My sweet boy turns 12 today!

Twelve years ago today, at 4:20pm, Frank and I fell in love with a 10lb 3oz (ouch!) bundle of sweetness that we named Austin Dean Johnson! Austin was such a good baby and so easy, I wondered what I had done in this life to deserve such a treasure for a baby. Everyone told me it was such an adjustment to go from one baby to two, this was so not the case with Austin. Truly the only time that we heard much from him was when he was hungry, which seemed to be most of the time :) and if he was hurting. He was so content to just sit with me or in his swing and watch his big sister play in front of him. Always the sensitive child, he would want to give his toys to other kids who wanted what he had, and often would find himself without in a group setting since other kids would just play around him and use what he might be playing with. To this day, he loves to be home with his family and truly is a "mommas boy". We don't look at this as a sign of weakness or demeaning of his character. He truly enjoys being with me and I with him and I LOVE the glimpse into the future that I am getting into the man that he is becoming and will be one day. This boy will be a sensitive and loving boyfriend and husband one day. This boy will be a loving and gentle daddy one day. This boy will be a man with integrity and honesty and a deep love for his Heavenly Father. I love him so much and I adore my moments with him. He is one of my greatest treasures and blessings here on this earth :)

Austin is active and is learning to love basketball and baseball. He is your average 7th grader with curiosity about new things and how they work! I love this about him. He learns all he can about a subject when he is really interested in it and such a joy for me to homeschool! He is growing by leaps and bounds, sometimes over night it seems but certainly in weeks at a time. He is now taller than his dad and wears the same size shoe, but still loves to walk up to his Dad and say, "I love you Dad". These moments melt my heart. He has close friends now, and enjoys his independent time with them. I am so glad that he has these moments in time to have as memories. His sister is still the apple of his eye. Yes, they still squabble from time to time, but those times are farther apart now and he truly would do anything for her and they have more secrets between the two of them and they are each others greatest fans! The twins think he is the next best thing to slice bread :) I love to watch them light up with delight when he is willing to play with them. Colby thinks he is the strongest brother ever, and Cam has the hardest time falling asleep without his big brother there to protect him while his sleepy eyes succumb to slumber. Coaches tell us what a great kid he is. Easy to coach, respectful, helpful and a joy to have on the team. How this mommy's heart swells with pride when she hears these words. Words I have spoken to myself and to Frank on many occasions but a whole new feeling when a stranger says them to you :) Family members gush at how he loves to be with the family and takes care of the little ones in our family. He's smart and articulate and learns things that most people might find a little boring and mundane, not Austin, he'd rather figure it out instead of glazing over the top of it!

We are so blessed! I thank God for each of my family member daily, knowing all to well the size of the hole that is left in our hearts and lives when someone that we love so dearly is taken away from us. Austin makes my heart full of love, joy, and pride and I couldn't be happier than to be on this journey called life with him as my son and to be his mother!

Happy 12th Birthday Austin! I love you more than all the stars in the sky.

Love,

Mommy