Wonderful, Wonderful Winter

Winter is definitely a much more enjoyable season with older kids! When they were younger, the days draggggggggggged on and we couldn't wait for warmer weather and a change to break free from our four walls. Now that the kids are older, though, we enjoy the slower pace and lazier moments. We've had more weeknights with long family dinners, games, and snuggles on the couch. We've had weekends with no schedule to answer to and endless time to do what we want. It has been wonderful and a much needed recharge before a busy spring!

The boys finally agreed to a fresh coat of paint before our new carpet was installed. Their sentimental sides left them quite upset about covering up Grandpa's mural. Thankfully he agreed to paint a smaller version of it on a canvas that they could treasure forever.

We enjoyed a super relaxing and enjoyable weekend in Grand Haven, Michigan. There was a lot of quality time together and a fun day of skiing for the kids (Leah and Joel were first timers....Caleb went once last year). They all surprised us with how well they did. Hopefully we can do it again next year!

We surprised the kids exactly 100 days before our Disney trip. They are definitely looking forward to when we go in May!

Leah had one request for her birthday celebration....a sleepover with her best friend. They had so much fun!

We loved the several good snowstorms. Chief was probably the most excited!

We enjoyed getting to go to Caleb's freshman open house. Its hard to believe that he's going to high school!

For their birthdays this year, the kids asked if they could skip getting presents and take a trip to a waterpark. We had a ton of fun on our overnight trip...and especially enjoyed the fact that our friends were there with us!

Band and choir have kept the kids quite busy. We love watching them explore their passion for music!

Joel and I got to enjoy a trip to Superstart (a 4th/5th grade overnight conference). It was so fun to connect with other people from our church. The best part was the bus ride home, where an EXHAUSTED ten year old snuggled up and fell asleep on my lap.

Tyler and Leah enjoyed their first daddy daughter dance. They had a lot of fun!

Joel was thrilled to be invited to the zoo with the Rojas family. We sure are thankful for such great neighbors!

Caleb had a blast celebrating his birthday with some of his closest buddies. We had such a great time overhearing their goofy conversations and were thrilled when they included us in their fun by challenging us to a game of Beat the Parents. We won't discuss who won!