Reece how to play most sports and most musical instruments. He is a gifted left-handed pitcher. The first time we saw him pitching, I looked at Tim and Tim had a tear in his eye. He said, "it is like watching a bird fly".

I couldn't have been more proud though when he began praying before every inning this season.

He knows where his strength comes from.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

John 15

He is a hero in this house. He shares a room with 3 brothers.

He plays with them and helps me with the little ones. He babysits other children. He is RESPONSIBLE. When Reece is in the room, I feel safer. He is a great example to his younger siblings. He and Evan have the best time doing school together. By God's grace, the children truly are the best of friends. 

 He is learning the joy of serving at Church. He would rather be at Church than just about anywhere else (ok, Neyland Stadium may rank 1st).

Reece received Christ at a young age. During the last 8 years since then, God has grown him into such an amazing young man.

His heart is pure. He is a LEADER. He is a protector. He is a helper.

Reece has deep character.

He is faithful and predictable.

 I asked him how many children he wanted to have. He said 13. :) 

I think he's got what it takes!

I'm guessing he will be a dentist like his dad. That's just a hunch. 

 Tim and I have a ton of respect for Reece. We are honored to be his parents. 

Happy Birthday, Reece. Thank you for WHO YOU ARE.

"But you, REECE, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you"

1 Tim 6:11,12