Seasons of Life

I've sat down about a billion times since I last wrote a blog post, about a month and a half ago. It seems that the word "time" or lack there of, clearly describes the season of life my family is in right now. When my babies were smaller, it was a different kind of busy. They were very dependent on us. We were constantly rocking babies, feeding, changing, playing on the floor, not sleeping. Now we are in the school stages, and that brings upon a different kind of busy-ness: homework, reading for AR, athletic practices, sleepovers, ball games, and the like.

I'm sure it's getting pretty old to read about this every time you come to my blog, but I feel pretty strongly about depicting our lives accurately, so that when I go back and reread these in the Alzheimer's wing of the nursing home, I'm not reading a lie. ;)

Anyways, this season of life is a lot of fun, but it's a lot of go-go-go as well. Jaedyn had three basketball tournaments in December/January, and now we are hopping right into volleyball. It's crazy to go back to October and remember how unskilled she was. She had never stepped foot onto a court. She didn't know what a travel or a double dribble was. There were so many things she had to learn, and I knew that it was overwhelming to her. I was so proud of her perseverance in learning and practicing. She never talked about quitting or not going out next year. She watched the other girls intently and listened to her coaches' every words all year long. Finally, to make a mama's heart burst with pride, she was a good sport (most of the time). She encouraged her teammates game in and game out. We're still working on not taking a ref's whistle personally, and I'm working on not being the coach in the stands. It's hard work. They finished up the season with a first place win at home, and we're all so proud of how much they've grown in 3 months. I can't wait to see how her first volleyball season plays out!

The boys have also started wrestling. Carter has come leaps and bounds since he started in Kindergarten 3 years ago. He reminds me so much of Colin and Casey. I love that he has something that bonds him to his uncles, and now Sawyer gets to be apart of it as well. To date, we've had one dual and one tournament. I am a huge fan of the duals as it really emphasizes the "team" aspect of this sport. It's easy to look at wrestling as an individualized activity when actually in high school, it's very much a team sport as much as it is individual.

My cheeks hurt from smiling so much when I would see one of the older 8th grade boys hold Sawyer in their lap or when the coaches would pull my boys close after a match and gently teach them how to do something better next time. I love the heart these coaches have for these boys. I love that Carter can pull Sawyer next to him after his first match and first loss, and put his arm around him unscripted to tell him "Good job buddy". "You'll get em next time." A mama can't ask for much more than that.

They can't deny this love in years to come. I captured it baby.

This face right here....This is his game face. Always smiling. We are working on it. ;)

This past weekend we had a tournament. Sawyer came home with a 2nd place trophy for which he is SUPER proud of. He slept with it. It helped him clean his room. It didn't leave his side all weekend. Carter's bracket on the other hand, was incredibly difficult. He lost 3 of the 4 fighting hard. He got 4th place, but the best prize was watching him shake the hands of the other boys and telling him good job. My boys are learning life lessons from the mat that will make a difference long after their wrestling years are over. Heart happy.

Another new change this year has been Middle School Band. Jaedyn decided to play the clarinet just like her mom. (or maybe her best friend Morgan. I think it's me.) We had her first concert in December, and like other things we've started this year, there is definitely a learning curve. You have to start somewhere to get good, and well, they are starting somewhere. :) I was never terribly musically inclined, so we will see if she sticks with this. I try to encourage my kids to try new things. They don't have to continue them if they aren't interested, but you really never know unless you try! I think she's really enjoying it so far.

Middle School has also brought with it some heartache. You remember how it went right? They were some of the most terribly awkward years of my life, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. There were braces, bad haircuts, puberty for some, terrible fashion sense, tiny boys, and most of all the overall theme of Acceptance. It was four years of desperate struggle to fit in, to find our place. Some of us spent those years trying to prove our worth. We were the loud ones. The know it alls. The superstar athletes.The popular crowd. The mean girls (boys). Some of us figured out who those kids were and tried to copy every move, even though unbeknownst to us, they were trying to be accepted also. We didn't much care if what we did was right or wrong as long as we had the cool kids' approval. Some of us tried to blend in. We didn't want to draw attention to ourselves so we did our own thing. We didn't speak up when things were wrong, and we didn't chime in if we were right. We just existed. Some of us were all of those things at one point, and a VERY small tiny percentage of the population just stayed true to who they were. They should have been the cool kids in my opinion.

We are trying to help guide her. We can't take away the bad stuff that comes along with middle school because quite frankly, she needs to experience it to learn from it, and that sucks, but it's reality. Dan and I are learning that the best thing we can do is be present and available when she needs to talk about ALL of it. Even the boring piddly things. If we care about those small things, she'll come to us with the big things, and THAT is so important.

I was talking with some colleagues the other day, and we talked about how easy it was/is when our kids are little. We are superheroes. We can fix any problem they have. Hungry? I can feed you. Tired? I can rock you to sleep? Fall on the ground and scrape your knee? I have a band-aid for that. In this season of life, I can only be there when she falls and tell her she's enough. I can be her support and encouragement, but the scaffolding can only be there so long. I think it's as hard on us as it is on her. :( Learning curve indeed.

I don't want to downplay Christmas, EVER, but that was more important for me to say at this moment in time. Our Christmas was good. Really good. We had overflowing doses of family and friends. Relaxing and Go Go Go. Ebb and Flow. It was full of twinkly lights, traditions, family time, and a Christmas trip to boot. That's been my favorite new tradition of all I think. I feel very grateful for this life.

Wolfswinkel Christmas Trip 2015- Minneapolis, MN "Rainforest Cafe"

Nickelodeon Universe

Annie

Cool bunk beds at the Water Park of America

Happy Tuesday!

November Happies

I kind of dropped the ball on November. I use the busy excuse a lot, and if it wasn't absolutely true, I promise I wouldn't use it. I'm finding that we are coming upon a completely new phase in our lives. Where we previously were in the busy stage of having young kids-the not being able to go anywhere without a sitter, early bedtimes, stricter routines, the end of the toddler years, etc-we now are in a stage where all of our kids are in school. Our oldest is a tween. She's starting to babysit. Our youngest is starting to read, and now we are at a whole new level of busy.

We've spent many many years talking about what we are going to do when our kids are in Sioux Center for activities more than they are home, and I can't say we've come to a consensus as to what we want to do. We still casually look at homes, but our heart is still here. Our friends are here. So for now, we are going with the flow, trusting that if Sioux Center is where God wants us, he will lead us there.

With that being said, we are in the middle of Jaedyn's basketball season and the boys have just started wrestling. When you toss in a few Christmas program practices, a band/choir concert, and various other things that pop up, I'm at my dad's more than I am at home. Hence, the lack of posting. I figured I'd end the month with some of my happies.

We are smack dab in the middle of the Grand Finale of 2014. It's a time I love immensely. I spend the first part of the month reflecting on all that I'm grateful for, reminding myself to slow down and soak in life at a time when it is easy to let it fly by. The last part of the month is when I have to refrain (with little success) from getting all Christmasy. It hasn't helped that Thanksgiving has come quite a bit later the last few years, and so I feel like it's only fair that I spend a few extra days celebrating both Thanksgiving AND Christmas.

Here are some of my happies for the month:

Athletic successes and School Spirit

We have some amazing kiddos playing sports this year. Both our volleyball and football teams made it to state with our football team coming in as 2A Runner up this year. We are so proud of these athletes, their determination and their attitude. They have represented the Warriors well!

We didn't make the trek down to state to watch our teams play, but luckily we were able to watch it on TV or catch it on the radio! Photo: courtesy of Allison Van Regenmorter

Photo cred: Gretchen Van de Poppe

Photo cred: Shelby Van Den Berg

Getting our family pictures back

Ashley Statema with Blusprout Photography does an AMAZING job! I just can't talk her up enough. I am in love with her photography, her presence, and she is just all around an amazing person. Check her out if you are close to Sioux Falls! (Excuse the poor quality. I grabbed them off of Facebook. They are phenomenal in person!)

Cuddling weather is BACK!

While I'm definitely not a fan of winter, it does come with a few perks. One being the amount of cuddle time I receive from my littles.

Cuddling up to watch the Warriors play their hearts out!

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Sunday afternoon lazies!

I can't even be mad when he hogs the bed and sleeps sideways. He's just too cute.

New living room finds

Hobby Lobby will be what puts us in bankruptcy. Of this I'm certain.

Girl Time

I never thought that getting a tattoo would ever be on my list of to-dos as I got older, but over the last few years I have warmed up to the idea as long as it was meaningful. Anyone who knows me knows how much I value my relationships, and this year this particular friendship has been steadfast. With so many changes and hardships that have been endured within this group this past year, we've realized that we are not just great friends, we've crossed the line into family. We've understood what it means to show up for one another day in and day out even when it's not easy or convenient. We've come to the conclusion that love isn't a feeling, but an action. It's something you do. So with that being said, we decided this past summer that we wanted something symbolic to remind us of the anchors we've been in each others lives. As anxious and scared as most of us were, I couldn't be happier to share this symbol of friendship/family with these girls. Thank you ladies for showing me what it means to love deeply. I am so blessed by you.

Thanksgiving break and days off of school

It's not often teachers get days off of school as well as students. It's been nice having a few extra days off in the month of November. Thanksgiving weekend means family time and traditions, and it's always the kick off to a great Christmas season!

Days off mean I sometimes get to pick up this lady from school. #niecelove

This is one of my favorite pieces of November mail.

We picked out a different kind of tree this year, a scotch pine. I'm liking it! It holds my ornaments a bit better. :)

Gotta have a picture in front of the fireplace every year. :)

Part of Thanksgiving traditions include watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Bonus points for your best friend sending you pictures while he is standing in the middle of the greatness. It is on my bucket list to be there over Thanksgiving, and someday it WILL happen!

Making memories with the Van clan

Holidays mean he comes home. I love when he comes home.

Watching Elf after Christmas decorating is finished is a family tradition. No sale on "Gray Thursday" could ever pull me away from this.

Thanksgiving family bonding at Horrible Bosses 2

With a new job this year, I lost Amy for Black Friday. Jae was an awesome fill in buddy. We had lots of fun just being together. Bonus points for getting a headstart on the Christmas shopping.

I love that my daughter takes an interest in learning how to crochet and sew. They are not my talents, and it makes me feel good to know that my mom can pass that down to my daughter.

My view on cozy winter nights.

All of the lights. All of the glitter. I love Christmas.

New ornaments!

Jada came home too! Snuck away from cleaning to enjoy some lunch with these two beauts. I love them.

Looking forward to December. We're going to try to keep the gratefulness theme going with an Random Acts of Kindness calendar that I found here. I'm excited to continue with traditions and bask in the loveliness that is Christmas time. See you later November! Until we meet again.