Lots of Little Moments

Our days are made up of lots of everyday moments, like always.

Cross country meets for Braylen and Kaleb filled up our fall, along with a few flag football games for Aaron. He fractured his right arm during a recess soccer game, ending his football season 3 games early. Derek finished up night shift and switched to days early in October. That's never an easy change to make. It takes about a month for everyone to find a new rhythm. The marching band season for Braylen came to an end at the end of October. He tells us he's not doing band next year, so the end of this season was bittersweet. September and October were very busy for our family, like always, but it's the kind of busy that we enjoy. Our years with our kids at home are speeding by, and while I don't write about it as often as I used to, we're still having fun with our sons. :)

On October 30th I started working part time at our local book and gift store. I didn't go out looking for a job, I simply went to the store to buy a card for my nephew. The owner found me and told me I needed to work there--at least during the holiday season. I thought about it for a couple of days and decided I had no real reason to say no. I work about 3 days a week, and I'm done when the kids get out of school. I'm liking it a lot! My start date of 10/30 is significant to me because YEARS ago after my maternity leave with Braylen, I came back to work at the hospital on 10/30. While I will always be a nurse, and hope to use my RN in the future, right now I'm really liking the flexibility of working in this store.

Kaleb and Aaron are the best of friends and the worst of enemies, sometimes all in the same minute. Sharing a room is getting harder and harder, but neither boy wants to move to the basement. And since Derek returns to night shift in February, that bedroom is hard to give up to one of the boys. So we practice a lot of compromising. Whoever thinks boys don't battle emotional highs and lows, doesn't have boys. We're seeing so many emotions in our home these days. Raising kids is hard, even when you have really great kids.

Braylen's taken some career inventories at school, but his focus right now is on the right now. I think that's normal for any 16 year old boy. He and Kaleb are good at staying on track at school, asking their teachers for help when they need it, and are getting good grades. Of course Aaron's doing well in 5th grade. I try not to think about life after elementary school, but every now and then those thoughts sneak through.

4 years ago this month, Aaron was diagnosed with absence epilepsy. What an amazing blessing to be able to say he remains seizure free with no medicine! All glory to God!

Braylen shot a nice sized buck yesterday on the opening day of firearms deer season. Aaron's hunting deer for the first time this year, but so far he, Kaleb, Derek, and Bill are still on the hunt for their deer. Hopefully they'll all be successful before the season ends on 11/22.

I think that's enough random rambling! Here's a few pictures to tell of the things I might have left out--at least through 10/22, since I haven't downloaded any since then.

10th grade and 8th grade

One of Braylen's meets

Aaron's back pack weighs him down! :)

Kaleb's friend Jeremy moved to Alaska. This is from their last day together.

Braylen's grandparents gave him a special gift he can use now and when he's grown.
It's beneath the paper on the table. A bonus 16th birthday gift.

Kaleb's playing the bari sax for jazz band--and the trumpet for concert band.
Talented kid!

One of my typical days since I started wearing a fitbit in August.
As a bonus to being active, I've lost 9 pounds.
Everything fits better, which is what I was hoping for.

Aaron broke his arm on 10/9 but thankfully all he needed was this brace.
It's all healed up now!

Making applesauce--yummy!

Aaron, Captain of the Safety Patrol at school.

Aaron's trophy and prize for completing his marathon before and after school.
He ran a total of 28.5 miles this fall!

Braylen is the one on the far right.

Braylen having some fun with his drum!

I took these two to the park on a pretty fall Sunday.

We had a beautiful time!

Ginger girl, 6 and 1/2 years old already.

Turning 39 and the end of summer

Oh boy, am I behind with my blog or what? Last spring I started writing a monthly post for an online magazine. It's kind of different than writing in here, since it's seen by a lot more people. My first and last name are published with my articles, so I'm careful about what I share. Writing here, at funwithoursons, is like wearing a comfy pair of pants. :) Unfortunately, it has become "one more thing" to do at my computer. I never documented our vacation to the Black Hills, or our Colorado vacation in July. I missed writing about back to school.

Where do I start???

I turned 39 years old in August. Derek's already 40, so 39 seems a bit anti-climactic. But to me it's the end of my 30's. I got married and had babies in my 20's. I raised them in my 30's. The next decade holds high school graduations and college years for our boys. Dare I say the words empty nest? I feel waaaaay too young for that.

My birthday boy and me

16 and 39

My Saturday birthday felt like summer was back and the first two days of school never happened. We had a nice, slow morning. I opened my gifts from my family--a blue tooth speaker from my boys, a homemade flag stand and Netflix subscription/Amazon Fire Stick from Derek. My parents sent some fun gifts and birthday money, which I love of course. But what meant the most to me was this card.

Some more photos of my 39th birthday. :)

I love my portable flag stand!

My boys at work in my kitchen. Ahhh. :)

Presents!

When did they get to be so big?

Now we're moving on to fall and all that it holds for us. I started writing this post weeks ago. I'm not even sure when I wrote it, but today is September 24th. We've already had our first round of Parent Teacher conferences, and Derek is very close to shift change--hallelujah!

My parents recently visited us for 10 days, which we enjoyed very much. They've done such a great job relating to their older grandsons. It's different and good, sad and fun, all at the same time. That must be my definition of change. I miss the days of little boys playing with my parents, but time marches on and we all find new ways to connect with each other. Aaron had his grammy and grampy at school with him for his last Grandparents' Day event. Braylen took Grampy to Cabela's--or did Grampy take him? ;) Kaleb and Braylen ran in cross country meets and marched in their marching bands, knowing there were two generations of family fans cheering them on. Aaron played 2 games of flag football.

Enjoying our front yard, and waving at our neighbors driving by. :)

Making something called goo-beck?

Banana grams and ice cream!

They let Aaron pick out treats for his "Halloween box."

Kaleb's turn!
(Braylen chose lunch money instead.)

When it was time for them to load up and head home, we remembered to take a few pictures together. I cannot express how much it means to me when they visit us. For over 17 years they've been doing this!

Braylen and Grampy

My dad with my boys, oh how I love them so.

Growing up, but never outgrowing the love of their grandparents!

And for now, this is enough. Otherwise I will never get this posted! :)

16 candles for our son

Braylen is 16 today--16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's worth 16 exclamation points. :) And 16 candles.

I made his favorite breakfast (French toast) before anyone else was awake. It just so happens to be my favorite, too.

All day I felt like today was such a gift. In the middle of a very busy back-to-school time, this calendar day was completely open. No band camp. No work. No school. A gift.

After a laid back morning, the 5 of us piled into the Honda to take Braylen to get his driver's license. I also needed to renew mine, so that worked out pretty well! We stood there together, Braylen and I, taking our pictures and signing our names. Aaron didn't understand what was going on and asked me why I was getting my license. Didn't I already have one? :)

Braylen drove us to our insurance agent where we handed over the required documents in order to add him to our policy. Cha-ching! When we got back in the car, Derek told Braylen that we (Derek and I) were going to walk home, and he was free to drive his brothers around and visit Grandma, Aunt Pam, and cousins. In that moment it really sunk in for Kaleb and Aaron--Braylen can drive without Mom and Dad! They drove off and we walked 2.5 miles home. I loved that time with Derek. Facing these new seasons together is kind of exciting. In fact, I was not emotional or teary eyed or anything. My overwhelming emotion of the day was excitement. I think it's because Braylen is so ready for this next stage. Why be sad when all I see from him is happiness?

This is right before their first ride together.

Braylen opened his gifts after lunch. My favorite part of this time was watching Kaleb and Aaron give him their gifts. They came up with their own ideas this year, which I think is a first. Kaleb bought him a new case for his iPod Touch, which I would have never thought of. But Braylen was VERY happy, and truly thankful to Kaleb. Aaron bought him a lanyard for his keys, which he immediately put to good use. Again, a very thoughtful, useful gift!

Best friends forever

Best friends forever

Derek picked up some gifts this year--car related, of course! :) A towel to dry the car after he washes it, and a decal for the window. Since I've been the primary gift-buyer for our entire life as parents, I really loved watching Derek buy a few things for Braylen. To a 16 year old boy, they mean more coming from Dad, and I'm okay with that.

Yes, I picked out his water bottle. But I had more good gifts, too!
They just didn't make it in the picture. ;)

All 3 boys washed the car together on this beautiful summer day. Braylen put his new decals in the window and his Colts license plate frame on the back plate. He took Derek's things out of the car and put his own items inside. This car is ours, for Braylen to use, until Kaleb needs to learn how to drive. At that point we will help Braylen buy his own car. (By "help," I mean a small percentage will be our money--the bulk of the cost will be his!) This just seems to be a good fit for our family right now, and a responsible financial decision.

One of the most important things we did today was create a driving contract for Braylen to sign. Derek found examples online, and used those to create a unique contract for our family. He also wrote some of his own ideas in it. He put a lot of hours into it and I'm very thankful he did. This helps us set boundaries and rules, allowing Braylen to safely find new freedom. As Derek wisely stated, Braylen is gaining freedom--but he is not independent!

Writing the driving contract

We had an early supper, since Kaleb had somewhere to go and Braylen wanted to take him there. Bacon cheddar burgers, tater tots, sweet corn, and fruit salad were Braylen's choices for tonight. A perfect summer meal!

Braylen took Kaleb to his friend's house after supper, and then took himself to an FCA planning meeting. We even let him pick up his friend Hunter. Yikes! A brand new world!

So, 16 year old son, here we go. Dad and I are new at this. We've never had a 16 year old before. I'm sure we'll make mistakes. I hope we get some things right. We remember what it was like to be 16, but we are looking at those years now through parental eyes. That means there will be decisions we make that you won't always agree with. All we ask is for you to follow our lead, and we promise to do our best, with God's help, to lead you on the path towards becoming an independent young man. One with many freedoms, yielded to the direction and guidance of our God who numbers every hair on your head.You are greatly loved, my dear boy, and never forget that your mother will always see a glimpse of the little boy you once were in the young man you are becoming.

Happy 16th Birthday, my son. I love you, Mom.

My Busiest Day

Summer break with our kids has been a wonderful mix of fun, relaxation, vacations, activities, and bonding. Sprinkle in plenty of arguing, irritations, short tempers, and exhaustion--and you have a realistic description of our summer!

One week from today Braylen turns 16, and while I haven't downloaded any pictures since our Black Hills vacation in June, I feel compelled to mark this day in time. One of the things on my to-do list is, "Call insurance agent and put Braylen on our car insurance." It's surreal, it really is. Most days I feel like I'm riding the rapids in one of those rafts that can catapult you overboard at any moment. I don't feel very secure, or very safe, in this raging river of parenting teenagers. And so I hang on. It's also why I don't blog much anymore. I really am doing all I can to keep afloat.

Which brings me to my busiest day. Packing for vacation and getting the house ready to leave is always a crazy time, but everything I did yesterday seems WAY more burdensome than that. I didn't think that could be possible. Someday I will look back and wonder what kept me so busy while my kids were 15, 13, and 11. Well, here's the answer. For one day at least.

I woke up and made a lunch for Braylen at band camp.
Started laundry.
Took him to band at 7:40.
So glad Kaleb can walk to and from his band camp.
Paid a credit card bill just in time.
Updated checkbook, since it had been too long...
Mowed 3 lawns with Aaron and Derek. Took us until noon to finish.
Showered, hallelujah!
Did more laundry.
Fixed lunch for kids and me.
Made a menu and grocery list.
Shopped at Walmart.
Put cold groceries away.
Picked up Braylen from band camp.
Took Kaleb to clinic for a cough.
Fixed supper.
Put rest of groceries away.
Did more laundry.
Picked up Kaleb's medicine, and groceries I forgot earlier.
Baked 4 dozen muffins for band camp snacks.
Did more laundry.
Walked the dog with Kaleb.
Vacuumed entire upstairs.
Did more laundry.
Cut Kaleb's hair since he has school pictures the next day--yikes!
Tried to renew library books at 10:30 PM. Not renewable, darn!
Tackled email and replied to several timely requests since there's a birthday coming up.
Did more laundry.
Asked Derek to pick up library books and drop them off during his night shift. Yeah!
Wrapped up cooled muffins for band camp.
At midnight I finally put my sheets on my bed. Derek helped me, since he came home to pick up library books.
Decided I could put several things off until the morning and collapsed into bed wondering if anything I did today mattered, or was I just consumed with busy tasks?

Back to today. It's time to go pick up Braylen. A week from now he'll be bringing himself to and from all of his activities. Maybe it's not so bad to add him to our car insurance? :)