Photo Recap from 2014

***Lots and lots of pictures in this post!***

We moved our computer downstairs, since I'm usually the only person who uses it. The kids have laptops and iPods. A desktop is so ancient history. :)

I LOVE having it out of the living room. It's even inspired me to turn our basement into more of a family room...and less of a "I don't know where to put it, so just put it downstairs" kind of room. I expect this project to take me all winter to complete. That being said, with the computer out of sight and out of mind, I don't think of downloading the camera very often.

Wow, did I find some really good pictures on it! I have a few from the wedding in San Diego last summer, some from Kaleb's birthday, and a bunch from Christmas. Here goes!

These first two pictures are kind of neat. My mom is standing with her siblings and they are arranged by birth order. I'll call them the Fabulous Four. The next picture is each of the Fabulous Four's firstborn children. Interestingly enough, the boys had boys first, while the girls had girls first.

Uncle Wally, my mom, Uncle Rick, Aunt Susan.
Siblings

Nicholas, Me, Daniel, Katherine.
Cousins

 We look just like our parents, don't you think? :) Ha ha!

Katherine and I with our five boy cousins. We're only missing my brother and her brother in this picture.
My Aaron is the cutest of the bunch! :)

I realize Kaleb's birthday was almost two months ago. Nevertheless, here's the official 13 year old picture. :)

Aaron made Kaleb a bracelet

Kaleb is wearing Ginger's new Christmas collar cover from Grammy.

Bracelet #2 from Aaron

 Here are a few pictures from our Christmas at home...before our big trip to Illinois!

Kaleb put the star on the tree this year.

Christmas Eve, ready to open their presents from San Diego aunt & uncle

Christmas morning! Braylen's wearing his new shirt that he opened Christmas Eve.

Who says a 13 year old boy won't love a stuffed Minoin? Kaleb named it Kevin!

He loves his new Husker shirt.

Derek & Aaron received new ping pong paddles for Christmas.
They love to play together. :)

Family Christmas 2014

On December 26th, we took off for Illinois! We only stopped twice and the trip flew by, thanks to a really good audio book we all loved. Mom, Dad, Eric, Amber, and Will were all waiting up for us. It felt so good to be all together at home! Most of these pictures are from Eric. We've designated him as our family photographer.

Will loves Kaleb right away.

Braylen & Kaleb's turn to get new ping pong paddles.

My dad and his new book :)

Thanks Uncle Eric for the Lions hat!

Thanks Mom, for my new hat! :)

My cousin Kristy on my dad's side has a little boy named Julian, and they came over one evening with my grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousin Joe. It was fun to watch Julian and Will play side by side. They are not at the age where they play together just yet.

My grandma with all 5 of her great grandsons: Aaron, Will, Julian, Kaleb, & Braylen.

This picture is too cute not to post.

Will loves trains, so Kaleb played with a lot of trains this week.

Aaron played with Will a lot too. 

Playing Monopoly with Daddy
This is my least favorite game, so I'm glad these two can play it without me!

Another day we visited my mom's side of the family. Katherine, you are in this post TWICE! :)

We are 10 years apart but close in ways that count!
Katherine needs to come see us in Nebraska...

Brendan & Eric, our brothers missing from the San Diego picture.
Good to know we were all together in 2014 one way or another!

The 5 girls in these families.

The 9 boys in these families.

Back at Mom and Dad's house for the rest of our week, we kept busy and had plenty of down time too. I can't believe we only played one game of Clue, but since I won, why play another? ;) Kaleb and Aaron played lots and lots of rummy. Eric taught us two new card games. For the record, I do NOT win at card games. But I still like to play them. We went to a studio for family pictures, We spent a day at the Y swimming, exercising, and playing basketball. We even took Kaleb and Aaron to an indoor trampoline playground. It was a really special visit.

Me and my one and only brother :)

Ginger Girl, all ears and nose in this picture :)

Kaleb

Aaron

It's hard to know when the last time comes for something. I bet the "lasts" go by without me noticing it. The last time I picked Braylen up. The last time Kaleb held my hand in a parking lot. The last time I snuggled with Aaron at bedtime. Those everyday moments end, and one day I'm left thinking, "I didn't even know it was my last time to do that..."

Aaron and my mom have used my old easy bake oven just about every time we visit. It's the first thing he looks for. This time he didn't ask about it until the end of our week together. It makes me wonder if this is the last time he will ask to do this with Grammy. Brings a tear to my eye...

Cuddles with Kaleb

Playing cards on New Year's Eve

Aaron wanted to beat me at Connect 4--it took until the best of 7 games for him to do so. :)

Ready to ring in the new year with ice cream fondue balls and...

...party horns!!!

All too soon, our week in Illinois came to an end. We took a few last pictures and loaded up for the trip home.

So cute in their "dorm" room

Merry Christmas 2014 & Happy New Year 2015!!!

Wow, that was a LOT of pictures!!!

Time for Something New

I love this blog. When I look back through the years and read some of my posts, I realize that without funwithoursons, I would have forgotten so many things. My kids were little when I started writing here. They've been growing up right in front of me, and I'm so glad I have these written accounts of our memories. Just tonight Braylen stood face to face with Derek and said, "You don't seem all that tall anymore, Dad." Growing up, indeed.

Our experiences as a family inspired me as a writer. Many times I would feel restless and unsettled until I wrote about an event, a memory, or a lesson learned. Once I wrote it all out, peace would come. My family still inspires me, and I plan to keep this blog up and running. But I have to admit, I'm not drawn to these pages as often as I used to be. 

Tonight I read an article online that really spoke to me. The author spoke of the seasons of our lives. I started this blog in the "spring" season of my family's life. I was a young wife, young mom, with young kids. Keeping up with our daily happenings was really important to me then. When kids are little and mom's stretched thin, it better get written down or else it didn't happen! I miss those years, now that they're gone. 

Lately I feel like I'm in my "summer" season. I'm in the zone of driving to 3 schools multiple times a day (or night!), managing everyone's schedules, and racking my brain to help with homework beyond my ability. I'm trying really hard to "be all there." 

So, when something big comes along, or when something meaningful happens in our family, and I get that tingly urge to write it out--I will.

Here's where I get to the part where it's time for something new.

I have a new blog. It's not about raising our sons. It's about being a police wife.

I'm still finding my way through this process. I don't know why I'm writing it--I just feel better after I've done it. I don't use names or locations in that blog, because I need it to be a safe place for me to write about what I know, without sharing the wrong kind of information. I can't tie it to funwithoursons at all. Is being a police wife something people want to read about? Maybe, maybe not, I don't know. But that is where my heart is at. It's what keeps me restless and unsettled--until I write it out. Then peace comes.

Here's to 2015--a year I want to embrace and be all there for. A year to remember. :)

Goodbye 2014, it's been fun!

I haven't posted as often this year, but it's been a really good year. Maybe that's why I haven't posted a lot. I've been living it. :)

Derek became a sergeant, after so much prayer and times of waiting. We had a really fun time in Colorado with our family there. Braylen grew from a middle schooler to a high school student, which is a VERY big deal, while Kaleb established himself within a solid friend group. Aaron is WAY more independent at the end of 2014 than he was at the beginning, something I have mixed feelings about. Oh, and Braylen is driving!!!

This is the year of our big trip to DC. The year I took Aaron to San Diego. We saw lots of America this year and continue to celebrate all we have done, while knowing in our hearts that there's no place like home. 

I really, really want to hold on to what I have and not take these years with my family for granted. Our parents remain involved in our lives and I love to see the bonds grow between the generations. Our sisters and brothers and cousins and friends make everything more fun and exciting. We may not be rich with money, but we are wealthy in the ways that count. I am so grateful.

Goodbye 2014, thanks for the memories. :)

It's Christmas

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

I love that song. I love Christmas music, period! I love all things Christmas...even the things that feel like so much work.

Like shopping, and wrapping, and cards, and baking. I think it's all worth it. :) It's all just the fluff of Christmas anyway. When it comes down to it, Christmas is about so much more.

Tonight Kaleb told me about a new kid he met at school this week. The details are a bit jumbled, but here's the gist of it. Kaleb says he's a nice kid, kind of quiet, so he sat with him at lunch today. (My sweet boy.) The first thing he said to Kaleb was, "Are your mom and dad your foster parents?" When Kaleb told him no, he just hung his head. Then he told Kaleb some of his background, and that tonight he's moving--again--and he won't be back at this school. He shared that he's not getting anything for Christmas, and if he did, he wanted a Nintendo DS. Kaleb wanted to give his to this boy, but after talking with him some more, he found out that he can't have anything like that where he's going. 

Hearing the compassion Kaleb has for this boy really touched me. Suddenly I didn't care that bedtime was delayed. I didn't care that all my Christmas cookies--4 batches--are gone and I have to make more. (My boys eat a lot of cookies!) I saw my son touched by this boy's story and I realized this is so much bigger than me and my plans.

We have so much. We really do. 

I hear the whisper in my heart: "To whom much is given, much is required." 

What are we doing about that? Here in our community, at Christmas, how can we love people? Maybe it starts with something as simple as sitting with a new kid at lunch, looking him in the eye, and listening.

"And a little child shall lead them." Isaiah 11:6

And that is why this is the most wonderful time of the year.

Merry Christmas from my heart to yours! :)