Happy 6th Birthday Maddox!!

Dear Maddox,

I cannot describe how much I love you and your precious smile!  You light up a room with your energetic, optimistic personality!  You are the best sharer and you have a heart for others.  You are incredibly tender-hearted and seek to make others happy by giving them anything they want!  You are definitely all-BOY.... rough and tumble.... as evidence by having three teeth extracted and none that have come out on their own yet!  You are loving school, soccer and church.  You are definitely an extrovert like your mama.... always saying hello to anyone you meet.  While we were at Great Wolf Lodge this weekend celebrating your birthday, you noticed others that had red "birthday bands" on like you did and would wish each stranger a happy birthday (even if they didn't wish you one back)!  You also have great manners (ex: telling the bus driver "thank you" today as you got off the bus).  You are reading books now and trying to write and read each new word you encounter!  Yesterday you promptly said "3+2=5, mama" without using your fingers or any counters to help you.  You are so excited to use two hands now to show how old you are!  I love that you use your thumb rather than your index finger to show the 6th digit!  You are scoring many goals on the soccer field, making your whole family cheer loudly as soon as you start to move the ball down the field.  You have a natural athletic ability for each new sport you try.... and I can't wait to see you try basketball this winter!  You are learning many verses at church and are proudly earning jewels for your Sparks' vest.  Your daddy and I have started a "note" with "Maddoxisms" as you sometimes say the funniest things for items (ex:  "lightsaber" for a lifesaver, "flyswamper" for a flyswatter and "mojo" for emoji).  We have tried to make your 6th birthday extra special this year... here are some of the fun things we did to celebrate #6.......

We decorated the dinosaur at school with colors you personally picked!  Grammy, Aunt Lindsey and Emerson came to help and it was so much fun giving the dinosaur a fresh coat of paint!

 

The weekend of your birthday, we loaded up the car for a night at Great Wolf Lodge.  We enjoyed two days at the water park.  Your favorite ride this time was the blue and orange racer slides where we use mats to go down the tubes.  We also played Laser Tag for the first time ever as a family and spent some time in the arcade!  You loved having the top bunk to sleep that night since it was your birthday celebration!  The lodge was decorated for "Howl-oween" so that was cool too!

I got to cuddle with you for the last time as a 5 year old.... this was before bed... you love making funny faces!

We brought donuts to school for your class to have before your first ever field trip on your actual birthday!  What a great way to celebrate your birthday with donuts and a field trip to the corn maze?!

Mommy got to go on the field trip as a chaperone/staff member.... I loved watching you on the bus ride there and back along with observing you interacting with your classmates throughout the day.  You got to pick out a pumpkin to take home as well! :)

The dinosaur is still looking good on your birthday! :)

You love taking selfies these days.... we had Grammy, Grandpa, Aunt Lindsey, Emerson and Eli over for dinner to continue the celebrations!  You picked Little Caesar's for dinner and a Coldstone ice cream cake for dessert! It was a great way to end your 6th birthday! :)

We got fresh haircuts in time for your birthday.... I love how you like showing the peace sign in pictures these days! haha

Zander also had his half birthday this week since your birthdays are positioned halfway between the year in April and October!

A picture of Z on his half birthday ;)

Maddox, I love you so very much and am thankful I get to be your mommy!  I can't wait to see what the future holds and I pray that this upcoming year is your best one yet! I love you, Madman! :)

Love, Mommy (and Daddy)

Friday Night Lights!

Linds and I decided to have a fun adventure last Friday night without the dads! That's right... all four kids and both mommies went to enjoy a Forbush football game and take in the Friday night lights in Yadkin County!  I picked up Emerson and Eli from school and with the car loaded down, I met Linds for dinner about 10 minutes away from her school.  We made it until almost halftime and I will say I really enjoyed myself.... even with 4 drink spills and the constant movement of four kids!  Both dads were busy and I think it was a great use of our time to get the cousins together and have some sister bonding as well! ;)  I love that these cousins get to grow up together and I continue to see my sister every week.... it is truly a blessing!

Maddox continues to excel at school!  I had a parent conference with his teacher last week and she was talking about all that he is learning and how he is in her highest group in class.  She is truly an amazing teacher and I am so thankful that Maddox is able to be in her class this year!  Here are some pictures from Maddox this past week..... 

Walking down the hallway with his BFF, Mollie, after car rider duty is over!

His PACE award for cooperation is displayed in our front hallway at school!

Drawing a picture in AWANA of his favorite thing that God created.... his family!..... Can you tell which one is Zack and Burke?! ;)

Saying the pledge before AWANA starts on USA night!

I love getting to see both boys during our Sunday night program at church.  I get to work with the kindergartners which means I get to watch Maddox interact with others and learn more about God every week!  I have the sweetest group that I have worked with since they were 2 years old!  These last two pictures were sent by our children's pastor!

Zander's Baptism 10/13/2021

A few years ago, when Zander was five years old, he asked Jesus to come into his heart and be his Savior.  I thought at the time that it was a "head" decision since he knew all the facts and understood the Bible and wasn't sure if it was a "heart" decision.  I asked myself, does he realize that he is a sinner and needs a Savior?  Does he realize that Jesus is the Savior who came to die on the cross for his sins so he could spend eternity in heaven, never to be separated from God again?  Zander has consistently pointed back to the time he was five as his conversion experience.  On 09/27, he started crying as we were reading his T & T book.  He said he was so thankful that his name was written in the Book of Life and that he had faith that Jesus is his Savior.  He continued to go back to that moment when he was five and said "the prayer".  We had a long (uninterrupted) talk that night.  It lasted approximately 45 minutes where his younger brother was entertained by daddy upstairs..... which shows you how God provided this time for us to really talk.  We rarely ever have that much time to sit and talk.  We prayed and thanked God that he sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  We thanked God that because of his Son, if we believe in Him, we shall not perish but have everlasting life. We discussed 1 John 1:9... the verse I go back to that was part of my own conversion experience... "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".  I continued to remind him that being a Christian is a personal decision that will always be between him and God, a decision that only he can make for himself.  Zander also decided that night to follow in believer's baptism as a public display of his personal decision.  We talked to daddy after Maddox went to bed and I think all three of us were emotional.... feeling that this will be the "moment" that Zander looks back to with assurance that he will spend eternity in heaven.... not because of the baptism decision but because he confidently proclaimed that Jesus is his Savior and Zander knows his name is in the Book of Life.  On October 13, 2021, our children's minister, Mr. Tim, helped our oldest boy follow in baptism.  We are so thankful to all the family, friends and church members that have planted and watered the seed to his salvation in Christ.  We saw many of them in the audience on Wednesday night and many reached out that weren't able to be there in person.  Enjoy the pictures from one of the best nights of Zander's life!

Zander got to pick dinner for the significant evening!  Of course, it was McDonald's! ;)

My sweet boy taking "selfies" while I put Maddox to bed. ;)