August

Sprinkler fun

The 1 year olds and photobombing Isaac

Mom, do you see the beads I spilled?

Grandpa and his crew

Caleb mowing the cottage grass, a right of passage

Relaxing on the boat

Miss Amy with Keiry and Wendy

Keiry going after her pinata

First day of school

In August we picked blueberries in South Haven with the Morrisons.  The kids always eat more than they should.  We welcomed our new pastor at church.  I think it's going to be a really good fit.  I continued to learn more about being a deacon and how to count money, haha.  My cousin Renee, her husband Seth and son Gavin came for dinner.  They are beginning their time as missionaries in Honduras.  It was interesting to learn more about their ministry and for them to hear about our work with kids fleeing Central America.  It was fun to watch the 3 little boys play/beat each other up.  We all wished we had more time to catch up.

We had a new foster child move in, Keiry.  Her name is pronounced Katie.  She was 12 years old, no 13, no 15- I don't know we were all confused. She told our neighbor one age, us a different age, her birth certificate supposedly said she was 12.  But, she was a very mature looking 12 year old.  Honestly though, her age didn't matter.  She was a kid who needed help.  She was a sweet kid and very good at learning English.  She celebrated her 13th birthday while at our house.  We tried to make it special, because who wants to be away from family on their birthday?  We had friends over and ate pizza at her request.  Our neighbors made tres leches cake and we had a pinata.  We gave her a Bon Jovi CD that she asked for- we were belting out Bon Jovi together.  Keiry stayed with us two weeks before going to family.  Another kid that I pray for.

Nate and I celebrated our 13th anniversary.  We hired a sitter and went out for lunch, because our evening was too busy with soccer practices and council meetings.  We're living the good life and thankful for the privilege of doing this crazy life together.

The kids and I travelled to the cottage and met up with my Dad, sister, and brother's family.  We had a nice time, but it was weird being at the cottage without my grandparents.  Hopefully we can visit them sometime in October.

The end of August brought the beginning of soccer season and SCHOOL!  Hallelujah, Hallelujah.  I was ready for school to start.  We had a great summer, but by the end of break we were driving each other crazy. Caleb is in 4th, Isaac- 1st and Julia- kindergarten.  Julia is doing all day kindergarten, 5 days a week.  A big deal.  She was tired and crabby for a couple weeks, but doing well now.  And Stephen is the lost child at home who doesn't know what to do by himself.  For the first weeks he cried every morning when the kids left.  Caleb now rides his bike to school by himself, very cool.  Rebecca and I take turns riding bikes with the younger kids to school.  Julia prays for rain everyday.  "Riding bikes is too hard!"  She struggled in the beginning, but her legs have gotten stronger.  Now she just complains for the principle of it, haha.

The three older kids are playing soccer this fall.  CHAOS.  We have soccer practices 3 or 4 nights a week and 3 games on Saturday mornings.  Nate is coaching Isaac's team which is great, but that means I haven't seen Isaac play this season because I'm always at the other games.  Oh well, there are worse things in life.  This may be Julia's only time playing soccer.  She is doing well and likes the practices and games, but she has declared she does not like soccer.  "It's too hard!"  Do you sense a theme? :)  The boys are enjoying the season and will be disappointed when it is over.  And Stephen may grow up hating soccer after going to all these games.  

Isaac is 7 years old

Way back on August 15, Isaac turned 7 years old!  We celebrated as a family the night before his birthday since Nate had to work and the rest of us were going to the cottage.  This year we gave him rollerblades and a new Bible. He was excited to have his own rollerblades! The next day, we drove to the cottage on his birthday, what a great place to celebrate!   We got the traditional donut and Starbucks hot chocolate before heading out of town.  Isaac requested pizza for his birthday supper, Grandpa and Aunt Steph were kind enough to buy some frozen pizzas for the birthday boy.  Isaac also asked for a candy cottage birthday cake.  Fitting as he loves candy and we were at the cottage.  We had beautiful weather at the cottage and Isaac enjoyed swimming, riding on Aunt Beth's pontoon boat, getting ice cream at the ferry and playing outside.

Isaac is 4 ft, 2 inches tall and 57 pounds which puts him at the 75th percentile for weight and height.  He is done losing teeth for a couple years. He is silly and loves making people laugh.  Isaac is still a risk taker, and seems surprised when he gets hurt!  He is enjoying soccer again this fall and Nate says he is one of the best players on the team.  Isaac has become more aggressive and confident at soccer.  Isaac plays well with Stephen and can make him laugh.  Sometimes he forgets that he needs to be gentler with Stephen, but Stephen usually doesn't mind.  Isaac and Caleb are still best friends and enjoy each other's company.  Julia and Isaac can play well together sometimes.  Isaac and Julia are only one grade apart which makes for some interesting interactions.  At school Julia sometimes plays with Isaac's friends at recess, but Isaac doesn't seem to mind yet.  And at church they are in the same Children's Worship and Sunday School class. Isaac is in first grade this year and is loving it.  His teachers make learning fun and interesting.  He is working hard at reading and excelling at math.   Isaac's favorite friends at home are Patrick and Lydia.   Isaac has a tender heart and I love his prayers. It surprises me sometimes that he remembers to pray for people we haven't talked about in awhile.   Isaac is a sweet, kind, funny, and loving little boy.  We look forward to watching him grow another year older!