A 2015 Update

I arranged to have our family pictures taken back in October. Happily we are at the stage where everyone can cooperate enough that family pictures aren’t such the ridiculous fiasco they were in the past. At least this session went fairly smoothly until our photographer locked her keys in her car and we had to wait for hours in the dark until the third locksmith we called finally showed up. (Never found out what happened to the first two)

Any who…we got them taken and I’m glad because my kids are growing up so fast! It’s good to have captured them as they are now. The other day I had the realization that Mike and I will be empty nesters in only 8 short years! This thought nearly knocked the breath out of me. I’ve got to start savoring each moment with even more fervor!

I’m not doing such a great job of capturing those moments in writing. It has been so long since I have recorded anything about any of us. I thought that since we are beginning a new year, now would be a good time. Our lives aren’t super exciting, but we seem to fill up our days quite nicely. I feel like we are in a busy, but relatively peaceful time in our lives…happily, no major crisis to report. I’m determined to enjoy the peace because I know that crisis comes calling for all of us at some point and it’s only a matter of time. How do you like that for some realist/pessimism?

Okay…let’s start our 2015 update with MK…

…oh this girl…she works hard to keep her life at a steady clip. One thing we never have to worry about is her idling away her time. In fact, we are working hard to help her realize that being idle from time to time is actually good for you. She reminds me of her father and her Grandma Lynette in this respect…always feels the need to stay busy and productive…always moving, moving, moving. I’m thinking she could use the proverbial chill-pill from time to time, if you know what I’m saying.

MK has loved high school so far. She loves her classes (most of them); especially drama, which remains her passion. We’ve hardly laid eyes on her this month due to play rehearsals. Her school’s production of Wizard of Oz is less than two weeks away and it’s crunch time! She has three different parts to play, three rather frantic costume changes and is on the stage for a big chunk of the play. It will be fun to see it all come together. Her drama teacher has spared nothing to make this a great production.

Between homework, play rehearsals, learning to drive (yikes!), making sure her social calendar is full, and her calling as Mia Maid president in Young Women’s, she barely has time left to fit in her piano practicing; something that I simply refuse to have fade into oblivion. It’s a good thing that she has to learn her pieces for choir (she is the only accompanist for her choir class) and a good thing that we provide her with a lovely cell phone that we can use as leverage. She puts in a good hour of practice everyday to keep that phone running and she is progressing nicely. We are not above bribery at this house.

All or her activities and pursuits aside though, this girl is a gem even without her many accomplishments. She only acts like a spoiled teenager once in awhile. This is an important stage of life and she is learning much. She has such a beautiful soul and is a blessing in the lives of her family, friends and all those around her. I love talking to her about her life…all the friend- drama, the boys, stuff she learns in school, all that she thinks about and feels. I’m so blessed to have this girl in my life.

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Now for this one…

…Jonathan Michael…this kid likes to keep us on our parental toes!

I love that freckled face, and those beautiful, big blue eyes! This kid is a thinker and a feeler. His feelings go deep and sometimes they come bursting out. Often times I’m blown away by his skill for expressing his emotion and really knowing how to talk (sometimes yell) about how he feels. Although it can be a challenge at times, I’m glad he doesn’t keep things bottled up. You never have to guess how this kid feels about anything.

His school and Primary teachers rave about having him class. He is helpful and responsible. He does well in school and he is my kid who seems to get the most excited about what he learns. He likes to read better than anyone in our family besides myself and is currently a fan of the Great Brain series that his dad used to enjoy as a kid.

Jonathan is very particular about what he likes to do. I wouldn't call him the adventurous type. He’s got more of a cautious nature. I believe it’s all that thinking he does…he’s got to think things through very thoroughly before he will give himself over. But when he loves something, you know it. Mike got ski passes again this year, and skiing is the one thing in Jonathan’s life that you never have to try and talk him into. He is in love with the sport and has a natural talent for it. When Mike heads up to the slopes, it’s Jonathan who has to be dragged away when the sun goes down or the resort closes, whichever comes first.

Although he feigns disinterest in piano, my mother’s intuition tells me that he really does enjoy playing. He has a natural gift there too, and I’m often amazed at how easily it comes to him. He asked for a fancy keyboard for Christmas and he loves to fiddle around with it.  He is also in karate with Mike and Jeffrey and with his characteristic honesty he lets us know how much he dislikes it. Mike is convinced of it’s benefit though and keeps dragging him every week. All the advanced karate students tell him how hard karate is at first. They all tell him it will be worth it and how much they learned to love it. We are banking on this to be the case for Jonathan. Only time will tell if karate or Jonathan wins this battle.

I love this kid and the fact that his personality matches that red hair.

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Then we have Jonathan’s best friend…

…Jeffrey Shawn.

This kid talks so fast that it’s sometimes hard to understand him, but we don’t mind asking for clarification because he usually has all kinds of pleasant things to say...and lots of questions to ask! Jeffrey is a happy kid and he brings a lot of that happiness into our house. He is my most cooperative child, and I appreciate that like crazy!

Jeffrey is also very determined…in such a pleasant way. He sticks with something until he gets it. I’m so glad he has this trait because many things don’t come as easily to him. He has to work hard at certain things and he does what it takes. He has improved so much in his school work, especially reading and writing. He has been consuming a steady diet of Diary of A Wimpy Kid books (books that I feel are about the literary equivalent of Kool-Aid) but his reading has improved so drastically that I’m trying not to hate the means to that positive end. Jeffrey also works hard at piano and is really excellent at math.

He’s a skier too, and loves it. He is more of a dare-devil. Where Jonathan has grace and skill, Jeffrey has guts. He just goes for it…ends up crashing sometimes…but he goes for it. He goes for it in karate too. We never have to drag Jeffrey to karate class. He is happy to go and even likes to practice with Mike. He has a mean punch.

Jeffrey has had a difficult time with his lungs and his cough-variant asthma. Sometimes my heart wants to break when he is coughing non-stop, but he is the most agreeable sick kid I’ve ever met. We finally found a specialist that has been able to help him tremendously, for which we are very grateful. Now my number one job is to keep him healthy since any cold causes a chain reaction for him. I’ve been packing his smoothies with anything I can disguise with blueberries and bananas and he’s drinking them. He just discovered I put spinach in his smoothies and now he is suspicious of me.

Currently my favorite thing about Jeffrey is how much he loves to be read too. We are reading some fun books together and every night he begs me to read more. He lays so still and listens. It’s my favorite.

I sure love this happy boy!

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These two boys are best friends and I love it more than anything. Jeffrey missed a couple weeks of school because of illness and having to spend that much time apart was just too much for these two. Jeffrey whined for Jonathan all day and as soon as Jonathan got home from school they frantically chattered to each other non-stop, catching up on all they day’s news. Normally they ask to have friends come over, but on those days they spent apart they didn’t even think of asking. It was enough just to be together. They truly have a special connection and I hope they don’t take it for granted as they get older.

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Now for the parents…

…like I said, there isn’t anything too exciting happening in our lives, but we seems to fill up hours and days. Boredom is not something we experience often. Keeping up with the kids and other responsibilities keeps us moving in positive directions.

Mike and I are entering the mid-life stage and in many aspects it’s quite nice. Our kids are older and more independent, we aren’t adding to our family or striving to establish a home or a career, those things are pretty solid now. Although we rarely sit still, our 40 year old bodies get more tired than they used to and we are more content just staying home in the quiet and enjoying time together with our little family. The more frivolous things of life that used to seem important and took up so much energy don’t seem so important anymore. I like the more refined focus that comes with age and experience. I hope that continues to increase as the years go by.

Mike is doing less running these days and more punching and kicking at karate with the boys. I think he’s found a new passion. He loves skiing with the kids as well. I appreciate that he is determined to teach them a skill that will get them outdoors in the winter…we’ve got to work on that nature deficit disorder even when it’s cold outside.  He is super busy at work and is looking for an assistant to help with the work load. He loves his job. He is still as steady as ever and we couldn’t do without his steady and pleasant nature in our home.

As for me, life is good. I still like an organized house, but can let that go when necessary. I feel so invested in my kids and happy to have them with me everyday. I like to walk in the mornings with a good friend and talk. I like to read at night, but often fall asleep mid paragraph. My work with Relief Society takes up large chunks of my time, which I love some days and resent on other days. Either way, it stretches me and I’m sure I need that. I’m still a very social girl, but I’m starting to enjoy the quiet more too. Now if I could just figure out my sciatica. See I’m getting old!

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And last but not least…

…this one. She is still bringing the love. She isn’t shy about communicating when she wants to be cuddled, scratched or fed. It’s obvious that she feels very secure about her place in our family, and why shouldn’t she? She is everyone’s favorite.

Thanks to Shaelynn for the pictures!