Seventeen

It doesn't take much to create a reminder of life seventeen years ago, bringing home a new baby who grew into a squishy, healthy baby when you bring home a baby that turns into a squishy baby so similarly.  Some people celebrate a 17th birthday and mourn the loss of the previous years because they've gone by so quickly and those infant and toddler and preschool years seem so long ago.  Not so when the 17 year old has a 4 month old and a 2 year old siblings!

Still...I'm beside myself in disbelief that 17 years has already passed since we brought this new little boy home to Crete for one night, then to a friend's house for one night and finally to our new home in Lincoln when he was four days old.  We were in the middle of moving when I went to the hospital.  I thought I was totally packed and ready and felt that I had created an easy situation for my family and friends that loaded up my packed up house while I was delivering a baby...I'm told I was NOT as packed as I thought I was.  None-the-less, they probably found it easier to finish in my absence, and I was focused on something even more important.

I think that he was born smiling.  This child that God sent us to melt our hearts with just a simple smile...and he still lights up a room with his smile.



 Happy 17th birthday.  No breakfast in bed...no birthday dinner.  No great pictures of the day.
Birthday cake pancakes for breakfast in Josh's absence since he was out the door for baseball practice before 6am!

Birthday lunch because a baseball season birthday makes it hard to celebrate in the normal fashion.

The usual bday cake...chocolate eclair.



We love you Joshua, and we are so thankful you were born!