Aaronisms at age 8

Cute little home grown carrots!

I love looking back at my earlier blog entries. Boy, my kids sure gave me plenty of funny material to write about. It makes me kind of sad though, because the funnies are fewer and farther between now. Or maybe I'm not paying attention like I used to? Is life so busy that I don't notice the funny parts? I hope not! Either way, I tried to be intentional this week about jotting down any funnies my boys might give me. Aaron did not let me down. :)

I bought a new pair of sunglasses this week. Derek asked me if they were polarized. I told him I didn't know, but they block UVA and UVB rays. Aaron piped up from the backseat and this is what I heard: "I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but I know you have no user fees!" When I asked him what he meant, he said, "You don't have any U's or V's in your sunglasses!" See why I thought he said user fees?

I spent a day this week with one of my closest friends while our kids were in school. What a highlight of my week! Later, when the boys were home again, I told them what I did that day. Aaron said, "That sounds so boring. All girls do is talk talk talk. You have boring friends." He also thinks my birthday gifts are boring. He moaned and groaned before I opened my gifts, going on about how boring they are. Good thing I don't need his approval to enjoy my birthday gifts and my time with my friends!

These next two quotes from Aaron should be called "deep thoughts" instead of funnies. His mind processes things differently than anyone I've ever known. Of my 3 sons, Aaron is my deepest thinker. He has so many questions and wonderings...is that a word? It is now. Here are some of Aaron's wonderings. :)

"Mommy, would you rather have a famous child or a normal child? I think having a normal child is better, because if you were famous then people would never leave you alone." This question came out of the blue when we were driving somewhere and I have no idea what made him ask me that. We talked about what it would be like to be famous, and concluded we are glad to be normal. :)

While I was making an early supper before rushing around to soccer games, Aaron asked me this: "Why do most people want the same thing? I mean, people at school pick things like chicken nuggets, corn dogs, and popcorn chicken for lunch. Why is that? Why don't more people pick the other kinds of food? Why do we like the same things?" Too many questions tossed at me during a hectic evening. I basically told him it's just kid-friendly food and it tastes good. Lame answer for my deep thinker, but many times when he asks me these questions my mind is fried and frazzled!

I hope Aaron keeps asking his questions. But maybe he can ask his daddy sometimes? And if my answers are too boring, he needs to look elsewhere for some excitement! :)

Baptized Together

Back to late July...

Coming home from Colorado on Saturday, we arrived at our house to find my parents already there! They even picked up Ginger for us, saving us another 2 hours of driving. Hooray! We had 3 baptisms the next morning, and we absolutely wanted to share this joyful experience with all 4 of our parents. Nothing like cramming it all in, right?! Oh, and since Derek had so much energy after our week in Colorado, he replaced our water heater the very night we got home. I guess his wife and in-laws wanted hot showers the next morning for church. :)

"A little child will lead them...Isaiah 11:6"
Aaron started asking us about baptism a year ago. We explained what it means and why we do it. We brought him to baptism services so he could see them. He kept bringing it up, so we presented the idea to all 3 boys. Braylen and Kaleb initially did not want to be baptized, so we challenged them to think about it and pray about it. We wanted this to be their decision, not ours. When we went camping this past June, we talked about it some more. By early July we had our answer...all 3 boys wanted to be baptized. Each boy wrote out his testimony, and we scheduled a meeting with our pastor.

Watching each of my sons boldly share his testimony in front of our large congregation made my heart very, very happy. :) Their faces glowed, and their eyes shone. Derek partnered with our pastor and together they baptized each of our boys, one by one, while I stood on stage and tried to hold myself together! Baptisms always bring out my emotional side, but my own sons' baptisms? PURE JOY AND BLESSINGS!

Kaleb wanted to go first. Kaleb! The verse he chose to share with his testimony was Jeremiah 32:17. "Oh, Lord God, You Yourself made the heavens and earth with your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You."

Braylen went next. He shared two verses, John 3:16 and Philippians 4:13. The verse in John meant the most to him as a young boy. The verse in Philippians means the most to him as a teenager.  It says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Aaron, who first brought up the idea of being baptized, wanted to be last! His testimony had two parts: his and mine. He read his part, and Pastor Mike read my part. Aaron's verse is John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

With "How Great is our God" playing in the background, each boy took his turn in the water. Here they are...

Kaleb

Braylen

Aaron

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Philippians 3:20-21

Three Generations :)

Our celebration lunch was at a favorite restaurant. After such a whirlwind of a week and weekend, who had time to prepare a meal?! Thank you to all of my extended family for making this day so special!

All About Kaleb

In the busyness that comes with this time of year, attending 3 curriculum nights at 2 schools feels like "three more things" to put on my schedule. I've already had a 5th grader and a 2nd grader, so do I really need to go to Kaleb and Aaron's classrooms? Are they really that important? Yes! Anything that keeps my child away from me for 5 days a week, 9 months a year, is worthy of my time. I LOVE sitting in their seats, catching up with other parents, and listening to their teachers explain what's expected of them during this school year. In the elementary classrooms, I tuck a note inside my sons' desks for them to find the next day. I'm not able to do that in the middle school, unless I sneak it into his locker. :)

This year Kaleb's teacher gave each parent a form to fill out. It's called, "Introducing Your Child." Before I turn it in, I want to record what I wrote about Kaleb. Someday I'll wonder what he was like in 5th grade...

• List 5 words that best describe your child's character: Cautious, tender-hearted, imaginative, orderly, optimistic.
• What motivates your child? Kaleb is a nurturer. He wants to help. He is motivated by positive praise.
• What upsets your child? Rudeness, a messy room, fear of failure.
• What are your child's out-of-school interests and activities? Soccer, church youth group, playing with his brothers, caring for our dog, piano lessons.
• What activities do you share? Boating, fishing, reading, biking, camping.
• What problems/successes do you have working/playing together? Sometimes Kaleb's inability to pay attention to details can cause problems. Overall, his easygoing nature allows us to have fun doing all kinds of things together.
• How would you rate your child's study habits? (on a scale of 1 to 10) 7
• What study skills does your child need to develop? Timeliness, memorization of math facts, dedicated reading time.
• What academic subject is your child's best? reading and spelling
• What academic subject is your child's worst? math and social studies
• What particular academic areas would you like to see stressed? math and reading
• What social skills would you like to see developed? confidence and leadership
• Other comments/concerns? Kaleb is not Braylen!

Our prayer for Kaleb is that he applies himself to the best of his abilities this year. I admit, there are times (like yesterday) when I run to Derek and say, "I don't know how to parent this child!" He is not more difficult to raise--he's...how do I put this nicely...he's his father's son. :) And there is nothing wrong with that. I love you, Kaleb Matthew. I'm excited to see what great things God has in store for your life!

What a Vacation

Tonight I took my boys to our first high school football game of the season. August 24th and we were comfortable in sweatshirts. Perfect weather! Derek worked the game, as usual, and he visited with us at halftime. I love how proud the kids are of their daddy. :)

It's hard for me to believe, but they just finished their first full week of school. It sure doesn't take long to slip back into the school routine. But before I allow myself to completely catch up to the present, I need to wrap up our Colorado vacation...

We spent some more time hiking with the boys on Friday. Besides finding walking sticks, they like to find dead trees to knock over. That is something they inherited from Derek. :) Sadly, there are many dead trees in the Rocky Mountains, due to the pine beetle. But even something like that can be turned into something fun for the kids. I guess that's one way to look at it.

We took our boys to the top of Trail Ridge Rd. and taught them what it means to be above timberline. (Braylen already knew this, since he went to Pike's Peak last summer!) We made several stops along the way, taking our time and enjoying the beautiful mountains.

There was a woman on the other side of this sign who looked less than thrilled to
be there. She had a large bag of sunchips and was munching away. Didn't Derek do
a great job of not getting her in the picture? :)

We were happy to be here! :)

I promise, we didn't pose the kids. They are just naturals. Ha! :)

Our last outing of the day involved something we've never done as a family before. We went golfing! Not mini-golfing, but golfing. There's a course just outside of Granby that has a family package: golf two holes as many times as you want--golf cart included. In our case, they gave us two golf carts. We did this with our brother and sis-in-law and kids, and once again we laughed and laughed and laughed! Brandon gave Derek a quick golf lesson. Pam shared her clubs with Braylen and Kaleb. Braylen decided he liked driving the cart and taking pictures, while Kaleb discovered he liked to golf. He seems to have some natural ability--who knew?! The rest of the kids shared a small club. Even Pam and I took a few swings. It was a great way to end our family vacation week.

Our Little Man

Golfing 101

Brothers

Braylen takes his turn

Kaleb kept wanting to play again and again.
Good idea Aunt Pam!

Back at the house for our last night together, Braylen showed Grandma and Grandpa the slide show tribute he put together during the week. I was proud of his work, and we all loved watching it. The kids shared their favorite memories of the week, and then the adults did the same. One of my favorite memories at the house was waking up to find the kids having breakfast together. One morning Kaleb had cereal with Uncle Brandon. Another morning all 6 kids were at the table while Grandma served waffles. The morning after our slide accident, Aunt Pam fixed pancakes. I appreciated the chance to sleep in a bit longer. :) Mixing families like that for the week was fun! We also worked on a scavenger hunt all week. Grandma came up with some unique things for us to search for. In fact, some of our pictures were taken only because of this scavenger hunt. She also brought along two rubber lizards, and all week we played the game "Where's Lizzie?" Those lizzies ended up in all kinds of places...

Derek and I can't thank his parents enough for this amazing vacation. We've decided to honor their gift to us by looking for ways to bless others as opportunities arise. Paying it forward. Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad! We love you!!!!!

Colorado Fun

Our last 2 days in Colorado were packed with activities. On Thursday we hiked to Adams Falls, shopped, and treated ourselves to ice cream in Grand Lake. I loved getting ice cream at the same place we had it on our honeymoon. Here we are 15 years and 3 kids later, standing in the same spot! :)

It would be fun to compare this picture with a picture of us standing
here on our honeymoon. Too bad it would take me 15 more years
to find that picture though! Ha!

Right after our ice cream treat in Grand Lake.

The kids had to have a walking stick on every hike we took. Kaleb's stick cracked me up!

Kaleb wanted a picture by this sign, and I'm glad he did.
This is the town we looked down on from the house, since
the house was in the mountains!

Who doesn't love a hot tub with this kind of scenery?!

On Friday we took our kids on a big adventure...horseback riding! Kaleb wanted to do this most of all. I was a bit nervous for all of us to do this, considering what we went through on Wednesday and all. But I'm so glad I didn't let fear hold me back. We laughed and laughed on our 1 hour horseback ride! Horses do funny things...at least, the boys think so! Like take care of business whenever they please. And if they have an itch? They just walk over the top of a small pine tree and let it reach all the parts they need scratched. Oh, and my favorite--if they want a snack, they just wander away from the trail and eat the tall grasses at their leisure. Aaron's horse did that a lot. His name was Ziggy, and Aaron said, "I know why my horse is named Ziggy. He zig-zags all over the place!"

We all lined up in front of our horses.

Single file now! Aaron's reddish-brown horse is Ziggy, followed by Kaleb
on his brown horse named Kermit. Braylen is next in line riding a white horse named Gray Ghost.
Derek is riding a brown horse named Roe, and I'm the last one in line.
My horse is named Lil' Red.

Giddy-up Lil' Red!


We had a blast on these horses. Sometimes the trail was flat, sometimes it was uphill. It was very peaceful and beautiful, and I will never forget it. And did I mention we laughed...a LOT?!

Aaron riding the headless Ziggy. :)

Before leaving the horse barn, we posed for a picture. (of course!) And since I'm all out of time, the rest of our trip will have to be wrapped up in one more post! Time to go and get my school boys!

Turning 36

I've had a fabulous birthday today. If today sets the tone for what it's like to be 36, then I think 36 is going to be a great year for me. :) This morning I made french toast for breakfast. (my fave!) Braylen wanted to make it and serve it to me in bed, but I needed to have Aaron to a doctor's appointment at 8:30. I told Braylen it's the thought that counts! We enjoyed our breakfast at the kitchen table. :)

Braylen and Kaleb spent the rest of the morning mowing 3 yards, along with Grandpa's help. Aaron and I had some quiet time at home. He watched a Thomas the Train movie for a while, which gave me a little alone time to open my cards and answer texts.

For lunch I enjoyed my first taste of Thai food with my mom-in-law and sis-in-law. It was so yummy! I love and respect both of these women immensely, so this lunch was a special time for sure.

The afternoon was supposed to be restful, but it kind of flew by. I did get to facetime with my dad, which was a treat in the middle of the day. Since school starts tomorrow, I spent some time sharpening Aaron's pencils and labeling all of his crayons. Pretty soon none of my sons will need crayons for school, and that makes me enjoy labeling Aaron's crayons. :)

I received lots of texts and calls today, along with many facebook messages. My brother called me on Skype, and I loved watching my one year old nephew dance to his favorite song--"C is for Cookie." One unique thing about my birthday today...every single call and text and facetime and Skype came through my cell phone or my computer or my iPad. My home phone was silent today. I wonder if that means it's time to think about doing away with a landline?

My amazing husband arranged for a flower delivery for me today. He really went out of his way this year to make sure I felt loved on my birthday. More about that in another post.

This evening was all about our elementary school's open house. Kaleb and Aaron filled their desks with their supplies, met with their teachers, and had their pictures taken for this new school year. It's still a weird feeling for me to think of Kaleb as a 5th grader. I still think Braylen should be in 5th grade...

Tomorrow is a day of transition for us, as all 3 boys will be in school for the day. But today we were together, and I enjoyed celebrating the gift of this life that I'm living here in our corner of the world. There's no greater gift on earth than that, which means I am very happy to be 36 years old. :)

My sweet fellas!
Kaleb wished me a happy birthday more times than I can count.
It means a lot to me that he is so intentional with his words.
Braylen cleaned up the kitchen and cared for the dog,
his servant's heart shining through.
Aaron was himself...cuddly and a bit clingy as school starts tomorrow.
Always and forever my baby.
Happy Birthday to me! :)

CRASH!

Okay, back to our Colorado vacation...

On day 3 we decided as an entire family to spend the day at Winter Park Resort. Even in the summer, there are lots of things to do there. We really had a great time! At the end of our very fun day, we had an accident on the alpine slide. I sent an email to my parents the next day, telling them what happened to us. Here's part of that email...

On our last run down the alpine slide, the four of us, in this order (Kaleb, Sarah, Aaron, Derek) lined our sleds up in the start zone. Braylen was riding the chair lift up the mountain with Grandpa at this point. A staff employee went down the slide ahead of Kaleb in order to clean the slide, so we waited in the start zone for the "all clear." Moments later the employee at the start zone removed the orange cone and told Kaleb to go. (We were on the fast slide, where we had been all day.)

Kaleb went down the mountain. I followed him. Almost halfway down I came upon a very slow Kaleb telling me to stop. The employee cleaning the slide had not reached the bottom yet, and Kaleb had come upon her, stopping in time. I don't know how, but I stopped in time. Then I heard Aaron coming. I screamed at him to stop. He stopped, but hit the back of my sled. Thankfully he's light, and he didn't hit hard at all. Then we heard Derek coming. I will never forget the terror I felt in that moment. This all happened in a matter of seconds and there was no time to get out of the way. Derek hit Aaron's sled at 29 mph. (He was tracking this run on his GPS phone app, so that's how we know the speed.) Aaron flew off his sled, and so did Derek, and they tumbled together in a horrible mess of sleds and bodies. I must have screamed, because later Kaleb told me that's what scared him the most. I clawed my way up the slide, trying to throw Aaron off into the grass. I was terrified of slide burns all over his body, not to mention everything else that could go wrong. Derek gave himself up for Aaron, doing everything he could to lift him up above the wreck. Both Derek and I were in long pants and long sleeves, and that is what saved Derek from serious burns. When everyone came to a stop, we immediately assessed Aaron. He could stand, walk, and talk. I was frantic, peeling off his shirt to look at his body.

Getting back on the sleds to ride to the bottom was so very hard. The employee stayed with us of course, and we went very slow. Nobody ever came down after Derek, which is a huge blessing. The employee had radioed to the top when Kaleb came down, and they shut the slide down after Derek had left the start zone. We made a train on the sleds all the way down. At this point, Aaron began screaming. He cried like a siren all the way down the mountain. 

We went straight to the medical clinic and here are the injuries. Aaron has a slide burn on his left elbow, about the size of a nickel. His left pinky, ring finger, and index fingers all have burns on the palm side. He has some bruises at the base of his neck and his lower back. And THAT IS ALL!!! No head bumps. No broken bones. Miracle of miracles. Derek is sore all over. He has no burns, thanks to his long pants and shirt. He didn't bump his head either. His ankles are very sore, and the heels of his shoes show where he used his feet to try to stop himself. More miracles that he escaped serious injuries.

Braylen and Grandpa saw the whole crash from above. They found us in the medical clinic and they were both in tears. Needless to say, we spent all of last night debriefing as a family. We were all very shaken up.

Today is a new day, and we are all doing well. Aaron is his old self, very spirited and happy. (Except when I change his bandages!) Derek needs to rest, and he needs to ice some joints, but he is otherwise doing very well. We were SO VERY PROTECTED through this traumatic ordeal. We are resting in God's protective hands today.

This happened 3 weeks ago, but it is something all of us will never forget. Derek and I have had a lot of conversations about our crash, sharing things we've learned and how this experience has changed us. Aaron healed so quickly. We talked about God having big plans for him, since he sure does go through one ordeal after another!

Aaron riding the chairlift up the mountain. We did this so many times that day!

Kaleb jumping on the trampoline. Aaron, Braylen, and I also did this.
(I forgot I'm not 15 anymore, did too many backflips,
and felt queasy much of that night and the next morning.)

Kaleb on a mini zip line. Aaron did this too.

One of our many times at the top of the alpine slide.

This is us, all lined up right before the crash. We planned this to be our last
time down the slide, so Derek took our picture. This is one of those pictures
I like to look at, but at the same time I don't like to look at it.

What a day, right?! Thankfully, when I think of this day, I also think of playing mini-golf with Aaron. Going through the life-size maze with much of our family members. Watching our boys fly high on the bungee trampoline. Riding the chair lift up the mountain with Derek. When rain threatened to shut down our day, the sun came back out. And we all came home in one piece. Amen. :)

Our First Teenager

Our firstborn son is 13 years old today!!! We had a lot of fun celebrating him all day long. What fun for him to have a Saturday birthday this year. That gave Braylen more time with Daddy. :) They went out for donuts this morning and even brought some home for the rest of us. His friend Hunter came over for the day, which is what Braylen wanted more than anything. Throw in some gifts, a trip to the lake, fishing, and good food--and that adds up to a really great 13th birthday. :)

Happy Birthday Braylen!

13 Fun Facts About Braylen

• His feet are the same size as mine right now.
• His voice is getting lower.
• He asked both of his brothers if they had a fun day today. I love to see that side of him.
• He picks up one end of the rowboat and carries it like it weighs nothing, while I can barely lift it.
• In 5 days he'll be a 7th grader.
• Plums and peaches are still favorites of his. More so than sweets.
• He gobbles up books as fast as I do. Faster, since he's not a mom with responsibilities.
• He asks me for a haircut every 2-3 weeks. Think of the money we save!
• His love language is quality time, so one of his gifts is a 4-wheeling trip with Daddy.
• He really likes to draw and design houses.
• He has an eye for photography. His pictures turn out really cool.
• His smile is contagious. It always has been.
• So far he's making the teen years look like a lot of fun! :)

Another mom recently told me that she thinks her years with her teenage sons were even better than their elementary years. I like her perspective. So many people focus on the negative parts of raising teenagers. I hope to dwell on the good parts.

Derek and I are so blessed to raise these boys the Lord has placed in our care. Thank you God, for our son Braylen.

Mountain High

Derek's parents decided to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary and 60th birthdays in a big way...by taking their entire family on a Colorado vacation! We were so blessed to make this trip! Each day I kept a journal of what we did, hoping to remember this vacation always. When I think back to our week in the mountains, I am reminded of God's majestic creation, His divine protection, and the delight He must find in families. I will let our pictures tell more of the story...

Our home for the week

This is how I found the kids one morning. Happily playing a game of Uno.
Other mornings they had breakfast together in their jammies.

All the kids loved bouldering on the rocks beneath the house.
I called this one "Braylen's Peak."

We spent lots of time relaxing on one of the decks watching the hummingbirds.
That was one of the restful moments of this trip.

Grandpa and the kids worked on this puzzle all week.

The pool room was a favorite place for many.

Brothers and cousins, taking in the beautiful scenery

One day Grandma and Grandpa took all 6 kids on an adventure.
They had a picnic, looked for wildlife, and swam at a rec center.

Derek and I spent our free day hiking.

We ran into our brother & sister-in-law at Big Meadows!

Here they are. :)

And here we are. :)

And that wraps up days 1 and 2. Day 3 proved to be one we will never forget. It's so memorable, it deserves it's own post...next time!