Non-Blogging

I have not been sharing myself for nearly 2 months....wow. We had a wonderful end to our summer vacation after celebrating Jake's 8th birthday July 23rd. I was so busy I didn't even take many pictures. My Facebook page documents the few I did take. I cherish my children and the time I get spend with them. They are each such different young men & I spent my summer getting to know them better than I thought I already knew them. I was sad to see summer vacation end and for school to begin. I have never felt this before & I really miss them when they are gone at school. They complete me and I thank God for them. We did so many fun things that I will share later on, but for now I am just greatful for the time I was ablw to spend with my babies.

Don & I had a great summer as well. He took every Tuesday & Thursday off to spend with family. This was INTENTIONAL. Never ever in all the years we have been married has he done this. He is very devoted to his job & is passionate about the "kids" and coaching he is able to take part in. Time. It is the best gift. One that I didn't even ask for. I had been praying for more time with my husband without him knowing for some time now. We celebrated 15 years of marriage June 18th & I think the most wonderful memories I have are times spent with Don. Love him!

Stay tuned for summer detailssssss...or maybe not.

Happy 8th Birthday Jake

Happy Birthday Jake! You turned 8 today & I love you. You are such an amazing little boy. You are funny, loving, sensitive, quirky, strong, adorable, & you have Jesus in your heart.

Thank you for letting me be your Mom...I am so honored & blessed.

Whoa....

1. Eating @ Culvers 2. During our putt-putt outing. 3. The hole in one! 4. Trip to the Detroit Zoo.

1. Me & My Dad on the 4th of July 2. A visit from Rex McLouchlin 3. My new Ford Flex 4. Troy Nature Center

1. Very wet aftre fireworks in Rochester Hills. 2. Jake fishing @ Spencer Park. 3. Downtown Rochester 4. Hiding from rain @ fireworks.

Woah!!! It has been a loooong time since I updated. We have been soooo busy with summertime fun. May I just say, I love summer and wish I could keep the boys home with me forever. My hubby, being an educator and all, would not agree with my feelings and thinks school should start ASAP so we can once again have a strict schedule. BOOOO! You are boring Mr. Justice. This summer is the first time in 15 years of marriage he has scheduled time off during the summer. We get him all to ourselves every Tuesday & Thursday. It means the world to me he is choosing us and not work. We have been to the Detroit Zoo, Spencer Park (several times), putt-putt golfing (never again), Troy Nature Center, and have just been enjoying being together. We see Don so little during the school year and even the boys have said how great it is to have their Dad home to play. Love him! The pictures are from some of our outings...enjoy!

A few things....

Our friends, Jim & Fatime Scheuer, Logan, Brett, & Katherine, were here for a few days to visit. We had such a great time. They arrived on Wednesday the 17th and we had a BBQ & bonfire...in the mist from a rainy day. It was still nice. Thursday...which was also our Anniversary, we went to Frankenmuth. No matter how many times I go I love it more and more. The Cheese Haus, Bronners, and the FUDGE shops are my fave. We ate lunch at Tiffany's that day. Friday we stuck close to home, went out for lunch, fell in love with Trader Joes.

Thursday, June 18th, we celebrated our 15th anniversary. We spent the day in Frankenmuth and had a wonderful time. I love my husband more and more every day. He is such a rock in my life and I thank God for him every day.

A few things....

I just realized I did not update my blogging about the state track meet. Mike & his 4 x 200 team are 7th in the state. He was over the moon excited....but put on a cool front as to not act too excited. Silly Mike.

Today some awesome friends from Wisconsin are stopping by for a few days. The Scheuer Family are people we met when Don accepted the call here to the Detroit area nearly 13 years ago. The have since moved back to Wisconsin and are such a blessing to us. We have awesome memories with this group are will cherish the time. <3

Ohhhh, the bordom!!!

Well, here we are on day 4 of our summer break. I have been classified as, "THE MOST BORING MOM EVER." I am boring because I will not haul myself out in the rain to take the boys fishing. We are due to have rain showers all day long and sitting in a very small foldable chair on the banks of the Clinton River are not at all high ranking. So....I now have 4 (because an extra is sleeping over) crying, complaining, moping, very irritable boys on my hands that have crown me...THE MOST BORING MOM EVER! BLAH!!!

Summertime, Summertime, Summertime

We are on day 2 of our summer break from school. It has been a jam packed 2 days...of fighting. Geesh!!! Yesterday, Monday, our summer jobs began. Easy enough...have your little body fed, teeth brushed, bed made, dirty clothes in the laundry room by 10am and you are rewarded with a day of fun. Day 1 was great and we went out to lunch, to the library, and fishing. Day 2...we are home all together because some un-named kiddos chose to not get the behinds in gear. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. :)

The Last Days of School

Today was one of the last 1/2 days of school. They are days filled with nothing but play and cleaning of the classrooms. The picture above is of Mike & his very best friend Ben. These two seem to think with one brain and love each other very much. I am so glad my Mike is able to go to a school and learn about Jesus every single day and have great Christian friends. I was around today to help with the 4th grade party and was happy to see Andy got recess at the same time. Love him!

YEAH FOR FIRST GRADE!!!!

This was one of my favorite days at the boys' school. In 1st grade they learn a lot thru song. The song on this video is by far my favorite and I just happened to be strolling by when they sang it today. LOVE IT!!! 1st grade is great and Jake had an awesome year. He is not one that usually sings and dances in front of others, so I am so glad I was able to capture this moment.

Last night was the final athletic banquet of the 08-09 school year. Don is the Athletic Director so he works for days and days making sure everything is organized and ready to go. WOW!!! Did he ever get a shocker last night. His football team presented him with an autographed and encased football honoring the winning season. The Lutheran Northwest Crusaders were, Metro Conference Champions, had a perfect regular season (10-1), made it to the 1st round of state playoffs, and Don was voted by his coaching peers as coach of the year. The players said some very kind words and that meant more than any award. :)

Weekend Fun

We had a really fun Memorial Day weekend with friends. Friday, I kept the boys home from their 1/2 day of school and we went to spend the day with The Kruse Family in Grosse Pointe Park. My friend Toni, is in the fight of her life. She has ALS, and will be traveling to Peru this Wednesday to to receive a stem cell transplant. She has 2 kiddos that are near my boys ages and it was fun to spend the day with them.

On Saturday we had about 25 people over for a BBQ. It was a fun night with our friends. The top picture is of me and my friend Sue. The bottom picture is me with Kim & Christi.

Sunday.....hmmmm, recovery day.

Monday, Don worked all day getting ready for the end of school. I spent the day working around the yard and we ended the day with a BBQ with just us. I am so glad we have only a few days of school left....love the time with my boys.

TRACK STAR!!!!

My Little Track Star Michael James!

I am one proud Mom! My middle one, Mike J has qualified to run in the state track meet. This is no small feat, as he is the only 4th grader from our school to qualify. He will run his little heart out on Saturday, the 30th, in the 4x200 with 3 other boys. GO MIKE!!!!

THE END IS NEAR!!!

The end of school I mean. Even though I know school is a wonderful place for my boys, I just love it when they are home on summer break. No time restraints, no rushing out the door, and no homework. All 3 boys are such outdoor kids and they learn so much from the world outside my back door. I have always thought home schooling would be wonderful, so awesome to let the boys learn in a different way without time restraints. Problem....my husband is a teacher, a teacher in a private Lutheran school, one that recruits. How weird would it be and what message would it send if we pulled them and taught them at home until high school? This is my burning wish for Andy in specific. He is such a smart kid, but does not like all the restraints placed upon him in school...the time wasted he says. He sees it! He knows the work he does could be done in less than 3 hours, but is put into an 8 hour school day. I have many friends that home school now or in the past and I am making it my priority to learn what would be best for my sweet boy during this summer break...would he thrive learning from me here at home? That is the question.

HAPPY DAY!!

This is my family when I was about 10. In the day before the word divorce was a word I would come to mention nearly every day. We were happy then....such different direction we have all gone. I live in Michigan, my sister just had a baby, my mom now lives with another man, & my dad is in the house we all grew up in. Hmmmm....changes.

Peace...<3

The last few moths have been extremely hard for me as a mom & daughter. My parents divorced in Dcember and it has come down on me like a ton of bricks. I have decided I can do nothing for them but pray & hope they will both find peace in this new world they have brought us all into. The boys...different story. They have questions and I have gone to God in prayer and answer them honestly. Divorce sucks. Divorce sucks. I will fight til my death to make my marriage work. I never want my boys to feel what I do.

The picture on this blog is of a very happy day last Christmas. We were in San Antonio visiting Don's parents. I had a wonderful time & this was a day I will never forget. Even if it was just lunch and drinks with my mother in law, Yvonne, & sister inlaw, Claudia. :)

Our Easter Week

My Yard....during the hunt.

The Egg Dying...what a mess.

Good Friday: My dad flew in this day to spend 10 days with us. We picked him up in Flint (an airport that I love because of the ease of finding whomever I am picking up) and came back home. We all went and it was a quick 40 minute trip. We always color eggs on Good Friday. Not sure why, we just do. I like the actual thought of coloring eggs, but each year it just turn into one big fight. Ohhhh...what I put myself thru with little men. I made the mistake of trying some new egg dye. Lesson learned...if you find something that works...stick with it. Glitter & sticky shiny junk are not a good idea!

Easter Eve: I sing with a contemporary Christian group at our church, called SonLight. I love this and I am passionate about it. We go to church on Saturday nights most of the time. Many devout Lutheran friends think I am crazy for this. It is church and we have Confession, Absolution, Communion, and Offering....so what's the big deal? Personal preference. We do an Easter Vigil the night before Easter. It was amazing. I was moved by it, I hope others were too.

Easter: We all went to the Sunrise Service. I love it! Go to church in the dark and leave with the sun shining thur the stained glass. I made all the regular Easter food and had my BFF Christi & her son Declan over for dinner. We did the egg hunt and all. It was a good day.

Oh the Time....

Where does my time go???? 3 simple answers....boys, laundry, food. Love those cute boys like crazy but as they get older it does not get easier...just different. I am more of an overseer rather than mommy. My role is now to lead them to be God-fearing young men and that scare the crapola outta me. I pray daily for their futures and place it in God's hands and hope I have given them the right tools to make good and godly decisions. Bumps in the road are ok...just is hard as mom to sit and watch them fly. ;)

Busy weekend ahead....

1. Wrestling meet #2 tomorrow. All 3 boys are now undefeated...meaning they have not yet lost a match. I never though I would be one of those crazy wrestling moms...but I am. I scream for my boys to pin & score points during matches. Hmm.

2. SonLight...this is my contemporary singing group from church. LOVE THIS!! My passion for sure. Many of the songs on my Facebook page are my faves from this group.

3. Movie Night....staying up until all hours of the morn with the boys since Don will be out of town. They love this and I cherish the memories. Hate the movies, but cherish the time spent with them.

He's Baaaack!

Andy made it back from Camp Wolverine and had a wonderful time. He brought a cold home with him and is snottin' around the homestead. We are now on winter break and have a short week of school. I love having the boys home and just sitting around listening to them have fun. They are such a blessing in my life.

Miss Him!

Andy left today for a week away at outdoor education camp in Wolverine, MI. Camp Wolverine is an awesome time for my guy. I MISS HIM! That's all...I just miss him.

Thursday :)

Today is Thursday...that's all. It is Thursday & I love TV tonight. Survivor has kicked again & then Greys. YEAH FOR MCDREAMY!!

My Day

Well, as I sit here and think I realize how wonderfully blessed I am. I have a home, food, a husband that adores me, and a job. Here in Michigan I hear every single day about how thousands are losing their jobs. It makes me sad. I am one person and can't help them all, but what I can do is pray. Pray.

January 21, 2009

My First Blog:

I have made the attempt several times, but have decided to take the plunge. I feel the odd need to get my life recorded. I added a few pictures that describe my life as it is today.

~Amy