Thankful Tuesday- My Daniel!

This would be my beautiful boy. My son, the one we waited for and longed for and finally after 10 years between kids we got!

In late Nov of 1972 I had( I won't say suffered) a miscarriage. I was very sad. We wanted so bad to have a baby boy. Two of my friends who were around my age or older had just had girls and another one older then me was about to have a boy. I was visiting one of the new babies and feeling sad. So Christmas came and went and I started to not feel so good and thought it was the stress of it all and Christmas etc. Remember back then you didn't roll out of bed and announce I'M PREGNANT :) But in Feb. I went to Dr. and sure enough, a baby was on the way :)

So on Sept 11, 1973 and 5:50 P.M. my littlest baby(6 pounds 18 inches) was born:) And we could not have been more thrilled... Well everyone except sister Tina, she cried cuz he wasn't a girl ! LOL and she has reminded him of that many times. Which is funny because she practically raised the boy the first 5 years! Both sisters fought over him.. I mean physically FOUGHT, pulling at him, until one time one let go and the other fell into the wall with him! They could not come in from school without shaking his bassinet and declaring that he was "awake"!

Daniel has always said he had "3 mothers" He also says he has the best Dad in the world too and his Dad thinks he has the best son.

If I had to give just one word to describe my son I would say "Sweet". There are lots of descriptions though.. Kind, gentle, polite, generous, devoted and fun loving.

People that didn't know Daniel very well thought he was bashful. Perhaps a little shy and unsure of himself but NOT bashful and he can talk your leg off if given the chance. He would come home from school and have to relate every single moment of the day, from the time he stepped out of the car to the time I picked him up!

When Daniel was a little boy he loved to be outside playing more then eating, seriously. He was a skinny little kid that was perpetual motion! He and his friends played from morning till night. I don't even want to know what all went on down West High Street in Manchester, but that was the joy of raising a little boy in a small Southern town in the 70's and 80's. Two of those little boys he played with were killed right after high school. Broke our hearts. But not in the neighborhood!

Daniel learned to ride a bike without training wheels when he was 4 years old. And he never looked back, he just rode and rode and rode. He wanted to get in to competitive riding but that just didn't happen. He also WON a bike one time at a ball game :)

I'm not sure when he started but I think at around 10 he discovered the skate board and after that he was known as the SK8 Boarder of Manchester. From then till he was into his early 20's he lived to skate and skated to live. He had really sweet friends and they had so much fun for so many years. They were hassled, oh boy oh boy oh boy were they hassled. Skating to a toll on Daniel's body, but I don't think he would take any of it back.. I am amused when people ask me if he still skates..hmmmm no he's 36 and has a family, he has grown up :)

We went thru SO many hair do's with Daniel, that I could do a whole album of just that:) He was a very blond Tow Head until he graduated from high school and then it started turning darker and now just the last few years it has gotten very dark, but I wish I had his hair, it's SO pretty!

Daniel started college at Martin Methodist...then Memphis State and finally home, hungry and humble he went to Middle TN State U and graduated! We were so proud of him. We know it wasn't easy for him, he always struggled in school, but he made it and he did it by himself. And we didn't owe a penny when he finished.

During his years as a student in Memphis, his Grandma Arizona died. It devastated him as it did all of us.. She had moved in with us when he was in high school and they adored each other. But also during that time his first and only little niece Caroline was born! and he was so excited over that he could hardly stand it. Although all of us have noticed that he was and still is slightly jealous of her:) he had been the baby in the family a long long time!

Now some where in those high school years he met his very best friend named Katherine :) He also had lots of girls friends, none of which were her! but they were good friends and stayed that way for all thru college until they were about 25 and started walking dogs together and working together and then next thing I knew they were married! :) I don't think they ever actually dated! But Katherine was always around~

During the next year they lost Aidan and we all wondered if they would make it, but they did. They have persevered and will never recover from the loss, but it has become bearable.

They bought the land that his Grandma had out in Beechgrove so they are "country folks".. Which is a good thing because of their love of animals and their desire to rescue them.

Then 3 1/2 years ago "Yum Yum" or Yummy was born. Jimmy named him that because he couldn't say Liam and I tried to teach him by saying LEEEEEEEEE YUMMMMMMMM and it came out YUM YUM.. But his name is Liam Eamon and he was this absolutely adorable blond sweet thing. I think he was the first baby I've seen with genuinely blond hair. He was SO cute and he just wrapped himself around his Da Da's heart.

Daniel is such a very good son and I mean that in every way. He comes when I need him, he helps when it's needed and he's always kind and loving. He's a devoted husband and father and works very hard to support them. Above anything else he is truly is a good person. Daniel has never missed an April 22 to call me to tell me he loves me on the anniversary of my Mother's passing.

If I could pick any son to have, I would pick my Daniel Lyle :) I love him and I'm so thankful for him. I love you Danny Boy~