Christmas in... August. You thought I was going to say July, didn't you??

Way back when Grace and Zak (and later Dev and Lucy) were the only grandchildren, we celebrated birthdays on or around their birth dates.  It evolved into maybe 3 - 4 parties a year, celebrating all the birthdays near that party date.  Now, we have one large party every year for ALL the grandchildren's birthdays.  Its pretty much Christmas for them.   This has become our tradition since Emily moved out of Michigan with her family.  This way, we can enjoy seeing everyone while she is home, and they don't miss the celebrations either. 

As the oldest kids get older (16 this year for Grace and Zak!) we anticipate a time when we might not do this anymore.  This year was the start of it - Dillon was not here.  He will not be back with us on this earthly plane, to celebrate another year together.  Our peace is that we WILL see him again.  One day, we will all be able to celebrate at the Throne. This year, we were blessed to add Vivian, celebrating her very first birthday with us, and Erica, who joined us in January when she came to live with Andy and Lisa.  So, it continues - circle of life kind of thing. 

Which is why comparing our party-in-the-summer to Christmas is so appropriate.  The gift of God's Son being born to save us all is WHY we can celebrate anything.  Christmas is a birthday too. And remembering, even when we don't feel like celebrating, is important.  Good times, bad times, new years, milestone birthdays, family additions... We are so blessed to have each other!! Family will always be there - laughter (and there was a lot last night!), tears (I know I was close to them a couple times), families share these things with you.  We lift each other up physically, emotionally, faithfully.

Vacation, kinda.

I am enjoying the last few hours of some much needed time off from work.  Because Paul's actual homecoming date was something we weren't sure of, I didn't know how to schedule a "normal" vacation for us.  I didn't know if he could get time off if he was home, or, if he would even be here if I planned something.  So, we didn't make any real plans.  I took a week off from work, but we stayed home.  My mom and sister were at the cottage that we've gone to since the beginning of time... (beginning of my time anyway - there has not been a year without it in my lifetime!) so the kids and I were able to spend most of the week with them.  Paul decided to work most of the week - and just sitting around at the cottage isn't his thing, so it was probably a good choice.  He did spend the weekend there with us, and he took a day off too. And since the kids and I stayed home, we were still able to see him.  All in all, it was a good week. 

We started our "stay"cation with a fun dinner with some good friends, and ended it yesterday with a mini-reunion with friends we haven't seen in about 13 years. So, along with some fun family time, we enjoyed some friend time too.  Mark and Mark (and later their wives) were a huge part of our "pre-kid" years, and reconnecting was so much fun!

If I looked hard enough, I am sure I could find some mullet-filled pics of "back in the day". And here they are married, dads.  Back then, we could never have imagined it!  It was fun to see our kids get to know each other too - we don't live close, and visits may not happen often (we plan to get together sooner than 13 years from now!) - but making new friends, and keeping in touch with the old ones is so important!

Its been a busy week. Busier than our vacations normally are. But in a good way. We are all together, all healthy. This summer, I can't ask for more than that!

Milestones x2

So, its been a couple weeks now since my last post.  In that time, we have marked school field trips: Liv to Saugatuck sand dunes and roller skating, Laine to Home Depot, the park and getting ice cream at Fantasy Twirl, Devin to Craig's Cruisers, and bowling, off the calendar. We've celebrated Memorial Day in our family "traditional" way: annual parade through Martin with a ceremony at the veterans' memorial park, then the family pot-luck at the music barn. I also got to see 2 kids graduate this year - Devin first from 8th grade, then Liv from 5th grade.  Both will be moving onward and upward to new schools and experiences in the fall.



Devin and Caleb



Olivia and Steven

 Life keeps moving around us.  No matter how much we "slow down" or "de-clutter" our lives, it continues to move forward.  I'm not much for the sentimental-crying-because-the-kids-are-getting-older kind of thing... but these milestones we have celebrated recently... they make me kind of sad.  Seeing how "grown up" my kids look, makes me long for the simpler times of their babyhood.  But, when I look at it that way, I can't keep my rose-colored glasses on forever, either.  Those times were not easy, just, different.  Each age brings its own set of milestones, its own set of challenges.  My heart hurts because Paul couldn't be there for some of these things this year.  But, it also rejoices because now, through God's grace and perfect timing, he'll be there for the high school graduations, for the college football games, he'll be there to walk the girls down the aisle when they get married.  This season of our lives is another milestone.  And we will move past it too.  I pray we can take the positive things with us as we continue forward on our journey. 


Devin, around 2 years old





2012 has certainly been a year of unexpectedness for us.  We embrace the challenges we have faced, because - God knows what we need, when we need it. And, He knows what we are capable of - even when we don't, and don't BELIEVE we can get through something.  Seasons change. Milestones pass by.  I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing. (and yes, I hear Steven Tyler singing that as I write it, hehe)

Olivia, first day of preschool