Anika is 12!

Donuts for breakfast.  We decided 12 was the limit on candles. Next year - its just one.  I don't want the house to burn down before the birthday can be enjoyed!  Then off to an orthodontist appointment to get molds made of her mouth and her first set of braces put one - doesn't that sound like fun on your birthday.  Next off to school.

A scavenger hunt and presents when you get home only to be left home alone while your dad has a meeting and your mom takes your sisters to swimming lessons and your brother to karate.  Oh yeah, and when we gt home, we find head lice on her sisters.  Wow, that's a great birthday.  We hope to do a bit of a redo someday soon.  Take a few girls sledding and have cookies and cream ice cream! Sorry girl, the first day of 12 wasn't go great but here's to 364 more that can be better!

I'd actually thought a lot about her birthday heading into it.  She's 12 years old. I've been a mom for 12 years.  In 12 more years she'll be 24 - the age I was when I got married.  She's halfway there - oh my word!  In 12 years, her little sister will be 18 and headed off to college and my 'at home' parenting will be complete.  That means I am halfway through having kids in my home on a full time basis.  That's crazy.  Don't get me wrong, some days I long for the peace and quiet, but that means that this huge change in my life that happened 12 years ago is going to be gone in 12 more short years.  I cried when I found out I was pregnant with Anika - mainly because I had no idea what I was doing and I'm sure the raging hormones played a part.  But she is so much a beautiful daughter and so worth spending 12 years parenting.

She is a firstborn girl in so many ways.  She is motherly to small children.  Totally empathetic when someone gets hurt and immediately trying to think of a way to make the pain go away.  Loves to play with kids - ok - other people's kids, but sometimes her siblings, too.  For the most part, she is a rule follower, never pushes the line much.  She loves to banter and roll her eyes at her father's crazy comments, and he can always make her laugh.  She is playing the flute and piano.  Plays soccer, basketball and volleyball.  Loves to be outside and loves the winter, and summer, and spring, and fall.  She just loves all the different things you can do in each season. Sixth grade hasn't always been easy.  Moving here hasn't always been easy.  Some days we smile, some days, not so much.  But, she wakes up and tries again the next day, and we are oh so proud of her.  She does not rush through anything.  She takes her time and thinks it through.  She would much rather observe something going on before trying it out for herself.  She doesn't read fast, but her teacher pointed out, she reads how she talks.  A steady pace -no rushing.  When you give her the time she needs, she is just fine.  She loves art and drawing. Her favorite colors are blue and green. She writes easily and beautifully - although the spell check is a necessary wonder! Happy Birthday beautiful girl.  We can't wait to see what God will work through you in the next 12 years - and more.

Birthdays and the basement

Matt is a man on a mission. He is bound and determined to get our basement finished.  If only time and money didn't get in his way.  My parents came to visit and my dad was commissioned to wire the basement my mom was commissioned to kids, cooking and ironing.  My dad came armed with his know how and his 1970's how to book.  Two friends from church also came by.  Between all of them and the book, we are proud owners of a mostly wired basement including outlets, light switches, and lights.  NICE.  Matt was so inspired he wired his shed the following weekend.  I told him I'll never see him now, he'll put a TV and a heater in his little 'man cave' and never be seen again.

Anyway, back to the basement.  We are hoping to make a bedroom, living room and a bathroom down there.  Some of it has been insulated.  We still need to add a drop ceiling in part of it and sheet rock it all. Plus the bathroom hasn't been started, so if you want to come by and lend a hand - you are welcome ANYTIME!

While my parents were here, we celebrated both Jessica and Maria's birthdays. Good times were had by all.  Thanks for all your work.  It was great to have you here!

Oreo ice cream cake - Anika's choice

Anika's presents: split skirt, leggins, two shirts and lucky charms

Jessica in her new sweater dress and  chocolate lucky charms

Grandpa and Grandma and Aunt Kathy

Jessica is 8!

How can it be that this little spark plug has been humming her way through life for eight years already?  She chose donuts for breakfast, chicken noodle hotdish for lunch, and I haven't made her request for supper yet (pesto sandwiches) but its on the menu and we'll do that soon.  She barely fits into size 6 clothes, isn't quit 40 inces tall, barely makes it into the 10th percentile, and can be heard for miles around. She has a beat to her own drum in so many ways.  Hurry isn't really a word she understands.  Neither is quiet. Her body is always moving to some sort of beat - really.  People are amazed at how she can dance and move - even while walking.  She is always singing or humming or moving or dancing to the song she hears in her head.  She shines on the stage.  Lives to be in front of people, especially if she can hold the microphone. She'll tell you she hates school, but that's mainly because she just wants to sleep in and watch TV.  Why on earth would you want to get up and put forth some effort when you can just sing and pretend all day long!?!  She wants to be a horseback rider when she grows up and really wants horseback riding lessons this summer.  When asked who her friends are, she still tells you the names of the people back in MN, but did add two from MI this time around.  She still loves to pretend play - mainly puppies or horses.  She is a great little soccer and basketball player. Loves to turn cartwheels and has a fashion sense all her own, but she can pull it off!  Anything with bling she loves to wear.  One of her favorite lines is 'I love to read. Its one of those things that once you know how to do it, you just can't stop'. And she does love to read.  Currently she is working her way through Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew - a younger version of the Nancy Drew books.

We love you dear Jessica.  We love the spark and smile you bring to our day. We love how you make us crazy and laugh at the same time. I love how you still like to hold my hand when we are walking beside each other, or how you like to stand on the chair and sing at church.  There's still a little girl in there and its a beautiful one.  We can't imagine our world without you.  Happy Birthday!

a horse and scooter for her American Girl Doll -
 plus glow in the dark planets for her ceiling  to match the stars already there

Her birthday treat request - brownies and ice cream - with 8 candles - on the special birthday plate!

Happy New Year

Our New Year front door painting!

The party comes to MI from MN

As you can see, there wasn't much snow, but there was enough to make the sleds move down the hill so all were happy!

Friends came to visit, and we partied!

I came home from getting groceries to streamers and 40 decorations.  I got the necessary 40 gift pack of vitamins and stool softeners, so all is well now.

We celebrated with Pizza Ranch pizza and Coldstone Creamery dark chocolate mint ice cream with red velvet cake.  Oh yeah baby.  That's a party.

The next evening, mutual friends came over from Grand Rapids and we partied away with games and laughter.  The kids played outside for a time and we all played some group games inside.  Another good party.

The next day we went to the Y to play dodgeball and run off some pent up energy - it worked and fun was had by all.  That evening, two families from school and a few extras came over to ring in the New Year. And ring it LOUD!  It was a bit nerve racking for me to have my two worlds meet - MN and MI, but it really went well. The adults talked, laughed and played. There were more kids than you could count, mainly because they never sat still enough to be counted, but they were everywhere.  We introduced PIT to a few people and everyone stayed awake until midnight rang out and the ball dropped - live in this time zone!  

Goodbye came the next morning.  Goodbye always comes, and its never easy, but it sure is great to have the memory.  Thanks guys!

40 is fine

Next on the birthday list was yours truly.
I can honestly say I don't really even remember what we did exactly on my birthday.  I know I went to work, but I didn't tell anyone it was my birthday and I know we all ate supper together at home.
Thanks to the wonderful world of Facebook, lots of people piped in with some birthday wishes.   And because a large portion of my facebook friends are high school and college classmates, most of them are at or going to be 40 this year as well.
Its funny to look back at life and remember where you were when others turned 40.  I distinctly remember someone from Faith Church in MN turning 40 and his youngest child was in our high school youth group.  Guess he had about a 10 year jump on me considering my youngest is in Kindergarten.
Now that I am 40, I guess I don't see what all the hoopla is about.  Its just another year.  Another decade.
So, here's to the other side of the hill!

Happy Birthday Jesus

We started the morning by emptying the stockings.  Yes, I bought some $1 candy and stuff to fill up the house even more.  We don't fill the house with the idea of Santa but we do hang stockings by the fireplace and fill them up on Christmas Eve and the kids empty them on Christmas morning.  Generally its candy, gum and pencils, which is mostly what it was this year.

Anika and all her gum that she now can't have because of braces - oops mom!

Then we have coffee cake with candles in it and we all sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.  Coffee cake doesn't last long at our house. I believe this was gone in around an hour!

We spent some time painting ornaments - each kid paints an ornament each year - and then we headed off to our friends on the lake for a delicious prime rib dinner.  Not everyone can say they played on the beach on Christmas afternoon!  We played a rousing game of Settlers of Cataan that lasted close to three hours - it was crazy long, but everyone stuck it out.

This is one of the last pictures ever taken of Mollie our beloved dog of our friends.  The owner sat down at Christmas lunch and announced that 20 kids were going to have a great dog to play with soon.  He was referring to the kids from the shooting in CT and Mollie.  Mollie was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago and was quickly fading.  She died about 12 hours after this picture was taken.  We all said goodbye before we left which is always hard to do.

We ended our evening in Grand Rapids with my aunt.  We went ice skating, along with a whole lot of other people - but we fully enjoyed it. We also enjoyed a small recital by the kids back at their house as well as soup and some games.

It was a lovely Christmas spent with some wonderful people making some great memories.