Happy 13th Birthday, Ellie!

We officially have all teenage children!  I know they say that time flies and to enjoy the moments.  That is super hard to do when some moments you just feel like you just need a break from - infant years (cry, no idea what to do, eat, cry, naps throughout the day, sleepless nights), toddler years (clean up, entertain, clean up some more), elementary age (learning to juggle school, a few activities), and now teens (sports, musicals, soon.. driving, friend drama, school). 

But then you step away from the stage and you think, I miss that - infant years (cuddles, smiles, milestones, naps, early bedtimes), toddler years (silliness, trying new things, giggles, snuggles), elementary years (picture books, library trips, energy, stories), and now teens (thoughtful questions, friend time, easy to travel with, sports, musicals, driving... I'll let you know!). 

Less about me, more about Ellie.  She decided she wanted to have a friend sleepover.  And it was perfect because her birthday fell on a four-day weekend.  She invited 3 friends over for cake and ice cream,

         

a sleepover filled with a movie, candy, laughter, silliness, coffee cake for breakfast, and some super fun sledding in the morning!

    

In recent years, we have started celebrating the girls’ birthdays with one joint meal out.  They decided then they could eat somewhere fancier if they combined their money.  I am not complaining.  They opted for hibachi this year again.  Always a fun experience.

    

The Edigers have been gathering at the end of January lately to celebrate Sophie, Madison, and Ellie’s birthdays at the same time.  It gives us a nice touchpoint after Christmas.  (Although not posted, I have had people over the past 2 years to continue the tradition of waffles and white sauce on New Year’s Day.  That is also a fun morning!) 

Blessings in your 13th year, Ellie!  We wish you the best as you start track in the spring, finish out your 7th grade year, start your 8th grade year, enjoy your summer, take on volleyball for the second year, enjoy another year of JHY (your last year!), and keep our lives moving with your smile and stories.  We love you!

The Blog

 Well, I have been at this blogging thing since July 2007 - 18 years.  I am not sure I imagined that I would keep it up as long as I did.  It started as a way to share about our time in MVS.  Then, when we got home, we had a lot of transitions with Jeremy's work and soon with Madison's anticipated arrival.  Living away from grandparents, I felt like it was a good way to keep everyone up-to-date.  Then, it just kept going.

It has also been an excellent way to filter through all the pictures that are quickly snapped here and there with my phone.  You know what I mean - all those pictures you have saved, never printed, and have no idea what to do with!  I save them, but instead of printing them, I post them on the blog; then, I print the blog in annual books... and voila! two birds with one stone!  

Also, my kids know our life history better than I do.  I post things so that I won't forget things - and then, inevitably, do forget.  But at least they are down somewhere to help me (us) remember. We look back to remember when a vacation was, what we did when, etc.  It is really pretty helpful.

So, why the blog history, you ask?  Well, I got a new computer that doesn't play nice with the extra application that I used to make blogging painless.  This Google Blogger creator has hardly changed in the 18 years that I have been doing it.  That should tell you something.  It has not been easy to manipulate pictures within the post which makes it a headache.  

So, I am writing this as an explanation in case I try one more post (Ellie's birthday), and it just is not a good experience.  With all the reasons to keep on blogging (or recording my history... since I don't really care about it being on the internet), I hope this works ;)

---and I know, I am already months behind!

EDIT... Google Blogger as a tool to put together a blog is still antiquated and gives me a headache.  Couldn't even upload a set of 4 pictures centered with text above and below them.  Anyway... it led to more internet investigation to how to get my application back that synced so well and allowed me to use Blogger and be happy.  I found a fix!!!  I cannot tell you how excited it made me.  (Here is my link if I ever need it again.)

*To be honest, it has been kinda nice to not feel the pressure of needing to post, update pictures, etc.  BUT I have also been lost on how to catalog pictures and sift through my stuff.  It is a give and take.

Happy 15th Birthday, Madison!

Madison wanted to go shopping for shoes for her birthday. So, we headed to Canton to check out the selection. She and Ellie met Grandma and Grandpa at Olive Garden for a combined birthday meal. They love Italian, and they both got a (free) birthday dessert! Madison opened a gel nail lamp for her birthday gift. She is now investing in the world of gel nail polish, guided by her cousin Sophie’s knowledge.

         

Jeremy and I headed to Condado to try out a new restaurant. We picked the girls up and headed to Uptown Cheapskate, their new favorite secondhand store. Jeremy and the girls went to Target to putter around while I went to Meijer to grocery shop. (Side note: I forgot my list at home which I was a bit mad about. Good news, I managed to get everything on it by memory!)

At home, we made the birthday requested Veggie Burrito Bake with brownies and ice cream for dessert. We watched Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back to help bridge the time to midnight.

*For whatever reason, I neglected the birthday picture AND the gift giving ON her birthday… I think I was caught up in New Year’s Eve? Tired from shopping? I don’t know. Here is that portion that happened on New Year’s Day.

    

Madison, we are so excited about what this next year brings.  You are halfway through a great freshman year.  You have enjoyed volleyball, your classes, your new lunch table, student council, FCA, and more.  You are looking forward to being a part of spring musical, going to skiing with ski club at snow trails, and who knows what other opportunities are around the bend.  We love to see your enthusiasm for different things, the way you are willing to put yourself out there – an audition, singing, alone, on stage! – to try new things.  We love to see your creative side – watching YouTube videos to sew meaningful gifts for others and organizing nooks and crannies.  We love how you still enjoy hanging out with your little sister – playing pretend, taking each other on in MarioKart or Switch games, playing hangman for hours (!), giggling, creating hot chocolate masterpieces, and more.  We pray for this year 15, that you would continue to find courage for hard things, build relationships with friends in new ways, stay close with Ellie, learn to drive – safely!, grow in your faith, and encourage others.  We love you!

Christmas #3: Yohs and Brickers

On Friday, Jen and Arturo had brunch with us around 9:30. I made a breakfast casserole as close to the one Gloria would make as I could. I think it was pretty close. We enjoyed fellowshipping together.

We headed over to Gloria’s condo to FaceTime with Jason’s family in Minnesota around 11am. It would probably be our last Christmas in the condo, so we thought that would be a good spot to celebrate. We had done some Facetime Christmases before, so it didn’t feel as strange as it could have. It was good to see them and catch up.

We hustled home because some of the Brickers were heading to our house to hang out for a while around 1:30. David, Marianne, and Erin, Mark, Greg, Maggie, Elena, and Nora were all able to come. Most of them hadn’t been to our house or seen the remodel. It was nice to share our home with them. After playing/talking for a while, Ellie helped wrangle people to do a Gingerbread treehouse competition with the kits that Maggie had brought along. It was a fun competition, but I don’t think there was a determined winner.

Team 1

    

Team 2

    

With the rain that was falling came a rainbow.  While snow is always better – especially in the winter, this was a pretty moment in the gloom. 

After everyone left, we took off to go watch Paxon play basketball.  It was a fun game, but delayed due to a leaky roof.  So, we got home pretty late!

The next evening, we took Jen and Arturo out to try out Wild Fox, a new café in Kidron as a Christmas gift. It was pretty tasty and has a fun vibe to it.  It was the last night they were going to be in town.  We had gotten used to having Jennifer in town to join us for various outings and supper times.  It will feel a little empty without her (and later, Arturo) around.

And a random cute picture of Ellie and Pepper… because why not!

Christmas #2: Our Christmas

Day 25 – Build gingerbread houses. This was a deviation from “Merry Christmas,” but it made a fun activity for the afternoon.

    

We started the morning with stocking opening.

Then, we had breakfast. I made monkey bread this year, which was tasty. (Check out Ellie in this photo!)

After breakfast, the girls swapped their gifts for each other first. They were both very excited about what they had gotten for one another.

    

Then, we took turns opening what remained. Even Pepper got in on the fun.

              

The rest of the day just evolved on its own. Grandma and Grandpa stopped by to see what the girls had received/given. They played a game of bowling with the new set of Switch controllers – a gift for the girls so 4 people can play at once.

We had one additional gift they had to complete an escape room to access. They had fun working through the puzzles to break the code. The prize was passports (in the future… we have to fill out the application and take the pictures, etc). They were excited about these even though there is no specific international trip in our minds.

We went for a walk on the bike path because it was actually kind of nice outside.

    

We ended the night with Elf, a great Christmas classic!

Advent Wrap-up

Day 23 – Get a fancy hot (or cold) drink. We headed to Tremont Coffee shop with Jen for a fun drink. They have coffee, teas, hot chocolates, milkshakes, and cold drinks. Madison chose a vanilla chai latte; Ellie got butterbeer (cold, butterscotch-y drink); I got hot chocolate; and I am not sure what Jen ended up with. Then, we just hung out while we drank it. I thought there were games, but I didn’t see them. When we were leaving, I did see them again. So, next time, we may play some games.

Day 24 – Stuff and Stamp cards. This one got moved at least once on the calendar of activities. But that’s okay. Normally, the girls think this day just says “Celebrate at a Christmas Eve service”… and it usually does! It didn’t take long, and it is good to remember the names of those we know afar.

The Christmas Eve service was nice at Salem, but most of the lights remained on during the candlelight portion for some reason, so it threw me off a bit.

    

Afterwards, Jeremy and I worked on present wrapping – a task for some reason we almost always save for this night.

Christmas #1

Day 22 – Christmas #1: Celebrate with the Edigers. The celebration actually started on Saturday night. We gathered for supper at mom and dad’s house, followed by some Buckeye football viewing at our place.

The next morning, we headed back to mom and dad’s house around 9am. We had a delicious breakfast – egg casserole and too many coffeecakes! Then, we took some pictures.

         

Then, after we read the Christmas story (from Luke 2), mom and dad started a sharing time. It was a good opportunity for everyone to reflect on the year – disappointment/hard times, as well as surprises/blessings. Nate’s sharing was spurred partly by this image he saw online.  I wanted to share it as a memory keepsake here. 

Gift opening followed. Then, a ham ball Christmas feast.

We did take some time late afternoon to go to the school and run around in the gym for about an hour. It was good to get some activity, even though I was reluctant at first.

We headed home after supper. It was the first year in many that none of us had to go back to school the next day; it made for a more relaxed ending to the night.