Family Time

Tonight we began an advent focused family time.  On our last date Dan and I came across a book that we thought would be a good fit for our family. 

The first lesson was about anticipation for the King to come.  The people of Israel waited hundreds of years for the Messiah.  There was a great object lesson with a bottle of pop and the kids truly anticipated what would happen...it was fun to watch them get so excited!

After that as we were sitting and talking about how the King would bring hope, joy, peace, light and love to the whole world...Dan asked which of these wouldn't the people be anticipating or what wouldn't they want the King to bring and Seth raised his hand and said peace.  We asked him why wouldn't you want peace?  His response, "because like cutting people in half, we want them go be together not in pieces". Note to self: preschoolers think piece, not peace...quite a funny family moment!  The question was meant to be answered with we would want all of those things just as the people of Israel anticipated...though with Seth's definition, I would agree, I wouldn't want 'piece' either.  :-)

If you're interested, here's the book: The Family Book of Advent. 

I tried to research the author to have a better understanding of her background, but I didn't find much.  After reviewing most of the book though, we felt it would be a great tool to use to spend quality time as a family focusing on Truth, in a way that is fun, as we anticipate Christmas and the celebration of our Lord's birth.

19 years...

19 years have past...I still miss you more than words can say, yet the sharp pain is gone and in its place is an ache for you to have experienced and seen all that has happened in the last 19 years.  

As I reflect back on all those years I wish you would have been able to...

- stop me from dating some of the boys that didn't meet your standards

- be a part of my sporting events in high school

- see my high school graduation

- drive me to college

- shake Dan's hand the first time I brought him home (I know you would have liked him right away)

- answer a phone so I could just hear your voice when I missed you in college

- talk to Dan when he wanted to ask your permission to marry me

- walk me down the aisle and give your baby girl away...I really missed you then

- see me graduate from college

- shortly after graduation hold my first baby, I would have loved to see you hold Josiah

- give Josiah a ride in your semi, he would have really enjoyed that time with you...just like I did

- hold Alayna when she was born, I'm told she looks just like me

- celebrate with us when we bought our first house

- share in our shock and excitement at finding out we were pregnant again with baby #3

- come visit and see our 2nd house

- hold Seth when he was born...he would make you laugh and I would once again see you run in your cowboy boots :)

- encourage us when we took the step to become foster parents (you picked up lost and abandoned people along the side of the road when you were trucking...I can see how your heart would be burdened for for lost and abandoned kids too)

- experience all the holidays with us as our family has grown from 1 grandchild to 10...11 with our foster daughter...you would enjoy that

- share in the everyday happenings...I think I miss that the most... 

No matter how many years pass by...I will always miss you.  I'm thankful for your legacy.  You were a man of character who loved the Lord and loved your family.  I will forever be thankful to the Lord that I was blessed with a great dad for 13 years...not everyone can say that.  Not all dads are wonderful and though I didn't always appreciate you when I was younger...being a parent now has made me thankful for you and for how you parented us.   

I'm not a photographer

The first 9+ pictures I took on the first day of school proves that I am not a photographer!  Bad lighting, unnoticed reflectors, poor background choice, serious red eye issues...and the list goes on!

Thankfully I got one decent picture out of the bunch to remember his precious preschool face.

Preschool?! Really?!

Today my baby went to school for the first time.  He has been a bit nervous about going.  Anytime we talk about it he changes the subject.  This morning we talked about how at supper time he will oftentimes tell me when I make something new that he doesn't like it...though he hasn't even tried it.  I asked him, "What happens though once you try it??"  His response, "I usually like it".  Yep, so the same applied with preschool.  I told him to try it and if he really didn't like it, we'd talk about it afterward.  Partly because I'm not opposed to homeschooling and partly because I had a pretty good feeling that he'd really like it.  

When I went to pick him up after school he was grinning from ear to ear.  One perk of having preschool at the high school is that we get to see daddy more often and today we even got to have lunch with him!!  He had a lot of fun and is already looking forward to tomorrow.  It's official...my baby is growing up...tear...tear...

My 'baby' is 5?!?!

Seth, you turned 5 years old on Tuesday of this week, October 30.  It's a miracle that I did NOT cry.  Not only because you are a boy now, not a baby (although that alone really could have done me in!), but because of how you have grown in many areas of your life in these 5 years.  It was not long ago that I wondered if we'd ever be out of the biting phase and yet here we are 2 years later and I don't remember the last time I worried about you biting.  You have grown...God has done a great work in your life and you are only 5...I can't imagine what He has in store for you future my sweet boy.  

You have the most diverse personality.  You are my super affectionate, lovey dovey, sweet with words little boy...and yet you are ALL BOY in so many ways.  When you play, you play hard.  You are rowdy, you love to wrestle, run, jump, bike, climb...all things little boys enjoy...and yet you'll sit on my lap afterwards, look me in the eye and say, "Mom, you're the sweetest" and then give me a great big hug and kiss.  I LOVE that about you!  

When you were a baby, as soon as you had hand control you loved to play with my hair (then it felt more like pulling then playing though!), now at age 5...you still love the feel of my hair on your hands.  You'll touch any girls hair and love the feel, but then you'll play with my hair and let me know that mine feels the best.  I wonder if someday when you are married your wife will ask me if you've always done that. :)

On Tuesday I made it your day completely!  I knew it would be my last time to celebrate your birthday and have you all to myself and I enjoyed every minute of it...and you did too! :)  

On Sunday we celebrated at Grandpa Holder's

On Monday night we opened your presents so you could play with them all day on your birthday!  You got some from us, some from Grandma Hacker and some from Grandma Kiedrowski.  

What a fun night!!

To start your birthday we had breakfast at Boppa's Bagels...yum!  For lunch (I forgot to take a picture we were having too much fun) we went to Space Aliens with your friend Nathan and his mom Nadine.  We ate, talked, played games and had a great time!!

For supper you picked pizza so we had pumpkin shaped pizza and cupcakes quick before heading to watch Veggie Tales Live!

You were pretty excited and the show hadn't even started yet!!

Sitting on dad's lap singing and dancing to the music!

And just so you know that I do actually participate in these family fun moments...you and I.  My sweet, sweet boy.  I love you more than words can say.  You have tested my parenting ability, humbled me more than I thought possible, and yet...your sweet face warms my heart each time I see it.  I am SOOO thankful that the Lord knew what was best for our family and blessed us with you.  You know how to push the buttons of your siblings and yet because of your sense of humor and way with words they can't stay mad at you for more than a minute and they look forward to seeing you after school each day and they love being with you.  You are loved my sweet boy by your family and most importantly by the One who made you.  Hold tight to Him...He won't let you down!