13 posts tagged “birthdays”
So, we've reached another milestone! Child #3 has turned 13 and is
embarking upon her highschool years. She chose to have lunch with us parents at New Zealand cafe for SUSHI! She's heard so much about it from her brother and cousins that she just had to go and try it!
We finished off her celebration day with our last Bright Lights study with some friends after two years of meeting with a sit-down mother/daughter dinner compliments of the Cooks.
We had a double celebration because Easter happened to fall on the same day as Howard's last year of his 30's! Yep... 39 years of life and very thankful for it..
The fascination with Superman began early...young...so young I can't really remember when..was it 2? 3? 4? ... and it has continued for so many years now that to think of Samuel is to think of Superman. Every boy's wildest dream is to have super powers of some kind and to be a hero with power. Our hope is that as Sam continues to learn about the REAL superhero, the God and man who accomplished the best saving there is... the saving of our souls and rescuing us from our sin so we can eternally be His forever, that he would depend more and more on this Savior and see the Superman of his childhood as NOTHING in comparison. But, for now, it is a joy to see his innocent love of a fictitious Christ figure.
As Sam enters his last year of being a "single" digit, we are thankful for his infectious laugh, zeal for life and the spice he adds to the Coleclan crew! Here he is in his own space with the years of accumulated Superman paraphanalia surrounding him... complete with the awesome "Ross" find... the bedspread comforter on his bed!
...and here are the 4 December birthdays celebrating together at Buca de Peppa's!
.....................Trying to light the cake's many candles.........
they finally did it after several tries!
Grandma Cole brought a cake with 4 different choices in one. YUMMY!
We are so thankful to God that Grandpa can be around another year. Birthdays always seem to slow us down to remind us that every breath we take is a gift!
Lots of cool news:
- Uncle Matt went to visit a group home over the weekend in Asheville and seemed to really fit in. We are praying that the paperwork falls into place for Matt to have a new place to live by the New Year.
- We are so excited about the birth of new twin cousins: Emma and Sophia out in Cali! We still have two more babies we are waiting for... little David from Auntie Margaret in Illinois and little Jamie from Auntie Gail in Cali. They both should be coming anytime in November or early December. We love babies!
- Our friends in New Jersey who are in their 5th year of waiting for an adoption to happen from the Ukraine finally have a traveling date in November to pick up their new son or sons or sibling pair. They will take however many the Lord has been preparing for them!
- Taryn LOVED her first time driving on main roads and the freeway. It was "exhilarating."
- Stephen went to his first swim practice for the Grace Academy swim team. He can't wait to compete in a meet.
- Howard will be going in front of presbytery tomorrow to "go under care" toward ordination.
Our Christopher Alfonso David Cole turned a big double digit "10" today! We had a crazy mania detective party. This morning a culprit stole the stash of GOLD coins from our family treasure box so the boy's mission was to follow the clues and identify the culprit and figure out where he hid the gold coins. We had three teams; the Daring Detectives, the Spooky Spies and the Smart Sherlocks! It took about 40 minutes and a little bit of help here and there for all three teams but finally the Smart Sherlocks came through and discovered both solutions!
The gold was stashed in the storage shed outside and the sneaky culprit was the "coolest dude" - Stephen Cole. It took all 6 boys and more to get his hands handcuffed and him thrown into jail. But, our family was so relieved to have gotten the treasure returned! (well eaten truthfully).
Another birthday celebration. Grandma Cole turns 61 years young today. Matt and Howard singing Grandma a special song they practiced together for her.
Our prayer for you today is that you would continue to "grow in wisdom and in stature and with favor with God and man."
Back in February I wrote words that describes our Taryn!
T hrifty and thoughtful
A mbitious, analytical and animal-lover
R esponsible and rational
Y appy (especially at night when she wants to do girly talk)
N osy (we think that she is a professional eavesdropper esp. during adult conversation!!!)
Taryn, for being the firstborn of the family, we want to thank you for putting up with your imperfect and flawed parents. We are thankful for a daughter who is willing to grow and change as we strive to grow and change through our parenting failures and mold you into what your Creator has made you to be. We love you so much. Continue to be patient with us. We are proud of the person that you are! Happy Birthday - Mom and Dad
We celebrated my dad's 70th birthday twice; on his actual day by having lunch at an excellent gourmet Japanese buffet at MIZU and then the following day at their home with at least 50 friends and family with the best Filipino fare you can imagine. Several highlights included my mother singing my dad a love song (yes truly!) called IKAW (translates YOU) and seeing family members galore especially my cousin whom I haven't seen in 22 years since my teen years in the Philippines and meeting my Uncle's new girlfriend who seems to fit just right into our extended Urbiztondo family.
Birthdays have a way of slowing us down enough to appreciate what we hold dear as we remember the amazing love of God toward us in our gifts of friendship.
My wife turned 38 today and I am flat out jazzed about it. God has given me so many rich years of relationship and growth and friendship and joy with Alleyn. Have you seen the reflection of Christ bounce off of her love over the years? Have you tasted the faithful friendship, the loving loyalty and the sacrifice of my wife over the years. Thank God for her!!
I have seen so many people die young in the ER. Cancer, "accidents," sinful behavior ending in an erosion of body ending in early death. As God's good providence orders all things I praise Him for allowing me another day to dance in the delight of the mutual self-giving experience with Alleyn.
Today we all celebrated with a viewing of Prince Caspian, Carabbas dining, togetherness with friends and family and another day drinking in the beauty, value and precious heartbeats of Alleyn.
Thank you God for my dear wife! Grace us all with many more years of her life.
Thank you God.
-Howard
May is always my favorite month. I'm not sure how many people think that their birthday month is the best but I'm guessing I am not the only one to think so. But, I am particularly enjoying this month of May not just because it is my birthday month (YES, I'll be 38 on the 21st!) but for the other following reasons.
- LOTS of celebrations = LOTS of family get togethers which includes mother's day, Steve's grad., Paige's bday.....
- Seeing 30 relatives in a month's time.
- A girl's get away with some friends of ours overnight to a place we've never been before. Taryn is especially excited to attend the cotillion-style dance class that they will be offering the youth at the conference we are attending.
- PRINCE Caspian is coming out FINALLY!
- A trip to the beach.
- AND, most of our school is done! But, as you know for us homeschoolers, we are never really done but at least we are mostly done.
Happy Birthday MAY people out there that we know: Natalie, Fiona, Jonah, Jeff (Mr. Erickson), Andrew, Timothy, Tita Sally, Tito Nanding, Auntie Angel, Unkie Eric, Uncle Frank, Cousin Maggie, Cousin Jonathan in Ohio, and Uncle Juan in Texas! - May your day be one filled with lots of joy and special memories- The Coleclan
* Only Paige and I think May is the best. If you ask Taryn and Chris, they would choose August and ask Steve and Sam and hands-down, December would win.
