Happy 18th Birthday Tyler!

Can I ask you something?

WHERE HAVE THE PAST 18 YEARS GONE??!!??!!???!!!

When Tyler was born, he was a HUGE baby. My friends all joked that he was "half grown at birth!". And he was THE prettiest baby in the hospital nursery!!! Beautiful skin, and so sweet.

Okay...he's still HUGE...or at least very tall...and slender. And he's not pretty anymore...

HE'S A HUNK!!!

Beautiful skin, and all!!!

And he's growing into a fine young man. Learning (albeit the hard way at times) responsibility, and respect for others. Learning the value of a dollar (okay...that one's a stretch, but we're working on it!), and family. God has blessed him.

And me.

My favorite things to do with Tyler, besides talking with him...hearing about his day (in the most fabulous of detail!), is to watch a good movie with him...or our 10th episode of Magnum P. I. I love playing games with him...especially Rummy (I always beat him), and we laugh about who the "winner" is.













I love taking him with me to run errands. It gives us time together. He's a comfort to me...kind of like an old comfortable shoe. I'm not at all insecure around him.
He knows who he is, and to Whom he belongs...and so do I.

I absolutely love to go to the beach on vacation, and have Tyler sitting beside me in the sand, digging into the latest murder mystery, as I do the same. I love watching him play with his sisters and brother. They adore him! And I'm forever hooked, as well!!! Some of my fondest memories are the times I would be in the bed with a migraine, and Tyler would quietly enter my room, sit on the bed, and rub my hair. As he got older, I'd ask him to "squish" my head.

He would lovingly oblige...snicker, snicker...

I could tell you many things about the past 18 years. I could tell you how surprised and scared I was as a 19 year old to discover that I was pregnant. I could tell you about how, when there was nobody...there was Tyler and I. Or...how much & how fast I had to grow up during one of the hardest times in my life. I could share with you all about those hard times...when I was hanging on by "the skin of my teeth". But alas...this blog is NOT about me.

It's about Tyler.
And the overwhelming grace and love of God.
God knew all about Tyler, even before he was born. He knew Tyler would bring the greatest of joy to a lot of people.

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And he has...touched so many hearts and lives. God had a plan when He formed Tyler. He still has a glorious plan for Tyler. And as long as Tyler doesn't turn away from his Creator, God will carry out that plan.
It's exciting to see Tyler change. He's gone from a scared, insecure little boy...to a young man who knows and recognizes the truth. He loves the things of God. And he stands firm in them. He's not perfect, but he has a distinct awareness of doing "the right thing". God honors that. God loves that about Tyler. And so do I.

God has used my son to change my life in ways I never imagined. My life is fuller and richer because of Tyler. My heart is more tender, too. My desires are different because of how much I want to see Tyler succeed. I am overwhelmed with love for him. And I'm so grateful that God chose ME to bless with this special soul. I can't believe all that we've been through over the past 18 years, and how quickly it has passed.

Tyler's "Dad" loves him. Tyler's sisters love him. Tyler's brother loves him. Tyler's family is wild about him! Of course there are those times when any of us might want to drag out the 'ole cast iron frying pan and whop it upside Tyler's head. Knock some sense into him. But we love him, all the same.
There are pages that I could blog about this special young man. Stories that would have you in the floor. Like the time...
Dad & Tyler decided to stop off the interstate and go fishing. They had their poles, etc. But they didn't have a clear way to the lake. There was a fence in the way...one of those tall kinds of chain link. So they managed to find a spot where it wasn't firmly in the ground and slide under the fence. After they got through, they realized that Dad's bee-hind was bleeding. He had scooted over a root or branch sticking up from the ground, and it poked his bee-hind good enough to make it bleed...through his jeans. Tyler panicked, dropped to his knees, and cried out to God to save Dad's life! Tyler was about 8 or 9. And he was scared that Dad was going to DIE ON THE SPOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We've laughed about that one for years.

How about the first time Tyler babysat? We had moved to TN the previous summer, with Dean & I having maybe a date or two since...and I was busting to see the newest "Terminator" movie. The movie theater was only a few miles from our house, and Savannah & Summerlyn were not at home (gone to Nana's?). So we put Tyler in charge of year old Scarlett. Scarlett was such a sweet baby. So pleasant to be around, & an obedient child. Still is. Anyway...Terminator. Dean & I headed for the movies, leaving a more than capable 13 year old Tyler with a sweet little innocent 1 year old Scarlett. The Terminator movie was excellent, and it was refreshing for Dean & I to have some time to ourselves, if only a couple of hours! After the movie, we went straight back home.

As soon as we walked through the door, I knew Tyler was fried. His face was almost comical. His reply to our entrance? "Thank God you're home!"

I laughed and asked him what happened. He immediately began spilling the details...right down to the doo-doo smeared into the cracks of the hardwood floor in Scarlett's room! Apparently, everything had been fine, until Scarlett got into the cabinet under the sink. We used to buy dish washing detergent in those big round buckets from Sam's, and she had pulled it out of the cabinet, dumping the detergent on the kitchen floor. I'm sure the mess was terrible for a 13 year old boy! In order for him to clean up the mess, he would have to remove her from it. So he took baby Scarlett up to her room, sitting her in the crib until he could clean up the kitchen floor.

Upon his return to Scarlett's room, he discovered that she had stunk it up. So he proceeded to change her diaper. After his first stinky diaper change, he sat Scarlett down on the floor to play and went to wash his hands. When he came back into her room, she had pulled the trashcan over, emptying it's contents into the floor...and you guessed it..."playing" in the stinky diaper that had just been disposed of! Tyler had to give her a bath, and put her to bed after that one...so he could clean the doo-doo off the floor, attempting to get it out of the lines of the hardwood floor. He had just finished putting her to bed and scrubbing the floor when we arrived home! We've SCREAMED over that one through the years!!! Needless to say, if he has to change a poopy diaper these days...he's a lot more careful!!! HAHAHAHHAAAAHAHHA!!!

Tyler is a good kid...young man. We're all very proud of him. I love his heart. I'm crazy blessed to have him.

THANK YOU, HEAVENLY FATHER!!!
The memories I have of Tyler will forever be lodged in my mind...and my heart. And guess what?
I plan on making a lifetime full of more memories with him.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

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I love you with all my heart.