Texas and Prom

What a wonderful weekend it has been.  Sieb went to TX on Thursday to see Mike.  I hear they went to the shooting range and toured a distillery.  Judging by Sieb's shirt he clearly is living his best life this weekend.  Ha.  All jokes aside though.  Sieb looks forward to these trips.  It gives him a chance to get away and relax with his brother, Mike.  I call him brother because that is truly what he is.  He may not be blood but he is 100% family to Sieb and I.  

Yesterday was Lauren's prom.  Isn't she beautiful?  Sweet Trystan did her hair and it was stunning.  

Us girls spent the afternoon together.  Trystan did Lauren's hair and us girls sat around chatting and laughing.  Mary stopped by too.  It was a delightful day.  I have to pinch myself that I'm at this age where I can sit back and enjoy this new chapter in my life.  

Sweet Lauren and her good friend, Ava.  They were so excited to go last night and the weather was perfect.  I can't wait to talk to Lauren today to get all the details.  
 

Another weekend of fishing for Nick

I give so much credit to our coach and these boys for our fishing team!  Nick gets up early (all the time), fishes in terrible weather and loves it.  His captain and partner do the same thing.  I believe that Saturday was a rough day but Sunday they turned things around.  Our team came in as team of the year and Nick and Brantson came in 5th place.  Another great weekend for Nick and our team!

 

Happy 50th Sarah

Yesterday we celebrated Sarah's 50th Birthday.  Jenny surprised her and flew in to be with her (hence the picture above).  To say Sarah was surprised is an understatement.  I'm so glad we were able to pull this off.  It's a birthday Sarah won't forget.  

The weather was gorgeous yesterday and we had a brunch for Sarah at her home.  It was lovely.  It was a small but intimate group - just the way Sarah likes it.  

My sister did so much to help with the party.  She had a mimosa bar which was a huge hit!

The three of us ended our day at Reality Bites for my favorite, a cosmopolitan.  What a blessing these girls are to me.  I don't know why the Lord blessed me with the women in my life but I'm sure glad He did.  It was wonderful having Jenny stay with me these past few days/nights.  She flies back home to Texas today.  It was such a great weekend!  
 

Easter & Birthday Celebration

Yesterday was Easter.  It was a wonderful day filled with worshipping our Savior and the blessing of family.  We went to church together then I hosted lunch.  The food was good, the laughter was plentiful filled with fun conversation.  I love this stage of life I'm in right now.  Adding Trystan to our mix has only brightened our gatherings.  She is a breath of fresh air and feels like she's always been a part of our family.  My mom continues to do well and loves coming out to my house.  

We celebrated Nick's "81st" birthday yesterday.  He put his candles on his cake.  Need I say more?  Nick has fishing tournaments every weekend for most of April and May.  Easter was the only day I had everyone together to sing Nick Happy Birthday! It was a month early but it worked.  

I had to include Chase in my blog post.  Each one of my boys has had one special friend that is near and dear to my heart.  With Jay it was Aaron and with Nick it's been Chase.  I love Chase.  Like Nick, he's  an old soul.  He's easy going and seems to tolerate Nick (ha).  Chase went to church with us and joined us for lunch.  Minus his mustache that he has going on in his picture, this kid is pretty great in my book - LOL.  

 My boys!  Nick is hard to corral these days but he's a good kid who will soon be a legal adult.  Jay is a joy to be around.  He's wrapping up his first year as an electrical apprentice.  My heart is full seeing him with Trystan.  As I gear up for this spring I know it will go fast.  I have so many fun things to look forward to over the next 8 weeks!  

Whirlwind Weekend

I'm in such a sweet season of life right now and while it's true it takes some getting use to, I'm really soaking up every blessing God has for me.  One huge blessing is my church and the community of women within that church, including my dear Mary.  Every Sunday I get to worship with Mary and Shannon and all the other women whom I've come to know and love.  Yesterday morning Mary and I attended a womens breakfast at church - organized and run by sweet Shannon.  Mary and I got up early and helped Shannon.  It was amazing to see 70 women in fellowship together, worshipping, learning, sharing and laughing.  

After my womens breakfast Mike and I headed to Springfield to celebrate Karen and Kerry's 40th wedding anniversary.  I was in their wedding 40 years ago.  I was only 9 (almost 10) and like Karen said I was the only one who didn't create drama in the wedding party.  Ha!  I still remember my pale blue dress and my floral headband.  I loved the entire day.  I'm beyond blessed to have such a close relationship with my aunt and uncle and my cousins.  Family is everything.  Sadly my sidekick, Kim, couldn't be there.  She and her family went to Chicago for the weekend.  

 Aunt Karen is my favorite aunt.  We don't let too much time go by without one of us reaching out to the other to see how we are doing.  She continually makes me laugh and vice versa.  She just gets me and I her.  Vacationing with her and our family every summer is one of my most treasured memories.  Happy Anniversary! 

Today as I write this I served at church this morning and picked up some groceries on my way home.  Nick has been at a fishing tournament since Friday and Jay has been with Trystan or working so it's just been Mike and I (see what I mean when I say this season of life takes some getting use to).  I was talking to a young mother last night.  She has two boys, ages 6 and 9.  We laughed at a few of our boy stories together. It's hard for me to believe I'm past that.  I now get to hang out with my husband, relax at parties (since I'm not chasing boys), attend church events without first figuring out what the boys will do when I'm gone and enjoy quiet Sundays.  Thank you Lord for the gift of motherhood, for the blessing of my boys.  For being able to experience all the highs, lows and in betweens.  Thank you for this new season I am transitioning into.  May I reflect you in all I do, lean into you just a little more everyday and desire all that You have for me.   

This weekend Kim and I had our sisters weekend with Lindsay.  We started doing this last year and we loved it.  This year we went to New Buffalo, MI.  We had lunch together, did a little shopping and went to our VRBO for the night.  We had a wonderful time together.  We laughed relentlessly and talked about our kids, work and life in general.  

 

Say Thank You

 Jay is taking a fun trip with Trystan's family this weekend.  As he was packing last night I almost reminded him to make sure he thanked her parents.  It was only a thought, however.  I was instantly reminded that Jay is a grown adult.  Gone are the days where I was trying to mold him, provide a positive example, all while ensuring he understood what good manners were all about and how to be kind.  Although our hearts are always with our children, the argument can be made that a mother's work is never done but I beg to differ.  My work with Jay is done.  Mike and I got him to the end of the runway.  In fact he's already taken off and in flight.  There's a story my mom tells about me where I believe she knew her work with me was also done.  I had landed a summer job at a big insurance company while finishing up in college.  I believe I was dating Mike at the time - the man, who like Trystan and Jay, brought out the very best in me.  One day mom came to visit me at work.  As she waited across the atrium for me, I walked towards her, clicking in my heels the entire way.  Mom tells me she knew at that time she had done her job.  All the worry, all the sleepless nights and parenting in the trenches had been worth it.  That is exactly how I feel about Jay.  What a joy it is to witness your adult children take flight, all while remembering to say please and thank  you along the way.