A Very Special Birthday

November's highlight always comes on the last day of the month for our family. Kaleb is 13 today, my goodness, how did that happen?! He's such a fun son, no matter what age he is. :)

He wanted a deer cake this year!

One week before his 13th birthday, he got his first deer. The day before his birthday, he got his first turkey! Throw in his awesome Uncle Si impersonation and there was no doubt in my mind that this cake and this t-shirt are perfect representations of who he is right now. :)

Kaleb with his money tree and with Aaron :)

Kaleb with cousin Danny
Danny LOVES Kaleb!

So now we officially have two teenagers in our house. Our world is rocking, that's for sure. I'm learning how to hang on and enjoy the ride. :)

A successful hunt all around, lots to be thankful for on Thanksgiving, family pictures with Derek's side of the family, Kaleb's 13th birthday...those are some of the reasons why my blog posts are few and far between!

Our little reader
Derek said, "Are you reading over my shoulder?" :)

Yay Kaleb!

Yay Braylen!

Our 3 boys with Shawn and Devyn
Derek got his deer with his dad, and I don't have that picture.

Loading up Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes at church

Kaleb's fall band concert
This is his jazz band.

Grandma Muriel and Kaleb on Thanksgiving
We are so happy to have her with us. :)

We met our newest nephew and fell in love with him!

Cousins Braylen and Michael, the oldest and the youngest :)

Another beautiful sunset

At Kaleb's family birthday celebration, we asked him questions and told him what we love about him and what we hope for him this next year. Some of the standouts:

• His favorite weather is not too hot and not too cold--fall weather!
• His favorite car--Lamborghini
• His favorite restaurant--Arby's
• The best gift he's been given--"Mom and Dad teaching me about Christ"

I should have written them down because that is all I can remember! Oh Kaleb, you are such a gift to me. When you were born I had no idea what kind of person you would become. It's been the joy of my life to be your mom! Keep lighting up this world--it needs more of you in it. :)

Act Like Men

We're well into the month of November. All is well, and nothing's really new around here. It's deer season. I'm getting ready for Kaleb's birthday. Obviously, it's almost Thanksgiving. So today I'll share a little bit of what's happening beneath the surface of our family. What I'm working through, and what makes this season unique from the years before it.

Act Like Men. This phrase has been running through my head lately. Our boys are no longer little cuties playing cars and snuggling with mommy. I do miss those days...

Today our boys are young men in training. (Key words--in training.) With Braylen at 15, Kaleb on the cusp of 13, and Aaron right in the middle of age 10, Derek and I are officially training up young men. We'll be in this mode for quite a while. In lots of ways it's like having little boy antics present in bigger bodies. The wrestling, the noise levels, the odors, the fights, the messes--young men in training are all of these things and more. Some days I delight in it. Some days I grow weary of it. One thing that never changes? I am SO THANKFUL for my husband. He used to be a young man in training, so I run to him for help a lot these days. It struck me recently that while I needed his help with the baby years and the little boy years, his involvement with our sons in THESE years is essential. I could not effectively parent these young men without him.

Why is this just now hitting me? Maybe it's because 4th grade has changed Aaron. While his older brothers were already young men in training, Aaron remained my little boy. I still had him to keep me grounded in those little boy years. Then 4th grade happened and I really didn't see the change coming. You would think by now I should know what to expect with a 4th grade boy. Maybe I just forgot? Anyway, with Aaron's new independence and separation from Mom, we're moving on.

Here's what I know:

• I'm no longer the center of their lives. And that is how it should be.
• These young men need to bravely walk the path towards manhood, while I learn to step back and let them.
• I'm still here for them, sometimes out of sight and out of mind, but always within reach.

Someday, when they are grown, I hope to see sparks of playfulness and humor remain in their eyes. Little bits to reflect their boyhood. However, I pray they will not act like boys. They will be watchful, stand firm, be strong, and do everything in love. That's called acting like men.

My inspiration for this post comes from the Bible verse below. It's my new favorite for this season of training young men.

I Corinthians 16:13-14
"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love."

And that's what's going on beneath the surface of everyday life. :)

A few pictures to wrap this up!

Since taking Family Consumer Science, Kaleb helps out more in the kitchen.

Veteran's Day parade
Braylen's last chance to march this season and our last chance to watch him.

Derek got the boys ready for deer season this year.
Then he went to bed since he worked all night long.

They needed lots of layers to stay warm!

Serving his son and sending him out to hunt while he stays behind.
My husband acting like a man!

Snow on November 15th, opening day of deer season!
Since Derek was home and awake, he and Aaron shoveled our driveway. :)

Aaron and his smiley face pepperoni pizza

October Story

Pictures tell the best stories. So, once upon a time...

Aaron made claws for himself with origami paper.

Derek took Kaleb along to help with harvest.

A full view of the tractor and grain cart with Derek and Kaleb inside.

Aaron and I walked Ginger at sunset and marveled at the beautiful sky.

Braylen set out his cereal bowl for the morning. :)

Our neighbor let us snuggle his new puppy. Her name is Maia.

These cookies last about 2 days around here, if that.

Playing football with their cousins on a pretty fall day

Ginger and I went for a walk one day to enjoy the beauty of fall.

Pretty Ginger

Leaves

More leaves

Braylen and I saw this tree in the park when we had lunch last week.

Kneeling down to see what the fountain looked like when he was small.
This is our park we used to visit when he was little.

The marathon kids at school--Aaron is in a yellow shirt, second row from the top.
He's standing right in front of a girl with curly black hair.

Kaleb repaired his bleacher seat and Aaron shared his duct tape.
These seats sure have been useful this fall.

A close-up of Braylen on the bass drum at his last band competition.

Since October 23rd our family has been fighting nasty sicknesses. Aaron was hit first, then me, and then Derek. Kaleb told me he had a sore throat Wednesday afternoon and he went downhill fast. Poor Kaleb had it the hardest, since his fever spiked higher than ours and he's the only one to be sick to his stomach. Yesterday was a long, hard day for us. I'm still not better, and frankly, I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. After supper last night I realized tomorrow it's Halloween and we still needed to carve our pumpkins. When I mentioned it to the boys, Aaron got the table ready and I brought the pumpkins inside. In the end I was really glad we did it.

Carving pumpkins

When I glanced at this picture I thought I saw my brother.
Braylen reminds me so much of his uncle at this age.

Derek and I love Aaron's look: footy jammies and bear slippers.

Kaleb's pumpkin is always traditional and happy--like him. :)

Aaron's pumpkin, on the other hand, is different every year.

On Halloween Kaleb felt much better and was able to go to school. I am so glad, since he had such a great costume to wear this year! He dressed up like Uncle Si and did the perfect job imitating Si's voice, walk, and mannerisms. We both agreed it's his best costume ever. Aaron dressed up like a Lions football player, since the Lions is his favorite NFL team. Braylen walked with us and we enjoyed having him along. Derek was working but he found us on our trick-or-treat route.

Halloween 2014

Uncle Si and that cup of tea.

"Braylen, Kaleb, and Aaron"

I love having our nieces come trick-or-treating with us.
One of them even borrowed a football helmet this year.

Wow, that is MORE than enough pictures from this month.

The End :)

Oh, October!

The month is almost over, but what a fun month it's been! The weather is warm, the leaves have been absolutely spectacular this year, and we're busy but blessed.

Derek changed shifts this month, and we're all adjusting to it. The first quarter of the school year has ended, and the boys sure are thriving in their schools. I am thankful for that. Freshman football has ended, while marching band ends after tonight's performance. It's sad to see these events end, but I know it would be unrealistic for Braylen to continue marching into the winter. And so we'll transition out of these things and into new seasons. Derek's been helping some friends of ours with their harvest, and I've been subbing at the school when I can--seems like we always need more money these days. Derek took Kaleb and Aaron to ride with him in the tractor, one at a time, and those were special times. He also took Kaleb target shooting. Yes, hunting season will be here very soon.

This past week Derek and I were able to get away together for an afternoon, since Braylen's last football game was out of town. It was a fast trip, but SO great to be able to do together. We talked about plans for Christmas, and all the changes happening in our home as our kids keep getting older. Kaleb and Aaron impressed us with their ability to stay home and be responsible. Thanks to Grandma, they didn't have to eat dinner on their own. But they were able to spend the evening at home alone and were ready for bed when we came back. I can hardly remember the days when we needed to arrange for a babysitter. That is a huge thing to be thankful for with older kids. :)

This is our last week mowing lawns...finally...and we are all ready for that chore to end. Aaron is fighting a cold and has some laryngitis. I feel bad for him, but his voice sounds cute. :) Halloween costumes are ready and I think this is the funniest costume Kaleb's ever had. He is so good at impersonations--both vocal and in character--so this year's costume works really well for him.

On Tuesday we had a bit of a family emergency involving our extended family here in town. All is okay now, but I just want a record of this moment in my blog. So often we make plans to do this or that, go here and go there, and yet it can all change in an instant. It makes me take a step back and ask myself what really matters--and what really doesn't. What is fulfilling and what is just filling my time?

Like last month, half of my pictures are on my phone. So here's what I have for today's post. Next time I'll post the phone pictures. And I have one funny from Aaron. I used to have more--why do they have to grow up and not give me funnies anymore?!! Oh well, here's one at least!

Aaron and Derek were looking at the stars in the sky while out at the farm. Aaron says to Derek, "I can see John the Baptist!" Derek asks him where in the sky does he see John the Baptist? Aaron replies, "See, Dad? There's his belt." Derek looks up and says, "You mean, Orion?" Aaron says, "Oh yeah, I get those guys confused." :) HA!

Aaron finished his full marathon this fall! 26.2 miles! (not all at once of course)
He is the first one in our family to do that.

Kaleb made this tote bag in Family Consumer Science Class. He got an A+!

The Drumline played for an elementary school in town on National Walk to School Day.

The team takes a knee after a home victory. Braylen is #24.

Happy :)

Ready for a night of marching

At this football game two of Derek's cousins were refereeing the game.
One of them is pictured here next to Braylen. This was our favorite game of the season.

The refs couldn't make our picture, but our other family attending Braylen's game could!

This is how the boys huddled before plays. Every time.

Braylen ready for the ball.

Finally, a picture with me. :)

One afternoon I turned these apples from our tree at the lake into...

...applesauce! This is my second batch.

This time he stands by the football sign.

Kaleb made this banana bread in FCS Class. Yum!

Yesterday Aaron received his trophy for running his marathon. 

And that's it!