Moving Up

 This school year is a milestone year for more than just our graduating senior, though his is a huge mile marker.  The ending of this school year also means that Sonja completes Elementary School and moves into Jr. High next fall while Connor exits Jr. High and begins counting down his High School years.  There's a lot of celebrating going on over here! 

Though we don't traditionally make more than a nod and a mention at leaving elementary school, we do more overtly acknowledge eighth grade graduation.  Connor had the fun of taking graduation photos and he will receive his certificate of completion at the end of the term--which is right around the corner! 

Of course, Nikolas had a photo shoot and we'll enjoy a graduation celebration in a couple of weeks.  We had so much fun on his photo shoot.  Our top photo lady, Heather, helped us capture some great memories of Nikolas looking quite dapper in his cap and gown and we couldn't be more grateful to her for her time and talents.  

Congratulations to our students for all of your hard work and tenacity in getting this far! 

Licensed to Drive

 It's official!  Nikolas is the newest driver of the house!  He had a few delays to deal with--not by his own accord but rather due to cancel culture and a computer system update at the Motor Vehicles Department that appears to have set the department back rather than help them to jump ahead.  However, the wait was worth it and now Nikolas can cancel one more thing off of his list of "things to do in growing up". :-) Congratulations Nikolas!  See you on the road!  :-) 

Right on Target

 

The younger siblings decorated Connor's bedroom door for him.  They even filled some of the balloons with confetti--it was very celebratory! 

On Star Wars Day this year, Connor turned 14!  He asked for a big boy day out and that's what he got.  We worked around school and employment schedules in order to have all of us participate in his celebration.  First, Nikolas and I took him to the Military Surplus store.  

That place is a dusty treasure trove for a guy like Connor!  We didn't explore every nook and cranny, but we saw a lot, picked up a couple of shirts for Connor, and vowed to return soon.  :-)  Next we met up with Jozsef and headed out to the range where Connor was educated on a few different pieces and had a chance to put in a little practice.  

The boy is a natural!  He has great form and accuracy and he was pretty proud of his results.  We were impressed.   :-)  

We all had a great time getting some practice in and it felt like we had to leave too soon, but we wanted to meet up with the rest of the family for more fun.  The next phase of celebration happened at the bowling alley.  

The younger kids bowled while the older boys challenged each to a few rounds of billiards.  Somewhere in between we had some finger foods for dinner.  It was a great night.  

We left the alley to return home for cake and gifts.  Before you knew it, the night had gone long and everyone was pretty tuckered out.  

Connor was thrilled with his day and his gifts--he got so many good ones.  He'll be busy for a bit tinkering with new things and I love that.  Fourteen years with this creative and comical guy have been wonderful.  I look forward to what lies ahead for him--especially since he finishes Jr High this year and begins the top tier High School journey in the fall!  Happy Birthday, Connor! We love you! <3

One Year

 Last Friday marked the one year anniversary of John breaking his ankle.  What a year it was!  Not only did we have to deal with the onset of Covid/Cancel Culture and all of the changes/challenges that came with it, but we also had to deal with a problematic puppy on top of John's broken ankle and the regular life details.  

Today, John is not 100% "normal"--he has a new swagger and an infection at the wound site that doesn't seem to respond to anything, so we're not done yet--but he's vertical!  We are super thankful that John is able to walk and trot (he hasn't tried a full-fledged run yet) and basically do much of what he desires despite the severe break.  God is so good and we certainly saw Him show up all along the way, in so many ways, and it's amazing how much He's in the details.  <3  

To celebrate this major milestone, John and I returned to the garden we enjoy so much but haven't been able to visit due to a lack of mobility.  The day was beautiful and we took our time to explore and enjoy the splendor we were soaked in.  The walk was wonderful!  

Thank God for healing <3  We look forward to more walks in the wonders of creation.  :-) 

A Piece of Americana

We had the surprise opportunity to get up close and personal with an iconic piece of Americana.  The Weinermobile came to our area! 

I gave the kids a quick run down of Weinermobile history and then we took the tour.  It was really neat not just to see the vehicle but to talk to the Hotdoggers driving it and then to sit inside.  

To top it off, we got stickers and weiner whistles!  The only thing we didn't get was an audible--they weren't playing the song, but I looked it up and played it for the kids.  :-)  Such a fun time! 

Adulting

 Easter was a dual celebration for us as it was Nikolas' 18th birthday!  We essentially spent the first half of the day celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and the second half of the day celebrating the birth of Nikolas.  :-)  

Nikolas enjoyed driving us home from church (he's set to get his license soon--his appointment was later than he desired due to a backlog in appointments), 

relaxation, good food of his choice, confetti cannons on his birthday cake (they turned out to be a bit of a flash in the pan, but they were fun),

and by the time we opened gifts, it had been such a long day that it was pretty much time to call it a night. :-)  

Since our birthdays are so close together, Nikolas and I have created a tradition of designating a day for the two of us to get out and mark our milestones together--a kind of dual celebration that varies from year to year but almost always includes a lunch.  This year, we visited a military surplus store, had a great sushi lunch together, grabbed a cup of tea, and did a bit of window shopping while we walked the downtown main street.  It was a great day for the both of us.  :-)  I'm so happy getting older hasn't meant he's out grown spending time with me, just because.  <3  

Happy Birthday Nikolas!  Welcome to 18 and the first level of adulthood!  

Resurrection Sunday

 

He is risen!

 He is Risen indeed!

The boys are beginning to stand over John!

What a great reason to celebrate!  And what a beautiful day it was.  The day began with a church service where we were delighted by a song of praise sung by the children of the church.  

The children were excited to sing at Easter, especially since the Christmas Eve service (and their performance) was cancelled.  This is Sonja's last performance in the child choir as she'll age out at the end of this school year.

The afternoon held relaxation and good food as well as the traditional egg hunt and resurrection story.

 We also added in the joy of confetti eggs to play with--which we missed last year due to weather. 

 Usually we would add in an Easter movie, but instead, we had a birthday celebration to add to the excitement of the day.  That milestone will be covered in it's own post.  :-)  

Thank you Jesus for loving us so much as to make the ultimate sacrifice for us rather than be separated from us!