Well...it's been 8 months since I've written anything in here about our family and what we've been up to. That makes me sad! I don't have a good reason for neglecting my blog. I guess I let life carry us along, day by day, and here we are in the middle of our spring break, 2017.
For the first time in a lot of years, our family isn't taking a trip over spring break. No trip to Ohio, Illinois, or Colorado this year. It's strange to be hanging out at home all week. Honestly, it's kind of boring. But we're all healthy, the kids are growing up to be fine young men, and if not taking a spring break trip is my only complaint, then I'm not going to complain. :)
Since I left off in late July last year, here's a recap of major events:
July 28th-31st, Aaron takes his pre-middle school trip to visit Aunt Sarena and Uncle Dave. I took him there, hoping to visit with some friends while Aaron hung out with family. Well. A major hail storm totaled my van the night we arrived. The house took a beating, too! It was quite memorable for Aaron! :) We spent one full day enjoying the cog railway up to Pike's Peak, a delicious lunch at City BBQ, a hike through our favorite parts of Garden of the gods Park, and an evening at home recovering from our early (and busy) day. The rest of the trip? Aaron had the stomach flu--both directions, actually. It was terrible. Did I mention we were sharing a bed all weekend? He wanted to go home, but I didn't want to attempt a 6 hour drive with him that sick. I snuck away for a few hours and met my friend Kristen for lunch. The weekend wasn't at all what we planned for, but we made the best of it. My van was drivable--it just needed a new windshield once we were home. The golf ball and tennis ball size dents all over the hood and roof give it character. Ha!
August 11th, Braylen turns 17 years old. Why does 17 sound so much older than 16? He is still a delight to my heart, even though he's more of a man than a boy.
August 12-14, we take a family vacation to the Niobrara River for a float trip! We camped 2 nights and rode tubes down the river for 4 hours on Saturday late morning-afternoon. What a riot! We laughed a lot as a family, and made great memories on this trip. It was a birthday wish for me, and Derek went along with it and made it happen!
August 15th, I turn 40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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| The puzzle from my parents is complete! |
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| Sarena and Jacki fixed a birthday brunch for me, so sweet! |
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| He used my other turkey baster on his truck...so now I have a new one! |
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| An ice cream date with Kaleb, a great gift! |
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| Aaron knows just what I need around the house. :) |
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| How did we get to be 40 and 41? |
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| Not many people can tour their new high school on their 40th birthday! |
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| Our kids will make this new school their own. |
On August 17th, Derek surprised me with a pool party with my friends!!! He pulled off an incredible surprise, and my sisters-in-law worked hard with him to make it special. I felt very loved, and decided turning 40 is definitely something to celebrate.
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| Surprise!!! |
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Sarena, Heidi, Geri, Angie
Kristy, Lindsey, Me, Pam, Gretchen, Kristin, Bayley
Rebekah was here too, just not for the picture! |
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| We had a yummy BBQ rib dinner, with all of my favorites! |
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| Best pool party ever! |
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| The breeze kept blowing out my candles! |
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| My sisters :) |
August 18th, my grandma and aunts and uncles drove through Nebraska on their way to Colorado and stopped at our house! I've lived here for 19 years and this is the first time they've been to my house. I loved having them here, even if it was only for an hour or two.
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Uncle Jim, Kaleb, Me, Uncle Eddie, Aunt Donna, Aaron, Grandma, Aunt Karen
and Walter the dog :) |
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My Grandma Dorothy, 93 years old and traveling across the country.
I want to be like her when I'm 93! |
August 19th-21st, we took a quick family trip to Colorado to go to a Cubs-Rockies game! (That's where my grandma and family are going as well.) It's about time our boys went to a major league baseball game. Of course we were there for the Cubs. :) We stayed with Sarena and Dave, and happily--there was no hail and no sickness. What fun to see our Cubs win their game on the 20th, and when they won the World Series later in the fall, we could say we saw them play in person this season.
August 22nd and 23rd, school starts. Braylen is a Junior, Kaleb is a Freshman, and Aaron's in 6th grade. Lots of changes all at once for this mom. The boys handle it much better than I do.
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| First day for 6th graders and freshmen |
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| First day for juniors |
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| A gift from Eric, what a wonderful way to keep celebrating! |
Taking Kaleb to early morning band practice at our new high school is a 12 mile round trip for me. I try to enjoy the times with him, for all too soon I will miss these days. The sunrise begins on my trip back home, and most mornings are really pretty. One morning I spotted a large old house along my route on fire--the police weren't even there yet, so I reached for my phone to call 911. Then I heard sirens, so I put my phone away. That house has been bulldozed now, and you can't even tell it was ever there.
Lots and lots of cross country meets and marching band performances.
September 25-30, Derek and I take a trip to Savannah, Georgia! We went with our friends Jay and Teri, and had an amazing time. While the guys were at their conference, Teri and I walked all over the historic district, used Uber to visit Tybee Island and a nature center, and soaked up the sun at the hotel pool. The whole week was like a dream, really. Our Savannah trip deserves its own post.
Mid-October, my parents come out to visit for a week. Truly, our week together was one of the best!
November means hunting, band concerts, Thanksgiving, and of course, Kaleb's birthday. He's 15 now, and his big news is his learner's permit! He's beyond excited to finally be driving!
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Opening weekend of rifle deer season!
We all got a good laugh at Grandpa's hat. :) |
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| Aaron's first concert :) |
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| Thanksgiving 2016 |
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| Turkeys!!! |
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| More turkeys!!! |
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| The birthday boy with his brothers--and they're all in blue! |
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| Our newest driver! |
Christmas--We planned for our very first Christmas in Ohio with my parents, but Derek had to work the 23rd-25th. So we decided to make the trip on the 27th instead. On Christmas Day, Derek was hurt. He pulled some muscles and tendons and ligaments in his hip while making an arrest, and I wasn't sure if he would be able to make the long drive out east. Thankfully, everything worked out, and we all had a great time in Ohio. It may not be "home," but I'm learning that "home" with my mom and dad is wherever they are living--no matter the house or the town or the state! Derek had several months of PT for his hip and he was able to work through all of it.
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| Kaleb's first high school concert! |
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| Christmas Day |
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| Derek and Braylen helped Dad get started finishing his basement craft room for Mom. |
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| Will with two of his big cousins :) |
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| Emily likes her gift from us. |
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| We visited the Creation Museum and loved it! |
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| Happy 2017! |
Kaleb joined the swim team in November and the meets really began in January. There were a LOT of swim meets, and I loved every single one! He swam the 50 and 100 free, and the 100 back. He enjoyed it and improved his times with almost every race. Super fun way to brighten up our winter! Oh, and we had more early morning times together--this time it was for swimming instead of band.
Home basketball games gave us something to do during January and February Friday/Saturday nights. Braylen joined the Rowdy section for almost every game, and Kaleb played in the pep band a lot. Aaron was my buddy at the games, since Derek worked them or worked his shift.
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| Toga night at a home basketball game |
Now we're at the beginning of track season. For the first time all school year, Braylen is able to drive Kaleb to school in the morning and home after practice. Hooray for their schedules lining up this spring! Both boys have good friend groups, and they keep busy with school and sports and friends. Of course there's plenty of hanging out at home, too. Especially during this spring break week.
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| Derek built this headboard for our room! |
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| Then he added reading lights. |
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| And a rope light! |
Braylen's junior prom was March 12th. He took his friend Emma, and they had a good time. Derek worked at the dance and I helped out at post prom.
I'd say that's about as caught up as I can get right now. Hopefully it won't be 8 more months before I write another post. This one took a few days to finish!!!
