Keagan Christopher

Oh my Halloweenie baby, Keagan Christopher! It is only fitting that Keagan was able to squeeze his way on to the calendar with his birth on the LAST day of October which is also Halloween! I gotta say, I've always hated Halloween (the scary crap, the dark crap, the costumes, etc. - I have issues) and so I felt that God, most definitely, smiled from above when Keagan came into our lives! He has redeemed the day for me - well for ALL of us! He is funny, smart, creative, wacky, energetic, and is always right there with a kiss for mom! And so, Keagan rounds out the crazy birthday month of October for us and so I leave you with this parting shot of the 3 birthday kiddos! I'm so blessed!

Sweet Briege

Holy moly! I forgot to make a special mention of my dear, sweet, lovely, funny, adorable, smart, and terrific daughter to mark her 13th birthday! I can't believe she's a teenager!! She's such a giver and she's so unbelievably unselfish in everything she says or does! God continually smiles on all of us because of the gift of her life! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRIEGE MARIE!!!

Joseph Murphy

I cannot find the right words to describe how much I love this boy! I know I've shared time and time again how we share the same birthday and so, every year, on our birthday I am reminded of God's amazing LOVE. I cherish this day because it all made perfect sense when Murphy came in to my life...on this day...15 years ago. I shall hold him tighter today (won't he just love that???)I will nag him less today (he will definitely love that!!) and I will shout God's goodness loudly today! Thank you, dear Lord, for the gift of Murphy's life!

Keagan's 7th Birthday!!

I am so happy that today I get to celebrate my youngest son's birthday! I have had this love/hate thing with Halloween forever. I've always been afraid of creepy, crawly things and I don't like things that tend to conjure of subjects that deal with evil or satan or whatever so to finally have a reason to celebrate this day properly is a joy!! Keagan has given us the reason to dress up and go trick-or-treating for a purpose. No longer is it part of "spooky Halloween" - it is now just something we do before we have birthday cake and open presents.

Thank you, God, for my funny, sweet, lovable, smart, and goofy Keagan! He has been the perfect addition to our already amazing family!! Again, I am so blessed to call myself this little punk's mommy :)

Beautiful Briege!

Today is sweet, sweet Briege's 12th birthday!! Man, I sure love this kid! I know I've mentioned this before but she truly is a blessing to me (to us all) She is kind-hearted, funny, giving, generous, sweet, gentle, creative, and beautiful! Many people just don't see all of these things in her very quickly because she's reserved (I'd say shy) and doesn't like to draw attention to herself right away. But, I wish I could shake some of the girls at her new school - you know, the ones that look down their noses at her because she's not like them. She's wonderfully freckled and has untamed red hair. She's quirky and has a very tender heart. She'd rather have a super best friend than several mediocre friends. She so wants to wear a polka-dotted beret (or other kinds of funky clothing) but feels as though the kids already think she's different so she doesn't. On "Funky Sock Day" she made her own decorative socks because that was fun only to go to school and have girls make fun of her for having them. Gosh, how did I get off on this tangent??

I just love, love, love my sweet Briege! Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the gift of her life! I pray that I may protect her and show her how unbelivably loved she is at all times! Happy birthday, my lovely Briege!!

2 B-Days

Happy birthday to my wonderful, sweet, hard-working, understanding, gentle, goofy, funny, helpful, band-geek of a husband!! There are times that I question whether all of this heart-ache and change was worth it. I also wonder if I didn't rush into getting married as all of the adjustment and anguish has been unbearable, at times. Then Bill grabs my face and kisses me just because he thought my freckles were cute at that moment or he'll do his morning dance (and it is a site to see!!) or Bill will send me a very sweet text calling me is beautiful bride and it is those moments that remind me that it was all worth it! There was no rushing into this marriage as I truly cannot imagine my life without him in it!

Bill shares his birthday with my first-born son. 21 years ago, today, I gave birth to a sweet and beautiful baby boy. I don't know what color his hair is and I don't even know whether he is tall and skinny like his brother or if he's tall and a little more muscular (yeah, I'm calling it muscular) like his mother. I do know that I can remember his face like it was yesterday. I remember his smell and his cry and his strength in his little finger as I held him for the last time. I remember the heart-ache and the anguish as I rode that Memorial Hospital elevator for the last time empty-handed.

I also remember the look of joy and awe on his new mommy and daddy's face as the papers were finalized. I can still feel the compassion in the hug of his new mommy's hug when she thanked me and then cried. I remember the mixture of emotions that I experienced walking out of that office as I realized that my son was no longer "my son" I remember wondering where does one go after finalizing adoption papers as the birth mother? There was no party and there was no dinner and there was no gathering. Not because people didn't care but because what was the proper thing to do.

What also was very present during this whole process was the loving embrace of my Heavenly Father and the most Blessed Mother. To have gone through any of that would have been impossible without my spiritual connection to them both. It may not have made all of the pain go away but it made all of the pain make sense. It gave the pain a purpose and, for that, I'm blessed.

To now have married such an amazing man who shares the birthday of a son that I may never meet, is truly a gift beyond what I deserve. God continually dazzles me with His blatant love for me!! The story of my first son, Joseph Kelly, and then the gift of my second son, Joseph Murphy, along with the unbelievable gift of grace that is my daughter, Briege Marie, followed by my gift of joy and happiness, Keagan Christopher, are enough to overwhelm me time and time again! None of it would make sense without the addition of William Scott White into all of our lives!

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the gifts in my life! They are abundant and they are rich! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Happy 14th birthday, Murphy!

Happy 14th birthday to Joseph Murphy! He's such an amazing gift to me on this special day. My birthday would not have nearly as much meaning if it wasn't for the fact that I share it with my twin, Kerry, and my son, Murphy! How blessed am I??? I am very blessed!