April 16 The gift of Matthew

Saturday:  We belatedly celebrated Matt's 17th birthday this afternoon/evening here at the Beach House. I only snapped just a few pictures, but I really like these photos. Matt is grown up now, so I don't get to see him very much--and usually, Christopher is here at the same time. When Matt and Chris are together, they yuck it up together as brothers do ... but Matt is oftentimes in the background to Chris and I don't often get the opportunity to just see and listen to Matt one-on-one. But tonight, I did have that opportunity and he was such a GIFT to me. The name "Matthew" means "Gift of God" and this grandson lives up to his name.

Matt is a quieter soul and is a sensitive person. He is not much for socializing and often stays to himself. But here's the thing--he has a beautiful heart. He let me see a little bit of it Saturday night and I will treasure it always.

Here is Matt opening up my card--it took me FOUR hours to make this card, because I wanted it to be just right and I wanted to let Matt know how much he is loved. There were too many words inside to read just then but Matt said he would read every word later.

Kaity brought one of Kenzie's (her best friend) stuffed animals over for the visit. "Stitches" is a fox and Kaity set out to sketch a picture of him. She did a really nice job too! Emma took some pictures to show Kaity.

Matthew and Emma played several games of "Battleship" and just hung out together while I was getting dinner together.

We had an Oreo Icecream cake that did NOT melt this year (last year we discovered my freezer was broken after pulling out what we had hoped was a frozen cake only to find it very mushy). We lit 17 candles and sang to Matthew. Hasn't he grown up to be so handsome? I love his eyes and his face so much. 

After we ate our cake, Matthew, Kaity and I played "UNO" for awhile but then Kaity quit and began doing puzzles on the floor. Matt and I sat at the table and had the most precious conversation. There is so much to love about Matt, but one thing for sure is that he is genuine and doesn't fake what he thinks or feels. I loved listening to him and interacting. We talked about some faith issues. We talked about a few memories and family things. Most of all, I truly loved just listening to him share his thoughts. I pray that the Lord will do what only He can do for Matthew--give him eyes of faith and a heart that will truly know and follow Him all the days of his life. Thank you, Lord, for this grandson--he is such a precious gift.