Amber Lynn

Amber's birthday was July 17th.  We wished her a happy birthday then but she didn't get her birthday interview until tonight.

Amber was our very first grandchild and what a beautiful blessing she has been!

Today she's an important part of this large family.

And a very important part of THIS large family.

Including beautiful Emma who didn't arrive in time for the last extended family pictures. (note. Mom and baby shots were set up and staged by Beth Fletcher of Beth Fletcher Photography.)

And a VERY important part of THIS large family.

(The last two pictures were staged by Beth Fletcher Photography - of course.)

Here's how her interview went:

Hi Amber!  Is this a good time to do your very late birthday interview?  Sure!   So you're not too busy right now huh?  No, not at the moment.  So what's your favorite color?  Yellow  No, that won't work.  What's your second favorite color?  Black  That's not very good either.  Oh, sorry, how about red?  Perfect!   So red is your favorite color.  Okay.  LOL

Did you have a good birthday?  Yes I did.  I don't remember what we did right now but I know it was good.  LOL

What did you do to celebrate?  My mom and Jeremy and Jenna came over and brought a cake and we did a little celebration. 

   Then that evening Chris and I went out for dinner.

And I heard you got an iPad for your birthday?  Yes I did.  How do you like it?  I love it when I use it.  Do you use it much?  No, I'm too nervous to use it without a case and I keep forgetting to get one.  LOL

I know your birthday celebration was a little larger this year.  Did that just make for a happier birthday or was it a little stressful since she was SO new?  No it was a better birthday.  It was nice having the whole family together and not being pregnant and I could even have a Margarita when we went out.

How do Emma's siblings feel about the new addition to your family?  They all love her and try to be very helpful with her - especially Aubrey.

You have a very busy household.  How do you keep up with everything?  Ummmm...very patiently.  Actually I don't  because that would be impossible.  I just do the best I can to try to make everyone happy and I know things will get easier as Emma gets a little older.

How soon after you met Chris did you know he was the one?  After 5 minutes - actually not even.  I knew right away.  You mean as soon as you laid eyes on him?  Yeah it was probably as soon as I saw him.  I'd never felt that way before.  

Do you enjoy being a stay-at-home mom or would you want to go back to work some day?  Ummm, I love being a stay-at-home mom.  I feel like it's what I was meant to do.  I could maybe see myself doing something someday but at the same time, with so many, it might be a really long time - like until they're out of high school.

What's the most challenging thing about having so many young children?  Just keeping up with the household chores and keeping all five of them happy.  Somebody always wants something different so it's hard keeping a good balance.   It helps that they're all good kids.  I feel really blessed.

What's the most rewarding part of having so many young children?  Watching them grow and how close they are together.  It makes us know we made the right decision to have so many so close because they're all best friends.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?    Hopefully some of the kids will be finishing college and starting families - maybe we'll be grandparents.  And I see us having a family like yours some day.  I grew up watching my five aunts and uncles and I've watched them start they're own families and stay close to each other.  That's exactly the family I want someday.

What can you tell us about yourself that we haven't covered in this interview?  I don't know.  I'm not an exciting person.   Let's see....I don't know how to swim.  That's unusual right?  I don't know how to parallel park.  Well, didn't you have to do that for your driver's test?  Yes but there was nobody parked in front of me or behind me.  And when the examiner said I could go ahead and go, I was still in reverse and we shot backwards.   LOL  I still passed.

I love that story!  She probably passed because of her sweet, happy personality.

There's so much to add about Amber.  She's one of the most genuine, sweet, loving people you could ever hope to know.  She's been a treasure to our family since the day she was born and has grown into a mature, intelligent, patient, and understanding mom while remaining the perfect granddaughter, daughter, and niece she's always been.  She's always helpful, always considerate, and unfailingly kind.  Her beautiful smile lights up the room wherever she goes.  She has a great sense of humor and isn't afraid to laugh at herself.    All in all, I'd say she's just about perfect and we couldn't love her more.  So, Amber, this birthday wish is late but it's heartfelt.  We hope the coming year is your best one ever but not as great as the many, many more to come.