September-December 2022 Catch Up

Deck project - we took off the old boards and replaced them with composite decking.

Dissembling the benches

Papa came to help too

It was definitely sweaty work!

Replacing the side pieces

Finished project!

Family bike ride with a stop at a neighborhood swing

And the boardwalk

A trip to Outdoor Discovery Center

Fun with water

Tons of fun on the swing!

Labor day breakfast with Thomas, Jenna, and Grandpa

Stella fall tennis

Leila fall volleyball

Papa got his 6th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do

Henry fall soccer

Warehouse at Gowan

My new office

Trip to California to meet my boss and get more training - Jacklyn and I

At night I went to watch the sunset

And check out the seals - I was about 7 feet away from them, it was incredible!

Apple picking!

Trip to watch planes take off and land at GRR

Stella and her friend Charlotte

Henry's team

Fall break trip to Hocking Hills

Really cool hiking trails

After hiking we went to a glass blowing studio

Another hiking trail

Henry

Leila

We also went to the Columbus Zoo

It was near Halloween so they had a cool display with fake pumpkins

Saw this crazy sight on the way home

Chicago trip with Papa's side - fun interactive table at McDonald's

All of the grandkids

Walking to the theatre to see Lion King

Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory

Great Lakes Fruit & Vegetable Expo

Papa's tradition of making a gingerbread house with the kids every year

Henry's indoor soccer

Pep talk after the game

Christmas gift exchange between the kids

A dollar store gift that brought more than $1 worth of joy. 

Christmas with papa - games

Hot tub time with cousins!

MSM trip to Urban Air

Henry, Dani, Leila, Eleanor, Stella sandwich

New Year's Eve - stayed up until midnight again!

Personality Post 2023

Every year, I try to sit down and type up a blog post about the kids and what their personality is like and how they have grown in the past year.  I do not read the previous ones until I finish the current year's post.  This year, the kids asked to choose their own photos.

Leila played volleyball in the fall (because we made her), helped paint the set and was a stage ninja for the school play, and did Middel Dutch Dance again this year.  She is going to be starting her first job at Dutch Village any day now.  She moved downstairs into her own room and just got her own cell phone.  This summer we are starting to have the kids watch themselves some of the time due to Leila's determination.  Leila is strong-willed, opinionated, and sure of the things she wants.  She is an introvert through and through and proud of it.  I am glad that she knows who she is and loves herself as she is.

Stella decided to join the tennis team this past fall despite having no prior lessons or experience.  She had a lot of fun and plans to do it again next year! She dipped her toe into forensics to see if that is something she would like to do, and decided it wasn't for her when she heard that she would have to perform in front of a judge.  Stella performed in the Select Choir along with her regular choir class.  She loves music and had a lot of fun singing.  Stella is a firecracker, she leads with her heart and would love nothing more than for us to get a puppy (or 12!)

Henry continues to focus his sports energy on soccer, playing outdoor in the summer/fall and indoor in the winter.  His team played both together this year and he was a star defensive player on his team.  Henry loves to read, make paper airplanes, play Roblox, and watch TV.  He is sensitive, kind, helpful. and full of energy!

Who are we kidding, all three of them really want us to get a dog.  Leila sends me an email at least once a month about the health benefits of owning a dog.  Stella made a trifold poster for school all about dogs and how there came to be so many breeds.  I don't know where I am going with this, we are not getting a dog, I guess I just wanted to remember this snapshot in time. 

We are so grateful to be able to help mold these wonderful people into who God created them to be.  We hope that we help to guide them toward their fullest potential.  We want them to know that they are loved for who they are, and always will be.