We visited friends from college who recently moved from San Antonio to Eastern Michigan. We are thrilled that the driving time between us went from 18 hours to 4 hours!

The kids enjoy being together–there is always some form of competition among the boys, whether card games

or playing Mafia with both families. (Truth be told, the most intense competition in this game is among the dads)

Peter offered to help make breakfast in the morning.

Meanwhile, the guys were outside smoking meat. We have Neal to thank for getting Jim on the BBQ bandwagon a few years ago.

Ruthie loved having a dog around.

Another football teammate from college and his family stayed over as well. So neat to see how friendships have remained over the years. We were able to have some good, real conversations.

Here are those same three guys 23 years ago:

Before saying our goodbyes, we snapped some pictures. We are very thankful for these friendships which have not only stood the test of time, but have been the source of much encouragement and laughter.

When Peter’s baseball game was cancelled Wednesday night due to rain and impending storms, Jim and I took advantage of the free night and took Jake out to dinner one last time before heads off to school. When we left, we were under a tornado watch, so we reminded the kids that if the sirens go off, they are to head down to the basement. This added a sense of adventure to the evening for all of us.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Jake took the beeper and began decoding the tiny print information written on the back. Is there any doubt that he is an engineer?

We enjoyed a nice dinner with good conversation,

all the while keeping an eye on the weather. As threatening as it looked when we left for dinner, it seems the protective bubble around our house was intact, because as we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, Derek texted this:

The storm literally split apart and our home was merely rained upon. When we returned home, Jake pulled out his antenna and radio to attempt to make contacts.

The following day, some of us drove downtown to swim at my Mom and Dad’s. But first, a pitstop at the condo to attempt a connection with Indiana and Michigan across the lake.

The rest of us didn’t want to wait, so we went up to the pool.

Because of the clouds and wind, we had the pool to ourselves in the beginning.

Dad and Jake joined us later on.

After getting his fill of swimming and playing with his siblings in the water, it was time to pull out the radio and antenna again to see how far he could reach.

He excitedly reported reaching as far as Holland and Kalamazoo.

The swimming crew.

In the midst of an extremely busy season of life, with a major change on the horizon, we wanted to make the most of our Father’s Day Sunday. There was nothing on the calendar, so I let the father of the family decide how we would spend our day.

Among our options: bring a picnic lunch to the arboretum, go for a family bike ride, or…

go to Home Depot to buy supplies to build a corn hole game.

We hurried home and got to work measuring and cutting and drilling.

We couldn’t find our existing bean bags, so Ruth and I headed to the sewing machine to put some together.

Thankfully, before we got too far into the process, Derek came in after finding the missing bean bags and relieved us of our duties.

As soon as the corn hole tables were assembled, we held a tournament (of which the parent duo won it all!).

When not competing, the Peanut Gallery looked on.

When Jake was not competing, he was making contacts on his radio.

Molly had one thing on her mind this hot day: s-w-i-m.  We did not want her to jump in, so she obediently sat by the edge of the pond.

We are still finishing up assembling the game by putting the final coat of paint on and stenciling the design: the Air Force logo.

Other Father’s Day activities were fishing.

This guy has caught 57 fish in three days!

He would literally drop his line in the water (he couldn’t throw the line out because the reel is broken) and the fish would come swarming. Here’s evidence:

We also set up the hammock and took turns swinging between the trees.

Happy Father’s Day to a fantastic dad!

Ruth began taking swim lessons at Metea, which means that every morning for two weeks she walked the same route Jake walked for four years.

She had a great experience and is now consumed with mastering swimming. She wants to practice what she learned day and night. The only inhibiting factor is our lack of easy access to a pool.

So in order to stay active when swimming is not an option, we go for bike rides. She has now experienced the prairie path–a bit step for this six year-old.

Peter has pretty much taken over birthday pancakes, which means more creativity! Not only does he do letters, but he usually makes something that the birthday boy or girl is interested in. (Separately, now that Ruth knows the meaning of “photo bomb” she likes to demonstrate whenever she has the opportunity)

For Jeremy, he saw Star Wars a couple months ago and was taken by Kylo Ren’s lightsaber.

Thus, Peter made it into a pancake.

Using red and black food coloring, and some creative knife handling, he cooked and shaped the lightsaber.

According to this 10 year-old, it tasted great!

Jake and Derek once again joined my mom for the Cosley Zoo 5K last Saturday.

Their cheering section consisted of Ruth, my dad and me.

This is such a fun race to run! They made it to the start line just in time.

We fans first spotted Jake (whose legs were smarting from his bike ride the day before).

Derek was on his heels.

And not long after him came Mom.

Even the cheering section had a good time on the sideline.

Jake and his buddy Sam decided to go biking together the other day. They tossed around several options: do they go north? west? When the idea of heading east was proposed, they both agreed that Chicago would be their destination.

This was not Jake’s first time biking into the city; however, this time they took a detour around Austin and Garfield Park. After several hours, they made it!

They stopped outside my parents’ building, called them on the phone and waved to them as they stood on the balcony of their unit. Within minutes, my mom came down with a roast beef sandwich dinner–with cookies for dessert even. This is the gift of hospitality in action!

After spending time chatting, it was time for the boys to catch their train home.

It was a fun adventure!

Have you ever embarked on a task, thinking you would complete it quickly and with no mishaps, only to discover quite early on that the task is much more complex and consuming than anticipated?

That would define our bathroom project. Thankfully, Jim was able to hire from the inside.

Peter was a huge help with the tiling. With all the squatting down, his help in this area saved Jim’s knees.

He took his job very seriously.

Then it came time to screw in the bracket for the sink. Jim used the stud-finder so he was sure to screw through the studs. As it turns out, our stud-finder is also a water pipe-finder.

This was an unintentional new feature of the bathroom: a fountain.

After shutting the water off, Jim attempted to repair the pipe on his own, but found that it was above his pay grade, so we called a plumber. The hole in the wall grew, but the pipe is now as good as new, keeping the water where it should be.

And the bathroom project continues…

Ten years ago, this special guy entered the world. He is a great brother to his siblings, and a joy to have in the family. For ten years, he has provided much entertainment and laughter.

Plus, he’s really good at baseball.

Here is one of the earliest videos we have of Jeremy. With brothers like these, it’s no wonder he has the sense of humor he does.

Just like Jeremiah in Scripture, we pray that he would be set apart from his generation and bring glory to God!

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
And whose trust is the Lord.

For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;

But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

I realized on our recent trip to the arboretum that there are certain facts of life that have fallen through the cracks, so to speak, and not made their way down to Ruthie’s mental file cabinet.

One example of this would be the life cycle of a frog. Her brothers explained to her that we would see tadpoles at the arboretum. She looked at them quizzically and asked, “What are tadpoles?” She learned first-hand.

We saw many tadpoles that day.

We also saw and heard several frogs on the edge of the pond.

A fun field trip, and even educational (for some)!

Jake needed to have a bunch of booster shots and other immunizations prior to leaving for the Air Force Academy. We could have just scheduled a clinic visit, but knowing this would be the last opportunity he’d have to see his favorite pediatrician, we made an appointment to see her before getting the shots.

I told her he didn’t need a checkup because he had just completed the extensive health assessment process as part of his USAFA application. But she’s a doctor, and she couldn’t just let him pass through her office without listening to his heart.

She is a doctor who loves what she does. She has been a tremendous blessing to our family for 18 years (and counting). She hugged Jake and told him how much she loves him.

Couldn’t ask for a better doctor!

My idea of remodeling the bathroom:

Jim’s idea of remodeling the bathroom:

Yeah. A paintbrush is no match for a crowbar and hammer. The funny part (?) is that the day after he tore out the mirror and sink, he left for Missouri for three days. I love my husband’s get-er-done attitude.

The hardwood floor under the toilet was damaged, so part of Jim’s remodeling project is replacing the wood with tile. What to do with the wood?

We built a fire and made s’mores. First, Peter and Ruth collected sticks.

Molly claimed hers.

Then we roasted away.

Because some family members believe that competition makes everything more fun, Derek and Peter held a marshmallow roasting competition.

It was intense, let me tell you. They presented their final products to the judges.

Making s’mores was a great way to dispose of the wood. Now we wait until Jim returns to finish this bathroom project.

Last winter the city’s snow plow truck knocked over several of the mailboxes in our neighborhood, including ours. We were able to prop it upright, however, if you exerted too much force in opening or closing the door, the thing would lean sideways.

Fast forward five months, and we now have a new mailbox. But alas! We could not merely dispose of the original because its purpose was not just for holding mail!

Until those eggs hatch, we are the owners of two mailboxes. It took a day for the birds to realize that their nest was not inside the new mailbox. But all is well and they are happily tending to their shifted nest.

On the topic of sports, it’s a bit ironic that as one is exiting the athletic world, one is just beginning.

Ruth signed up for her very first gymnastics class this spring and (no surprise) loved it. Parents were allowed to watch during the final class of the session.

She paid close attention to the coach. This was good for her school teacher to see that she is capable of listening attentively. Ahem.

She swung and flipped,

cartwheeled,

backbended and summersaulted,

and finally balanced on the beam.

She already wants to sign up for the next class so she can continue to perfect her handstands and cartwheels.

Jake completed his final season of his final sport in high school. I was surprisingly overwhelmed with emotion at the last water polo game, knowing that this was the last hoorah.

He maintained a positive attitude throughout this season, despite not seeing as much playing time as he would have liked.

Senior night happened to be on May 5, so the boys dressed up in Mexican hats, while one of the moms had fatheads made for each senior.

Derek is already having fun with this one. The other night I found the fathead propped up on the headboard of our bed.

We decided that when Jake is away at school next year, we will bring his fathead along with us wherever we go, like Flat Stanley, and send pictures to Jake of “him” with our family.

This is where I started to tear up: watching him pull out the goal after the final game.

Some shots, thanks to dads and coaches.

Ruth and I have done some mother-daughter bonding lately. Last weekend, we attended the spring tea at church and thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

The road to manhood certainly accelerates quickly once the high school years begin!

Derek was asked to share a few words in chapel at school the other day, which meant he had to wear a tie.

Which meant he had to learn how to tie a tie.

He used the same tried-and-true diagram Jake used last year.

Success!

He reported later that day that he felt very comfortable speaking in front of the crowd and that it couldn’t have gone better. Must have been the tie.

He is also the owner of an official drivers’ permit, which means we have a new chauffeur in the family to drive us to places like Sonic to get half-price shakes.

Fasten your seat belt, because this one is growing up quickly!