Happy 14th Birthday Levi!

 The very best boy turns 14 today! Levi gets more fun and witty and compassionate each year and we are so so lucky to get to witness it! He truly makes everyone around him happier and refreshed and feeling better! He has become quite the leader...a silent leader....but one that is full of integrity and empathy. He is sure of who he is and what he wants to accomplish. He gets a little shy when he has thinks he or his ideas may be rejected. He doesn't find fault in others and can laugh at himself as easily as he can share a laugh with a friend. Levi is so smart and clever. His quick wit takes a few minutes for his peers to understand but adults appreciate it! He likes being outside, wearing shorts, sleeping in until the very last minute, teriyaki chicken and rice, being with his youth group, soda, shooting his pellet gun, swimming, popcorn, and pickleball. He doesn't like sweeping or mopping, soup, shopping, his sisters telling him what to do, humanities class, sloppy joes, being hot, or choosing where to go to eat. Levi is the first person to volunteer to help with a chore or a project. His teachers are impressed with his willingness to help others if needed or work quietly and diligently if that is the task. Levi is pretty easy going but does get upset if the plan he thought was going to take place changes. He is extremely considerate of others and will ask if anyone else has a preference before he gives his opinion. At times, it can become a nuisance if we are asking for his opinion and his answer is constantly "I don't care" but in most cases it is very true! Levi never desires praise for doing the right thing or accomplishing a goal, but his face lights up when you give it to him anyway! He generally just quietly does what he knows is expected of him and tries to encourage or entertain others along the way. He is wise, considerate, mature, witty, enthusiastic, helpful and just an absolute joy in our lives. We are the luckiest parents in the world to have been blessed with our son, Levi.  We love you so much little buddy!

1. What is your favorite color? Green
2. What is your favorite sport? NA
3. What is your favorite fruit? Raspberry
4. What is your favorite movie? Red notice
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Corn dog
6. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Bubblegum
7. What is your favorite subject in school? History
8. What is your favorite snack? Cheez-its
9. What is your favorite animal? Dog
10. What is your favorite song? Counting My Blessings
11. What is your favorite book? Runaway Twin
12. Who is your best friend? Hudson and Boston
13. What is your favorite cereal? Honey bunches of oats
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Volleyball
15. What is your favorite drink? Sprite
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
17. What is your favorite restaurant? McMennamins
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Waffles
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Spaghetti
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Realtor

Happy Birthday Erika!

Our first baby is 17 years old today! Each year, we are truly blessed with Erika’s goodness and kindness and compassion and energy. She is such a great example to her siblings and friends and kids she is around of what a genuine, thankful and respectful young adult should be. Her enthusiasm for what interests her is infectious, her integrity of her beliefs and values is high, and her delight in the world and her life is promising. As she inches closer to adulthood, it is such a joy to be with her and hear her observations and thoughts and many many questions. She can be exhausting if she catches us in a tired moment when she has all the questions and emotions and needs help sorting them out. But it is fun to see her mind work and we are lucky to help guide her. Erika loves interior design, country music, trucks, America, shrimp, reading, sunsets, the beach, sweet iced tea, pasta fagioli soup, thrift shopping with her friends, her siblings, babysitting and Costco hot dogs. Her smile when she is participating in something she thoroughly enjoys is the exact same smile she had as a preschooler when she was excited and it brings me joy every time I see it. Erika is generally a happy and joyful girl but has her times of trials. She cries easily when disappointed or frustrated or when someone is upset at her. She has had moments of rebellion when she became very angry at a rule or decision we have made but she obeys our direction even if it is grudgingly at times. Erika doesn’t like putting her clothes away in a timely fashion, melted cheese, second hand embarrassment, plans changing, staying home, picking berries, salad, or people telling her to do something that she already had in mind to do. She is beautiful and talented and friendly and mature and laughs easily and converses with adults naturally and we could not be more proud of the girl God placed with us 17 years ago to guide and direct and raise. We love you so much Erika and every day with you is a treasure!

1. What is your favorite color? Teal
2. What is your favorite sport? Hiking
3. What is your favorite fruit? Raspberry
4. What is your favorite movie? Tangled
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Safeway lunch deal (corn dog and jojos)
6. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Birthday cake
7. What is your favorite subject in school? History
8. What is your favorite snack? Goldfish
9. What is your favorite animal? Dog
10. What is your favorite song? Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
11. What is your favorite book? The Orphan Collector
12. Who is your best friend? Emma, Kennedy and Hazel
13. What is your favorite cereal? Fruity Pebbles
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Hike or swim in the river
15. What is your favorite drink? Sweet iced tea
16. What is your favorite holiday? 4th of July
17. What is your favorite restaurant? Jem 100
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Donuts
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Shrimp scampi
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Interior Designer

Happy Birthday Laurel!

Our beautiful Laurel is 15 years old! Laurel is the easiest child when it's a good day and the most difficult child when it isn't. Luckily for us, most days are good days! We tease her all the time about not really knowing the family plan but absolutely determined to join in the plan and have fun. She has a habit of listening when she finds it interesting but can completely tune out whatever is going on around her when it doesn't pertain to or interest her. Laurel has consistently received comments from her teachers on what a great example and friend she is to everyone in her class. At the last teacher conference, her math teacher told us that he is so impressed by her willingness to help her fellow classmates with their work and also encouraging them to be respectful to him as he teaches. Laurel is, and always has been, this quiet force that attracts so many people to her. She knows her mind and her values and her passions and her beliefs and is not persuaded to go against any of them. She is as stubborn as the day is long and I have learned to just let some things go because if she is not in a mood to receive critique or help, it is going to be a long battle that I probably won't win. The best attribute of Laurel is that with time to self-reflect, she can see how to improve her attitude and the way she reacts. Laurel is kind and thoughtful and compassionate and puts others above herself. Especially with younger ones at church and elderly ones at church or within our family, she abandons the fun her peers may be having to take time to slowly help, walk with, or talk to the other generations she interacts with. She loves soccer, hamburgers, swimming, absolutes, her family, ducks, fuzzy socks, chocolate milk, fidgets, burned broccoli, helping with the kids ministry at church, Edgar, and watching shows. She doesn't like too much talking, waking up early, cake, being alone, folding laundry, riddles, pasta, nightmares, loud football games, studying, blood, or being cold. The first few months of high school brought with it some growing pains of social situations and acceptance. Laurel handled it with such grace and humility and really showed others how God would want her to deal with her new situations. We are proud of her and love her and every day we can learn from our teenage daughter a little more of Christ's love. Laurel is determined and knows what is right and wrong and doesn't really like to have deep discussions about gray areas. Her heart is pure and forgiving. We are blessed to watch her continue to grow and deepen the Godly characteristics she already has while strengthening the ones that she is still developing. What a joy and honor to be her parents. We love you so much, Laurely-Lou!

 1. What is your favorite color? Pink
2. What is your favorite sport? Soccer
3. What is your favorite fruit? Apple
4. What is your favorite movie? Just Go With It
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Cheese quesadilla
6. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Cookies and cream
7. What is your favorite subject in school? Math
8. What is your favorite snack? Tostitos cheese and tortilla chips
9. What is your favorite animal? Duck
10. What is your favorite song? Build A Boat
11. What is your favorite book? The Selection
12. Who is your best friend? Erika and Paisley
13. What is your favorite cereal? Captain Crunch
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play badminton
15. What is your favorite drink? Chocolate milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What is your favorite restaurant? McMennamins
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Swedish pancakes
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Hamburgers and milk shake
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Physical therapist