catching up

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope you've had a great weekend and that your week got started off in a great way! I honestly meant to write a blog post yesterday, but I had an afternoon choir rehearsal and by the time I got home, I didn't feel my best. Having said that, here we are on a Tuesday, the day after Drew's birthday. He's the inspiration behind the post today, and I thought since they've all just had birthdays, that today would be a good day to tell you a few things that I love about them all. I'll even include my hubby here, since I don't talk about him that much here either. I hope you enjoy getting to know my family a little bit more! I always start with the oldest and work my way down.

All of my boys have qualities about them that I love. Some things that I love most about Graham are his ability to talk to anyone and to make them feel like a new friend. He has had these qualities since he was a young boy, and he often befriended the unfriendly and the ones who nobody else wanted to be friends with. I was reading older blog posts earlier in the month of March, and one thing I came across was when I shared about him giving his snack away at school almost everyday. He couldn't stand to see someone upset over such a thing. He still possesses this same attribute today and is always helping his friends out. He is an excellent friend to have, and I sincerely hope his know how fortunate they are to have a Graham in their lives. 

The other thing I think is noteworthy about him is his loyalty to those he loves. He never hesitates to stand up for those around him who have been wronged. This means that he went through his childhood with people who didn't love that about him, but he survived and it made him who he is today. Currently, his favorite thing to do is to go to car and truck shows. He loves his truck and his car, and he loves being someone that younger kids look up to when a lot of them are out and about at these. Graham is one of our sons that work with my husband in their small, family owned business. They repair medical equipment for doctors' offices, dentist offices, hospitals, and veterinarians. He also shares the love of search and rescue with my husband, and volunteers his time as a first responder for our county's sheriff's department. 

Drew turned 23 yesterday! When Drew was in the 2nd grade, his teacher awarded him with the character trait of the most joyful student in the class. He was likeable, always smiling, and a friend to everyone. Other kids always fought over who got to sit with Drew when they'd move their desks around, because everyone loved him. Some things never change, because Drew is still this way today. He always has a big smile on his face, he's always laughing and cutting up about something, and he is still a friend to everyone. Drew loves everyone, and everyone loves him. The reason kids like him is because he relatable and easy to talk to, and to this date, working at an after-school daycare for three years was his favorite job. I love all of these qualities about him, and I also sincerely appreciate that he loves good food, thanks to his Big Daddy who taught him what good food was by introducing him to it in the first place. Drew is who I love to cook for the most because of this!

Jonah is a workhorse! His work ethic is incomparable to anyone I have ever known. He doesn't like to be idle, so he is always looking for things to do to keep busy. He loves to customize his truck, and it's something he is really good at, so he's often helping his friends with things. Jonah has a natural ability as a mechanic, and has since he was a young boy. I remember him taking his bike apart and putting it back together just so that he would know and understand how it worked, and he has earned the title of the shop mechanic at work. Jonah is our second son who works with Todd in the family owned business. He is really good at this, and I don't know that the shop has ever been more organized than it is now that he works there. He doesn't let them sit around too long and often finds things to do on their slower days.

Jonah is a loyal friend, and expects the same thing from his friends. He doesn't have much tolerance for anyone treating him in a manner less than how he treats them. This is a great quality, but it can also mean that he doesn't keep or hang onto friends like his brothers may. His true friends appreciate this about him, though. I love Jonah's laugh and it's always detectable, because he loves to tease and have fun. On a vain note, he has the greatest dimples of anyone I've ever known.

Noah is the social butterfly in the family and is NEVER at home. Seriously, he spends most nights out of the house, and I do love that he has such a great best friend. Noah and his best friend have been closer than brothers for more than four years now, and I love the bond they have. They decided to get matching tattoos a couple of years ago, and I think it's really sweet. Like Drew, he loves to laugh and to have fun, and like the three others, he almost always has a smile on his face. I love this about him, and that he doesn't take himself too seriously. 

Another quality that Noah possesses is kindness. He is a friend to everyone, and he's never met a stranger. I would say out of all of them, that his communication skills are the greatest. He doesn't like the thought of anyone being upset with him for anything, so that means that I often reassure him to ease his mind. He is outgoing, friendly, welcoming, and gives the best hugs of all time. I love that he knows how much I love to get a hug and that he takes the time to stop and do just that every time he sees me. He never pulls away, he never ends them, he just lets me hang on until I let go. He is the only son that does this, though Drew hugs me every time I see him now that he no longer lives at home. 

Todd has been super busy with his extra jobs lately! He recently traveled to New Mexico (the day after we got home from our Spring break trip to Louisville) for some training with the sheriff's department. He is also a part of the worship staff at our church and is responsible for being in charge of the livestreamed service each week. I'm really proud of him for these things, even if it  gives him more things to do and takes him away from home a little more often than the normal. I think it's good that these are things he enjoys doing and that he is good at them. I've always said how important it is for men to have a hobby, because most men aren't great at relaxing. These trips that he had recently were fun for him, and I am so glad he had the opportunity to go. He has plans to travel some more soon, maybe with a few friends the next time. 

As for me, you all know what I've been doing. I work a job that I love and with people that I think the world of, I go to church and do things that I love there, I write blog posts when I can get my act together, I work on side jobs that are projects that I'm working on both personally and professionally, I watch training videos at night when they come up for work, I read as much as I am able to given all of this, and I hang out with family. I'm busier than I thought I would be at this age in my life, but I am here for and am loving every second. I'll be back here tomorrow for the April edition of Currently, so I hope you come back to join and link up! We're sharing what we're currently loving, hoping, playing, needing, and feeling. I will also be posting again on Friday, for Friday Favorites. I'm going to try to be better at blogging, but no promises. I do miss the writing and corresponding, so we'll see how that goes. 

Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all!