The Great 38

My 38th birthday began with a pretty rainbow in the morning. I took it as my very own promise from God. My own little happy birthday message. :)

Gifts from Mom and Dad

With the boys in school and Derek off today, we spent the day together, just the 2 of us! I talked to my parents on FaceTime and opened their gifts while we talked. Their major gift to me is our upcoming trip to San Diego, but Mom always finds a way to wrap a few gifts for me and get them in the mail. :) She made me a small throw pillow, fall valances for my kitchen windows, and a photo book of Ginger at "Camp" this summer. :)

Derek asked me where I wanted to go for lunch and he laughed when I told him I wanted to go to our new grocery store's restaurant. They have good Chinese food there, and it's what I like! That was good enough for me. We had a fun time, just the two of us at lunch. I'm still getting used to Derek being home some days during the week. He's been on this schedule for a full year now, and I'm still liking it.

This afternoon we spent some time at Verizon so I could get a new phone. I've finally given up my basic phone and have a smart phone now. Woohoo! Derek's been asking me for years if I wanted a smart phone, and I've been putting it off as long as I can. With our oldest son now in high school I figured it's time for me to catch up on my technology a bit. :)

When the boys came home from school and Braylen finished football practice, we loaded up to go over to my in-laws' house for my family party. I can't remember the last time when I had my own party, since Braylen and I always share. It was a nice change for us to have our own parties this year. It's also special to share, so really I am happy either way. Mom and Pam prepared BBQ ribs, baked beans, sweet potato fries, home made bread, and orange pineapple tapioca salad. YUM! Thank you so much!

I love my husband!

What fun they have together :) See Braylen chilling on the couch?

Gathered around the birthday pie 

Derek surprised me with my gift this year--a smoker! I'm sure we'll get lots of use out of it, since we all like to eat around here. :) Kaleb and Aaron bought me some new Nike headbands. They do such a great job paying attention to the colors and styles I like. I feel very loved and blessed by my boys--all 4 of them! Earlier this week I spent an evening with a group of close friends to celebrate my birthday. I am amazed they made time for me, since this week is so busy with school starting and everything. It makes me think back to my early days in this town when I didn't have any friends here at all. I'm so thankful for my friends.

Here's my new smoker!

So, now I'm 38 years old. Hmm. I read somewhere that 38 is the middle of your life. On average, half of my life has already passed by, and half of it is still to come. I'm not sure how I feel about that. If anything, it encourages me to find the good in each day. To not waste any of it. To be a better listener and extend more grace to those around me. To live with an eternal perspective. I suppose if I do that, then 38 isn't so much "middle age" after all! It's just the beginning. :)

9th, 7th, & 4th grade

Three kids, three schools, one mom and one dad!

This school year is filled with a LOT of firsts for us. First year of high school for Braylen. First year for Kaleb to be on his own in middle school. First year for Aaron to be independent. I've learned by now that 4th grade is a major game-changer for boys. What I haven't learned yet is what it's like to have a high school son. I have a feeling there's lots to learn. :)

First day of 9th grade
August 13th, 2014

4th grade open house
August 13th, 2014

First day of 7th & 4th grades
Second day of 9th grade
August 14th, 2014

Aaron is ready for 4th grade.

7th grade for Kaleb!

Kaleb rode his bike to school, just like he planned on last spring. Taking Aaron to his school was easy. Taking Braylen to the high school was insane. The traffic and parking/drop off situation over there is a nightmare. Beginning tomorrow Braylen has to be there by 6:50am for band, so we won't have to endure the traffic mess again until marching season is over. I guess that is one good thing about our early mornings. :) Football practice keeps him at school until 6:15 every night, so no after school traffic mess either--for a while anyway!

I feel like school came early this year. Maybe I think that every year. Aaron and I made our pickles the day before school started--we barely squeezed it in to summer! This is our second year making pickles from the cucumbers we grew in our garden. Aaron designed his label and helped me with the cucumbers. It's not a hard job, and it's something we enjoy doing together.

A small sample of our home grown veggies

12 jars of pickles again this year

yummy dill pickles!

Tomorrow is my birthday. What a week! It began with Braylen's birthday on Monday and ends with mine on Friday, with school starting in the middle. Good thing Derek is off and we can spend my birthday together. Otherwise it would be lonely around here. Soon our school schedule will feel normal and routine. Right now it just feels weird!

The Rest of our Summer

This is the rest of our summer at home, told through pictures since I don't seem to have many words today. Must be from all the changes going on around here. It zaps my brain and creativity. I loved our summer 2014. We traveled a lot! When we weren't traveling or mowing lawns, we loafed around. :)

I wonder if this is the last time I will catch them playing dinosaurs together like this?

Our neighbor made this huge slip-n-slide and shared it with our boys!
See our old swing set in the picture?

Splash!

Kaleb loved his golf lessons this summer. 

My two VBS workers. I just have the best boys. :)

My only VBS kid. He made this "agent" at VBS this year.

I loved getting in the pool with our boys this summer. :) They made sure to splash me lots.

2 weeks of all day band camp for Braylen culminated in this exhibition.
Here's my boy with his bass drum!

Aaron's pumpkins he planted at Grandma's house needed to be harvested EARLY.
Fall pumpkins in the summer? Oh well! At least they grew!

Studs

We went to the lake a few times this summer. Not as much as we have in the past, but I guess that is what happens when kids get older. Life gets busier. I went to Denver and Colorado Springs for a few days in late July for a Beth Moore conference. Pam and I had a lot of fun on our adventure! Our hotel was...interesting. The shuttle didn't pick us up from the conference and we were stranded. God provided a friend from church to be our "miracle" that night, and she gave us a ride to our interesting hotel. We learned that Jesus is our One and Only, our sustainable stability. Our second hotel in the Springs was MUCH less interesting. That is a good thing. :) We went shopping with Sarena and Jacki, taking turns pushing Sarena around in her wheelchair so she wouldn't go into preterm labor. We laughed SO hard doing that! On our way home we stopped in Aurora so I could meet up with a dear friend I had not seen in 12+ years. It was a sweet time of reconnecting. And just when we thought our "adventure" was over--we parked on the interstate for an hour and 20 minutes due to a bad wreck ahead. I'll never forget walking around on the interstate that hot afternoon.

School starts for Braylen tomorrow, for Kaleb and Aaron the day after tomorrow. I have a feeling we'll be hanging on for quite a ride this fall! Good thing we had a summer full of fun and rest? Well, at least we had lots of FUN! :)

Fifteen

Braylen was eight years old when I started this blog. Eight. Today he is FIFTEEN! I would ask where the time went, but the answer is written out in all of my blog posts. It passed by one day at a time. The mundane, the everyday life, the milestones, the highs and the lows--they all add up and here we are at fifteen.

There is not one single way Braylen could make us more proud of who he is becoming. Not one. He loves God, loves people, serves others, works hard, anticipates what needs to be done and does it, and he is FUN TO BE WITH!!! He laughs and jokes around a lot, and I love that about him. Derek and I frequently talk about how much fun we're having raising him.

I used to dread the teenage years. I used to look at my little blond boys and wonder how I would ever become a mom to teenagers. Well, I have a long way to go, and so do my boys. But one thing I've learned so far is this. My son, who used to sit on my lap with a book, is still somewhere in that 15 year old teenage boy. The one who needed me to slice his grapes in half still needs me to stock the fridge with grapes and a whole lot more. The outward appearance changes. The sound of his voice changes. He changes grade levels and adds new interests. But that relationship we built, one day at a time, is still there.

One more thing that hasn't changed? The boy still loves cars! Always has! And today he finally got to drive!!! The only thing I'll say about that first experience is it was terrifying...for me. But every time he gets behind the wheel he gets better. With an entire year to learn from Derek and from me, he will be in great shape.

Happy Birthday, Braylen Derek! And many more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Always remember how loved you are.

Grandpa & Grandma with their first grandchild

Uncle Brandon & Aunt Pam and the girls with Braylen

Forever a family with our new fifteen year old :)