Saturday, November 23, 2013
10 and 13 year old pictures
I am attaching the kids 13 year old and 10 year old pictures. I took these on our way to Canada this summer at Ft. Mackinac by the Mackinaw Bridge. The kids enjoyed playing around this cluster of white birch.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
It's been a while.
Wow, has it really been a year since I lasted posted something? The answer is yes because we just celebrated Grace's Family Forever Day yesterday and as I look on blog, the last post was the same day last year!
We now have a 10 and 13 year old living in the house and life is definitely crazier, busier and in full swing. It was in full swing before, but with friends, social activities, school projects, sporting events, youth group and homework, it feels like it is one of the swings you find at n amusement park rather than a tire swing hanging in the backyard.
Conferences went well. Both kids received glowing remarks on character which made us very proud. Grace worked hard for all A's and was nominated for Student of The Month last week because one of her teachers thought she demonstrated hard work, honesty, integrity, kindness and other qualities that make her a good role model among her peers. She was nominated last year too by her math teacher because she said thank you after every class. Her math teacher this year mentioned that too and even said that he was so impressed with that, he has started encouraging his boys to do the same. Next year, off to high school.
Caleb is doing well this year with a new teacher at Brown, Mrs. Langdon We really like her and it seems to be a great match for our inquisitive, creative and energetic boy. He likes to learn and I am always amazed at the random facts and pieces of knowledge he has learned. The boy is a walking memory game. We did decide to try Concerta meds to see if that would help him concentrate in class and he has done a terrific job taking it. He is so much more responsible and attentive in a good way. His energy is endless and his personality keeps us on our toes. I can't believe it is his last year in elementary school!
Sports wise, both are playing basketball and soccer. Grace played 7th grade basketball and soccer last year for school. This year she decided to try out for a travel soccer team called Vardar. She has loved playing soccer at this level and enjoys her coach which is a Davenport student who play so the women's team. She is also playing in 2 basketball leagues and wanting for school ball to start in Jan.
Caleb has become quite the basketball player. He is playing on a courthouse league with the same kids as he did last year. He plays point guard for the most part and forward in soccer. He is our offensive player were Grace is our defensive player. Caleb enjoys playing soccer but hasn't taken off like I thought he would. He hasn't played baseball in 2 years but said the other day, he would like to play again. He is definitely getting into watching sports on TV with Doug. He knows players names, calls, teams and wants to watch everything, including the commercials.
They both are into screens as you can imagine. Grace likes to watch things on her itouch and Caleb on anything. Grace walks around listening to music with headphones. Caleb still enjoys the wii too. They both know more about my phone than I do. I got a mac for an early christmas present and Grace has informed me that she will give me lessons soon (she has one for school and I am amazed at what she can do).
Random Tidbits:
1. They both dressed up for Halloween and gathered lots of candy which is all gone!
2. They both want a dog for Christmas really bad.
3. They both wear my shoe size.
4. Grace likes to go to the mall now especially if she can order chinese food from the foodcourt.
5. Caleb likes to go to Costco with me, he likes the "testers" and fruit smoothies.
6. Both do a really good job of doing their chores.
7. Their favorite games to play are "would you rather" and "word association."
8. As much as they complain about hi low at dinner, they bring it up when I forget!
We now have a 10 and 13 year old living in the house and life is definitely crazier, busier and in full swing. It was in full swing before, but with friends, social activities, school projects, sporting events, youth group and homework, it feels like it is one of the swings you find at n amusement park rather than a tire swing hanging in the backyard.
Conferences went well. Both kids received glowing remarks on character which made us very proud. Grace worked hard for all A's and was nominated for Student of The Month last week because one of her teachers thought she demonstrated hard work, honesty, integrity, kindness and other qualities that make her a good role model among her peers. She was nominated last year too by her math teacher because she said thank you after every class. Her math teacher this year mentioned that too and even said that he was so impressed with that, he has started encouraging his boys to do the same. Next year, off to high school.
Caleb is doing well this year with a new teacher at Brown, Mrs. Langdon We really like her and it seems to be a great match for our inquisitive, creative and energetic boy. He likes to learn and I am always amazed at the random facts and pieces of knowledge he has learned. The boy is a walking memory game. We did decide to try Concerta meds to see if that would help him concentrate in class and he has done a terrific job taking it. He is so much more responsible and attentive in a good way. His energy is endless and his personality keeps us on our toes. I can't believe it is his last year in elementary school!
Sports wise, both are playing basketball and soccer. Grace played 7th grade basketball and soccer last year for school. This year she decided to try out for a travel soccer team called Vardar. She has loved playing soccer at this level and enjoys her coach which is a Davenport student who play so the women's team. She is also playing in 2 basketball leagues and wanting for school ball to start in Jan.
Caleb has become quite the basketball player. He is playing on a courthouse league with the same kids as he did last year. He plays point guard for the most part and forward in soccer. He is our offensive player were Grace is our defensive player. Caleb enjoys playing soccer but hasn't taken off like I thought he would. He hasn't played baseball in 2 years but said the other day, he would like to play again. He is definitely getting into watching sports on TV with Doug. He knows players names, calls, teams and wants to watch everything, including the commercials.
They both are into screens as you can imagine. Grace likes to watch things on her itouch and Caleb on anything. Grace walks around listening to music with headphones. Caleb still enjoys the wii too. They both know more about my phone than I do. I got a mac for an early christmas present and Grace has informed me that she will give me lessons soon (she has one for school and I am amazed at what she can do).
Random Tidbits:
1. They both dressed up for Halloween and gathered lots of candy which is all gone!
2. They both want a dog for Christmas really bad.
3. They both wear my shoe size.
4. Grace likes to go to the mall now especially if she can order chinese food from the foodcourt.
5. Caleb likes to go to Costco with me, he likes the "testers" and fruit smoothies.
6. Both do a really good job of doing their chores.
7. Their favorite games to play are "would you rather" and "word association."
8. As much as they complain about hi low at dinner, they bring it up when I forget!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Merry Christmas! You may be wondering why it has taken me so long to post something. I wonder the same thing. I like posting and sharing with you what the kids are doing but I can't seem to find the time to sit and write. I do this week because it is Christmas! Being off the normal day to day schedule is awesome in some ways.
So, since the summer not much has changed in our lives other than the kids keep growing and growing! Grace started 7th grade and is doing well. After a bumpy year in 6th grade, this year is proving to be a lot smoother. She played Ayso soccer in the fall with her favorite coach, Mr. Woudstra and really got into the defense portion of the game. She ended up playing sweeper and loved it. She has a protective nature about her so that position fit naturally with her personality. She also played Courthouse basketball in preparation for the school team. She actually tries out for that after the New Year. She and Doug have been trying to improve certain parts of her game (again, she is fabulous defensively!). She just needs confidence and to be play more aggressively in the offense department. She has beautiful technique with shooting but seldom shoots because she gets nervous.
She has grown a lot (my size shoes, my shirts...you get the picture). She is also playing clarinet for the 2nd year in a row although I think it should be drums. She is constantly drumming with pencils everywhere. She was awarded Person of Character at school for the month of September. She apparently shows respects! She also made Honor Roll. We were so proud of her. She is also still into reading and movies. Her dream is to be in a movie some day and become a Police Officer when she grows up. She loves Hunger Games, walking around with earplugs listening to her favorite tunes and enjoys her itouch way too much some days. Youth group at church has entered her life as a regular activity and she is enjoying it. We have a terrific youth pastor and that makes a huge difference! For Christmas, she got a bow and arrow, an electric drum pad and as a surprise....... fencing classes. You may ask why? Well, if she is not drumming, watching movies, listening to music or pretending to be Catnis from Hunger Games, she is sword fighting with nerf dollar store swords in her room. We thought we should channel the energy before it got out of hand.
Caleb is now a 3rd grader mastering multiplication facts quicker than I can keep clean dishes in the kitchen. He is a whiz at certain things that is for sure. However, he can't remember to hang his coat up. He also played Ayso soccer this fall and started on a Courthouse basketball team (no more Upward). He seemed to catch on more this year in soccer. I still think that may be his sport because of the constant movement. However, he does not have an aggressive bone in his body. That makes it hard to actually possess the ball and score. Basketball has proven to be good for him, he is the best hustler on the team. The only problem is, he is shorter and smaller than most boys his age. He does enjoy it however and it is fun to watch him improve. For Christmas we got a bow and arrow also, a big boy snowboard and his own discs for disc golf. He loves to play that with Doug
He still loves to be involved in anything one of us is doing. He has a room of nice toys but they go unused because he would rather help us do whatever we are currently working on. It could be cleaning, making dinner, repairing something, working on the computer etc.... We try to include him but there are times I send him to his room for some quiet time and a break for him and us. He still loves screens, playing outside and being with friends. He is constantly asking for play dates, coordinating plans and asking for someone to come over. We have also started tapping into his ability to remember things. When any of us are missing something, we ask Caleb if he knows where it is. Usually he has seen it at some point or.....he has touched it, played with it, used it and ultimately moved it. That does not work very well for Doug and I who already fit memory issues! Nothing on the horizon medically for him thankfully. He should start round 2 of braces sometime in February if x-rays show a developed bone in his jawbone. We have been praying since July that the bone marrow created a new bone and fused to the existing jaw. That would be totally awesome!
Odds and ends: For Halloween, Grace wanted to be a secret spy agent and Caleb was a football. Grace walked the subdivision with a friend and decided not to collect candy! She came home early and wanted to read and pass out candy to our trick or treaters instead. Caleb collected a stash and shared it with her...it was so sweet. Thanksgiving went well. We delivered meals again and enjoyed a relaxing dinner afterward at home. The long weekend was perfect...I can't remember the last time we all rested, read and watched movies. It was wonderful.
We are looking forward to the New Year! School sports, more basketball/soccer, work, church activities, time with family and friends and normal day to day stuff. We also have some big birthdays coming up this year. Doug turns 50, Grace becomes a teenager and Caleb turns double digits! I stay in the same "bubble" or age bracket from last year. The only difference is that it is getting harder to fight gravity and the changes that go with aging. Reading glasses are a staple around our house now. Thankfully, Depends are not yet!
So, since the summer not much has changed in our lives other than the kids keep growing and growing! Grace started 7th grade and is doing well. After a bumpy year in 6th grade, this year is proving to be a lot smoother. She played Ayso soccer in the fall with her favorite coach, Mr. Woudstra and really got into the defense portion of the game. She ended up playing sweeper and loved it. She has a protective nature about her so that position fit naturally with her personality. She also played Courthouse basketball in preparation for the school team. She actually tries out for that after the New Year. She and Doug have been trying to improve certain parts of her game (again, she is fabulous defensively!). She just needs confidence and to be play more aggressively in the offense department. She has beautiful technique with shooting but seldom shoots because she gets nervous.
She has grown a lot (my size shoes, my shirts...you get the picture). She is also playing clarinet for the 2nd year in a row although I think it should be drums. She is constantly drumming with pencils everywhere. She was awarded Person of Character at school for the month of September. She apparently shows respects! She also made Honor Roll. We were so proud of her. She is also still into reading and movies. Her dream is to be in a movie some day and become a Police Officer when she grows up. She loves Hunger Games, walking around with earplugs listening to her favorite tunes and enjoys her itouch way too much some days. Youth group at church has entered her life as a regular activity and she is enjoying it. We have a terrific youth pastor and that makes a huge difference! For Christmas, she got a bow and arrow, an electric drum pad and as a surprise....... fencing classes. You may ask why? Well, if she is not drumming, watching movies, listening to music or pretending to be Catnis from Hunger Games, she is sword fighting with nerf dollar store swords in her room. We thought we should channel the energy before it got out of hand.
Caleb is now a 3rd grader mastering multiplication facts quicker than I can keep clean dishes in the kitchen. He is a whiz at certain things that is for sure. However, he can't remember to hang his coat up. He also played Ayso soccer this fall and started on a Courthouse basketball team (no more Upward). He seemed to catch on more this year in soccer. I still think that may be his sport because of the constant movement. However, he does not have an aggressive bone in his body. That makes it hard to actually possess the ball and score. Basketball has proven to be good for him, he is the best hustler on the team. The only problem is, he is shorter and smaller than most boys his age. He does enjoy it however and it is fun to watch him improve. For Christmas we got a bow and arrow also, a big boy snowboard and his own discs for disc golf. He loves to play that with Doug
He still loves to be involved in anything one of us is doing. He has a room of nice toys but they go unused because he would rather help us do whatever we are currently working on. It could be cleaning, making dinner, repairing something, working on the computer etc.... We try to include him but there are times I send him to his room for some quiet time and a break for him and us. He still loves screens, playing outside and being with friends. He is constantly asking for play dates, coordinating plans and asking for someone to come over. We have also started tapping into his ability to remember things. When any of us are missing something, we ask Caleb if he knows where it is. Usually he has seen it at some point or.....he has touched it, played with it, used it and ultimately moved it. That does not work very well for Doug and I who already fit memory issues! Nothing on the horizon medically for him thankfully. He should start round 2 of braces sometime in February if x-rays show a developed bone in his jawbone. We have been praying since July that the bone marrow created a new bone and fused to the existing jaw. That would be totally awesome!
Odds and ends: For Halloween, Grace wanted to be a secret spy agent and Caleb was a football. Grace walked the subdivision with a friend and decided not to collect candy! She came home early and wanted to read and pass out candy to our trick or treaters instead. Caleb collected a stash and shared it with her...it was so sweet. Thanksgiving went well. We delivered meals again and enjoyed a relaxing dinner afterward at home. The long weekend was perfect...I can't remember the last time we all rested, read and watched movies. It was wonderful.
We are looking forward to the New Year! School sports, more basketball/soccer, work, church activities, time with family and friends and normal day to day stuff. We also have some big birthdays coming up this year. Doug turns 50, Grace becomes a teenager and Caleb turns double digits! I stay in the same "bubble" or age bracket from last year. The only difference is that it is getting harder to fight gravity and the changes that go with aging. Reading glasses are a staple around our house now. Thankfully, Depends are not yet!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
School is around the corner that means yearly pictures! Grace and Caleb picked the park and their clothes. I picked the bridge and creek. Grace really wanted to park herself against a tree again (for the 3rd year in a row). Caleb wanted to park himself in the middle of the creek. Grace is 12 and Caleb is 9!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Summer!!!
Spring ended with a furry of activity. Basketball, soccer games, musical practice, school and church activities made the spring feel like a whirlwind with lots of fun.
Summer is flying by and I can't believe school is around the corner. This summer has been filled with a lot as usual. We have spent time and loved visiting Stuart Lake, Canada, Bass Lake with family and just hanging out. Our first adventure was to Big Ticket Music Festival in June. We always love the music, spending time with our friends and drawing closer to God through great artists. The last part of the summer has been filled with lots of home time due to Caleb's bone graph surgery. All went well. We didn't plan very much intentionally due to food restrictions and not knowing how he would feel.
Grace starts 7th grade in the fall and Caleb starts 3rd. WOW! I am amazed at how fast this past year went and will be shocked at the speed of this coming year also. My sister told me one time "fasten your seatbelt and hang on for the ride." She was exactly right!
The picture I attached is from our climb on Candy Rock Mountain in Canada. We loved it!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Spring here we come!!!
I can not believe March is here already. I am amazed at how fast this first part of 2012 has gone. I have many things to update. First, school is going well for both kids. Grace ended last semester with all A's!! Caleb did well too (2nd grade gets numbers not grades). According to their teachers, they are good students who work hard and are nice kids to have in class. Grace also played in her second band concert and I was shocked at how grown up she looked and the other 6th graders compared to back in November. She still enjoys playing clarinet and is seriously considering playing in 7th grade. Caleb still holds the police officer job in his classroom and is great at passing out fines to his fellow classmates who break the rules.
We celebrated Chinese New Year with our tradition.......chinese food from Blue Ginger and a pinata! I have no idea where Caleb got this idea. Many years ago when we decided to celebrate CNY, we asked him what he wanted to do and that was his answer. So every year, I buy a pinata and fill it with gold coins, coupons and candy. For dessert we have oranges and fortune cookies. When we were in China, I purchased a few articles of clothing for us to wear for this celebration but haven't used them in the past few years. This year, Caleb found the box and immediately undressed to put on his "china clothes." He looked so cute, even though the shirt was way too small.
Both kids played basketball this winter. Caleb played in Upward again and he was awesome this year! He was on fire. I couldn't believe how much he has improved since last year. It was really cool to watch. Grace backed out of AAU, it was not a good fit for her. She went to back playing on a Courthouse league with classmates and is having a ton of fun. She is also improving and thinks she will try out for the 7th grade team next year. She will continue to play at a few tournaments this summer and camps. She continues to workout at the Y with Doug on non basketball days while Caleb does Karate. He started that in January and loves it. He is punching and kicking air around the house all the time. I hear "yah, kiyah" everyday. He tests for his first belt next week, the yellow belt. It has helped him with his paying attention and being more aware. The instructor has several rules the class must follow: stand still and look people in the eye when they are talking to you, always do things the first time and is big on using manners such as answering with "no sir, yes sir, no mam, yes mam." I love it!!!!!
We have had hardly any snow this winter and the kids really missed playing outside making forts, throwing and eating snow. A few weeks ago we had snow storm and headed to the local hill for family sledding and it was a a ton of fun. I thought about putting away all snow gear because this week is suppose to be 50/60 but thought again, we live in Michigan and it could change on a dime.
We are headed to Florida for spring break this year with many families we know. The kids are excited because we are staying on the beach in a condo. I am excited because it means sunshine, warmer weather and lots of reading time. I have a ton of books by my bed that keep calling my name and a lot of M&M's to melt in the sun. Believe me, we will be inhaling them considering the whole family gave up candy for lent.
In two weeks, Grace will be in her last church musical! It is hard to believe 3 years ago she didn't even want to get up on stage to sing with the choir and now she is one of the lead roles. She has a ton of lines and has to wear a dress for her costume!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!! We are so proud of her and can't wait to see perform. Oh, Doug and I have cameo appearances with 4 lines too. I could flip on a beam and twist in the air without feeling nervous. However, 4 lines is already making my tummy do flips. By the way, I took Grace to see our High School performance of Honk (ugly duckling) last week and she loved it! She definitely sees herself doing something like that in the future. Caleb on the other hand told me at Christmas he does not want to do musicals anymore, not even sing mom!
Health wise, the kids are growing like weeds. Grace is is almost my height and wearing my shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is definitely in a teenager mode. I know, she will only be 12 this year but everything about her (including attitude) screams "I am a teenager." Caleb has his big surgery in May, a bone graph using hip bone and inserting it into the jaw. He continues to ask me questions daily. I don't think he is nervous, I think it is like everything else in his world, he likes to understand every detail and make sense of it. He still has braces because the ortho is waiting for surgery, so we are in a "holding pattern.". Dr. H was ecstatic with the progress the head gear and braces made on Caleb's teeth. He said it was like hitting a grand slam!
Both have birthdays coming up and Caleb's Family Forever Day next week. Not sure how we are going to celebrate the birthdays this year. Last year we turned our basement into a theater. They invited a ton of friends, no presents, just had snacks and watched Star Wars and Harry Potter. Caleb gets to pick dinner and dessert for his FFD (our tradition) for Wednesday. WOW...6 years ago we were in China meeting our little man for the first time. Anyway, his selection.........these nasty tasting SPICY chicken wings that he and Doug love with oreo balls. He is so geeked!!!!! I think Grace and my reaction to his choice only fueled his desire even more. You gotta love little brothers!
We celebrated Chinese New Year with our tradition.......chinese food from Blue Ginger and a pinata! I have no idea where Caleb got this idea. Many years ago when we decided to celebrate CNY, we asked him what he wanted to do and that was his answer. So every year, I buy a pinata and fill it with gold coins, coupons and candy. For dessert we have oranges and fortune cookies. When we were in China, I purchased a few articles of clothing for us to wear for this celebration but haven't used them in the past few years. This year, Caleb found the box and immediately undressed to put on his "china clothes." He looked so cute, even though the shirt was way too small.
Both kids played basketball this winter. Caleb played in Upward again and he was awesome this year! He was on fire. I couldn't believe how much he has improved since last year. It was really cool to watch. Grace backed out of AAU, it was not a good fit for her. She went to back playing on a Courthouse league with classmates and is having a ton of fun. She is also improving and thinks she will try out for the 7th grade team next year. She will continue to play at a few tournaments this summer and camps. She continues to workout at the Y with Doug on non basketball days while Caleb does Karate. He started that in January and loves it. He is punching and kicking air around the house all the time. I hear "yah, kiyah" everyday. He tests for his first belt next week, the yellow belt. It has helped him with his paying attention and being more aware. The instructor has several rules the class must follow: stand still and look people in the eye when they are talking to you, always do things the first time and is big on using manners such as answering with "no sir, yes sir, no mam, yes mam." I love it!!!!!
We have had hardly any snow this winter and the kids really missed playing outside making forts, throwing and eating snow. A few weeks ago we had snow storm and headed to the local hill for family sledding and it was a a ton of fun. I thought about putting away all snow gear because this week is suppose to be 50/60 but thought again, we live in Michigan and it could change on a dime.
We are headed to Florida for spring break this year with many families we know. The kids are excited because we are staying on the beach in a condo. I am excited because it means sunshine, warmer weather and lots of reading time. I have a ton of books by my bed that keep calling my name and a lot of M&M's to melt in the sun. Believe me, we will be inhaling them considering the whole family gave up candy for lent.
In two weeks, Grace will be in her last church musical! It is hard to believe 3 years ago she didn't even want to get up on stage to sing with the choir and now she is one of the lead roles. She has a ton of lines and has to wear a dress for her costume!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!! We are so proud of her and can't wait to see perform. Oh, Doug and I have cameo appearances with 4 lines too. I could flip on a beam and twist in the air without feeling nervous. However, 4 lines is already making my tummy do flips. By the way, I took Grace to see our High School performance of Honk (ugly duckling) last week and she loved it! She definitely sees herself doing something like that in the future. Caleb on the other hand told me at Christmas he does not want to do musicals anymore, not even sing mom!
Health wise, the kids are growing like weeds. Grace is is almost my height and wearing my shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is definitely in a teenager mode. I know, she will only be 12 this year but everything about her (including attitude) screams "I am a teenager." Caleb has his big surgery in May, a bone graph using hip bone and inserting it into the jaw. He continues to ask me questions daily. I don't think he is nervous, I think it is like everything else in his world, he likes to understand every detail and make sense of it. He still has braces because the ortho is waiting for surgery, so we are in a "holding pattern.". Dr. H was ecstatic with the progress the head gear and braces made on Caleb's teeth. He said it was like hitting a grand slam!
Both have birthdays coming up and Caleb's Family Forever Day next week. Not sure how we are going to celebrate the birthdays this year. Last year we turned our basement into a theater. They invited a ton of friends, no presents, just had snacks and watched Star Wars and Harry Potter. Caleb gets to pick dinner and dessert for his FFD (our tradition) for Wednesday. WOW...6 years ago we were in China meeting our little man for the first time. Anyway, his selection.........these nasty tasting SPICY chicken wings that he and Doug love with oreo balls. He is so geeked!!!!! I think Grace and my reaction to his choice only fueled his desire even more. You gotta love little brothers!
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