Tag: family

Poetry & Words

happy birthday, john. remember when?

Gina @ Oaxacaborn

happy 19th birthday to my little brother, john! (well, he USED to be littler than me)

J-Bird and Gino

i love you john. and because i’m your big sister, i need to embarrass you a tad.

remember when you were still in a high chair and would stop eating dinner when someone mentioned the word cookies? we started calling them galletas, but you learned that in like three days.

remember how i would (rather wildly) bounce you on my knees when you were smallish? (papa had a horse, his name was jack, put ‘im in stable and he fell through the CRACK!)

remember jeremy the ant-sized boy? he and his adventures would only be told when we had to sleep on the pull-out couch in the basement because there was company in our rooms.

remember singing david cassidy’s i think i love you at the top of your lungs into a fake microphone? (i told you this was going to be embarrassing. but you were like 4, so it’s ok)

remember requesting a caterpillar birthday cake…for three years in a row?

remember when i curled all your hair and dad got mad? ha ha ha.

remember singing big bump the bubble tree riding around wisconsin in the back of the old van?

remember when you started skiing and people called you “the baby on skis”? (note to my blog readers: don’t miss john’s incredible you tube skiing channel!)

remember reading aloud ALL the street signs, bumper stickers, and billboards on the way back from chicago? you were driving everybody batty so i just joined in too.

remember when i snuck up behind you in the pool at our house in california and whispered helloooo, little boy? you nearly punched my lights out.

remember taking my camera and taking picture of your head, then quickly putting the camera back? (as if i wouldn’t find the pictures.)

remember memorizing verses together so we could do fun things off our summer list, like bike to the store and eat donuts?

remember when i told mom i wouldn’t take you for bike rides because you would just charge through intersections like a maniac? (blog readers: it paid off. he’s got crazy awesome bmx bike videos.

remember the last time i beat you arm wrestling and then i retired from the sibling arm wrestling competition so you would forever be stuck in third place? muah ha ha ha.

so, happy birthday, john. you’re an amazing, talented, artistic, wonderful brother and i’m superbly proud of you.

(ps. andy, don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. you will get your turn…)

Life in Photos

“there’s a joy in your sweet abandon, like the cowgirl ballerina”

Gina @ Oaxacaborn

i just adore my little family. we are unbelievably blessed. when i look at her bright eyes, i can’t help think of this beautiful rich mullins song:

26PM Josiah Munsey and baby girl Aveline Alenka -- father and daughter photo

“O Eli
There’s a sanctity in your innocence
A certain beauty and no uncertain strength
That brings me to the faith
I don’t know if I
If I am climbing to or falling in
But it comes like grace from your tiny hands
When I hold you in mine

And I pray that the eyes
Of your heart
Shine bright
With the hope to which you’re called
And may you know with all the saints
The height ~ the depth ~ the width ~ and the length
Of the love of God

O Eli
There’s a joy in your sweet abandon
Like the cowgirl ballerina
Leaves that ride
The wild and holy bucking wind that the sky
Sent through you to blow away these walls I’ve built
Walls of selfishness and walls of guilt
That leave me free to be a child

And I pray that the eyes
Of your heart
Shine bright
With the hope to which you’re called”