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!


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!