In the midst of all the illness, we celebrated Gabriel’s eleventh birthday! I was so worried that we would all be sick on his birthday, but it thankfully fell right in between the little one’s episodes, and he hasn’t gotten sick himself yet. There has been a lot of growing up in the past year, evidenced in many ways big and small. And probably, I am not allowed to talk much about any of it. Note though: no birthday crown, and no photos of him blowing out birthday candles.
For the past couple of years my boys have had very specific one item birthday gift requests, which is nice and easy in a way, but when Gabe told me that he didn’t know what he wanted for his birthday this year, I was excited for the challenge of coming up with gifts myself. I knew right away that I wanted to buy him an mp3 player for listening to audiobooks (And he loved it! the only problem is that I am technically challenged and managed to buy the one player that isn’t compatible with Audible, and I have bought all of his favorite Little Britches books there. I’m still working on that.) Shopping for a boy this age is tricky. Gabe’s still a kid, but he’s not a little kid. In the end, based on Gabe’s reactions, I think Jonny and I did really well choosing his gifts. I think we always have a hard time not going overboard with him. Will we always feel like we’re making up for the years we missed? A few of Gabe’s favorite gifts (in case you have big boys to shop for too!) were this Erector set
Last minute Jonny decided that Gabe needed a new baseball glove too. He spent every spare minute looking at gloves online, and took a rare late evening shopping trip to local sporting goods stores, and finally settled on the glove that he claims Gabe will still be using when he plays college ball (yeah–he’s making some assumptions there….) I had hoped to make a video of Gabe pitching to share here, but we had to miss the baseball game last week. Gabe is known throughout our local baseball league for his pitching skills. Strangers approach him after games to congratulate him, coaches of travel teams try to recruit him. He has a gift. But people notice something else about him, I’ve heard the words, “heart of gold” from the mouth of another dad. He doesn’t have the swagger or the attitude that you see sometimes. He doesn’t get nervous either. He simply walks up to the mound with a smile and proceeds to throw his fast balls without a care in the world. A friend whose son plays in the league told me this story: Two brothers who played on Gabe’s team last season, (but are on a different team now) didn’t want to even go to their game the night their team would be playing Gabe and Keats’ team because they were terrified of going up to bat against Gabe pitching. Their mom convinced them to go. During the game, she watched as Gabe pitched strike after strike, as fast as they could be. Her boys’ turn to bat came, and with fear, they walked up to the plate. Gabe saw his old teammates, and he must have known that they would be scared because his mom said that while she could hardly believe it, she watched as he slowed down for her boys, pitching without the lightning speed. I don’t know if anyone else would have noticed, not knowing that Gabe knew those boys, and maybe just thinking he was getting tired. But that mom knew. Gabe is still just a kid, but he has character beyond his years. He also doesn’t like me to make a fuss, so I better stop writing now.
Happy Birthday, Gabriel. You are most loved.
Happy birthday to Gabe! I can NOT believe how tall he has gotten! We have neighbors here on Camp Lejeune who adopted 2 children from Liberia as well. They have a son that reminds me very much of Gabe. He is the sweetest, kindest boy I have ever met. Normal societal issues have no impact on him which automatically make him a born leader (i.e. he does not care if you are the best, tallest, swiftest player, he just wants to play). He is so good at including all the boys in the neighborhood, no matter the age. I just love him & hope that he can hold on to those traits that make him stand out…oh yeah, he’s really good at any sport he tries as well!!!
Happy birthday Gabe!
Have you tried downloading the audio books as an mp3 and transfering to the player as a mp3?
I do that for my mp3 player i bought ages ago.
A boy to be proud of – happy birthday!
Thank you for sharing this story, Ginny. I got my husband to read it, too.
From reading a few of the comments, I guess we all created a pond of tears here!
… I wonder if those tears could be recycled into something ? 😉
Aw, what a beautiful story. How wonderful and thoughtful of him. Happy Birthday to Gabe!
Becca
Oh that is such a sweet and wonderful story! Look what wonderful children you are raising!!!!! Love it. Happy Birthday to Gabe.
Happy Birthday to Gabe! We saw the cool game at a toy store in South Haven MI–my 12 yr old said it looked too complicated for her & so good for you Gabe & bros! Not to be intimidated! sounds like a coolio birthday!
Happy tears here. And Happy Birthday, Gabe!
What a beautiful story. I admit, I first stopped over for your beautiful photos and a shared love of knitting and the outdoors, however, the more I read… the more I stay and read. Thank you for sharing and a Happy Birthday to your Gabriel.
Dear Gabriel, happy birthday!
Beautiful! Happy Birthday to your boy!
Happy Birthday Gabriel! You have a marvelous name, we wanted to name our son Gabriel. Ginny, it looks like you and Jonny have done a great job raising him. I especially loved the baseball stories. We love baseball around here so it was wonderful to read about his gift of pitching.
I added some of Gabriel’s gifts to my son’s wish list on Amazon. He will be 9 in a few months and would love all of those items. I hope everyone has healed in your house and that you are feeling well with your pregnancy. Wishing you lots of love and blessings!
Kim
Happy Birthday to your Gabe Ginny … he sounds like a great guy 🙂
Happy Birthday Gabe!
I could have used these gift ideas for my 12 yo nephew last week. I had no clue what to buy a boy that age!
Oh man I just love Gabe with his heart of gold! I was going to say (before reading what you wrote) that you can just tell by his smile that he is a great person and will be a great man. He is such a lucky young man, and (as you know) you are so lucky to have him in his life. It’s obvious that anyone would be.
Happy Birthday Gabe!! I’m totally jealous about your erector set and hover craft! I would be jealous of your glove, but I’m terrible at baseball. But I am most impressed by your pitching skills. But also-no candles and crown? I want to wear a birthday crown and I’m 27!! You don’t have to grow up toooo fast 😉
How lucky you are to have him, and how lucky he is to have you! Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Gabe!
And are those Detroit Tigers uniforms I see? *Michigan pride!*
I’m always on the look out for fun games. My 23 yr old STILL loves to get games for Christmas (and not just video games either!) I think I’ll be buying the ‘Suspend’ game. It looks like fun!
What an awesome kid you have there. Happy Birthday Gabe!
Ginny,
This post brought tears to my eyes.
Happy Birthday to Gabriel! I love hearing about his heart of gold and his beautiful spirit.
Love,
Taryn
I pray that my children grow in grace and kindness the way yours are – not perfect, but loving and kind to each other and others. You made me cry with your story about his pitching! (…could be postpartum hormones…but probably a combo) The way your children treat others is a testimony to the faithful parenting you are doing as well to God’s grace, and your stories are a source of encouragement to me as I wade through the infant-preschool years!
Happy birthday Gabe!
Happy Birthday Gabe! He sounds like a really awesome young man!
We just that balancing game and my kids (and us) love it! Hate the yellow pieces, though!
Happy Birthday Gabe! I would love to see a video of him pitching and that hover craft in action.
What a kind person you are raising. It’s the little things that people remember. Not how many games he won but that he was a kind and generous player.
Bless your sweet Gabe on his birthday! My big boy is 11 too, and I am cherishing this “in between time.” Also, Beatrix’s boo-boo looks like Ash Wednesday ashes in the photos, so it appears she maybe extra penitent! Glad the crud has left you all.
Oh, that last story about Gabe touched me incredibly. He sounds like such a sweet soul. Happy birthday to him!!!
He sounds wonderful. You are truly blessed.
I love your birthday posts! I’m especially curious about the big boys’ birthdays. I don’t know why because I just have a baby girl. Or because. :o)
how wonderful! Many years to your growing up Son! For sure he is a treasure to you all! Your posts sure can cheer a person, just by being who and what they are 🙂
He sure does have a heart of gold! Happy Birthday, Gabe!
You sure do have a writing gift, Ginny. I look forward to all your posts but particularly loved this one. Yeah, I teared up too. You all are so fortunate to have found each other.
Happy birthday to your dear Gabriel. I love reading about how your kids are doing- mostly because you often describe them in ways that remind me of my own little ones! It’s so nice that Gabe is growing up with such a nice heart- because being nice really does matter a whole lot 🙂
What a good hearted boy Gabriel is!
One thing, though. Your husband is wrong about the baseball glove. I, too, have a pitcher. He plays high school ball now and his “good glove” wore out. We had to get him another, a professional glove, and that, too, will wear out. I just hope my boy’s current glove lasts quite a while because it cost over $300.
Maybe he was just trying to appease me, as I was shocked by the price!! I had no idea that baseball gloves cost so much!
hahaha! Just wait until you have to use BBCOR bats. The price is expensive and they last a season, if you are lucky. The bats can only be used in certain temperatures, too. But despite all of the expense, it is worth it. It keeps them busy, happy, exercising and out of trouble. 🙂
Happy Birthday!
Have you looked into borrowing audio books from your on-line library? My 7yo daughter can’t live without audio books, and we would be completely broke if it weren’t for our on-line library.
I hope everyone is well soon!
Made my morning reading this. So sweet.
Wonderful! And can I say I love the blue and white Hanna Anderson dress! At least, it looks like one!
Happy Birthday to Gabe. What a wonderful story, he sounds like a wonderful person to have in your family, may he continue to bring you many more years of joy and happiness.
That humility and peace, you can see that about Gabe in your pictures, too. He is a precious young man. Happy Birthday to him!
Whoa, that story brought tears to my eyes. What a neat boy you have. Happy 11th birthday, Gabe!
Happy Birthday Gabe! May I recommend a book to you: “Maniac Magee” by Jerry Spinelli. Perhaps you can download it. In the story, Maniac inherits a really old baseball glove from an old man. Here’s a little quote: “To anyone else, it was a ratty old scrap of leather, barely recognizable as a baseball glove, fit for the garbage can. But Maniac knew at once this was Grayson’s, the one he had played with all those years in the Minors. Slowly, timidly, as though entering a shrine, the boy’s fingers crept into it, flexed, curled the cracked leather, brought it back to shape, to life. He laid the new ball in the palm, pressed glove and ball together, and the glove remembered and gave way and made a pocket for the ball.” Have a great time with your birthday presents. I really like the excitement in that second to last photograph.
Peggy my 11 yr old baseball crazy son just finished reading this for school. I remember him writing about that very same passage.
He wrote about how each old worn out glove told a story.
I used to tutor middle aged kids and I read that book with one of them. I don’t remember if he liked it but I certainly did! I’m glad your son liked it and I’m glad he’s writing.
Happy birthday!
That heart of gold shines brilliantly through the screen too, especially every time you post a picture of him with little Silas. Heart stopping. Every time. He is a very special young man. Happy Birthday Gabriel!
I enjoy your birthday stories the most. Happy birthday, Gabriel.
Ahhh, Ginny, you made me tear up, too! I’m so glad his birthday was wonderful and that everyone else is on the mend.
I never commented before but I need to tell you that I have tears in my eyes reading and feeling your love for Gabe! What a beautiful soul he is!
Happy Birthday, Gabe! Such a sweet baseball story, thanks for sharing.
Hope, everyone is well already? soon?
Love, Katharina
God has a special plan for Gabe…..and how blessed you are to be a part of that plan!
Happy 11th birthday!
How very precious! Happy birthday, Gabe. 🙂
Being adopted by amazing parents myself, your posts about Gabe always earn a special place in my heart. Oh, how the family that we choose for ourselves brings such a special kind of love. Happy birthday to your boy!