Spring Break 2019

This year, we had one of the most memorable and enjoyable spring breaks yet! It started out with a nightmare of a drive and ended with seven days of gorgeous weather, lots of laughter, and plenty of relaxation.

We left for Florida at about 2am on Saturday morning. Within a half hour of starting our drive, we got our first-ever flat tire....what are the chances that it would happen then?!? It was nearly impossible to find any sort of help at that time of the day, so Tyler changed the tire and we rode on the spare for WAY longer than we should've and at a MUCH slower speed than we would've preferred. We did our best to problem solve what to do so that we could get a new tire and be on our way. The best solution was to find a small, local tire place in the middle of Effingham, IL that opened at 7am. The men there were saints and we were on our way by 8am. The only silver lining of the whole fiasco, was that cousin Meredith was joining us this year for the trip and had been under the impression that we were leaving on Sunday and not Saturday. Because we were delayed by quite a few hours, she ended up being able to meet us on Saturday morning around 9:30 instead of what she had thought would be Sunday morning at 6:00. We were so thankful that our disaster made it possible for her to still be able to come! Once we had our new tire and our additional passenger, we were on our way to the Sunshine State. Little did we know, however, that we would hit horrendous traffic throughout Alabama and our normal 14 hour trip took almost 20 when all was said and done. It was brutal and we definitely think God rewarded us for all of that mess by giving us the most wonderful week once we were finally there!

Our mornings were slow and easy. The kids loved getting to snuggle up with Meredith and watch TV. Once that was done and breakfast was eaten, they were often out in the courtyard having fun with all of the other kids staying at the complex. Endless games of baseball and kickball were played throughout the week and, as always, it's so fun to see so many different kids hanging out and having a blast. While the kids played, we could hang out sipping coffee and laughing until our bellies hurt as Meredith shared all sorts of fun stories about life as a kindergarten teacher or Tyler and Meredith reminisced about their childhood. 

As the sun rose and the temps warmed, we would make our way to the beach or pool where we spent hours upon hours relaxing (or, in some cases, sleeping)! The kids had quite a few familiar buddies there from previous years and it was so fun to watch them all play like they've been best friends for years.

Our evenings were spent around the dinner table sharing more stories and enjoying endless laughter. The group of beach buddies would bounce between some of the units and spent time having movie nights, playing games, enjoying night swims, and making lots of memories.

It might be hard to ever top this trip to Florida. Despite the horrible start, we had an absolutely amazing week together!  We can't wait to do it all again next year!

Dear Caleb,

Another year has come and gone....perhaps even faster than the first years of your life. It honestly feels like we were just celebrating the fact that you hit double-digits, and now here we are celebrating 11. 11 means you're closer to the teen years than you are to being a little boy. Indeed, you are every bit of a pre-teen and it's been such a cool transition to watch as you've gone from little boy to adolescent to pre-teen. This past year has brought on subtle, but noteworthy changes.

You have stopped growing like a weed like you used to. There was a time when we were buying new shoes several times a year. This year, we had to buy a new pair in the same size because (after an entire year of use) they were trashed! It's been okay to see this halt in your crazy growth, because to be quite honest, you were getting way too close in height to the adults in your life and that's just ridiculous! It's also been a nice change to have you staying in clothes for longer than one season. After all, you're now in men's sized clothes and those cost a lot more...not to mention, in all of your pre-teenness, you love name brands ($$$).

The only insane clothing purchase made this year was for your band outfit that will be worn a total of two times. Regardless, it was a worthwhile purchase since you've seemed to really take a liking to band. Even though it means getting up for 7:00am band twice a week, you haven't complained once. You got a bit worked up and worried before your winter show...afraid that you'd make a huge mistake doing one of the percussion parts by yourself, but you surprised yourself (not us, though, because we knew you'd be fine) and did great! You've learned so much and are eager to keep going. We now own the percussion kit that started out with a trial rental, so the eagerness to keep going better stay!

Other than band, most of your school extracurriculars have stayed the same. You, once again, signed up for tons of clubs and have even expanded your horizons and added some new ones. You've loved your decision to join the library helper club. It's been neat to watch you take ownership of this role that allows you to serve your school in a positive way. You also chose to join chess club and almost backed out due to an irrational fear that you'd never win. Much to your surprise, you're pretty good, and even made it to the finals of the tournament at the end of the club. When you're not busy with all of your extracurricular school stuff, you're simply being a 5th grade boy. You love everything about school....your teachers, friends, academics, and the time away from your brother and sister! School is definitely one area where you shine. You make it look so easy and definitely make it a breeze for your parents! We never have to worry about you and you've proven to be incredibly responsible with your job of being a good student and doing your best at all times. Your teachers say that you're a great student and (most importantly to us) a kindhearted kid to your classmates.

When it comes to life at home, you're a pretty predictable kid. Your favorite thing to do is to be with friends. We are quite thankful that you have surrounded yourself with some of the kindest and most genuine kids. We love your friends and love that they are such a positive influence in your life. If you aren't with friends, you are outside shooting hoops or playing catch or rollerblading or doing anything sports related. You still love all things sports...watching sports, playing sports, talking about sports. You have continued to love playing flag football, basketball, and baseball. You have lucked out by having some great coaches...dad being one of them! We really enjoyed watching your baseball team go undefeated for over 10 games in a row last summer. You all started out a bit rocky and pulled together to be an awesome group of boys that played so well together. It was heartbreaking to lose near the end of the playoffs...especially since we goofed on the timing of our first trip to the lake and schedule it during your last playoff game. It was probably a good thing that the team lost, because you didn't feel quite as bad about missing out on that!

If friends and sports don't keep you occupied, your next two favorite things are reading and video games. You could spend hours doing both! Unfortunately (for you) we don't let you play endless video games, but you certainly get your fill of them! It's especially fun to watch you teaching Joel all about the games that you've gotten so good at. You are certainly growing in your patience level for a younger brother that wants to do everything you do! If your electronic time is cut off, you're most likely found somewhere in the house with your face in a book. You read anything and everything. Your biggest reading accomplishment this year was finally finishing up the Harry Potter series that TiTi challenged you to do a couple years ago. Your reward was a VERY special trip with just TiTi to Universal Studios. You were so excited to go and came back with all sorts of awesome memories.

No matter what types of changes come in a year, we still love that some things never change with our Caleb. You still have that same smile that you had as a baby - the one that lights up your whole face and makes anyone watching smile back. You have an innocence and curiosity for the world that we cherish deeply. You love to talk and we know that there are times when we appear to be drained of your endless chatter, but we are truly so grateful to have a child that wants to tell us everything. You have a love and passion for animals that is so incredibly sweet. Losing your first dog, Chesney, this year was a tough experience, but it's going to be amazing to watch you bond with our new dog in another month. You have a huge need for justice and fairness. In your younger years, this meant a lot of whining and complaining when things weren't "fair". However, as you're getting older we see less of the whining and more your ability to see that sometimes it's okay for things to be unequal. Even more so, you're recognizing that the way things work out often depends upon your ability to make wise choices. Thankfully, you are great at following your intuition and know when to make the right choice. We know how hard that can be at this age. It's very easy to be a follower and just go along with what others are doing - right or wrong. You are choosing the harder path, and we know that God will honor that in big ways. You are certainly entering some of the hardest years of your life. Many of the choices you will make have big consequences. Your firm foundation is built on your strong faith in God. We will continue to pray that this faith grows and that God proves faithful in his promise to guide you along the path He has planned for you. You're going to do great and awesome things one day....and, in the meantime, you're going to be a super great and majorly awesome 11 year old! Happy Birthday to you sweet boy!

Love,
Dad and Mom

Celebrating Caleb

For Caleb's birthday, we had originally planned to go to Lincoln Park Zoo with a few of his friends. He wanted to go there because the zoo was home to one of his most favorite animals...a red panda. He was so excited to finally see one in person! Unfortunately, but thankfully, we found out a couple days ahead of time that the exhibit was under construction and the red pandas were moved to another zoo temporarily. In a scramble to find out what to do instead, we found a great indoor miniature golf place. Caleb and his friends had a blast and we were so glad that the disappointing change of plans ended up being a lot of fun! 

Caleb's Big Surprise

It was a surprise several years in the making. It began about two years ago when Caleb started to take an interest in reading tougher, longer chapter books. His book-loving TiTi challenged him to read the entire Harry Potter series. If he did, she said that she'd take him to Universal Studios in Florida to see the Harry Potter world in person. Well, Caleb doesn't take challenges lightly and is one that holds people to their promises. After almost two years (a few times he fell off the track and didn't think he'd care to finish) he finally read the last book! 

The big reveal came at the end of Tracy's family birthday celebration. After she finished opening her presents, there was one gift left. She told Caleb it was a present for him. Inside, there were all sorts of Harry Potter things...one of which was a luggage tag. She also had the plane tickets and trip itinerary printed off. It took him a bit to put all of the pieces together, but when he finally realized what was happening, he was so excited...almost to the point of crying!

The trip was awesome and full of great memories. Caleb (and Leah and Joel) are SO lucky to have an aunt that cares for them like they're her own children. I know he will cherish this experience for the rest of his life!

Lake Lawn 2019

This year's trip to Lake Lawn brought a whole new level of fun with Nana Pam and Ed joining us. We had a super relaxing and enjoyable weekend with family and friends-like-family! The time together never disappoints.

We are so lucky to be surrounded by so much love.

  Nightly BINGO was a hit.

There's always lots of game playing....in the kid activity room, at the arcade, or back in the room.

 Quality time, PJ time, Relaxation time....the BEST time!

 The early risers get sneak out of the room to play games with Mom.

 The lake wasn't frozen over enough for ice skating, but we found an awesome hill for sledding/snowboarding. Even Grandpa got in on the fun!

 

 Swimming is another favorite activity for these fish.

Dear Joel,

It's probably time that we stop referring to you as the baby of the family. At age seven, you're nothing like a baby. In fact, as the youngest of three, you are a much "older" seven year old than either of your siblings at this age. Everything about you still looks and feels so little, but you want nothing to do with being small.

Big things happened this year and we are slowly accepting the fact that just like Caleb and Leah, you have to grow up! Little things like learning to tie your shoes, losing your first tooth, and becoming a reader are not so little when it's our last time seeing it happen! With great joy, we've watched you hit these milestones and so many more this year. 

Perhaps the biggest change this year was having you gone at school all day. The night before first grade started, you were in full blown tears about the idea of being away from Mommy all day. Yet, without a single issue, you sailed through day one and never looked back. Your teacher, despite us asking quite often if she's really being honest, says that you are so well behaved and work very hard at school. You've made some new buddies and love the social aspect of school. Thankfully, you manage to save that socialization for the appropriate times (which still shocks us)! Even more so, you've shocked us with how quickly you've excelled in school. You are a fluent reader and are so eager to keep trying newer and harder books. You love having the ability to read and write and you are constantly using those skills. When we are out and about or just sitting at home, you are always reading things and asking questions...whether it's a book or just the label on a peanut butter jar, words are coming to life for you and it's so exciting! But literacy doesn't stand a chance against your love of math. Your mental math skills and ability to work with numbers are awesome. Sometimes we ask questions to your older brother and sister and you answer them before they do!

Speaking of your older brother and sister, they are still your closest friends (and, at times, worst enemies). You clearly adore and admire them, yet sometimes your desire to keep up with them doesn't end well. Everyone, including you, has a hard time remembering that you aren't their age. There are moments of major frustration when you can't figure out a game that they're playing or understand something they're reading or play sports as well as them. Yet, when things are going well, you are always their number one playmate. You and Caleb bond over XBox games (sometimes), love to have wrestling matches in the basement, and find humor in silly boy things that you'll probably never outgrow. You and Leah share a different bond. She still likes to mother you, but you are fighting that BIG time. When the balance works itself out, you can be found playing games, doing crafts, or getting roped into "girly" things like playing Barbies or having your nails painted. No doubt, you're going to grow into a very well rounded adult!

By yourself, you are definitely a unique kid and there is no denying that you are carving out your own path. You have so much curiosity and could spend hours investigating how something is built or why it works in a certain way. You also have an amazing sense of humor and still find so much joy in making other people laugh. At the core of all of this, though, is the sweetest and most sensitive heart. You hate to disappoint people (with the exception of your siblings). When someone you love is upset or sad, you immediately try to cheer them up. You give the best squeeze hugs and rarely turn down the chance to sit and snuggle. Perhaps the biggest heartbreak of this past year was having to put our beloved Chesney down. You two had a bond like no other and it hit you hard having to say goodbye to her. You love to hear the story of how she used to wander into the nursery before you were born and hop into the glider. It was as if she knew the last baby would be coming home soon and she couldn't wait.

As you enter this new year of life, there is so much goodness to look forward to. We are sure there will be so many more changes and moments of bittersweet growth. It is so very exciting to watch you grow, but with each new milestone, another chapter ends. We will continue to pray that God molds you into the amazing person you are becoming. We pray that your faith in Him never fades and your wonder and curiosity of His world leads you to do great things! Happy Birthday, Joel-y!!! We love you so, so, so, so much!

Love,
Daddy and Mommy 

Leah is NINE!

When your birthday falls in the middle of a hectic holiday season, the celebrating seems to go on and on. But, for this girl, it is totally worth it! She started by celebrating at school before Christmas break. Sadly, that doesn't involve much these days, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. On her actual birthday, she was quite excited that she got to wake up at Grandpa and Grandma's house (Daddy and Mommy had a wedding the night before). After a special breakfast, she got to come home and check out her present from us....a real desk for the school room. She was thrilled! That evening, we enjoyed dinner and fun at Nana Pam and Ed's house. Leah loved being the center of attention and they made sure she felt special the whole time. The final birthday celebration was her friend party, which we held at a local ice cream and candy store. Leah and eight of her gal pals had a blast for two hours. They ate tons of sweets, played lots of games, and giggled nonstop!