It’s Liberty’s Turn…{and a Special Surprise!}

Linny Saunders80 Comments
What a day we had yesterday~
I love surprises.
True surprises.
And we sure had one…
But first, it was {finally} her turn: 
The daughter, 
Who loves the orphan and dreams of someday spending her life 
working alongside her sister {and best friend}, Emma, in Uganda,
Whose laid back personally doesn’t get ruffled about much of anything,
Who is wise far beyond her years,
Who seeks to honor the Lord in all she does,
Who loves to minister to the hurting around her,
Steady and hard working..
Whose giggle is completely contagious,
The daughter who plays a pretty mean game of basketball, 
yes, that daughter…
Liberty
 is now a teenager…

 with breakfast in bed….

homemade blueberry muffins – her personal favorite….
even Elijah {who says blueberries make him gag}loved them

 The day was so much fun!

Dw and I took her for her honorary date alone with us.
{Liberty chose Buffalo Wild Wings.}
Emma then did a photo shoot of her – after all, turning 13 is a pretty big milestone!
{for a peek, feel free to check out the photos on Emma’s Facebook page:  E’s Art }


Emma and I then made her favorite dinner of Polish Sausage, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes and just as we were all about to sit down to eat we heard a loud uproar and squealing {I thought one of Liberty’s friends, who were expecting to stop by, had burst in the door}


I turned around and there she was….


Our Autumn ~


She had driven {9 hours} from Colorado to surprise Liberty for her birthday and to surprise me for Mother’s Day!   {Karl had to work.}
Surprised?  
My gracious.  
Liberty and I were completely shocked and delightfully surprised…


Dw, Emma and Graham all knew and had kept it a perfect secret….
{Did I ever mention that I love, love, love surprises}


The girls have all kinds of fun stuff planned for the week-end {I’m giddy} 

Ruby knew something exciting was up, because she squealed and squealed through dinner….clearly she loves her big sissy Autumn….

If you are able, please feel free to wish our newest teenager a Happy 13th Birthday…  

Liberty will be tickled to read your comments {no doubt}

80 thoughts on “It’s Liberty’s Turn…{and a Special Surprise!}”

  1. Happy Birthday Liberty!! You are a beauty 🙂 I hope one day you can meet my almost 13 year old daughter! Maybe in Uganda?? Have a fantastic day!!

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  5. Happy Birthday, Miss Liberty!! I hope your day was exceptional! xoxo!!

    (and what a great surprise that Autumn came home!! That's so exciting!)

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  7. I'm generally one of those lurkers (all though I am on the Knee Team) – yes, shame, shame, I know:), but I wanted you to know the words that went through my head when I read this, "They did something right."
    Your kids ~ who are not yours by birth, but by love ~ so obviously know that love.
    Thank you.

    And happy birthday, Liberty:)

    Reply

  10. Happy Birthday, Sweet Liberty! I am in awe of the beautiful young woman you are becoming. You always have a smile on your face and it's obvious that you have a heart for the Lord! I look forward to seeing all that He has planned for this new year in your life! Hugs from Minnes*ta! ~ Jo

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  14. Glad you had such a wonderful 13th Birthday, Liberty…You are so adorable….Wish I could have met you and your family when I was out visiting the Phoenix area a couple months ago….I bet you are even more adorable in person…
    Love from NC

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  18. Awww, happy birthday Liberty!!! I have a special place in my heart for middle kids. There you are, smack dab in the middle of the big kids and the little kids. It's great for building character, which you seem to have a lot of! I know your family will fill your day with blessings. Have a great one!!
    Love Megan & Matthew (both middles ourselves)

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  22. Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday Sweet Liberty! Happy Birthday to you! (Just be happy you didn't have to hear us sing that in person – NOT pretty!)

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  23. Happy BIG 13th Liberty! It is indeed such a special birthday. We just celebrated our firstborn's 13th birthday on the 3rd! I remember when I turned 13… My sweet grandparents who lived on a very modest income, drove from Michigan to Tennessee to take me and 13 of my friends out for a Hibachi style Japanese dinner at a very nice restaurant. I will never forget their sacrifice on my behalf. I hope you have enjoyed your celebrations with your family. May God bless you this day and many, many, many more!
    Blessings,
    Rebecca

    Reply

  24. Sweet Liberty, welcome to teenage-hood! 🙂 Sounds like you had the BEST of birthdays! We can't wait to meet you and your family when we come to Phoenix in a few weeks. Hugs and love
    from Nancy & ShaoXi

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  25. Happy Birthday Liberty!!! Thirteen years old..Yahoo!!!! You are such a beautiful young lady inside and out! I am forever grateful for your special prayers for me when I went through cancer surgery. They blessed me greatly and your heart for the hurting is a special gift from God.You are in my prayers.

    Have a wonderful day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy!

    Reply

  34. I absolutely love reading the posts about this awesome family. You are a true picture of what the Body of Christ really is.

    To Liberty….May God bless you as you begin this new phase of your life. I sense from what your Mom wrote about you that He has very special things planned for you. I pray that you will come to know His love, His peace, His wisdom and His power in greater measure with each passing year. Blessings to you!

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  35. Happy Birthday Liberty!!! Welcome to being a teen!! Praying God's blessings for you this year. (By the way, I am on my way to tell my 13 y.o. and my 12 year old daughters that it is your birthday!!!)

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  37. Happy Birthday Liberty!! Now that you are entering a new phase of life, hold your head up and charge ahead (just be careful to keep your head, so many teenagers seem to lose theirs. lol)
    Jennifer B

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  44. What a fun surprise! I hope you enjoy your time together. And happy happy birthday Miss Liberty! Family, friends, and food makes for a pretty awesome day (and that pie and ice cream looks yum). It looks like your day was pretty great!

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  45. Happy Birthday Liberty!!!! It looks like you had an extra special birthday with fun and surprises! May the Lord richly bless you this year as you continue to draw closer to HIM!!

    Many blessings sweet girl!

    Miss Joy

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  48. Happy Birthday Liberty!!! Turning 13 is such a great thing!! Hope you enjoyed your day and all the surprises that have come your way!!!

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  53. happy birthday, Dearest Liberty, I hope you have a blast with your family on your special birthday 🙂 :)(p.s. and oh, what is that black and white thing in your birthday cuppa??) 🙂

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    1. Susan A! I wondered if anyone would notice…I filled her coffee up only part way so people could see. Her favorite animal is a zebra and that's Liberty's special cup…and it has a zebra that is part of the inside of the cup that is also made of ceramic….it is really cute!

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  57. I'm sorry I'm a few days late, but Happy Birthday Sweet Liberty! I've been watching you grow up on your Mom's blog since the fire, and you are growing in to a beautiful young lady! I know you Mom/family is SOOOOO Proud of you!!! So excited that you go to be surprised by Autumn for your birthday too!!!

    Sarah from NM

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  59. Happy Birthday Liberty!!! How Awesome is that that your sister drove all that way just to surprise you. That is true love! Enjoy your special day. Tracy and Michelle

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  67. Liberty- Happy Birthday. I remember when my oldest daughter turned 13 and your Mommy helped me come up with the idea for the theme of her party. (we did an Esther theme!) Your name has such deep meaning and I have no doubts that the Lord will use you in mighty ways to bring freedom to His hidden treasures…all over the world through your lovingkindness, compassion and willingness to serve. They will see Him through you and He sets the captives free! May your birthday be filled to overflowing with blessings! So happy to hear your big sis was able to come spend time with you 🙂 ~Holly from Ft. Bragg North Carolina 🙂

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  68. happy birthday!! such a big birthday AND a visit from the big sister, you are truly blessed. I know you are on the road to doing great things for the orphans and the rest of the world. Enjoy your day

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  69. Happy, happy birthday sweet Liberty! God really pulled out all the stops for your thirteenth birthday, didn't He. I bet He giggled just as much as you and your mom did. He just loves to see His children happy. Glad you had such a wonderful birthday. 🙂

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  70. Happy birthday, Liberty! Enjoy the wonderful teenage years. There is so much to learn, explore, and enjoy! May you grow into more maturity under His loving hand.

    Linny, I love surprises too, and what a wonderful one to celebrate with Autumn! We received the sweetest picture and note from Bob and Vicki thanking us for praying for Karl. It was a totally unexpected surprise. I love the bonds that we have in the family of God. It was a privilege to join you all in praying for Karl and to witness the amazing recovery that he has had.

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  72. Happy Birthday to a charming young woman, of whom I'm so happy to be able to say is just as lovely in person as her mom says she is (here on this blog)! 😀

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  73. You are lovely, Liberty! Your joy overflows. Christ in you is evident in your photos, as well as in person! Enjoy pursuing Christ this next year — you're only 13 once! With love, Danica

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  76. Hi Liberty, I spent 4 days at the orphanage in Mexico so I wasn't online. Sorry I missed your special day! It looks like you had an amazing day with your wonderful family. You are a sweet treasure and precious blessing! Love you!!

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  77. I'm late to the party, but wanted to wish you a very Happy 13th Birthday Liberty! May your teen years be ones full of fun, friends, love, and growing to be all that God created you to be.

    Reply

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