We Have a Teenager!!!

We honestly cannot even process the fact that we have a teenager.  It feels somehow stranger than turning 40.  We will never forget the day that this not so little anymore girl made us parents.  She is beautiful inside and out, sassy as they come, and yet so responsible and helpful and kind.  People always say you never have to wonder what Sadie is thinking and you don't because she'll just tell you.  Not in a bad way, she just doesn't play the games many do.  She tolerates drama NOT AT ALL and yet brings her own kind of drama when she's feeling feisty.

Birthday morning donuts and presents.

We dropped the kids of at school and had just enough time to run to Dutch Bros for her birthday drink before she needed to be in class.

Such a special surprise and they ran in to the perfect person up in the school office to help them pull it off, Coach Jung!

Sadie doesn't always love the attention but she secretly loved this surprise.

After school we ran over to the dairy to say hello to Sadie's new parakeet, Cori.  Uncle Robert hatched it for her so she has been getting to handle it a bit, but it needs another week or so with its parents before coming home.

Birthday Dinner

Shrimp and Noodles

Brownies and Ice Cream

Party Time

Birthday Outing

We figured 13 only comes once so we wanted to make it a little extra special.  Sadie wanted to go shopping and get her nails done.  So Payton spent the night after her party and the 3 of us went out on Saturday.

Sadie,

Happy Birthday!!!  We really are so thankful for you.  You are funny and sassy, kind and thoughtful, strong and brave, and truly beautiful inside and out.  God has blessed you with so many gifts and strengths.  We can already see it in the way you love and serve those around you and in your quiet confidence which draws so many to you.  This all comes from Him!  In a world that says we constantly need to be impressing people you seem to be mostly unphased by what people think, confident in who you are.  We hope you never change and we pray that you always remember that you are exactly who God has made you to be.  We can’t imagine our family or this world without you playing your unique and special part.

We Love you Little Chimp!

Love,  Dad and Mom

Septmeber Photos

So this happened...  We now have a flute, a clarinet, and a very excited trumpet player. :)

This September has been so warm.  We're loving it and also ready for it to start feeling more like Fall.

On Saturdays we use to try to sneak out to run an errand or two while the twins napped and the bigger kids had their T.V. time.  That is no longer an option as these two are monkeys and only nap in the car. So now they join us which isn't quite a break but it's still better than running errands solo with them and they're actually fun most of the time when it's just the two of them.  Plus I love that we get to have some of these memories with them while they're little just like we did with the older kids at this age.

Anxiously awaiting their breakfast.

Doing what I can to make it feel like Fall even though it's still blazing hot outside.

Sadie went on Retreat with school for the first time this year.  She got to know Cori and I loved getting a picture and text as they were not allowed to have their phones with them.

Katie is the best.  Look at all this delicious produce from her garden.  It smelled so wonderful and just looked to beautiful to not take a picture!

Daddy and his shenanigans. :)

Uncle Robert's puppies are getting big!

He also has 4 pregnant sows he rescued.

We spent the last 2 Saturdays in September cutting firewood over at the Zuidemas.  I promise these kids actually did work although this was what they would have preferred to have been doing.

Back home there's lots of work still to be done splitting and stacking.

Gotta love Evie's work attire. :)

Back to School 2022

Ready or not September has arrived.

Back to school is always bitter sweet.  We're ready and we're not, were excited and were nervous, we're looking forward to some things while at the same time dreading other things.  I guess that's just the way life goes.

Back to school night this year took us awhile.  Sadie is now officially a Jr. Higher so we had 4 classrooms to visit, plus waiting in line to check out text books and her chrome book.  I think it was all a bit overwhelming to her to be honest (it was to me), but I'm sure she is going to adjust quickly and will do great.  Next it was off to the 6th grade portables where we checked in with Wyatt's teachers.  He gets a locker this year and has 3 teachers covering his subjects.

Finally we headed into the main building for Cooper, Hazel, and Evie.

Oh Miss Evie Rose...

I can't believe she is headed to kindergarten this year.  She is sooooo excited!!!!  She's been working hard on her letters and sounds all summer and she is so excited to make her own friends.  We are excited that she gets to have Mrs. Lute as a teacher just like each of her older siblings and we're a little nervous about what afternoon kindergarten is going to look like.  Afternoon kindergarten is new for us and I didn't realize until tonight that I have to walk her in every day and don't have an option of sending her in with an older sibling.  Not sure how I didn't realize this.  I guess we'll see how the babies do.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2022

Sadie is 12.  She changes classrooms this year for each class and her electives are 3D printing and Spanish.

Wyatt is 11 and his homeroom teacher is Mrs. House.

Cooper is 9 and his teacher is Mrs. Hinderks.

Hazel is 7 and her teacher is Mrs. Hemelstrand.

Evie is 5 and her teachers are Mrs. Lute and Mrs. Lytle.

Evie was a little sad sending the bigger kids off to school.  I don't think she understood that she had to come back home for a few hours before kindergarten started.  All morning she just waited and waited for her turn to go to school.  This was kind of a bummer but I think we'll adjust and I'll enjoy having time in the mornings with her.  

Time for Kindergarten!!!

It was a successful 1st week.  Everyone is adjusting, though some definitely more quickly than others.  

Sadie is LOVING volleyball.  Her classes are just okay because they give her a lot of "junk" to do.

Wyatt is thrilled to be back hanging out with his friends and in Mrs. House's class.  

Cooper is enjoying seeing friends and I can already see his wheels turning as he tells me about the math fact challenge that they'll be starting in a few weeks and as he asks if he's finally going to start getting letter grades. :)  

Hazel LOVES Mrs. H and every minute she's not at school she wishes she could be at school because then she'd be with Mrs. H. who is sooo much fun.  I'm actually thinking of asking Mrs. H. if she'd consider temporary adoption as it is SOOOOOO boring at home for Hazel right now.  

Evie... Evie loves school and has soooooooo much to say.  I mean I've never heard this girl talk so much.  She has so many words every. single. day. after school.  

Aubrey and Maddie... Well they are not loving being in the car all the time and walking them into school every day is simply not going to be an option but even they are adjusting.  

I need to remind myself next year that these the first couple of weeks are a huge adjustment but we will adjust.  We always do.

It is our tradition at the end of the first week school to celebrate with dinner out at Red Robin.  We left the twins with Grammy again this year and just took the big 5 and it was a lot of fun.  They're goofballs but we really enjoyed hearing about their weeks and hanging out with them.