Oh my! The big boy is 17!

Here's Tay with his Gran Ann. Seems like yesterday she carried him on her hip and called him her "sack of potatoes". He's grown a few inches since then. :)

Gran Ann and Uncle Doug came up for lunch on Tay's birthday. We had great Mexican food and lots of laughs!

Here's the crew at the birthday breakfast. Taylor let Joshua taste some of the frosting from his cupcakes... looks like he's all "sugared up"! :0
Bailey shared a Hannah Montannah candle for Tay's pancakes... He really loved it. :)

Here's the boys at Taylor's recent Texas State Homeschool Basketball Championships. Taylor's team was 3rd overall (this is no small thing since many of the teams were from San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston) and Taylor received the All tournament honor. He averaged 12 pts. a game and was an amazing leader for his team. (I'm not proud at all)

Well, what say about this boy? He's my firstborn of my womb, my son, my baby, my friend, my brother in Christ, and the reason my heart is so full and my tears pour so freely. I can't believe that he's 17 already... It does seem like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital and I was just beginning to understand how much love my heart could experience. I was trying to explain last night to my girls that no matter how much you want to be a mama, nothing prepares you for the love that explodes in your heart when you have a baby. I just remember sitting and looking at him, crying, saying, "I love him so much"... I'd always dreamt of motherhood, but, wow! I could never have imagined how amazing it was going to be. Really, the English language fails me right now to explain it. :)

The truth is not only is Taylor a beautiful blessing all in his own rite, but he is a representation of how God works in our lives. We can (and do) live lives so unworthy of his love, his grace, his salvation, and yet, he just pours it on anyway! When we got pregnant with Taylor, Troy and I were not exactly walking faithfully with the Lord. This was a season of rebellious sin for me. For months I'd just ignored God and did what I wanted to do. And then we learned of my pregnancy, married, and began a life as husband and wife. 6 months later, God revealed his grace to me... Not only had he forgiven my sin........... HE BLESSED ME WITH A BEAUTIFUL BABY!!! Isn't it just like God to go so overboard.... He didn't just offer forgiveness... he gave what is the greatest earthly blessing a person can receive - a child! :) Psalm 127:3-5 says, "Sons are a heritage of the Lord, children a reward from. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

More and more every day I praise God for this hard-headed, driven, compassionate, tender-hearted, hilarious, fun-loving boy who is so quickly becoming a man. Oh God, that you would keep pouring out your grace so that I can be the mama he needs.