Happy Birthday Little Man

Happy 9th Birthday, Austin!
For you - my little man - an acrostic of YOU this year...
A-adventurous! Wow! You are always up for an adventure (sometimes to Momma's dismay...) and that is an attractive quality in a person! I can't wait to see how that will play out in your life - especially as you choose a career!
U-unwind. You know how to "veg" and chill. I could take lessons from you on how to truly relax and live in the moment. Sometimes the ways you choose to unwind drive me NUTS, but it is still something I admire about you.
S-sensitive. Still my sensitive little guy; rough and tumble one minute and tearing up the next. I especially appreciate your sensitivity to those who don't know Jesus.
T-THRILLVILLE! As you will see in the pictures (below), Austin is ALL about roller coasters! He loves to research them, learn how they are made, scour the internet looking for new ones... He got a new game today for his Nintendo DS that is all about rollercoasters and he loves it!
I-investigate. More of the same. How does stuff work? Why?
N-(forgive me) eNcourager. Austin has the gift of encouragement (you might say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree). He knows he has been blessed to be a blessing to others and he does that by encouraging others when they need it.



Grandma and Grandpa R gave Austin an awesome collection of classic "boys" literature - one of which was "Treasure Island" (which he is reading right now in our homeschool group!)



Ashleigh, Amy and Anna gave Austin a K'Nex roller coaster



We TOTALLY had him. We gave him the "Thrillville" game first and then made a BIG deal about how we accidently got him the one for the DS instead of the Gameboy. He fell for it and was very forgiving. Then he opened the DS!!!



Make a WISH!
(my girlfriend Shelley can appreciate the "birthday donut" tradition!)