Spring Break in the Springs

We had such a great time as a family in Colorado Springs last week! I felt like God smiled on us throughout the entire trip. Our hotel had a large pool and a free cook to order breakfast. Derek and I liked the omelets, while Aaron had a chocolate chip Mickey Mouse pancake made just for him. Our boys were able to spend one-on-one time with their aunt and uncle at their home, taking turns spending the night. We treated the kids (and ourselves!) to Chick-fil-A. One of the highlights of our trip was spending time with Derek's sister in her home. We were there a lot! Our little nephew is such a doll. The weather was sunny and warm-ish. (Colorado in March--55 degrees is warm!) Derek and I decided these short trips to CO are perfect for our family right now. We plan on taking more in the future. :)



I caught Kaleb holding Aaron's knee while they slept.

One of the times where we had the pool to ourselves!

Hot-tubbing in the Springs

On Tuesday we visited the Air Force Academy. I was there when I was 17, so it was fun for me to return with my family this time. :)

Mountain View
Yes, Braylen and I are about the same height!

We saw some planes, toured the displays and gift shop, and walked the trail to the chapel. This chapel is a landmark in CO Springs.

Inside are countless stained glass windows, a huge pipe organ, and of course--rows and rows of pews. Aaron walked to the front and asked me why they had cowbells in the chapel. Tee hee!

The organ took up the entire rear balcony.

Aaron's "cowbells," aka podium lights. :)

Yes, we have an extra boy in this picture. He is such a happy baby!

Since we took a picture of the boys, Sarena and I realized we needed a girls-only picture! We are so outnumbered!

Sisters :)

We ended our day with dinner at Sarena and Dave's house, where Aaron took his turn spending the night. His aunt and uncle had some of his favorite cereal for breakfast, a deck of cards ready so Aaron could challenge Uncle Dave to a game of war, and some supplies for Aaron to create something. If you know Aaron at all, you know he loves to create! Aunt Sarena knew this! This time he made a laminated bookmark for Kaleb. He even "wrapped" it and called it a late birthday present. Or early, depending on which way you look at it. :) Oh--and he "laminated" it with packing tape.

(Derek is missing because he took this picture)

More on our trip next time!

Our Characters

I really should look through my boys' schoolwork and count how many character awards they've received through the years. Aaron's elementary years are recent enough for me to remember he's received an award every year. Braylen and Kaleb's elementary years are a bit more of a stretch. However, I'm pretty sure they each received an award every year too. I don't say this to brag on them--I say this to encourage them to keep living lives with integrity, good purpose, honesty, and respect. Derek and I are so proud of them! Making good choices and living lives with good character does not happen by accident. Keep it up, boys! :)

3rd quarter of Kaleb's 5th grade year has come and gone. We are definitely in the home stretch now. For many, many reasons, I think 5th grade is my favorite grade level with my sons. It is a year to transition to middle school, and yet I can still see him play at recess. He's becoming more independent and responsible, and yet I am still welcome to volunteer in his class. He is pulling away from his little-boy world--but gives me glimpses of that little boy every now and then. He is sweet and funny and likes to be with his family. I could go on and on...

Last week Kaleb received the character award from his teacher. Here he is with his certificate.

Another part of the character assembly involves nominating someone from the community who demonstrates good character. Usually the boys nominate their dad, grandpa, or even their mom. But this time Aaron chose to nominate his brother. This is what he wrote:
"I nominate Kaleb because every time he does something meen he says he is sorry. He never blames it on anybody. So that is why I nominate Kaleb."

While his entry was not chosen by the guidance counselors, it is definitely chosen as a winner by Derek and me. Aaron wrote this by himself with no help at all from us. It came from his heart and shows us how much he respects his brother. I love it!

I think the one thing all of our boys have learned from this focus on character during their elementary years is the definition of integrity. "Know what's right, do what's right=integrity." They even have a simple hand clap to help them remember it. I hope they never forget it. And more importantly, I hope they live it.

Right now we are gearing up for Spring Break. Hooray! A week without school! We have some fun things to look forward to, so I know the week will fly by. To wrap up this post, here's a picture of Derek and me. We don't seem to have too many pictures of us together these days, so when I saw this one I just had to share it! :)

Not Quite Spring...Yet

Aaron LOVES Easter and spring. He gets so excited to see the first Easter eggs of the season. This year he saw Grandma's Easter eggs, squealed with delight--and I knew we would be digging out our Easter decorations VERY soon! It feels good to bring some spring back into our lives. My boys are playing basketball in the driveway again. I've taken Ginger for walks without bundling up first. But March is fickle. One day it's gorgeous outside, and the next day it feels like the middle of winter. So, before we jump into spring with both feet, here are some winter moments we've had around here these last few weeks.

Kaleb and Daddy put together the USS Chicago. Kaleb actually did most of it himself!

 

On one of our snow days we hooked up the sleds to the 4wheelers and had fun
in our own neighborhood! Hopefully our neighbors didn't mind. :)

Don't let this picture fool you. Derek did the driving, I held on, and the kids
took turns on the sleds. Pictured here are Braylen and Aaron on sleds.

Kaleb worked hard to carve out his own snow fort.

Making pizza with Aaron is always an adventure. :)

One day Aaron decided he wanted to do an experiment with all kinds of ingredients.
Good thing baking soda and vinegar are cheap!

I told the boys to build a snowman. When I looked at it I laughed and laughed!
It came up to my knees. :)

On the last day of February, Braylen had his first of two "spring" band concerts. :) Here he is on the snare drum.

I realized that parents of drummers never know what songs they will hear at the concerts. It is always a surprise. :) When Braylen practices his drums at home, "The Sound and the Fury" sounds an awful lot like "The Pink Panther." Or, "I'm a Believer." He did a great job at his concert and we were very proud of him.

Kaleb officially graduated from his piano lessons on February 27th. He took private lessons for 2.5 years, just like Braylen did. We gave him the opportunity to continue, but he chose to be done. I am thankful for the blessing of an incredibly gifted, compassionate teacher. Both Braylen and Kaleb thrived with their teacher, Karah. Aaron continues to take lessons from her, so we're not quite finished yet. :) Some day I hope our boys will look back at their piano lessons and be thankful for them. I truly believe learning to read and play music stretches their minds and spirits in ways only music can.

And that is what we've been up to around here! One more thing before I sign off today. When showing something to Aaron recently, he didn't respond. I could tell he wasn't paying any attention to what I was saying. When I called him on it, he replied, "My eyes were still in my head. I was paying more attention to my thoughts than my eyes." Ha! :)

Singing and Dancing

Kaleb performed in his last elementary school program last month. I feel like we were just watching him on stage as a kindergartner and *poof* he's a 5th grader and all finished with school programs! I have enjoyed each and every one. :) This program was called, "I Need a Vacation!" He looked like he had a lot of fun with these songs, and that is because he really was having fun up there on stage! His class was featured in the song, "Way Out in Left Field," a baseball song. Kaleb played the part of an umpire, and did such a great job with his speaking part. He told me he liked wearing the microphone headset. After the show several people told me that Kaleb sounded very professional and assertive with his speaking part. Way to go, Kaleb! I find it so cool that my son who once had a hard time speaking has grown into quite an impressive public speaker. God gets all the glory for that. :)

Aaron's always been our little cute performer. While 5th graders look (and act) ready for middle school, 2nd graders are still cute. :) This year his program was called, "Music of the Heart." Each song spoke of friendship, which made for a sweet program. Aaron's class was featured in the song, "Celebrate the Music." Students dressed up in costumes from different countries, and Aaron was from Mexico! He had lots of dance moves to remember, and he did a great job. In the weeks leading up to the program I would hear him singing his songs around the house. When he realized what he was doing he stopped and said, "You didn't hear that, did you?" He wanted his songs to be a surprise for me. He didn't want Kaleb giving away his songs either, silly boy. :)

Braylen came along to watch his brothers perform and we ended up sitting next to a friend of his from elementary school. That worked out pretty well! Braylen and Nathan don't go to the same middle school, so they don't see much of each other these days. Here they are between shows--the electronics were put away during the programs! :)

I know these days go by so quickly. But I really am enjoying each and every one. Seeing my kids up on stage singing and dancing and looking adorable...I just love everything about it.