Time for a wedding

Matt had the honor of officiating a wedding for one of our former youth group kids. Dan and Mattie got married in Grand Rapids on July 4. So, it was close to our home, it was almost our anniversary, we got to see many friends from MN, and we got to dress up and go out for the night!

sunsets and family visits

One of my most favorite things is a sunset on the beach. We had family here to enjoy this one with us. Matt's brother Jeff and family were here and we all enjoyed the scenery together.

Strawberry Picking

Brandon, Jessica, Maria and I had lots of fun eating, I mean picking strawberries.  We picked enough for a pie, jam, and a jello salad! DELICIOUS!

Brandon graduates

Brandon with his favorite 6th grade teacher. Actually, she's pretty cool and she may go down in history as Brandon's favorite teacher ever. Congrats on a great job!

jump ropes and tutus

Jessica had a jump rope unit in Physical Education Class.  She and two friends had a whole routine ready to go. Anika helped her make tutus to help the show!

A beautiful new bathroom

I can't believe I forgot to post this one!
Matt did an incredible job!
This is Anika's bathroom - its in the basement and its beautiful!
Nice job!!!!

Malice in the Palace

The spring concert for Muskegon Christian School was called "Malice in the Palace."  Brandon was given the role of Haman. We spend many hours going over the lines, to the point that Brandon had most all of everyone's lines memorized, which proved to be helpful. Many of the students had not done their homework so much. Very often throughout the play, Brandon could be seen and heard whispering lines into other's ears, and saying lines from back stage into his microphone. It was all very entertaining. He had some great lines and did an incredible job.

Jessica and Maria's classes were part of the chorus/support.

Brandon also had a spring band concert. He does a great job at percussion!

Finishing up 8th grade

I'm obviously really behind in blogging, but I like to keep track of the events of the month so here we go!

The big eighth project is to perform a wax museum.  Anika chose to be Helen Keller. Each student performs a speech after you push an imaginary button.

The eighth grade field trip was to Cedar Point. They left at 4 am in the morning which is CRAZY in my opinion. She had a great day hanging out with their class and got to ride lots of crazy roller coasters!

Anika was in both choir and band this year. They wrapped up the school year with a concert at a local church. Anika has enjoyed both choir and band but in high school you have to choose one or the other.

Every so often Anika will bike and or/roller blade to school. Typically we drive her to school and I'll pick up her back pack and she'll roller blade home with a friend. She will also be using that bike to get to her first job this summer. One of our back yard neighbors has three children, all in or out of college now. One of them is the supervisor at the conference center just blocks from our house. When Carin found out Anika was 15, she told her to apply. Anika will be working in the dining room, assisting those attending the family camp for the week with breakfast, lunch and dinner!  She's not so excited to wake up and be to work at 7 am, but we are excited she has found some gainful employment for the summer!

Spring Sports

And so it begins:

Jessica and Maria were on the same rec soccer team once again this Spring. The last time for awhile. We enjoy one less team to schedule, they do enjoy the time but also fight like crazy! 

Brandon played baseball for Roosevelt Park and for Western Michigan Christian Middle School. There were only 7 boys on the middle school team so they invited a few 6th grade boys to play. It made for a crazy spring!

Anika played spring soccer for Western Michigan Christian Middle School.  She decided this was her last season of soccer. She really wants to do track in high school and they are the same season.  She only played goalie one game, and that was the game I took my camera! You may not recognize the referee, but it is Matt. The assigner for the referees knows which games our kids play and sometimes will assign Matt to them. Makes for an interesting game!

Honors Band

Anika was chosen to be in the middle school honors band this spring. She loves to play her flute.  She had a sectional practice one evening and then an all day practice before the concert. There were four students from Anika's middle school. The concert was amazing!

Easter and Spring break fun

I took very few pictures this year. I didn't even get a picture of the kids in their Easter outfits, or of the three Easter Egg hunts they did. Good grief.
Easter Sunday, Aunt Kathy joined us for lunch at our friends on the lake. He enjoys hiding the eggs and he made it TOUGH this year. They were still looking after lunch was finished!  They set up their own egg hunt at home while Matt and I were at work on Monday. And the Saturday before Easter, they had a hunt at our youth partner church. Plenty of fun and candy.
Good Friday also kicked off Spring Break.
It does seem like half the world leaves town on Spring Break. Anika had 6 of 20 girls at her soccer practice, and Brandon had 6 of 13. Crazy - where do they all go? Well, most go to Florida. Matt and I worked, but we did try to do something fun each evening.
Thursday - amazing church service - about 700 people from all over Muskegon got together. It was a joint service with one of Matt's pastors group; quite possibly one of the best services I have ever been to; the singing was amazing
Friday - I don't think anything fun happened as far as the kids were concerned - but they did enjoy the first morning to sleep in and relax all day, but the house got picked up and Matt and I went out with some of the pastors and wives late
Saturday - youth pancake breakfast, egg hunt, dye eggs, paint the front door, and take our annual robin bird eggs blue lips picture
Sunday - games and egg hunt, and a trip down to the beach
Monday - at home egg hunt; indoor roller rink
Tuesday - got out the bikes and put away the sleds
Wednesday - pool and whirlpool at the YMCA
Thursday - Big Hero 6 movie at the theatre
Friday - Night at the Museum movie - back at our friends
Saturday- set up the trampoine
Sunday - Muskegon Museum of Art - especially the Lego exhibit

And Monday - soccer, baseball, piano, and oh so many activities mom needs to figure out a way to clone herself.
Happy Spring!

These creations are made out of legos - so cool, the picture in the background shows a girl wearing the red dress

Maria had a PE assignment to do 'active things' with 'Flat Sara'. She took her for a run, a scooter ride, a ride on the teeter twirl and a jump on the trampolin

Some E cousin time

We had the annual Wild Game Dinner at church and Matt's brother Jeff always enjoys it, so they came once again for a weekend away.

Saturday afternoon was quite chilly but we decided it was time for a hike so off to Rosy Mound we went. Its a B E A utiful park and the views were gorgeous. There are 8 different letter boxes hidden in the park and we took the time to find two of them. We decided we need to go back when the hiding spot aren't covered by snow and we aren't clapping ice out of the log books and containers!  We do hope to go back when it is nicer. It is a gorgeous walk - even if it has over 400 stairs!

While Matt and Jeff went to the dinner, the rest of us headed to the Muskegon Lumberjacks hockey game. Brandon has an amazing teacher that houses one of the Lumberjacks. The team also has a reading program that gives vouchers for free tickets. She had over 60 vouchers, so I asked for 9 of them! Our whole clan went and the team won and we all had a good time. I couldn't believe how many people were there that we knew! Brandon had quite a showing from his class and a bunch of them sat together with his teacher!

The tooth fairy strikes again

 So, she keeps losing teeth, but the idea of the tooth fairy has run its course.  I think she may be starting a business based on tooth loss.

Dress up Days just keep on coming

Mismatch day done to the extreme.

8th grade wears yellow day..... nice

Crazy hair AND mismatch day

Super hero day and 8th grade wears orange

Pops Concert

The Middle School and High School combined for a spring Pops concert. They were told to wear WMCHS as their uniform! Lots of green, black and white!

Fulfilling the Christmas Present Promises

For the most part, we have more than enough 'stuff' at our house. We don't do much for Christmas presents for the kids anymore. We've been trying to do experiences instead.  Two years ago was a trampoline, last year was new bedrooms for everyone, and this year was winter fun: Cross Country Skiing, Ice Skating, Sledding, and Downhill skiing.

Cross Country skiing happened in North Muskegon at the Winter Sports Complex. It took some figuring out, but everyone got there - well with the exception of Maria. If you know her, you don't need to ask anymore.  Anika actually got a bloody nose out in the middle of the woods. We used Oak leaves for tissue and got it stopped. It didn't look good in the snow!  Later, we thought of the fact we should have just put a snowball on her nose!  I guess we're ready for the next time it happens.

The Sports Complex also has Luge and ice skating, and snow shoeing. We only participated in the ice skating. They actually ice a small trail through the woods, so off we went!

Sledding happened more than once, just down the road. The fluffy snow is always a good time. We generally last around an hour, but the fresh air is always good!

The following week we headed north of Grand Rapids to go down hill skiing, Michigan style. The hills aren't big, but it gave them all the experience again. We haven't been downhill skiing since we left MN.  Everyone did a great job. Anika and Matt had been skiing with the 8th grade class the week before, and Maria had gone skiing for a weekend with a classmate, so Jessica and Brandon were the only two 'new' to it again. It was cold but it was a good time.  Brandon went again the next weekend with a friend. Some day we'll head to Colorado and experience real mountains!

Birthdays

Some of the Christmas craziness is brought on by four birthdays. At our house we say.... mom, Jesus, Jessica, Anika.  Whew.

This year, we woke up Christmas morning just a bit off. No one felt great, so Jesus' birthday coffee cake waited to be eaten until two days later, but it was still yummy.  Jessica had been sick two days prior, finally moving, talking and being part of the world on Christmas Eve morning. We had a wonderful Christmas day at our friends where the kids were once again spoiled. This year they received new gloves, mittens, facemasks and books.

On Carla's birthday, we went to church and then on to Grand Rapids to celebrate with Aunt Kathy. First some ice skating and then some supper and games.

There is never a dull or quiet moment when Jessica is around. Her eyes sparkle all the fun she brings into a room, often bouncy and singing. She is pretty sure she wants to be a famous singing pop star some day.....  And she quite obviously is still in the 'let's be as silly as possible for pictures' phase. She loves clam chowder and marshmallow brownies. Happy 10th little girl!

Anika is growing up. Its been fun to see her personality and sense of humor develop. She is creative, always seeing the possible beauty in garbage or leftover items. She decorated the lunch room for their Christmas concert this year. She takes pictures of strange views that turn out amazing. She paints for fun. She encourages her dad's jokes (WHY OH WHY). She loves to play the flute and can't wait to get her braces off. She likes baked potatoes and candy cane pie, although Aldi changed the recipe this year, and we ended up throwing it away, it was that gross! Happy 14th birthday!

Christmas Cookies

We love Christmas Cutout cookies. These were made a bit AFTER Christmas, but they are just as fun to make, and especially to EAT!

Eburg Christmas

The E family got together one Saturday evening in early January. We missed Mark and Tammy and Ben and Jen, but we had fun with who we had! Anika spent a night with Elyse and Elizabeth and Brandon spent a night with Colton and Austin.

The E cousins minus the ones that are out of the country!

The E family minus two families