Joshua is 29!

I've got all of my Spring Break updates in my Draft folder, but I'm taking a break from posting them because JOSHUA IS 29! How can this even be?

Kind of hard to "fudge" on your age when your oldest child is nearly 30.

I love him so much!

Joshua had requested two things for his birthday. 1) he wanted me to make him a peanut-butter pie...and 2) he wanted to go to his grandparent's house, and have a fish fry.

(Also, he really wanted Logan and Morgan to be there, but they were still at the beach...spending the 2nd half of the week with her family)

Since we were going to be traveling to Jim's parent's house and spending most of the day and evening, I asked Joshua if I could make his pie on Sunday instead. He said that would be "fiiiiine." Jim's mom likes to get birthday cakes for the kids at the grocery store, so I knew he would have a special treat for after dinner.

We got there, and in typical fashion for my mother-in-law, she had a friend sitting at her kitchen table, pouring out her heart. My mother-in-law is a good friend to many.

She and her friend were eating Cheetos and those chocolate-covered marshmallow "Pinwheel" cookies. She had poured the Cheetos into a little bowl...and had stacked the Pinwheels in another little bowl. They were drinking coffee.

The rest of us walked around the property because the weather was so nice...and because there.is.so.much.to.look.at.down.there. I don't think I can talk too much about it too much, because it's their home...but, think: hoarders, mixed with...

Never-mind. Just think: hoarders.

And the house? OH MY WORD.

Holly, Faith and I went through every room, looking for stuff we could re-purpose. THERE IS JUST SO MUCH STUFF. I didn't really find anything on this trip. Holly picked up some old books and a few knick-knacky things.

Jim had gotten his mother a Kindle for Christmas, and has "fixed up" Facebook and IG on it for her. You cannot imagine her joy at this development. She sits in one of her "truth chairs" in front of the big bay window that looks out over the lake, and she scrolls through pictures and just giggles. It has been totally worth it to see how much she loves it.

Anyway, she had gotten some friend requests that were obviously not legit. Made-up and foreign names of people she doesn't know. Jim has been trying to teach her about social media. Her friend mentioned something to Jim about getting email for my mother-in-law, and my mother-in-law said, "I've got Facebook and I go to Kroger on Tuesdays...and that's about all I can handle.

It was time for dinner, and my father-in-law fried fish and french-fries and hushpuppies. IT WAS AWESOME! Joshua loved every bit of it! Then, we had his birthday cake, and had to call someone to roll each of us away from the table.

Aaron-the-son-in-law started talking to my father-in-law about internet banking. My father-in-law said he had never heard of such a thing. Aaron said, "you can take a picture of a check, and have it automatically deposited to your account!" My father-in-law said, "I can't even get the TV to play right most days...so don't b'LIEVE I'll try that."

It was hilarious.

And while that was going on in the living room, my mother-in-law was back in her truth chair, going through her Facebook news-feed. She held up her Kindle to show us a picture and said, "I haven't talked to Tammy in ages, but just look at the picture of her bacon 'n' mater sandwiches she just posted."

OH MY WORD!

My in-laws. I love them!

I think Joshua had a great birthday!

You know, he rocked our world when he was born 29 years ago, and he's been rocking it ever since. God has used him as the glue that binds our family together, and over and over He has shown us, through Joshua, His unfailing love. Joshua has changed our perception about what is beautiful, and he has opened our eyes to show us true strength and determination.

Joshua is a true man of God, and we are so very proud of him!

"The LORD called me before my birth; From within the womb, He called me by name. He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword; He has hidden me in the shadow of His hand. I am like a sharp arrow in His quiver." Isaiah 49:1-2