June 21

It was something of an unconventional Father's Day, mostly because when I rolled out of bed, I quickly learned that Adam had decided that it would also be my make-up Mother's Day (since the real date took a backseat to Abby's graduation. Which, for the record, was totally fine, but I was admittedly a little sad about it).

Anyway, they all trooped onto the bedroom and brought me a donut and orange juice in a champagne glass. They also had a lovely vase of white roses and baby's breath, and they each presented me with a thoughtful gift. It was all very sweet.

And then, in my mind at least, we transitioned to Father's Day. We went to church, the peeps posed for the usual photos in the yard, and we played the game I received, which involved ranking worst case scenarios, over lunch at the kitchen table. (It's a pretty funny game.) 

Throughout the rest of the day, Adam seemed to make a point of doing something with each of us: he played a computer game with Isaac, took a walk with Abby, and watched "The Punisher" with Brady. During the evening hours, he opened his gifts and then we all gathered to eat pizza while watching "Taken 2," which was Adam's movie choice for the day. (We watched the original "Taken" a few years ago, and now he says we'll watch "Taken 3" in two years.) When it ended, Isaac ventured off to the Dairy to get him some lemon/lime ice cream, and then a rousing round of Mario Kart followed. And finally, he finished up his day by plunking down in his chair to watch an old episode of "Matlock" with me (and Isaac, who was chilling on a couch).

I hope he had a good day. I think he did. He's always been a great dad to all of our kiddos and deserves to be celebrated. He's caring and kind and funny and intelligent, and best of all, he lets them know that he loves them every day, which is a gift that not all children receive. He also has the heart of a servant, and I can see the ways in which his selflessness has influenced their behavior and decisions over time. We are all beyond blessed to have him in our lives. Happy Father's Day, hunny! I love you!

June 20

Sometimes our house is very loud. And oftentimes, the high volume is a byproduct of intense video gaming action. That was the case early this afternoon when Isaac and Brady settled into the living room for a showdown.

They started with a few rounds of Mario Kart, which is what they were doing when I snapped this pic. (Incidentally, I too play a few rounds of Mario Kart with just Isaac before Brady came downstairs. I finished a very respective sixth out of twenty-something.)

The true yelling began when they pulled out the Mario baseball game. There was much shouting and ranting and raving and laughing and shrieking. 

And although excess noise is one of my great nemeses, I laughed because I love hearing them having fun together. (And because I realize how few days they have left to create chaos together, since Isaac heads off to college in less than two months.) I am grateful for the sounds of happiness, and for how cacophony rooted in brotherly love sounds miraculously harmonious to my ears.

June 19

I haven't done much crocheting of late; just haven't felt the desire.

But I did finish a lightweight light blue shawl last weekend and pinned it to my blocking boards, where it's currently enjoying a good stretch.

And a few days ago, I started this little pink blanket. I have no idea where it will go, but I felt compelled to make something for someone else... even if I don't yet know who that person will be.

So for the renewed desire to make a difference in a positive way, I am grateful, because it's a blessing to be a blessing.

June 18

And just like that, Brady has aged out of Babe Ruth baseball. He played in the final game of his 15U season this evening. 

He's had fun playing with and getting to know boys from other schools in the general area for the past three years. As a pretty serious introvert, he hasn't established "let's swap numbers and keep in touch" connections, but I know he enjoys their interactions and will appreciate seeing them during the next three high school baseball seasons.

Although Isaac's freshman season was disappointing at best, it was through that team that we were introduced to Babe Ruth. And Isaac's involvement with the Royals opened the door for Brady to play as well. It's a good reminder that good things can --and do-- arise from bad circumstances. So for that truth --for the truth that God makes lemonade from the sourest of lemons-- I am thankful.

June 17

It's normal for the bros to grab their baseball gloves and play catch in the backyard.

It's unusual for them to stand in the pool while they play catch. But when I glanced outside this afternoon, that's exactly what I spied them doing: Brady was knee-deep in the hot tub, while Isaac was on the steps in the shallow end.

I'm not sure what prompted the game of water catch, but it was a blessing to see them enjoying some time together in the sunshine. Isaac will be off to college before I know it, so I'm filing away these sweet brotherly moments to look back on while I still can.

June 16

I've always been a photo person. When Abby and Logan (in particular) were young, I was the mom who lugged her bulky Canon Rebel to every single play date, family outing, and birthday party. I snapped pictures like someone was paying me to do it. And if I had to guess, I'd surmise that some people found it --and me-- annoying. But that's okay, because all these years later, I have images of Abby and Isaac and Brady at every age and in just about every imaginable scenario. And of course, I have photos of our five and a half years with Logan to help keep his memory alive in my heart and mind, too.

The Rebel is no longer my trusty companion and I don't take nearly as many "nice" pictures as I once did, but I still love capturing big moments. So I reached out to the amazing Racelle Campanelli to take some graduation-slash-turning 18 photos of Isaac. We met up at the Alviso Adobe park on the other side and town last Wednesday and enjoyed a very chill session. She sent me the gallery link this morning, and I had a hard time picking my favorites, so I'm posting just two of them for the purposes of this entry.

They're all beautiful images, and best of all, I feel like they capture "Isaac" in all of his cool, calm, easygoing Isaac-ness. And I know that when I scroll through them years from now, I'll look into his eyes and remember how I jumped around like an organ grinder's monkey trying to make him laugh because his REAL smile is so much better than a fake one. (And I succeeded!)

So for a fun and easy process and lovely results, I am thankful.

June 15

Today is Isaac's 18th birthday. My third child has officially entered adulthood and my primary reaction is "wait, what?" Kidding. Mostly.

Our freshly minted adult --who was truly already an adult when he arose this morning, since he made his grand entrance at 1:46 AM all those years ago-- had a good day. His expressed desire from the get-go was to spend as much time with his family as he could, so he told Abby and Brady that the four of us (since Adam was working and unavailable) would go to Starbucks to start the festivities first thing. He appeased Abby by wearing the "Happy Birthday" headband she had stashed in her stuff, so Karen the barista gifted him a birthday cake pop (in addition to the rainbow unicorn cake pop, sausage sandwich, and strawberry lemonade he already had). The three of them engaged in their usual sibling chicanery as we sat with Terry at the high top table near the bar, and I'm pretty sure all had a good time. 

Then we headed over to the Dairy, where Isaac asked Abby and Brady what they wanted, and then scurried inside to make their pineapple and vanilla cone (Abby) and chocolate milkshake (Brady), and then asked me if he could swipe my card to pay for the second item. (He gets free ice cream when he stops in, but it's only supposed to be ONE freebie. I'm grateful for his honesty and his desire to do the right thing when it would be easy to cheat the system.)

We returned to the house and Abby had class, so she left and the brositos and I took the opportunity to rest. Isaac fed his spirit by reading from the book of Isaiah, and then announced that he wanted to go bowling. We arrived at Granada Bowl a few minutes after it opened, and although their 'free bowling for kids' promotion meant there were plenty of folks there, we were able to score a lane and those fine, fine rental shoes. Our hour of gameplay saw me set a gutter ball record while the boys played reasonably well. Although I think Brady was the eventual overall victor, their scores were very close. (Mine was not. And I have no shame over the terribleness of my bowling game. I have no game.)

As we left, I asked about lunch, and after mulling the nearby options for a few seconds, Isaac chose Popeyes. We secured said chicken and went home, where the boys were dismayed to realize that they hadn't ordered tenders but bone-in chicken. Oops. But they rose to the occasion and powered through their unexpected finger lickin' experience.

Brady had a game this evening that he offered to skip, but Isaac wanted to see him play, so we left for that at 4. Isaac and I took a loop around the park during warmups, and then settled in for the match-up. (Adam and Abby joined us a few innings into the game. Aside: Brady went 1 for 3 with a double, and threw 27 pitches over three innings in relief, giving up no runs. It was a good game for him, although the defense was very messy and they lost.)

When the game ended, we headed to CPK for dinner, and then came home for presents and spice cake with cream cheese frosting. And now, with almost everyone else in bed or tucked away in their respective rooms, I have a few moments to reflect on the past 18-plus years of Isaac.

The short version is that he is and always has been a blessing. Before he could speak, his eyes communicated volumes, and I always knew that he was thinking, opining, evaluating, wondering, absorbing. He's always been his little brother's protector --way back to the early days when baby Brady would lose his pacifier, he would exclaim "Bah-e-man nee pa-e-chowa!"-- and his friends' pal and confidante and the first person to volunteer to help with just about anything. And he's always been a kid who will --with zero solicitation-- hug me and say I love you and thank me for being his mama. Just because.

And beyond the earthly considerations, I am grateful that he continued pressing into Jesus and reading his Bible and seeking God when life felt hard and he felt unworthy of love. And I am doubly grateful to God for being faithful to His promise that when we seek Him, we will find Him, and He will change us. I've seen those changes in Isaac firsthand: I've seen him become more patient. I've seen him hold his tongue when his younger self would've lost his temper. I've seen him choose love over disdain. I've seen him hold himself accountable by apologizing for his mistakes. And I've seen him make a legitimate difference in multiple people's lives, including my own.

So yes, I am grateful for the first 18 years of Isaac and for all of the many ways he has made and continues to make my life richer and more rewarding. He's a special person, and I am immeasurably blessed that I get to call him my son. Happy birthday, Isaac! I love you.