Magic Moments

 A new year, a new orchard. This year we tried out Apple Creek Orchard and it was a really pretty place. We picked apples, took a hay ride, and the boys had fun with the apple slinger. We were joined by Tom's parents and it feels so good to have them now living close by instead of far away. 

 My littlest is seven and it's hard  not to be sad. We couldn't be without him, and we're so glad he's ours.  At seven years old Cade loves to do what everyone else is doing. He will NOT play by himself, and maybe it's because he's used to having someone to entertain him all the time. He loves legos and soccer. He also loves to read. I am ALWAYS finding Cade trying to tackle reading a book he probably isn't quite ready for. Lately he's been trying to read The Hobbit. While he's able to read all the words, he just doesn't have the depth of understanding to read it independently quite yet. He LOVES Tom Sawyer so he was delighted to find an abridged version to read.  Cade makes up his own mind about things. He will NOT be bossed around. He holds his own, so I don't worry about his brothers pushing him over. Cade also won't be pushed over physically. He is one tough kid. If Cade is crying, I know he is actually hurt because he never cries ove...

 Cade gives me a run for my money daily. This child is always one step ahead, usually making mess, and always needing something. I love him dearly. He brings the laughter and the chaos around here. Cade is a few days short from being 7 and I can't really say what grade he's in. Grade levels matter little to homeschoolers. I guess by age he's in first grade, I bought him mostly 3rd grade curriculum. He's super smart, yet he daily acts like he doesn't have the time of day for school. He's really into reading though, and he insisted that he was going to read The Hobbit. I had my doubts he was ready for a book at this level, but he's doing it. I listened to him read tonight and he read it wonderfully and knew exactly what was going on. I even caught him reciting and singing one of the songs in the story while he was supposed to be unloading the dishwasher. I'm sure he'll reread it again multiple times over the years and glean more of the story line each ...

 How do I recap an entire season? The days go by so fast and I just run from one thing to the next. Aiden's ankle finally healed from a soccer injury and he finished out the season reffing. He is very much enjoying a paycheck. We spent an entire month at our cabin. We're only lucky enough to do this because Tom works at home. We all enjoy the flexibility he has. We stayed busy at the cabin swimming, jumping on the trampoline, water skiing, tubing, pontooning, fishing, and enjoying our family. We were still busy with guitar lessons and performances with Sage. Cade's Spanish classes continued through the summer, and we even managed to squeeze in a few piano lessons for Cade. Now we're back at home and the boys have been busy with friends. Aiden is back at soccer this week and we start school in less than 2 weeks. We scheduled vacation for September because we refuse to go places during peak season and fight the crowds, so it's fun to have something to look forward to ...

  14 years and 9 months ago Tom and I began praying for the little life that God was growing inside of me. We had no idea how to be parents, but we knew that above all we wanted our child to never know a day where he turned his back on God. God is faithful and today as we celebrate Aiden's 14th birthday, we give thanks to God for Aiden's steadfast heart. Aiden's shoulders are square, he's smarter than I am, and he's left most of his little boy ways behind. But as he grows in stature, he grows in faith, and we couldn't be more proud of who God has shaped Aiden to be. These days Aiden is either playing soccer, reffing soccer, at Taekwondo, bossing his brothers around, or wishing he was at our cabin. He is helpful and kind, has more empathy than is good for him ( ), and has a solid stance on right and wrong. Aiden has his sights set on becoming a falconer this year and trapping his own bird (send prayers for me ). It's very hard on my heart knowing how limited ...