Thanksgiving Traditions

Joshua enjoying his favorite meal of the year ~ turkey, mashed
potatoes (made safe for him), sweet potatoes, cranberries,
stuffing and crescents!

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

     Thanksgiving was a special week!  Uncle Luke's family came for a visit.  There is so much anticipation at our house the weeks before our cousins visit.  I think it has to do with the idea that a visit with the cousins usually means movie nights, playing outside in the dark (even when it's Ghosts in the Graveyard), late nights, extra visits from Grandma and Grandpa, and a sleepover almost every night!  I am so glad that you both get to visit your cousins as often as you do.   Living close to Grandma and Grandpa is a blessing for so many reasons, but it certainly gets us extra visits with the cousins!

   

Nana loving on her sweet grandsons!

We were also blessed having Nana and Aunt Lisa share our Thanksgiving dinner with us.  It has been a while since we shared Thanksgiving with them.  We used to get together every holiday with Grandma Nichols and Grandpa Al, and then we would go to Nana and Papa Ed's house to celebrate.  Then, after we were blessed with you two, we invited everyone to our house to celebrate.  But things have changed.....holidays are much different now.  We feel especially lucky to celebrate with one part of our family.  I wish that you both continue to get together with our families, your family, for a very long time.  I love having family at our house.  I love cooking meals, especially a holiday meal, and having everyone sit down to our table to share a meal.  I love hearing the talk of what is happening in everyone's lives, what has happened in years past, and stories that have been told time and time again.   I love staying up late and talking about happy moments, concerns with our children, things to look forward to and other conversations.  It is also great to hear stories between Daddy and Uncle Luke.  In the morning, it is fun to wake up and hear the cousins playing together downstairs.

Luke enjoying his meal!

   

Aunt Lisa and her two favorite nephews

Back to Thanksgiving fun......we also like to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and football, of course!  Also, we look through the newspapers over and over to find great bargains and Black Friday sales.  A few times game plans were made to get "must haves" from the Christmas list, but most of the time we just looked at the ads and talked about the bargains!

 

Ethan enjoying his Thanksgiving dinner!

 I love you both more today than yesterday.

Love,
Mama

More Fall Fun

Joshua & his 3rd grade teacher

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

The fall fun continues ~ the boys had a pack meeting at a local farm.  And not just any farm, but he family farm of Joshua's teacher.  After a wonderful presentation about life on the farm from Farmer Jim, Joshua's first question was whether or not he might get to see his teacher that evening.  Believe me when I tell you that was on the mind of almost all of the kids there because his teacher is very well known as an awesome teacher!  And she is!

Luke making a hot dog in a milk carton

The boys made hot dogs in a milk carton.  It was very interesting how the hot dog cooked in the carton.  Not to mention, this was a very tasty hot dog!








Daddy worked hard this weekend at getting his deer stand ready for the season.  This is always an exciting time of year at our house.  You both got so excited about deer after seeing over 40 deer at Jefferson Barracks.  On the way back from flu shots at the doctor's office, Daddy stopped at Jefferson Barracks to get a glimpse of some deer.  And it is always once to stop by and see Grandpa Al's special burial place.  Luke came within a couple of feet of one of the deer.  Somehow I think animals can sense that Luke would never hurt them.  Animals seem to take to Luke so quickly, and he is so gentle with them.  Joshua will be a hunter like his daddy, and that's ok, too.

Luke & Joshua visiting Grandpa Al's grave

We also opened a savings account for the boys this weekend.  They were both so thrilled.  Miss Sheree at the bank was so good with them.  She helped them roll all of their coins into coin rolls.  Thank goodness we had help with that.  We might have been there all day!  We talked a lot about spending and saving.  We even made a general agreement that we should save half of the money we get and spend the other half if there is something we need to buy.

I love you both more than ever.

Love,
Mama

Fall Fun

Dearest Joshua and Luke,



Happy 70th birthday to Grammy! 

Things have been busier and busier, and it seems to be harder and harder to get around to writing in this blog.  I will tell you that writing to you both makes me very happy.  It is one thing I consider one of my top favorite things to do.  I think about this blog being around some day when I am no longer here to talk to you.  But this blog (or books) will be here for you to remember day to day things as well as the important life lessons.  I plan to be here with you for a very long time. 





We just received your first quarter report cards and I am happy to report all A's on both report cards!  I am so proud of both of you.  You both try hard and it has paid off in your school work. 

Tiger Cub Salute

 Luke has had an amazing school year already.  He is blossoming in every possible way.  He is reading like crazy.  He can read so many words, and is reading just about everything he sees!  Luke's confidence level at school is increasing.  He is raising his hand, sharing ideas, and he adores his teacher once again this year.  Luke has joined a cub scout pack, and this seems to be a great fit for him,  He has learned the motto, pledge, promise...as well as has participated in the popcorn sales and many activities.  He loves it, and he has a great group to participate with. 

Joshua stopped by my office for a quick visit
after giving his book talk about Harry Potter.

 

Joshua is also having an amazing school year.  His teacher, whom he also loves, introduced him to Harry Potter.  Joshua has not been able to get enough.  I could not even believe that he could read those level of books, or understand them, etc.  His teacher suggested the first book for a book talk that he gave.  Now four books later we are taking a break.  The fifth book is a little too advanced for what I am comfortable with.  The topics are getting very mature, and I think we should wait a while to go any further with the stories.  We can revisit the book series again next year.  Joshua is also enjoying cub scouts this year.  He has a great group  of boys in his pack, too.  Joshua likes it, but we have found that Joshua loves every activity that he participates in. 





Both boys have started Atrium again this  year.  Luke is starting in the same level as Joshua this year.  I really love the Atrium and all that the boys have learned at Atrium over the years. The have really developed a relationship and deep understanding of God and our church.  I would like to focus on doing more for others this year.  I see that as an area for us to focus on this year, and with the holidays coming up, I think it is a perfect time. 

Luke by his favorite ginkgo tree at the park.
Each of the boys get to go to lunch with me  one
time during the month  This was one of our lunches.

Joshua at the park after one of his monthly
lunches with me.

   I love you both more today than I did yesterday.

Love,
Mama

Lessons From A Lemonade Stand

Employees of the Litteken Lemonade Stand

Dearest Joshua and Luke,
     What started out as a usual, fun Saturday, turned into a day for some of the entrepreneurs in the family.  You had tried a lemonade stand a few times before at our previous house, it was nothing like the stand you had here.  We started out by buying Country Time Lemonade at the local grocers.  Joshua insisted that the Lemonade had to be Country Time brand because that is what all of the restaurants use (according to Joshua).  He also confirmed that it's taste was just as good as the restaurants.  Here we started to learn about quality control. More on that later.   As a part of the lemonade offer, the boys offered fresh lemon slices in the cups and ice cold cubes of ice. 





Joshua's sign on the scooter read,
"If you want some great lemonade,
follow me!"

     Joshua and Luke made lemonade stand signs, offering one cup of lemonade for a quarter.  They wanted to try charging $1 per cup, but I told them I did not think they would sell much lemonade at that price.  They brought out their small card table and four chairs from the basement, then set up the stand in front of the house.  The first two customers, two very sweet neighbor girls, became the first employees at the lemonade stand.  Then, came another girl customer who became the third employee, the fourth sweet girl became the fifth employee, until we had six sweet neighbor girls helping the cause. (By the way, the cause was a new Pokémon DS game.)  By this time, Daddy had moved the round patio table to the front yard so that the kids could sit out of the sun and under the umbrella.  Several customers came to the lemonade stand, and everyone wanted part of the profits.  Some of the other customers were parents, neighbors, older kids walking to the lake to fish........ I think we went through 15 pitchers of lemonade during the stand!  Joshua and several of the employees rode scooters and bikes around advertising for the lemonade stand. 

Then, one of the big brothers of the employees came over and decided to increase the customer base.  So they started making lemonade deliveries.  They went door to door and to the neighborhood pool to drum up some business.  They decided on a 25 cent delivery charge for the lemonade.  They made several trips to the pool for deliveries.  Door to door sales were successful, too.  Daddy gave you guys another incentive for the lemonade sales. If a customer referred another customer to the stand by telling them how wonderful the lemonade tasted, then, the original customer got a free cup of lemonade.  As we started to deal with the reality that the lemonade mix would not last forever, the CEO's panicked a bit and briefly discussed lowering the quality of the original product by increasing the amount of water in the mix.  Luckily, the CEO's had previous experience and realized that they did not want to deliver lemonade that was not as tasty as the first cup!  I was so proud!  (The quality control lesson) 

Just had to sneak in this great picture of Luke
with his new goggles and duck call.

As what happens in real life, the lemonade stand employees were getting restless after hours of delivery and hard work, it was time for pay day.  Joshua and Luke decided to pay each employee 50 cents for the help during the day,  and mentioned to them that they had all the lemonade they wanted while they worked.  While it was not the profit making project they had hoped, everyone did have fun and learned a lot about being an entrepreneur. 

While you both learned a lot about running a business from your lemonade stand, it was also obvious to me how much you have learned from your dad about business.   Several episodes of Shark Tank and Mad Money (with Jim Cramer) have certainly not hurt you either!  :)  Boo-yah!

I love you more today than I did yesterday.

Love,
Mama

Labor Day Fun!

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

Labor Day began with breakfast in bed this year.  What a pleasant surprise!  As we woke up on Monday morning, we both heard the scampering of little feet.  We knew the boys were up to something.  It was truly a surprise when we opened our eyes to find that each of us had a big bowl of Raisin Bran and two Dixie cups of water.  Both of you jumped in our bed and shouted, "Happy Labor Day!  Thank you for working every day!"  That was definitely my first Labor Day surprise!

So what started out as a lazy day.....sleeping in till 7:30 am, breakfast in bed, coffee and tea (Yes, I like both in the morning.)  ended up with fun at Incredible Pizza. The boys love going there for a yummy pizza buffet and games afterward.  It was a bonus that we were able to go with one of our most favorite families! 

Laser Tag Champs

You both played laser tag for the very first time.  What fun!  Luke was a little apprehensive at first, but it only took him about ten seconds into the maze before he realized how fun it actually was!  Eric and Joshua played laser tag about ten more times while Luke and I wandered around playing other games. 








The boys are loving school this year.  More on that soon, but here are two conversations from the week:

Joshua:  "Today I learned how to tell directions, mom!"
Mom:  "What kind of directions?"
Joshua:  "North, south, east and west."
Mom:  "How do you remember which is which?"
Joshua:  "All I have to remember is 'Never Eat Soggy Pancakes.' "
Mom:  "What?  Can you repeat that?"
Joshua:  "Oh wait!  I mean waffles!  Never Eat Soggy Waffles!"





Luke makes me laugh often.  I love his
costume with the guitar!

Joshua:  "Did you bring home the bread today, mom?"
Mom:  "Bread?"
Joshua:  "Yes, did you bring home the bread, like money, today, Mom?"
After a chuckle, I broke into song, "I can bring home the bacon.....fry it up in  a pan...."  I will spare you the rest of this song and your image of me singing it, but it was fun.  I told Joshua I would have to find the commercial clip on You Tube for him.  I love Joshua so much, but I really like him, too. He is a funny guy!

I love you both more than infinity!

Love, Mama

On the Road Again To Branson, MO!

Joshua and Luke

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

Summer would not be summer without at least one week at Palace View in Branson.  This year was one week of relaxing fun!  Swimming, swimming, and more swimming was the overall theme of the vacation. 

Luke and Joshua have been the most amazing swimmers, making progress with each and every lesson.  Miss Kelly has been the best swimming instructor.  Some credit must go your favorite (and only girl) cousin.  She has been an inspiration to both of you as you have just begun the swimming adventures.  We are very proud of Elsa because she LOVES swimming, but she is also working diligently at becoming a top swimmer in the state at many state competitions. 

Eric was the world class chef as always in Branson.  Eric grilled T-bones, rib eyes, chicken, and pork loin.  We devoured the well known Branson potatoes. We had lots of fresh vegetables and more!  Each night we wrapped up with a root beer float.  It is truly a treat for Eric to cook for us on vacation.  It is a win-win for everyone! Eric likes doing it.  We love eating this great food. The boys always prefer "staying home" to eat so that there is more time to play!   Clean up is easy, and we can go out each night for an evening swim! 

One morning was spent at the go-carts and water bumper boats.  Daddy was a little sad not to join in the fun there this year.  He did not feel comfortable on the go carts after his recent neck surgery.  You were both understanding, but very happy to get your turns with the fun! 




Luke posing with a pencil behind his ear as we take a
walk.  We were journaling and drawing pictures
of what we saw.

One day we ventured out to Persimmon Farms to pick blueberries only to find that the picking was over for the day!  It was a fun drive to the country with lots of awesome scenery along the way.  The country store was a good place to shop.  We brought back fresh blueberries, blueberry syrup, shitake mushrooms, and the mix for a frozen blueberry drink.  Yum!  Yum! 

Luke enjoying a root beer float. 



Each day brought a different craft activity and game at the club house.  Joshua carefully studied the schedule and made certain that we signed up for almost every game and craft activity.  He also made sure that we stayed on schedule. The boys made tye-dyed t-shirts, sand art, tote bags, and bath salts.  We played pool games, pool, croquet, shuffleboard, Family Feud, and some games in the Wii.  Joshua even took us to water aerobics in the morning. 

Another highlight of the trip was Luke winning the coloring contest!  He worked so hard to color a picture of Winnie-the-pooh. Luke took his time, and the picture turned out beautiful! Luke was so proud of himself - and he should be.  He had the biggest smile!  And he won a t-shirt.  Way to go, Luke! 

This was a most relaxing vacation!  Sleeping in, breakfast on the patio, drinking a whole pot of coffee over a long relaxing morning, games, and many fun times with the boys.  Lots of memories, too.  We can't wait to visit Branson again! 

 

Mom and her boys!

 

 

I love you both to the moon and back and back again!

 

Love, Mama









 

Summer Fun

Dear Joshua and Luke,

We are settling into our new house.  Joshua and Luke have been so excited settling into our new home.  Both of you chose Disney Blue for the paint in your bedrooms.  You also chose the curtains and where to place your decorations and treasures.  All of us are excited to have a basement in our new house and a friendly neighborhood homeowner's association.  I think you both would tell everyone that having the a neighborhood pool a half block from our house is one of the best things about the new house.  We have been there so many times already.  It is so easy to go for an hour or so, and there is almost someone we always know there.  But it is not ever super busy!  Perfect for all of us! 

Miss Kelly leading Joshua in his swim lessons.
 Luke is practicing!

Both of you have had private swimming lessons this year with Miss Kelli.  She has been such a blessing to us.  She has solidified your knowledge of swimming and helped you both to become more confident and swim like fish!  In fact, you have both done so well that she has taken you to the city pool to practice diving, advanced swimming strokes, treading water, and much more!  We are so proud of you both!





Joshua is always excited to go to camps.  This year he did a drama camp and an art camp.  In drama camp, he starred in two out of three Aesop's Fables plays.  He happily played a pole and a crow,.  Needless to say, Joshua did an outstanding job in both roles.  He did such a great job, and please keep in mind that I am not biased at all, that he was asked to help with a few other roles when the director found out that some of the kids were not able to attend the final performances.  The Director complemented Joshua on his amazing behavior, talent, and ability to memorize.  Joshua was born to have an audience and be a performer.  He loves to entertain! 

Joshua also attended an art camp.  He created so many fun projects!  He made a case for his DS and games, a United States flag made out of popsicle sticks, a boat that actually floats, and a treasure box! So much more, too........Luke did not seem to mind that he was not quite old enough to attend these camps yet, but I have a feeling that next year he will want to be signed up.  He tends to want to do whatever Joshua is doing  And Joshua wants to do almost anything and everything! 

Both of you attended Vacation Bible School for a week, too.  This was the first year I did not volunteer to help, and I honestly missed being a part of it each day.  I will admit that it was helpful to have a few hours to myself each morning to work on setting up the house.  Friday, the final performance day, was inspiring as usual.  To see over 240 kids and 100 volunteers, including parents, Middle School and High School students working together is more than awesome!  It gives me chills every year when children get on stage and start singing songs about Jesus's love for us.  Wow!  It truly gives me goose bumps every time. 




Sweet, sweet story from my sweet Luke: 

It was a chilly evening in June.  We were both wearing light jackets in the evening, and it was quite chilly!  Luke said, "I am really hot!"  Since we both had jackets and commented several times about the unusually cool weather, I looked at Luke quite surprised.  I replied, "Luke, how can you be hot right now?'  Luke replied, "When I am with you, my heart just melts making me hot all over, mama."  You just can't beat a conversation like that.  Luke is a sweetie, and likes to say things to make you go, "Awwww......." 

I love you both very much....with all my heart! 

Love, Mama

Goodbye Kindergarten & Second Grade

Luke made fruit kabobs for breakfast!

Dearest  Joshua and Luke,

Another school year has come to an end!  Wow!  A 79 day reprieve from checking agendas, packing lunches, homework, and all of the other fun things that come along with school.  Actually Luke was quite taken aback that he did not get the 104 vacation days that Phineas and Ferb obviously get via the theme song to their show.  But 79 days it is, and we will make the  most of every one of them!

The last week of school was filled with so much fun ~ field days, reward day with a movie at the high school, the ending of Mad Science (both boys were sad about this), and Luke ~ he starred as the best crab ever in the kindergarten play.  Both boys loved field day, and it was extra special that Dad went along to help their classes go through the stations (even though Dad just had surgery and was wearing a neck brace).  Both boys got to go to the high school to see The Rookie because of their good behavior during the school year.  Read on to find out how The Rookie impacted Joshua:

The next day at a baseball game, Joshua runs on the field and exclaims, "Guys, look!  I am being serious about the game!  Look guys, I am being serious."  In the meantime, he is practicing throwing and catching, but it is very important to him that the others know how serious he is being.  I am not sure what his teammates were thinking, or how much they even paid attention to him at that point because no one really said anything to him.  I could not wait to ask him why he had this change of attitude.  Come to find out after talking to Joshua, it was The Rookie.  Joshua explained that baseball meant so much to "that guy", that he wanted to get better and be  like him, too,  And all along I thought it was the heart to hearts that we have had with him about paying attention, his team counting on him etc. Whatever it was we have seen some change with Joshua and his "seriousness" with the game.

And Luke ~  he was the best crab I have ever seen in the kindergarten play, and I am not one bit biased.  Luke's crab walk was most memorable!  He shuffled left, then, right, left, right and on and on.......just like a real crab.  Luke's "crabby" smile was the most precious as well.  Luke practiced and practiced for his songs in the play.  The entire play was adorable in every way! 

Luke is the third crab in line!

Both boys are sad about not seeing their friends every day at school, but they are both very lucky to see friends outside of school, too.  Another school year is over, but there is a lot to look forward to over the summer ~ community vacation bible school, drama camp, art camp, swim lessons, baseball, and did I mention moving into a new house?  A vacation to Branson?  Seeing cousins?  A  vacation to a waterpark? 

I love you both very, very much!

Love,
Mama

Joshua's First Communion

Joshua praying & posing at First Communion

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

We celebrated Joshua's First Communion Day on April 7, 2013.  It was a beautiful day filled with so much anticipation, love, and closeness with Jesus.  Joshua went to practice for two days prior to the big day just to make sure he knew and understood exactly what to do.   Two days before the big day, we tried on Joshua's white shirt and navy suit pant to find out that Joshua must have had another growth spurt because we had just bought him  anew white shirt in January, but the sleeves were too short now!  So off to the store to get a new, long sleeved white shirt, almost a week after Easter.  We found one that fit perfectly ~ thank goodness. 

 I will admit that I got a little sentimental thinking about Joshua's First Communion.  I remember his baptism so well, and here we were with his First Communion.  I can't help but think that his Confirmation will be here before we know it.   But I do not want to rush time at all. 

Father Bill & Joshua

Joshua is usually not nervous over events.  In fact he likes to "perform" in many ways so it was a little surprising to me that he was nervous about his First Communion.  I think the fact that there were practices made him nervous. There were a lot of little things to remember.  He was also particularly unsure about holding his baptismal candle.  He was so afraid that it would catch something on fire or burn him.  Also, he was nervous about having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the mass.  Which he did ask to leave two times to use the bathroom.  We let him go the first time at the very beginning of mass, but when he asked the second time, I explained to him that he probably did not really have to go to the bathroom.  I told him that sometimes feeling nervous made you think you might have to go to the bathroom.  It turned out that it was nerves because he was just fine! 





Joshua made a funny face once again when he tasted the wine.  That is good because I would not want him to really like it anyway!  After lots of pictures, Joshua requested lunch at Golden Corral.  He enjoyed the meal a lot.  I think the big draw for him is the cotton candy and ice cream with gummy bear toppings.  Or maybe it is the chocolate fountain and marshmallows.  It is definitely a favorite for him. 

Joshua standing by the anointing oils

I am very proud of Joshua.  I know I have mentioned his love for Jesus.  It is strong.  And Joshua can tell you so many stories from the Bible, who and what things were happening at what time, and most importantly how God loves us all.  Not just how God loves us, but how Jesus is the light, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, how the earth formed and how we are waiting for the paracea where God is all and all.  He is teaching us all so much. 

Luke & Joshua with St. Nicholas

Luke has been good with all of this most of the time, even though Joshua has been getting so much attention with all of this.  I know that it will be Luke's First Communion in no time.  But I am in no rush for that either.

I love you both so much.

Love,
Mama

Six Candles For Luke!

Luke's birthday party

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

Yes, there were six candles on top of Luke's birthday cake this year.  And what a lucky kid!  He was able to celebrate his whole birth week!  His first celebration was at the firehouse with his school friends.  Several friends from his class came to celebrate with him.  His friends heard a great fire safety presentation ~ you can never hear fire safety rules enough!  Then, they all had a chance to get into the fire truck and sit and squirt the fire hose!  The children broke open a pinata and played Pin the Tail on the Donkey, too.  I insisted on the kids playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey because it was a traditional birthday party game when I was his age.  The kids seemed to enjoy it! 






Rollerskating fun!

Luke also got to celebrate his birthday with his cousins on his actual birthday.  Luke chose to go roller skating.  It was fun!  Even Uncle Luke and Aunt Lisa were roller skating.  Then, the cousins went back to our house for fun in the afternoon.  We also dyed Easter eggs for Easter the next day.  Luke requested pizza pasta casserole for his birthday dinner along with a Dairy Queen ice cream cake.  Luke was so lucky to have his cousins here to celebrate with him.

Dying Easter eggs for the Easter bunny!  Best Cousins!

There are so many wonderful things about Luke.  I often say what a big heart Luke has ~ and he does.  A sensitive heart, too.  He thinks a lot about how other people are feeling, and he does not like when other people are sad.  He wants to fix whatever is wrong for them.  Luke can get his feelings hurt, too.  He does not like getting into trouble, and he has such high expectations for himself.  Sometimes his expectations can be too much, and we have to remind him that we all make mistakes and it is OK to make them.  Luke adores his big brother, Joshua.  Sometimes they do not show it to each other, but Luke always misses Joshua when Joshua is not at home with him.  Luke likes a lot of things that Joshua likes.  (By the way, Joshua feels the same way about Luke.)  I am very proud of Luke!  I love him dearly.

Luke and Papa

In fact, I  love you both more today than I did yesterday.

Love,
Mama

Forgiveness, Acceptance, Love.....

Luke & Joshua in a Beyblade race

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

     As I was taking my sheets off the bed this week, I found a pleasant surprise under my pillow case ~ two small white hearts with "love" written on it.  As I asked who put them there, Joshua broke into a sweet, sly smile.  He said, "I did it Mom!"  He was so proud of himself and rightly so.  That certainly made my day!  And to think of the many nights I slept on top of those sweet words!

  


  Joshua is preparing for his first communion.  He made a blessing cup several weeks ago.  He drew our family, a chalice and patten, a butterfly and a cross.  We have been attending meditations each week at the Atrium.  I have to say that I have learned a lot during this time.  Joshua has been teaching me some things as well.  Wow!!! Joshua truly has a deep love for God.  I admire that so much!

Joshua kneading his bread at the First Communion retreat

     The other evening, Luke and I started watching Dumbo for our movie night.  Daddy and Joshua were at a birthday party for one of Joshua's friends. Luke was so taken with the cute babies and how the babies were delivered by the stork!  Luke loved how cute Dumbo was!  Luke had difficulty understanding why they locked up Dumbo's mommy or why everyone would make fun of Dumbo's ears.   After all, he could not help the size of them.  Luke was very disturbed by this concept, and asked to stop the show.  That is an unusual request for Luke.  I told him how it would be a happy ending because everyone would find out how special Dumbo's ears really were, but after several protests, we finally turned it off.  Luke truly has a sensitive heart and does not like it when people let their feelings hurt. 

Joshua listening to Miss Barb at the retreat.

    Since you have been old enough to play with other children, I have tried to instill in you that all children/people are different and differences are good.  Even as a teacher, I always taught my students that people can be alike and different.  Differences are good, and can make life much more interesting.   I have tried to remind you that every one of us is a son or daughter of God.  God made each one of us special and unique in our own ways.  As an adult, I know that there are people I am more comfortable with than others, but I hope I never judge others by how they look, live, believe, etc.  I have found that you really do not know what challenges other people have in their lives.  People may seem one way, but you never really know what challenges people are living with or what it is like to walk in their shoes. 

     I hope that both of you learn the importance of accepting people as they are, not judging them.  Do whatever you can to help others and to make life better for others.  As we pray every night, please ask God to use your heart and hands to do his work on earth.  What would Jesus do if he met these people, or were friends with them, or even if he was part of your family?   How would God want you treat these people? 

     And if you run across people that judge you unfairly or treat you differently based on how you look, live, etc., please be patient with them.  Very patient with them.  Ask for help in forgiving them if you need to.  It is not easy to live this way, especially when you have been deeply hurt by someone...but God will give you the strength to forgive and move on.  Forgiveness can be given at any time, but it does take time to build trust with someone again.  God will help you.....

     Please know that I love you both tons and tons.

Love,
Mama

Dear Joshua and Luke,

     Both boys showed off their basketball skills with their games this weekend.  Luke played Friday night and Joshua played Saturday morning.  Joshua has been using a trick play during basketball in which he does a trick pass.  He acts like he is going to pass the ball to one teammate.  Then, he quickly passes it to a different teammate.  His team is starting to get used to this pass, and he has come in very handy for the team.

   Sunday was a great day form us as we went on a day trip with one of our favorite families.  We began the day with a visit to Bucheits.  The boys wanted a chicken and a rooster complete with a hen cage.  Or maybe a cute bunny as a pet.  We ate a quick lunch at McDonald's, then off to Baldwin Lake to feed the geese.  The kids had a lot of fun feeding the geese bread and crackers.  Next, we went to Popeye's home and looked around a bit. The kids played at the playground for a while, too.   We ended the day by filling our tummies at a nice smorgasbord.  You were both almost asleep in the car by the time we got home! 

     We also met Miss Rachael, our new nanny and housekeeper.  You both liked her so much when you met her.   She is very nice.  She is going to be able to help us so much at our house  She is going to help get you ready in the morning and once in a while after school.  She is also going to help with housekeeping and meals a few days per week. Initially you both did not want to get anyone to replace Miss Sara.    But Miss Sara has not worked regularly with us for a while, and with our busy schedules, we really did need someone to help us.  Miss Rachael will certainly not replace Miss Sarah, but I do think you will find another Big Sister and friend to enrich your life.   Miss Rachael will be a nice young lady to work with.   We are very excited to add her to our family. 

I love you both more today than I did yesterday.

Love,
Mama

    

      

Sweetie Pies

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

     Sweetie Pie day is not just about sweetie pies, it is also about sweet pie. Yes, Daddy and Luke sampled several sweet pies in  town this last weekend.  After trying eight different pies, Luke's settled on his favorite  pie ~ a pizza pie ~ from his favorite thrift store. 

     It is also true that we have the two smartest boys in town ~ and we are not biased at all.  Joshua had all A's on his report card and Luke had too many E 's to even count!  Wow!  We are very proud parents, but even more we are proud of our boy's behavior and their love for learning at school.  I always loved school as well.  I liked playing the teacher and the student, too.  Maybe that is why I always wanted to be a teacher, and why I work in a school today! 

     Joshua and Luke both started basketball last week.  Joshua is happy to be practicing and spending time with new and old friends.  I have not figured out why Luke likes basketball yet, but he continues to play each week.  Sometimes he really wants to play and other times he tells us that he wants to quit.  But as long as he is signed up for this session, we will make sure that he plays.  And he does seem to enjoy himself once he is there.  One of the great things about this league is that it is an instructional league. The coaches have been totally awesome.  They focus on skills and teamwork. And there are about six to eight games all in the same place.   It is a perfect league for you two. 

     I love you both very much.

Love,
Mama

Looking Forward to 2013 ..... Kindness!

Sweet angels! 

Dear Joshua and Luke,

     Ready or not, 2013 has arrived!  We have so many things to do and look forward to this year.  I must begin by telling that kindness is weighing a lot on my heart right now.  Every night we pray that God uses our hands and bodies to do his work on Earth.  I really feel that God needs us more than ever right now.  I believe that we are being charged with bringing light to others.





 Joshua sang in the choir at another church in town at a joint Christmas celebration to celebrate the official end to the Christmas season at church - Epiphany.  We are so proud of Joshua.  He enjoys singing and he is so good at it.  He brings smiles to so many people that watch him in the choir.  After the performance, many people stopped us to tell us that Joshua stole the show.  It must have been his big, beautiful smile while everyone else was singing in the performance.  Later on Joshua mentioned that he did not know the words to the song because they always practice it last during practice.  Joshua always leaves a little earlier to get to the Atrium for his religious studies.  Makes sense! :)

Joshua singing in the choir under
Sister Judy's direction.
 

     While both church choirs were practicing for the last practice before the show, Sister Judy talked to the group and thanked everyone for participating. She mentioned that the choir members bring light to others who hear them.  She said that if there was ever a time we need light it is now.  And to bring light to others.

     That struck a chord in me. It was time to stop thinking about it and start doing something.  I had been thinking about needing to more actively bring kindness and light to others.  We often strive to do it, but we need to bring ourselves to do even more for others.  Many people around the world had been planning random acts of kindness, particularly in honor of the adults and children that died in CT weeks earlier.  One mom friend asked people to do random acts of kindness in honor of her birthday.  Great idea!  Others mentioned that they were going to do 26 acts of kindness in honor of the 26 lives lost in Connecticut.  While that was tempting to follow, I could not yet bring myself to get closer to the sadness in Connecticut.  The sadness and aching in my stomach has been there since December 14.  I have not been able to shake it, but at least now we have something to focus on that is so needed in our world. 

Joshua, Luke, Grandma Nichols & Mom
(Daddy is taking the picture.)

     So we have decided to make kindness our theme for this year.  Kindness throughout all aspects of our lives.  This is more than the usual things we try to do, but really reaching out for the most vulnerable people around us.  Stretching ourselves to be more kind and thoughtful to others.  This will be more than paying for the person behind us in the drive thru.  More than giving a few dollars to a homeless person.  More than praying for others.  As a family, we  ARE going to do more. 

    Both of you have been very giving and have big hearts already.  Whether it is Joshua playing piano for the residents at the nursing home or it is Luke making sure that someone eats a slice of Grandma's pie so that she is not sad (even though Grandma told you this was nothing to worry about), you are both the best!  Together we are going to find more ways to bring God's light to others through kindness. 

     I love you more today than I did yesterday.  (Yes, that is possible!) :) 

Love,
Mama