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!

Last weekend, we celebrated two birthdays, as well as the closely-related holiday, Mothers’ Day. After all, if it weren’t for mothers, we would not have birthdays.

Peter made cake pops in honor of Uncle Dave’s 50th birthday.

Uncle Dave’s candle was pretty spectacular. He did not try to blow it out.

The next day, we did some Mothers’ Day tree-climbing after church:

We celebrated cousin Sammy’s 8th birthday later that day. The kids had fun playing outside and chilling on the swings.

I was reminded of the geology class I took in college when we visited a real live quarry last week. As the field trip chaperone threw out words like “metamorphic” and “igneous”, I recalled with fond memories how much I enjoyed learning about rocks.

After a brief introduction to the premises, our group rode a bus down the steep rocky slope into the quarry. There were mounds of rocks all around, then the bus stopped and let us explore.

The kids were instructed to bring gallon-size ziplock bags in which to collect any rocks they wanted. The chaperone told them that as long as they could carry it, they were allowed to bring it home.

We also learned that an employee of the quarry planted 15 fossils. This got the kids even more eager to search and explore.

It was a unique trip, and the kids left asking to go back another time.

Molly’s favorite thing to do on weekday afternoons: go bye-bye in the car to get Derek.

If we ever need something from Ikea, we plan our trip for Tuesdays, when kids eat free.

Our latest purchase was candles to make as gifts for BSF teachers.

In addition to free lunch on Tuesday, we also get free entertainment…

and free lounging.

Molly visited the vet today. Molly does not like going to the vet. She dislikes it so much that she turned down the treat he offered to her before giving her a rabies shot. This canine who will swim across oceans and climb over mountains for a carrot refused to eat the dog treat at the vet’s office.

When we returned home, she walked straight for her bed and laid there, looking stressed. Jeremy noticed her troubled demeanor and grabbed a makeshift harp. He sat by her playing this rubberband strung across popsicle sticks, and announced he–like king David–was calming her distressed spirit.

Not sure it had the same effect on Molly as it did on Saul way back when, since the “music” coming from the rubberband wasn’t exactly soothing. But he tried.

We finished our first Science Chef book and decided to continue on with the next book written by the same author.

This time we are learning about foods around the world. Our first chapter was Canada.

We made a delicious roast beef sandwich lunch. We decided we like Canadian food.

Next, we read about Mexican food and compared dry beans to those that had been soaked in water overnight.

We decided we like Mexican food (though we pretty much already knew that!).

A couple nights ago, after reading about food from Brazil, we assembled beef kabobs.

No surprise, we discovered we like Brazilian food too. It’s been fun to try new dishes (like “fruited rice”) and learn about cultures different from ours.

Every morning, Molly has this longing look on her face; a look of anticipation. It’s her routine. Why? Breakfast.

You see, first thing in the morning, Peter does his BSF. Molly sits patiently at his feet as he works through it. She is waiting for him to feed her breakfast, and she does not want him to forget about her.

Then, as soon as he zips up his Bible cover, she hops like a rabbit, with ears flopping, over to her kibble bowl with him. She knows the routine: BSF then breakfast.

You may recall Ruthie’s summer project from 2015. Well, if last year was the year of the monkey bars, 2016 is the year of the two-wheeler.

We fully expected a season of learning, falling, and trying again. I called her Right-Leaning-Ruth since she consistently leaned to the right.

Part of Jim’s training is modeling to the student how to ride the bicycle. Once again proving that one can do anything in work clothes.

This little girl–through complaining that “I can’t do it”–continued to try,

until she got it!

Her “season” of learning to ride a bike lasted one day. Now, guess what she wants to do every day, rain or shine?

After a period of becoming reacquainted by observing us from their basketball hoop perch, our feathered friends have returned to their favorite nesting spot.

I’m curious if it is the same pair, or the next generation. Regardless, we feel honored(?) that out of all the mailboxes in DuPage County, they have chosen our mailbox to raise their chicks in.

When you need to remove the overgrown thorn bushes from your front yard, you can pay hundreds of dollars to have a professional do it…

or you can take matters into your own hands.

During our walk with Molly this morning, Ruth and I came across a colony of ants on the sidewalk. She shrieked, “I hate ants!”

Later, a curious wasp flew between us. Ruth screamed, “I hate wasps!”

I told her that if God made it, we shouldn’t hate it. So let’s stop saying we hate things.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, then Ruth declared, “I’m not a summer girl, you know.” I asked why, and she responded that she really doesn’t like bugs. Then said, “I’m a winter girl.”

Point made.