Together

Our little family of 5 just spent a week hiding away in a small house near a big lake. Ginger came along too, of course. We went boating every day, swam at the beach, played frisbee in the dark (with light-up frisbees), picked our own sweet corn, let Ginger run up and down the slides at the park, rode bikes all over the place, and just enjoyed being together. Some very good friends joined us on Wednesday and Thursday, and that made our week even sweeter. You know what else made this week special?

For 2 and 1/2 months my police officer husband worked 12 hour night shifts. Two nights on, two nights off, three nights on, two nights off, two nights on, three nights off, and that would repeat every two weeks. Figuring out Derek's new schedule took me a couple of weeks! Vacation time was non-existent, and when Derek wasn't working he was sleeping. I tried my best to keep the kids quiet, but I'm no miracle worker. We stayed busy and had fun this summer, even if we had to do it all without Daddy.

This week of vacation was Derek's week to transition from night-life to day-life. No night fishing for him this week. Instead, we celebrated his return to a normal schedule. :) Up in the day and asleep in the night. Something I will not take for granted.

When Derek and I both worked night shifts, it was kind of fun. When the boys were small and he was on rotating shifts, that was all I knew. But now? Now the boys are bigger and they need their dad around. Now they see him working shifts and they ask him if he's arrested anyone. Now they worry about their dad when he's gone all night. That was the hardest part about this summer for me. Watching my boys miss their dad, and being the parent left behind to pick up the pieces.

Our theme for the summer was, "God's not going to waste this." I wish I had some great revelation to share about God's sovereign plan for this schedule change we did not see coming. I don't. But night after night, Derek shared stories with me of "divine appointments" he experienced at work. Interactions with co-workers. Knowledge to solve crimes. Being in the right place at the right time. Living out his faith in a dark world. Literally, since it was during the night. :) Sorry, I couldn't resist.

So here we are, ready to step back into our "normal" life. This week away provided the perfect kick-off for that! Hopefully soon I can share more about our week through pictures. And to all of you who knew about our summer and prayed for us--thank you. :)

Kaleb's Gift

When we named Kaleb I knew his name means "Faithful." Tonight I saw him live up to his name.

All 3 boys were playing on a huge dirt pile in our neighborhood while I walked Ginger. From 2 blocks away I heard Aaron scream at the top of his lungs. By the time I made it to the dirt pile, all was well. Hmm. What happened here? Since it was time to go inside anyway, I called them home. The story unfolds...

Braylen (accidentally) hit Aaron in the ear with a dirt clod. He screamed. Braylen said he was sorry and went back to his dirt fort. Aaron told Kaleb he wanted to get even with Braylen and throw something at his head. Kaleb's advice? "Satan wants you to get mad at Braylen. If you do, then Satan wins. You need to forgive Braylen instead of getting angry at him. Let God deal with Braylen." He went on to tell Aaron that sometimes he pictures being electrocuted by Satan when he's tempted to do something wrong, and when he chooses to do what's right he pictures God stomping on Satan's head. Who knew this was going on in Kaleb's head? Aaron asked Kaleb how he knew all of this, and Kaleb told him he learned it in Sunday School. "You'll learn all about these things too when you get older Aaron," Kaleb replied.

Wow, did I ever heap the praise on Kaleb!!! He parented Aaron in those moments much more effectively than I ever could. It feels quite humbling, actually. How many times to I get angry at the driver in front of me, or at the person standing right in my way at Walmart? In my heart I'm not extending any grace to those people. I just want to get even. My 8 year old reminded me tonight that's not God's way. Over and over I hear in my head, "and a little child shall lead them." How true.

Kaleb's middle name is Matthew, which means "Gift from God." Kaleb Matthew is most definitely my "Faithful Gift from God." How blessed I am to see my son live out what he's been taught. I pray God continues to mold and shape him into a mighty man of God! I pray that for all my boys. And one new rule is now in place--no throwing dirt clods at each other on the dirt pile. :)

A Visit to Remember

Kaleb is 8 this summer, which means it's his turn to visit Grammy and Grampy's house without his mom and dad! When given the option of bringing his big brother along, of course Kaleb said yes. He adores Braylen--most of the time. :) 8 years old, 8 days away from home...how exciting! They drove halfway, choosing to stay overnight in a motel. They're with their grandparents, so why rush? Taking it easy allowed them to visit a former president's boyhood home, and of course do plenty of swimming at the hotel. Kaleb preferred to sit in the hot tub (without the jets on.) Braylen and my dad did plenty of splashing in the pool. My mom says Kaleb wanted to stay at the motel and would have been happy to do so for the entire trip. Silly boy!

Here they are at the museum. Kaleb is a history buff, as you'll soon see!

After watching plenty of dvd's on the road, they arrived at Grammy and Grampy's house. Braylen mowed the lawn for my dad, while Kaleb swept the grass off the driveway. Such helpers--no wonder my parents wanted them! :) One MAJOR highlight of this trip is the chance to spend time with their Uncle Eric and Aunt Amber. They drove out from their house (6 hours away) to spend 5 days with my boys. We don't get to see them very often, so that made this visit extra special. I was jealous, but knew their time together would be much sweeter nephew/grandkid time without the mom and dad around. :) We can look forward to all of us being together at Christmas!

All you can eat pizza and bowling...does it get any better than that? Actually, Kaleb ate 4 pieces of pizza and that was too much. After some rest and TLC from Grammy, he was his happy self again the next day. Whew!

They took a trip to one of my favorite parks growing up. I've told Braylen and Kaleb that I love weeping willow trees, so they found some and took pictures for me. Isn't that sweet?

Besides eating out and watching tv, the boys loved to play Uncle Eric's Wii game called Boom Blox. I'm told they did that a lot together. Since this is Kaleb's trip, their fun outings revolved around his interests. Bowling. Pizza. History? Yes, history. Kaleb loves history! So Dad and Eric took the boys to an awesome place called Cantigny Park. They toured the indoor museum, which showcases WWI and WWII, Vietnam, the Korean War, and a little of Desert Storm. One display gave them a chance to explore what a building looks like after it's been bombed. That does so much more than a textbook could ever do. Kaleb's favorite part was the outdoor tank exhibit. They were allowed to climb all over them--how cool! Here's Kaleb and Uncle Eric on top of a tank. :)

Both boys with their uncle. Inscribed on the building is: "No mission too difficult. No sacrifice too great. Duty first."

All too quickly the time came for Uncle Eric and Aunt Amber to go back home. Braylen and Kaleb had so much fun with them, and with their cat Shelby. Kaleb taught me the card game they played together, and we call it "Kings are Good." It has a more official name, but I can't remember what it is. Thank you Eric and Amber for making this trip!

Another interest of Kaleb's: golf. Mini-golf is always fun, even in the summer heat. To cool off they went bowling again. Grammy says Kaleb only bowled the wrong way once. Yikes! :)

Only one thing could top off Kaleb's visit--a ride in one of Grampy's fire trucks! My dad took him to work and Kaleb loved every minute of it. He loved hanging out in Grampy's office, sitting in on some firefighter training, touring all 3 stations, and of course--riding in a fire engine! We'll be sending a pretty nice thank-you note to the guys who made this happen. After his exciting ride in the truck, the guys were called out and Kaleb was able to see the buzz at the station when that happens. He even came home and told me the details of the call. I wonder if I have a future firefighter for a son? :)

While Kaleb hung out with my dad, Braylen said he went to the barber shop with Grammy so she could get her hair cut. Oh my, my mom's getting her hair done at the barber shop now? :) Silly Braylen, it's called a beauty shop! He toughed it out and Mom rewarded him with a trip to Dick's Sporting Goods. Braylen's much more comfortable there! He showed Grammy what he wants for his birthday, because who says a boy can't dream? :)

Meeting up with my boys 8 days later was a fun time for all of us. Aaron was glad to be included in this part of the trip. I missed Braylen and Kaleb while they were gone, and yet--I didn't. I knew they were being loved and cared for, experiencing things with my family and making lifelong memories together. My only regret is not getting a picture of my boys with my parents before we went our separate ways. But speaking of pictures...didn't my parents do an excellent job of taking pictures this week? Grammy bought a photo book for Kaleb and let him pick out the pictures he wanted to put in it. It sits front and center on his desk at home, and I catch him looking through it here and there. We'll have to do this again sometime, don't you think?

Staying Put

After a few more nights in their new rooms, our boys have decided to stay put! It will still take some getting used to, but at least there are no more tears. We hung up their bulletin boards to give them ownership of their new spaces. Kaleb and Aaron's room is done, but Braylen has some decorating to do. Good thing he has a birthday coming up! It will be fun to find some hunting decor for him, and of course a camo bedspread. Yesterday he and his buddy hung out in his new room and listened to music. And nobody was allowed to enter. Braylen liked that a LOT. So, here they are: the before and after pictures. I'm feeling pretty good about all we've accomplished. The closets are clean, the clothing is sorted, and everyone is growing up. :)

Aaron

Braylen & Kaleb

Kaleb & Aaron

Braylen

And this fall I will move on to my next project...the toys.

The First Night

We're back together again. After a fun-filled week in Illinois, Braylen and Kaleb are home. My parents and I met in the middle--less driving for everyone. We stayed overnight in a motel and enjoyed being together. Parting ways after lunch today was strange. Mom and Dad headed one direction and I drove the other direction. With a lump in my throat I thought to myself, "just keep driving, just keep driving."

When we got home, the boys were excited to see their new rooms. They unpacked, I threw together a simple supper, and we all thanked God for air conditioning. With a heat index of 115, I'm once again thankful I wasn't born a pioneer woman! If you know me at all, I think of this a lot. :)

Braylen was quiet after supper. I assumed he was tired--I sure was! When I asked him if anything was wrong, he looked down at his feet and then up at me with big crocodile tears in his eyes. "I'm just going to miss being with Kaleb. Having my own room is going to take some getting used to." Wow, I did not see this coming. Or maybe I just didn't think about it. I was so focused on the painting, the furniture, and moving the belongings all week long. I never thought about how my boys might feel.

As I pondered this, Braylen's reaction made perfect sense. He's always been with Kaleb. He can't remember being alone. Those two boys could fight all day, but put them to bed in the same room and they were best buddies. They've had years of "pillow talk" to fall asleep to, and I ripped that away when I changed their rooms. If only Derek was home...

So as I put my boys to bed tonight, Kaleb is sleeping with Aaron. Braylen is sleeping alone. But tucked beneath Braylen's pillow is a walkie-talkie. And tucked beneath Kaleb's pillow is the other walkie-talkie. They are "together" in the only way they can be. Did I move them too soon? Should I move them back? I love them so much I'd do anything for them. Aaron can enjoy the newly painted room, since it's been his all along. Or I can do something really crazy like put all three beds in one room, and the dressers and desks in the other room.

Kaleb had tears of his own tonight. He wrote a letter to Braylen, telling him how much he's going to miss sharing a room with him. My boys love each other after all! :) So until we figure out what to do, there are no before & after pictures to post. I think we'll give it a few nights and we'll see how it goes.

Good night!

While the big brothers were gone...

Aaron's been our "only child" for 8 days now. What an experience this has been! One child to feed. One child to keep track of. One child to entertain. I've loved this one-on-one time with him so much! True to my word, Aaron enjoyed a friend's birthday party, a playdate with his buddy Carson, a sleepover with his cousin, an entire afternoon to play with his friend Aidan, and 5 evenings of Kid's Camp at church. Quite a lot of fun packed into these 8 days.

While Aaron had fun, I worked and worked and worked on our gigantic project of the summer. On the eve of getting my boys back, I'm happy to say my project is 90% completed. Wanna sneak a peek of what we've been doing while Braylen and Kaleb have been gone?

Yep, we made major changes in our boys' bedrooms, including who has his own room and who shares a room. More on this to come...

swimming with Dad--a HUGE highlight of Aaron's week

fun with Star Wars cookies and good friends :)

At the end of Kid's Camp tonight, Aaron brought home this green balloon and it brought him so much joy.

We're ready for our boys to come home. We have so many things to show them. And we can't wait to hear about their week. Times with their grandparents, uncle and aunt that they will remember always. Such blessings!

Snap Crackle Pop

Ah, the 4th of July. More and more it seems like all things summer start to dry up after the 4th, so I've learned to enjoy this week while we have it.

Fireworks, fireworks, and more fireworks! My parents here with us. Lightening bugs. Bike rides. Grandpa's birthday. Aunt Sarena's (early) birthday. The pool. Ice cream. Playing marbles. Lots of love and laughter between family and friends.

fun times with Rebekah

at the pool with my parents

my dad loves my dog

my mom taught Kaleb how to knit, and he was pretty proud

Aaron and I went out for ice cream with my dad, just the 3 of us

celebrating Grandpa's birthday

Braylen teaches his grandpa how to use his birthday gift: an iPod

celebrating with Aunt Sarena

This year we extended my parents' time with our boys by sending our oldest two boys home with them! Aaron already misses them, and so do I. But I know this will create some special memories for my boys to share with their grandparents. And with their uncle and aunt, who will be joining them from Ohio for a few days. So for one week we are parenting an only child. It is quiet here. Strange.

So I'm off to spend some time with my boy who is without his playmates. Happy Summer!

Life Everlasting

Our son Kaleb is 10 months old in this picture, but I choose to post this today because it says more than my words can say. The man holding Kaleb is our friend Roger. Roger went home to be with the Lord last week, and we celebrated his life today. You know how some people come into your life and you're better because of it? That's how it is with Roger and his wife Lois. They are such dear people to Derek and me.

Through life's ups and downs and twists and turns, Roger and Lois embraced us with Christ's love. Living states away from my own parents, Roger and Lois filled in at times. With a gleam in his eye Roger would always say, "How's Sarah doing today?" He frequently asked if my folks were coming out for a visit, or how my boys were doing. The last time we spoke was on Father's Day. I was rushing through the church to gather my children from their classrooms, but stopped when I saw Roger standing by the library. He shook my hand and I wished him a happy Father's day, thinking of my own dad and wishing I could be with him on that Sunday. I walked away from Roger that afternoon thinking of his smile and that gleam in his eye. No one could have known he would die just four days later.

A man who loved his Lord, Roger is now walking with God. I can imagine him there. I think if he could talk to us today he would tell us this journey on earth is worth it. Jesus, our only Way, Truth, and Life, is worth everything. Life must just explode in eternity, like a flower bursting forth in full bloom. What was once a struggle is now seen in view of everlasting life. "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12