Happy 8th Birthday, Ethan!

Dear Ethan,

How can you be at yet another birthday? I blinked and the year is already gone. I looked back at my last few letters to you and it is so fun to see how you've changed and grown. You are still my same sweet boy, yet you continue to develop into so much more.


Over the past year you finished up first grade and made a smooth transition into second. You still love school, though this year you enjoyed your snow days and other vacation days instead of wishing you were still in school. Dad and I are amazed at all that you have learned already in second grade--you've moved beyond addition and subtraction to beginning multiplication and fractions. You read long books and you love to set (very) high reading goals for your monthly reading chart. Your favorite books are nonfiction ones about the subjects you are learning about in school. You also love mysteries, joke books, and the Boxcar Children series.


This past fall you started playing on an AYSO soccer team. It's perfect for you and you love every minute of the time you spend with your team, the Sharks. You have never played as part of a team before so dad and I were excited to see how you would do. Your excitement began on the day we signed you up and continued through every game and practice. I was working and had to miss your first game, but everyone who was there said you were in perpetual motion. On the days that I could, I loved watching you play--you have a great coach and he has taught you well. Dad and I especially love how exhausted you are after your practices and games. You crash when your head hits the pillow!


You are still quite a game player. Your favorite right now is the card game Monopoly Deal. At first I tried to be nice to you when we played. I should know better than to let you win. You don't need any help from me. It's all I can do to win when we play, even when I show no mercy! We play round after round after round. We still sneak in a few rounds of Triominoes, but I think you figured out that when I make you keep score it is so you can practice your math.


You continue to love anything sports related. When you play outside, you generally have a soccer or football field set up and you spend a lot of time dribbling the soccer ball around the yard. You love it when dad plays catch with you (not so much when I do it because there is no accuracy in my throwing!). On most Sunday afternoons you are checking to see if there is a ball game on TV--football or baseball, and you'll take a basketball game if it's your only option. Dad loves that you like to give a play-by-play during the game...just not so much when he's taking a nap. In September you were able to go to your first Major League Baseball game with "the guys". Sheer bliss for you.


This has been the year where you've decided to try pushing more boundaries--testing some of our limits and telling some lies. Thankfully for your dad and I, you are a terrible liar. You get this certain expression on your face and we immediately know that there is something you don't want to confess to. I think you try so hard to look innocent that we know there is something going on that you don't want to 'fess up to. You try to tell us "no" about things and boy does that bring out the stubborn in your mom and dad. We prefer the times when you'll talk things out with us, but I guess it's understandable that you want to test the limits.


You continue to be an awesome big brother. With the addition of your sister this year, there are more and more ways that I see how well you fit in this role. From the day Norah was born (after you declared "I didn't want a sister") you have been conscious of her and her needs. You regularly hold her for me so I can quick take care of something and you love to make her burst into fits of giggles. You'll even throw yourself on the floor if that will make her laugh. I also see patience and love when you interact with Micah. He loves it when you play Legos with him and you are often willing to include him when you play with your transformers. There have been days where the two of you will spend a whole morning playing together in the Lego world in your room. Thanks for being a wonderful big brother.



This year in school your teacher has been focusing a lot of time on prayer. I love that you are receiving that as part of your day to day education. Recently you had to memorize the Lord's Prayer; something you already knew. It was interesting to me to listen to you pray that prayer after I knew you had talked about it at school. I can tell that there is now more meaning behind the words for you--you are more careful and precise in your prayer. It is my hope and prayer that you continue to nurture that thoughtfulness and that you continue to think about your spiritual life.


Ethan Zachary, you are a blessing to our family and we look forward to what this next year holds for you. Happy Birthday, buddy!

Love,

Mom

Blizzard!

I have to admit right up front that I really doubted the meteorologists on their predictions of a blizzard. They had predicted large amounts of snow a few times before and it amounted to very insignificant amounts. So, when this next "storm" rolled around, I told a girlfriend "I'll believe it when I'm shoveling it". Well, I shoveled like crazy that day!

We started the day early with a phone call from my boss saying I did not have to come in to work because the snow was so bad. Yippee! A snow day for all since Jason could take an office day. Jason and I couldn't resist peeking out all of the windows before going back to bed. When we noticed our neighbor shoveling, we decided to head out and help her since she had to go to work. It was a very peaceful time to shovel!


Later in the day, when Norah went down for a nap, we headed out to shovel more. The snow drifts were huge and the boys had a great time climbing around on them. I wasn't as fond of the snow when it took Jason and I an hour and a half to clear just the end of our driveway. All of the snow from the road had been pushed there and it was very heavy! Also, because of how our driveway is set up, we have to push the snow down the sidewalk before tossing it into a snowbank. Tons and tons of work! Jason worked on the driveway more later in the morning and then we finished it together in the evening. Whew! We got our exercise in that day!


The boys thought it was awesome that they could stand on a snow pile and touch the roof of the garage.


Even though it was a lot of work to shovel out, I do have to say that I loved the dumping of snow! I'm good now until next year. :)

Goofy girl

Norah has developed a bit of a bad habit while she is in her high chair. I can't decide if she does it because she likes the noise or if its because she is bored. Whatever her reasoning, she is loud! She can even move the whole high chair when she does this. Such a goofy girl!

Untitled from Janna on Vimeo.

Conversations with boys, vol. 3

Boy: Do you smell something?

Mom: Yes.

Boy: Excuse me.

You'll have to use your imagination for the following: the tone of my voice when I said "yes" and the odor in the air. I'm still wondering how the conversation would have gone if I had said "no".

2010

I've mentioned this before, but I can't help but repeat that I love looking at the "year in review" stories in the newspaper and watching the clips on TV. In keeping with that theme (and because I didn't post a lot of pictures that I meant to), here's a Year in Review for our family! 2010 was a year filled with blessings!

In January, the boys spent a lot of time playing outside. Ethan worked hard on this snowman. My favorite part is that when he added the rocks for teeth he made sure it was missing one like he was (front and a little off center).


We had time for indoor fun in January as well--because it's cold outside! Micah and I spent time with our MOPS group at an indoor gymnastics facility. He loved it, and it was a great way for him to burn off some energy! (As I'm looking at this picture I can't believe how young Micah looks! Someone has grown up this year!)


February brought Ethan's 7th birthday. His presents centered around things that keep him active--a ball glove, sled, and scooter.


February also included more snowman building time. The boys really enjoyed having each other as playmates outside!


By the time March hits we are ready for the Spring thaw! Most years we end up on a walk on nearby trails. The boys love going to an area with a small boardwalk next to the creek. It's become a tradition to find rocks and throw them in (or over) the creek. Since I was 7 months pregnant in March, it was wonderful for me to get out and about a little more without worrying about the ice.

April brought Micah's 4th birthday. I love the excitement of birthdays at that age. He is my little helper and a baker in training, so he gladly pulled up a stool and helped me mix up the batter for his pirate ship birthday cake.


May was a busy, wonderful month as our family of four gained a new member when sweet Norah Elizabeth joined our family. The end of the month passed in a blur of nighttime feedings, naps, laundry, burps, and diaper changes. The boys were great helpers and happily fetched whatever their tired mommy needed.


The day after Norah was born, Ethan was able to take a field trip with his first grade class. Part of the fun of this particular field trip was that they took the Amtrak as their primary transportation on the way there. It has become a tradition for the school to have the parents line up at one of the train crossings to wave at the kids when they pass on the train. Since it's just down from our house, Jason and Micah went to wave to the class as they passed. I guess there was quite a crowd! It was fun to hear from Ethan the excitement of the kids when they saw all the parents and siblings waving.

June was filled with getting to know Miss Norah and finding ways to keep the boys busy while I was on Maternity leave (for some reason they thought family nap time was a crazy idea).




June also brought opportunities to pick one of our favorite fruits--sweet cherries! The boys are pretty good helpers and we went a few times so we could have plenty of cherries to eat, freeze, and can.



As June turned into July, we headed out to the lake! My parents once again were able to rent a cottage and the kids and I pretty much moved in! Jason was able to come and go for work (and even took a few days off--like the one following a late night Tornado Watch). The cottage pictures should have had a post of their own, but having a new baby and returning to work at the end of July trumped blog posting! So, I'll toss in a few of my favorites here!









This last one from the lake makes me laugh because it reminds me so much of the picture in this post from last year. It shows how tired the boys are after being so busy in the lake all day!


The end of July brought the opportunity for us to have Norah baptized. It was a special day and we were blessed by our friends and family who were able to celebrate with us. I enjoyed getting Norah ready for the day as we were able to put her in the same baptism outfit that I wore as a baby.


My sister-in-law was able to snap this picture during baptism. A wonderful picture to help us remember that day!


August brought hot weather and a bare-bellied boys. I had fun dressing Norah in all her summer gear--tiny crocs from my coworkers and a cute hat were perfect attire for a church picnic.


Ethan and Micah continued to love on their sister. She learned to give big gummy grins when they were nearby.


September first and foremost brought back-to-school for Ethan and preschool for Micah. As we settled back into the school routine we still made time for berry picking--this time raspberries! Most of them were turned into Jason's favorite, raspberry jam.


The beginning of September also brought a new activity for our house. Ethan started his first year of playing soccer. To say he loved it is a gross understatement. He thrived on the activity and quickly learned the rules and positions. We loved that it made him so exhausted that he fell asleep almost immediately when he went to bed. Yeah for exercise!


In the beginning of October we mourned the loss of Jason's grandmother. She was a wonderful woman and we were thankful that we were able to gather with family to celebrate her life and faith. On the afternoon of her funeral, we spent time with Jason's family looking at art in our community. It was a wonderful afternoon and an occasion where everyone could be together and enjoy each others company.


One peculiar, or unique, happening in October was the boys' discovery of a large snake in the backyard. We've never seen one this size before. I'm hoping it doesn't reside permanently in our backyard! It was fun to check it out with the boys, though I kept my distance!


We finished October with Halloween--we had a soccer player, a baseball player, and a little ballerina. Much candy was enjoyed by all (well, everyone except Norah!)!


November brought a "thankfulness" tree to our house. We periodically added leaves on which we had written things that we were thankful for. It was fun to hear what the boys wanted to put on their leaves. It was a great way to remember to be thankful for the many blessings in our life!


November also brought a new phase for Norah--food! We started out with rice cereal. She's not a huge fan of it, but she eats it very well!


At the end of the month, we had the opportunity to take a mini-vacation with our family. We spent a couple of nights in a hotel and just enjoyed hanging out. The boys loved the TV in their "room" and we spent lots of time in the pool and hot tub!


December brought lots of time with family. We love being able to celebrate Christmas with those we love. I figure a great way to end a post about our year is with a picture of our family. We are indeed blessed!

Conversations with boys, vol. 2

I was driving Ethan to school this week and I was dropping him off a little earlier than usual. The following conversation occurred, much to my amusement/chagrin:

Me: I'm dropping you off a little earlier than usual so please behave on the playground.
Ethan: I'm going to make sure I'm not in line by Hanna.
Me: How come?
Ethan: I found out that she's been in love with me since the beginning of the year.
Me: How did you figure that out?
Ethan: She told me.

I only with I could portray the exasperated tone that he had while telling me this--and also the control I tried to maintain so I didn't laugh!

Alas, we only made it to 2nd grade before the school crushes started. The next day he came home with the report that she "snuck up on him" and kissed him. It was hard not to laugh because when I asked him what he did he told me he "screamed for help". He and Jason had a talk about how it's good to be nice to girls, but he was a little young for kissing. He readily agreed, and then stated that he thought he should wait until he's at least 13. Or maybe he said 11. I'm not sure since I was busy trying to hide my face so he wouldn't see me laughing. I have to laugh while I can since I probably won't find it to be so funny a few years from now!

1st Day of Preschool

Micah woke up this morning and said "No more sleeps! I'm so happy!" He was very excited to start preschool today! His teacher told him at his visiting day last week that it was five more sleeps until they started school. He has been counting down ever since he heard that!

It was a long morning for my excited boy. Afternoon preschool involves a lot of waiting. I'm sure the morning felt like an eternity for him. I could definitely tell he was excited. I answered the "Is it time for preschool?" question many times today!


We passed some of the time by taking a few pictures in the back yard. He thought this was great. He kept choosing all different spots to have me take his picture. We zig-zagged all over the yard! I loved the fact that he allowed me so many opportunities to take his picture. I don't often have that chance!


We made sure we took the traditional school picture by the tree! It's hard to get a good, not cheesy, picture of a 4-year-old!


He was thrilled to finally put his new backpack to use. He picked it out with Grandma. This morning we loaded it with a special stuffed animal friend to keep him company in class.


I love the picture above, yet I'm having a hard time coping with the reality of it. He looks so old! I guess that happens! We ended our picture spree with a quick mom/Micah shot. Another favorite!


He had a great day at school. When I picked him up he ran to me and said "I had so much fun!". I'm so thankful for his teachers and how they helped make his first day go so well. They are wonderful teachers (we had them when Ethan was in preschool) and we are looking forward to a great year!