Fifteen! How Did We Get Here So Fast? & Spread The Kindness Link Up On the Edge #805

May 1, 2026 / 22 Comments

Fifteen years ago today, we welcomed our first born into the world. When the nurse held him in front of my face for the first time, all I could say was, “It is so nice to meet you, little human.”

And what an amazing little human he was. Now he has grown into an amazing tall human who makes me so proud every single day.

He came into the world early. Five weeks early to be exact. I was not ready, but he was. He seems to always be ready. Without hesitation and with strong convictions, he strides through life with maturity, kindness, confidence, intelligence, steadiness, determination, and a strength I wish I had.

I do not worry about his future because I know he has all the tools he needs to be successful and good. He even knows how to effectively use those tools to his benefit…something that some people struggle with for a lifetime.

A few weeks ago, he started his first “real” job. For the last three years, he has been mowing neighborhood lawns to make some money, but now he is officially employed by an actual employer…a local family-owned hardware store. It is the perfect job for him and it is conveniently located directly across the street from his school so he can walk right there for his afternoon shifts. He absolutely loves the job and he really loves his paychecks. As he said, “It’s my money. That I earned myself. And no one can take it from me. Or tell me what to do with it.” I laughed so hard when he said that but I laughed with all the pride of a doting mother!

Go get ’em kid! Happy, happy birthday, Archer James. I hope you have the best day ever!

And now, like I did for his brother’s birthday, I went digging through old Facebook photos to create a “Best of Archer & Family: The Past 15 Years” photo montage. Enjoy!

He asked for homemade fried ravioli, chocolate chip banana bread, and an ice cream cake for his birthday dinner. I delivered the ravioli and banana bread but he wanted to pick out and decorate his ice cream cake himself. He also chose his own candles. We took some silly photos before he decorated the cake in a very obscene and inappropriate way. He demolished the banana bread before I could take a picture and I forbid him taking any photos of his birthday cake after he defaced it. Some memories don’t need to be memorialized in photographs!

Won’t you join the link party below to celebrate my fantastic kid!

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You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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22 Comments

  • Stephanie

    May 1, 2026 at 4:48 am Reply

    Shelbee, happy birthday to your son! 🥳🎉 Our oldest daughter just turned 15 in April. 🎂 It’s amazing how time goes by so quickly. Wishing your son an amazing day! 🌟 As always, thank you for hosting this linkup. Take care. 🤗

  • Di

    May 1, 2026 at 10:18 am Reply

    A very happy birthday to Archie, and a fantastic year ahead for him! Loved your photo montage of memories of the past 15 years. You must be beaming with pride-and startled to see his transition on the page from a baby to the young man you are so proud of! Thanks for sharing!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      May 1, 2026 at 3:51 pm Reply

      Di, thanks so much! It is really startling to see how quickly they grow from babies to adult sized humans! And there’s nothing we can do about it! Eeek. I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Marsha Banks

    May 1, 2026 at 10:51 pm Reply

    Happy birthday to Archer! It’s amazing how quickly the time goes. I loved looking at the photos as your family grew! Congratulations to him on a “real job.” My 15 year old grandson is currently doing lifeguard training with the hopes of becoming one. I had to laugh when my daughter told me he had to swim something like 30 meters in 20 minutes without stopping. This kid has state cuts in many events so swimming is not going to be a problem. Isn’t it wonderful when you can stop and reflect, for a bit, on what you and your family have accomplished as a cohesive unit? The storms you’ve weathered, the joys you’ve celebrated, and most importantly, the life you’ve lived. You have truly created an atmosphere for your family where love thrives and growth occurs. Thanks so much for the feature as well as the link party!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      May 2, 2026 at 5:59 am Reply

      Oh my goodness, Marsha, this comment just made me cry! Thank you so much for these beautiful words. I have worked really hard to create this family, home, and life of mine. I used to never think I deserved such good things, but after working as hard as I have, I now believe I deserve it all! LOL

      The lifeguard training requirements always make me laugh. It is usually people with competitive swimming backgrounds who go for those jobs so you would think the requirements would be a bit more stringent when it comes to saving lives! I am sure your grandson will complete course with no problems. In NY you have to be 16 to work as a lifeguard but they will let you get certified younger. Just no one will hire you until 16. Actually, that was true of almost everywhere when Archie was looking for a job. Family-owned small business seem to be the only employers that will hire kids younger than 16 even though they can legally start working at 14. Thank goodness for Stratton Hardware!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      May 2, 2026 at 5:47 am Reply

      Aw, thanks so much, my friend! He is a wonderful kid, for sure! He asked for homemade fried ravioli and banana bread for dinner last night so I made it all for him! Tonight he wants to order pizza with his friend and have ice cream cake after. And tomorrow we are going out to dinner with other friends. A whole weekend celebration!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

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