Birthday Boys

Jon and Sam had the opportunity to serve alongside the Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation with Pete and some other local State Farm agents on Jon's birthday. It was an incredible chance for them to give back and see Love in action. 

These oldest two boys of mine get lumped together often, so it's only fitting that their birthdays should be lumped together in this post. It's really more about the time I don't have to be posting, and the fact that they're older so there's not as many cutesy pictures to post. However, since this blog is sort of a digital scrapbook for our family, I do want to post about their latest birthdays, even if it is one post for both birthdays!

Jon with our traditional birthday pancakes in the shape of your new age
Jon turned 11 in August. ELEVEN. For some reason he seems so much older to me lately. I've had other people comment on it, too. He's definitely had a growth spurt, and with that physical growth has come a maturity that is such a blessing to this mama. In general, he has become more patient, more understanding, more compassionate, and less dramatic. All the moms out there know how incredible and encouraging that is to see in your kids. It has given me hope for the other kids, who are still very egocentric. Don't misunderstand, Jon is no saint, but the growth I've seen is tremendous. It's actually driving me to my knees for him and the other kiddos even more. I want to see that growth continue in him and his siblings.

Jon reading Life of Fred to Will 

On a Mom/Son date, Jon discovered that Steak n' Shake is his new favorite

Jon and his buddy, Josiah, at Classical Conversations
Jon, like all of us, is complex. He loves reading, yet he also likes being with people. He still loves Legos, video games and swimming, but also decided to try out for a musical recently. (We find out tonight what part he got!) My oldest boy is a great helper at church, volunteering to help wipe down tables or vaccuum. He helps out at home, too, but a little more reluctantly-like I said, he's not a saint, and that's okay! He's super sweet with his sister and will gladly read to her or Will. He is still closest with Sam and they can usually be found doing something together. He's over a month into 6th grade here at home and is doing a great job. (I'll post more about that soon and link to it here) Jon continues to love science and history. He's great at creative writing and art, and loves when I read aloud to him. Overall, my first born makes me so proud to be his mom and brings me so much joy! I can't wait to see what God has in store for him this year.


The boys and I get to go visit my brother and his wife in Peru in November, so here they are with their brand new passports!
Sam just turned 9 at the beginning of this month. I have been struck lately by Sam's ability to make friends everywhere we go. On the swim team this summer he made some new friends. In our neighborhood he continually makes friends. At our homeschool group he has several really good friends. I wonder how that is going to serve him in life-his friendliness and the way he is able to develop good friendships so easily. He is laid back yet driven-I'm not sure how that's possible, but if you watch my boy you'll see that it is. He is entering into this pushing back phase of questioning things, which from what I've learned in studying education is pretty normal for his age, but can be frustrating as a parent. I'm trying to teach him how to question respectfully and, thankfully, he is learning how to do that more and more.

Sam with his birthday gift-a Garmin Vivofit to keep track of his steps so that he can try to beat his mama every single day! 

Sam and Jon in one of two of the reading nooks they have created around the house recently 

Sam with three of his buddies from our neighborhood swim team. These four swam in two relays together at our championship meet and placed in both! 
Sam continues to love all things athletic and active. His favorite sports to play are basketball and swimming. He also loves soccer and baseball, and would watch just about any sport with his daddy. His siblings all love spending time with him. Although if I'm honest, he and Will butt heads often. He loves math, and he tolerates reading, yet loves being read to. He would rarely chose to draw, but is a pretty decent little artist when he does attempt to draw. He loves history and learning about animals, his favorite of which continues to be the penguin. Sam has a great sense of humor and loves making people laugh. I'm so thankful to be his mom and can't wait to see how he will grow this coming year!

These two boys are getting so big and are growing in so many ways. It's not an easy job to be their mom, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Birthday Boy 5

Will turned five back in November. Yes, you read that right, November. As in 6 months ago...that's the kind of mama/blogger I am. Life is busy and full and I have not been here often. I'm actually okay with that. You see in November Will got very sick. Like I was afraid for his life sick. I will blog about that another day. Today I just want to talk about this fun boy who had a less than exciting birthday, but LOVED it anyway-because that's who he is! 

We started the day with breakfast and presents and he was thrilled to get lots of Lego sets and 2 pairs of boxing gloves! (We decided one pair wouldn't be wise because he wouldn't be able to box with anyone, thus two pairs-one for Will and one for a friend!)

He spent the day building Lego sets, boxing, and playing Wii with his brothers. All that sounds super fun, however despite the fun, he was still not feeling right. He wasn't hungry enough to eat much at breakfast or lunch, and he fell asleep multiple times during the day. It was really pretty sad. I was so glad we hadn't planned a big party. In fact our plan had been a trip to the Aquarium because he was super into aquatic life at the time. Shortly after his birthday he switched gears and doesn't care so much about marine life anymore, so we decided he'll just get to have a fun birthday party next year. 

Will's current favorite color is red, so when I saw this shirt online, I knew I had to get it for him. He adores it. In fact he wore it today. He calls it his "Birthday Boy 5" shirt. I love it!



My parents came over to celebrate with us that night and he perked up enough for pizza and cookie cake. :)




Here's the birthday survey:
~What is your name? Will, William James Gross
~And how old are you? 5
~How does being 5 make you feel? Funny
~What do you want to learn this year? How to swim good
~What was the best thing about being 4? Play Wii
~How did you celebrate your birthday?
~What was your favorite gift that you received? 
~What is your favorite color? Red
~What is your favorite food? Pizza
~Who is your favorite person? Mom <3
~What grade are you in? Pre-K
~What is your favorite thing to do during school? Veritas (history)
~What is your favorite game to play? Super Mario 3D World
~What do you like to do with Daddy? Play Battleship
~What do you like to do with Mommy? Hug you!
~What do you like to do with Jon? Play Legos with him
~What do you like to do with Sam? Wrestle with him
~What do you like to do with Maggie? Play guns (ha!)
~What’s your favorite thing to do with the whole family? Movie night
~What’s your favorite store? Target
~What’s your favorite place to eat? Chick-fil-A
~What’s your favorite book? Elephant & Piggie I Really Like Slop
~What’s your favorite song? Everything is Awesome!
~What’s your favorite thing in the Bible right now? David and Goliath
~What do you want to be when you grow up? A Ninja 

We Have a Threenager!

Maggie turned three 6 months ago! I can barely remember what we did that day, so I decided I had better blog about it before I can't remember at all! 

There were two things that she asked for: a "jump-o-line" (Trampoline) and roller skates. We got her the trampoline and her grandparents got her the roller skates, plus her brothers got her some stickers and some girly Legos, her other grandparents got her Doc McStuffins dress up outfits, and her uncle got her some Doc McStuffins stuffed toys. All in all she was thrilled with her gifts.



She wanted to go to Target and to help me make purple cupcakes. What the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets! :)

She LOVED being sung to and blowing out her candles. I'm not sure why the picture below turned out the way it did, but it cracks me up.

Maggie is growing up so quickly and is becoming quite the fun girl. She makes up songs all day long and loves, loves, loves to be with people. I am so thankful for my Maggie-girl and can't wait to see what she'll be up to next! <3

Sam is EIGHT

My sweet and sincere Sam is eight. His birthday was at the beginning of the school year, so his blog post also got lost in the shuffle. My Sam is such a people person. He loves being with people all. the. time. In fact, when his older brother wants a little alone time to read, Sam gets frustrated because he can't understand it. While Sam does finally enjoy reading, he would much rather be doing something active with someone else. This boy is highly competitive and although he is doing better, he can be a bit of a sore loser. (Something his not very competitive mama struggles to understand!) He aims to please people and hates to disappoint anyone. (Please note how many ties there are in his interview) However, he is entering the age of thinking he knows better than everyone else, so we are beginning to butt heads more than we used to. Thankfully, he is very empathetic, and when I explain to him how his tone makes others feel, he quickly looks shocked and is genuinely sorry. Sam loves spending time with his siblings, and this school year he has become a great playmate to Will and Maggie when Jon and I need to work on school. Needless to say, the younger ones love when their big brother plays with them! Sam says he doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up, and honestly, I think that is great. I think it's safe to say he has a little time to figure that out! :)

~What is your name? Sam, or the Goose
~And how old are you? 8
~How does being 8 make you feel? Good
~What do you want to learn this year? How to keep my backpack clean (said with a laugh, but then he clarified that he is serious)
~What was the best thing about being 7? being on the swim team
~How did you celebrate your birthday? Had friends over, had pool birthday party, ate Chick-fil-A, and went to the Newport Aquarium with Dad
~What was your favorite gift that you received? Nerf gun from Noah
~What is your favorite color? green
~What is your favorite food? "ham, pizza or brownies--it's a tie! Wait, cancel that, it's Grandma's chocolate cake!"
~Who is your favorite person? "God! I have a lot of friends, so it's hard to choose, but God created me after all!"
~What grade are you in? 3rd
~What is your favorite thing to do at school? math
~What is your favorite game to play? Minecraft or Super Smash Bros
~What do you like to do with Daddy? Pillow mazes
~What do you like to do with Mommy? make cookies and brownies
~What do you like to do with Jon? play legos
~What do you like to do with Will? fight him with our plastic weapons
~What do you like to do with Maggie? "EVERYTHING she wants to do! It's true! She's so cute!"
~What’s your favorite thing to do with the whole family? go to the zoo or watch a movie
~What’s your favorite store? Target
~What’s your favorite place to eat? Chick-fil-A ties with Bob Evans
~What’s your favorite book? Life of Fred-Dogs, it's really funny!
~What’s your favorite song? Indescribable by Chris Tomlin
~What’s your favorite thing in the Bible right now? 1 Kings. I think it's interesting to learn about all the kings. One of my favorite stories is Noah and the ark.
~What do you want to be when you grow up? I have no idea...

A Decade of Jon

Jon turned 10 way back in August, but life gets busy and the blog takes the back burner. This boy has grown and matured so much over the past year or so. It has truly blessed me to see him learn to think of others more and to control his temper more. While he still has his moments--don't we all?--Jon is a great kid, and I really enjoy getting to spend my days with him. Speaking of spending our days together, it has been wonderful to see how he has grown as a student, too. He used to HATE math. While he was never terrible at it, he would grumble and complain and it was not a fun part of our day. He has finally come to accept that he will be doing math and has realized that a good attitude helps tremendously. He's also realized that he's pretty good at it, so if he puts his head down and does the work he can breeze right through and get it done somewhat quickly and move onto the next thing. Jon loves science. I would not be at all surprised if he goes on to become an engineer or some sort of scientist. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, the kid is just turning 10. Jon has a quirky sense of humor and is learning about the right time to be silly and the right time to be quiet. He still enjoys riding his bike, playing in the tree house out back with the neighbors. being on the swim team and is just starting guitar lessons. 

He has asked a few times when we were going to do his birthday interview and I kept putting him off. But alas, the time has come. The interview has taken place. Here are his answers for all to see: 

~What is your name? Jeff, I mean Fred. (silly boy, his name is Jon)
~And how old are you? 10
~Does being 10 make you feel? not much different
~What do you want to learn this year? how to play guitar
~What was the best thing about being 9? getting the Coach's Award for swim team and church camp
~How did you celebrate your birthday? Did cool things with the neighbors, had a birthday party at the pool, and went the museum Center with Dad
~What was your favorite gift that you received? money or legos
~What is your favorite color? Red
~What is your favorite food? Ravioli
~Who is your favorite person? Sam
~What grade are you in? Fifth
~What is your favorite thing to do at school? Reading
~What is your favorite game to play? Mario Bros on the Wii
~What do you like to do with Daddy? Have him chase us around the house
~What do you like to do with Mommy? Snuggle on the couch and read or watch a movie/show
~What do you like to do with Sam? Play video games or play outside with him and the neighbors
~What do you like to do with Will? Wrestle with and chase him
~What do you like to do with Maggie? Play pretend with her and be silly with her to make her laugh
~What’s your favorite thing to do with the whole family? Family Wii night
~What’s your favorite store? Target
~What’s your favorite place to eat? Tie between Marcos and Olive Garden
~What’s your favorite book? The Great Brain
~What’s your favorite song? Indescribable by Chris Tomlin
~What’s your favorite Bible verse or story? John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
~What do you want to be when you grow up? An inventor or scientist
I love this kid!

Feeling Bloggy

I haven't blogged in ages for a myriad of reasons, but I am feeling the itch and have several posts ruminating. So be on the lookout for the following:

Summer Fun Wrap Up

My Firstborn Turns Ten

School Plans and Goals

and maybe one about my some personal ups and downs...maybe...

Plus, we have another birthday next week, so there will be a post entitled Sam the Great Turns Eight

A couple friends who we don't get to visit often said they were missing the updates they could find here. That was all the encouragement I needed to squeeze in some writing time-the laundry can wait, right?

Thankful

I know it's a little cliche to have a blog post right after Thanksgiving with the title Thankful, but there really isn't another word that sums up how I'm feeling right now. I have always loved Thanksgiving. A time to gather with loved ones and reflect on our blessings, what could be better? Then on two separate occasions I had babies the week of Thanksgiving. I am always reflective and grateful around my children's birthdays, so this just added to the thankfulness.

Will at just a few days old

Maggie, who was 6 weeks premature, at one day old

My grandma recently lost her battle with cancer, and while the pain of that loss is still fresh, it that has only made my heart more thankful for the times when my family can be together.

Precious time I got to spend with my grandma in August

In the past week, I have gotten to spend time with my husband's extended family, and with my parents and both of my brothers and my sister in law. My brother and sister in law, who live in Peru, have actually been with us for a week, much to our delight.

My brother, Scott, and my sister in law, Julia 

While I love routine and structure, the fun we have had, the laughter we have shared and the joy on my kids' faces is better than any routine I've ever known. Tomorrow, we'll try to get back into those routines, which I anticipate will be a bit of a struggle, but I am hoping to face that struggle with grace and to cling to this heart full of thankfulness. After all, even if Thanksgiving is over, next is Christmas, and what better reason to be thankful than the time when we celebrate the coming of our Savior?

Next week, I will be posting about the ways we are trying to be intentional this Christmas as a family. Stay tuned! ;)

Will is FOUR/Our Silly Face Boy

 

This boy turned four today! Since we spend a good chunk of Sunday at church, we decided to celebrate Will's big day a day early. We started the day with the traditional pancakes. I saw early on that getting a normal smile out of him was going to be tricky. I deleted at least five pictures of him with his pancake before I got this one. I settled. He's a stinker! ;)

Being our third boy, it's often tricky figuring out what to get him for his birthday and Christmas. We have more cars, trucks, trains, and blocks than any one household should have. He loves the Cars Movie right now, but since we have over a dozen different Lightening McQueen cars alone, I couldn't justify spending money on more Cars. Instead, I was thrilled to discover Lego Juniors. They are a fairly new line of Legos for 4-7 year olds. He just recently started playing with Jon and Sam and their Legos, so this seemed like a perfect fit. The best part is that they are normal Lego size, so they can be used with the older boys Legos and by Will for years to come. I am so excited to have found these! :)

We took him to EnterTRAINment Junction last year for his birthday, and this year he wanted to go again. He LOVED it. 

watching Thomas pull Annie and Clarabel

 shoveling coal into the engine

one of the many "cheesy faces" he gave us on Saturday

Will requested Chick-fil-a for his birthday dinner. I don't think any of us minded that one bit. It was fun. The kids ate their meals and went off to play happily, leaving Pete and I to sit and talk a bit, with them just on the other side of the window playing. Everyone wins! :)

 seriously, what is this face?

 leading the pack down the slide (that's Maggie right behind him-she's fearless)

 traded in his book for an ice cream cone

If you haven't had the chance to spend much time with this boy, you are missing out. He is a spitfire. He is so very funny. He is sweet. He tells me, "I missed you, Mom!" when I get back from the store. He tells me he likes my hugs. He is super-focused, and can be quite strong-willed, which can drive some people crazy, but I just know that God is going to use that drive and focus to do great things. It can be frustrating, but he really has a pretty tender heart. 

 Swinging with Maggie in the neighbor's yard

building with Sam before bed

He loves being outside and recently learned to ride a two-wheeled bike without training wheels. He loves Wild Kratts and can rattle off all kinds of information about many different animals. He adores his siblings and still likes to ask me to hold him/snuggles up on my lap several times a week. He is not the least bit shy. In fact, I have had to ask him to stop talking to people at the store on numerous occasions. Just recently, at the lunch that followed my grandma's funeral, he stood on his chair and told everyone in the room a joke. He is a fun boy. I'm so thankful to be his mom. 

Silly selfies with Mom and Lightening! 

Happy birthday, Will! 

Our Maggie is TWO

In some ways, this seems like so long ago! The 6 week early surprise arrival of our sweet baby Margaret Anne, and then the two week stay in the NICU...

Then I blinked and she was one! To be honest, that first year was ROUGH. Between all the normal newborn stuff, living in a 3 bedroom rental with four kids, and my thyroid deciding to not work properly, it was a long year. But it still seemed to have flown by and we were celebrating a year of this little lady:

And now here we are again, where has that little baby gone? She has turned into this crazy little lady now. The one who loves to push her stroller and, unfortunately, write on the walls with anything she can get her hands on. She also adores her brothers. And while she may have let me paint her toenails for the first time a couple weeks ago, she isn't all girly. She loves to "tackle" and to push the trucks and play cars and legos. She really doesn't have a lot of choice there. ;) She loves her babies and dolls. She's not a great eater, but would eat vitamins and mints all day long if I let her!

I love seeing her play with Will more and more these days. It makes my heart happy. 

Just a few other things I want to remember. This girl loves to accessorize. She picked out the necklace she wore for our family pictures herself. And she loves shoes. She just recently became much more vocal and opinionated. Until recently she didn't care to watch t.v. for more than a few minutes at a time. Now she requests George or Daniel Tiger or occasionally Thomas and Friends. For the sake of her brothers, she doesn't know that princesses and fairies exist YET. ;) She has gotten very good at saying thank you and your welcome. She doesn't always remember the please, but she will always say "God bless you!" if you sneeze! If I call for her brothers, she often responds with a "coming!" before they do. She is growing up so fast. I don't want to think about what's going to happen if I blink again. I better not! 

Happy birthday Maggie! I love you so!