happy birthday, brianna!

Brianna turned 19!  Time keeps moving....

One of the kids spilled a baggie of birthday candles onto the floor.  As I was picking them up I stopped when I had five of them in my hand.  I thought about Bri's upcoming birthday and then thought back to the time when she only had 5 candles on her cake.  That is when it hit me how quickly time goes by!  I remember celebrating her 5th birthday out at Word of Life.  I was only 26, and had 3 kids.  Cameron was 3 and Alissa wasn't quite 1.  We had her celebration in the New York cabin at the Family Campground.  It was a tiny place that got messy easily!  Bri used to "babysit" Cameron and Alissa for me while I gave piano lessons.  She would keep them in the small bedroom they all shared and try to keep them occupied so my students could get the most out of a half hour lesson with me!  She always was a bossy girl a little mother!  Now it is 14 years later and I could never have imagined then how different things would be.

Now she is 19.  Graduated from highschool, one year of college under her belt, and many dreams and ambitions for her future.  She has a heart for the homeless children we work with and takes any opportunity to see them and bless them in any way she can (and definitely has her favorites!).  She cooks like a pro, is a 7th grade teacher/tutor, takes care of an elderly woman in her home, knows how to run a household, and still likes to spend time with me!  Her favorite place in all the world is Starbucks- it can bring a smile to her face in the darkest of moments :)

She is loved and taken advantage of by her littlest siblings and has stolen the heart of a 6 year old boy who is in foster care.  Her brothers and sisters know she will always walk out of Dunkin Donuts with a treat for them!

We are so proud of our firstborn~


Went to Chipotle for her birthday lunch- one of her favorite restaurants.

She wanted pumpkin pie for her birthday "cake" :)