Hoppy Easter! Happy Spring!

Happy Easter from the Litteken's

Dear Joshua and Luke,

Yes, I am very behind on blogging.  Things have been super busy at home as well as at school.  There are so many wonderful stories and things I think of sharing here, but I have not been able to sit down and blog for a while.  So here you go.  I am going to go back a few weeks to Easter.  Easter was a special time for us this year. We were blessed with more time with family. Uncle Luke and his family visited with us and we were able to spend time with friends, too. 


On the first day of our Easter break, I took both of you to the Magic House for fun.  It had been a long time since we had been there so it was great.  We spent time doing a lot of things.  It was truly an awesome day.  On Friday Uncle Luke's family arrived and it was a long day of playing around the house.  The weather was great so we had lots of outside time as well.  We made time to attend the Good Friday service at the Cathedral.  It was a little long, but special to spend time at church with our cousins.  It is so delightful for me to hear you playing with your cousins.  They are so good to both of you.  Saturday was spent fishing and swimming at the hotel with your cousins.  Wow!  You are both great swimmers.  And your cousins are great too.  Elsa is especially an amazing swimmer.  We are so proud of her.

Luke & Joshua outside church before
the Easer service.

Easter was awesome!  We all attended church in a small town about ten minutes from us.  This was the first time that Mort had been to church with us for a long time.  It was wonderful and meant a lot to all of us.  We were the first to arrive at the church for the Easter mass.  One of the adult servers stopped and talked to us.  Then, as Father Elmar pulled into the church, he stopped and talked to us.  He told both Joshua and Luke about Joshua and Luke from the bible.  It made it an extra special morning for them. 










I think I can reach it!

The Easter egg hunt was fun!  The Easter bunny hid eggs in the house, in our yard, and near the walking trail behind our house.  Your Easter eggs were filled with cash, change, jelly beans, and other candies.  What treasures!  The Easter Bunny brought you both baskets filled with your favorite candies, and gift cards to Wal-Mart!  You both had a blast on Monday spending your gift card at Wal-Mart.  Luke bought his first guitar and Joshua bought a Lego set, a Nerf gun, and a bow and arrow set.  Both of you were so proud of your purchases!










Joshua is determined to reach it, too!

Daddy and I prepared a special dinner for the family. It is important for me to cook holiday dinners at home for us. I know that you both really enjoy when we cook at home because it means more time to play with your cousins. I hope that when you remember the holidays some day you remember spending time with our family and sharing a special meal on the holidays. We were also very blessed to spend time with some friends. They came over and shared the holiday with us. This made it especially nice.

Uncle Luke, Aunt Lisa, Elsa & Ethan

A reflection on Easter......For Lent, you both gave up soda.  I am very proud of both of you.  There was a tiny bit of complaining in the beginning, but you both voiced why you made this sacrifice, and I could not be more proud of both of you.  I bought Root Beer for you to enjoy on Easter with our meal.  I know you enjoyed it, but Joshua said that he did not need to have soda very much anymore.  And amazingly, he has stuck to it.  In fact, neither one of you ask for soda very much anymore.  I am positive that you both know the significance of Easter and what it means to everyone. 

I love you both more today than yesterday,

Love,
Mama

Happy 5th Birthday, Luke!

Happy 5th birthday, Luke!

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

Yes, our sweet Luke has turned five years old! I will not retell your birth story today for the millionth time, although it is very tempting because it is one of my favorite stories to tell you.  In fact, you love to hear your birth story and often ask me to tell it to you over and over again.  But for today, let's talk about how you spent your very special 5th birthday. 

There is nothing better than a
chocolate-on-chocolate ice cream cone.

Earlier in the week, I delivered cupcakes to Luke's school for his birthday celebration.  Also, I read a Dr. Seuss book with lots of forgotten Dr. Seuss stories to his class.  It was a blast spending a little time with all of these sweet little children.  It was especially fun for me to figure out who was who that Luke always talks about in the class.

Fun at Penguin Cove

To begin with, I took the day off so that we could spend it doing whatever you wanted to do.  We had a lazy morning getting out of bed a little later than Daddy and Joshua.  Joshua had to go to school this day, so we waited for him to go to start the day.  Daddy was busy with Uncle John, replacing the hot water heater in the house.  Luke wanted to start the day watching a few Avatars on Apple TV.  So he did that while I took a shower and got ready for the day.  Soon enough we were off to the zoo.  Luke's only request was to make sure that we rode the train.

Meet "Swinger" the monkey from the zoo.

On the carousel at the zoo.

So the first thing that we did was ride the train around the whole zoo.  We walked through the penguin and puffin house two times, saw the tigers, orangutans, bears and much more.  We took our time going though each exhibit.  I tried my best to answer the 437 questions that you posed while at the zoo.  I very much enjoyed Luke's keen sense of curiosity and desire to know...why, why, why.  We also enjoyed a ride on the carousel together.  Lunch was at a cafe at the zoo.  After quickly munching down a pizza, Luke seemed to enjoy the chocolate on chocolate ice cream cone that he casually ate while watching others at the zoo.  For me it was an awesome way to spend Luke's 5th birthday.  Although my greatest joy is spending time with both of you, I really enjoyed getting to spend time with Luke, special birthday time with just Luke.  :)

All the gang at Luke's birthday party!

Later on Luke had a birthday party with friends at the Little Gym.  Fifteen preschool friends and neighbors joined him for a fun evening of celebration.  Luke and the others had so much fun.  Luke received so many generous presents from friends.  Luke completely enjoyed playing with all of the kids at the Little Gym, and eating pizza, cupcakes, and ice cream with them.  It was definitely a birthday to remember. 

Fun with preschool friends!

I  love you to the moon and back and back again.

Love,
Mama

"Drawing a Picture of Your Blood"

Batman Joshua and Luke the Avatar

Dear Joshua and Luke,

Life has been keeping us pretty busy.  You two had fun dressing up for the next door neighbor's birthday party.  Can you recognize Batman Joshua ~ yes Joshua ~ and Aang the Avatar (also known as Luke the Avatar)?  We realized that you two have a lot of dress up options at home.  All day you both switched back and forth for what you wanted to dress up at Davis's party.  One of the other parents at the party actually recognized our mighty Avatar!  It was a fun birthday party!

Luke is a proud fishermen.  He used his new
Batman fishing hole to catch the first
fish of the day!

All three boys in the house have gone fishing the last three Sundays.  Luckily, you both caught fish - yellow belly cat fish and some other things like logs, very tall and thick strands of grass and weeds, etc. .  Luke enjoyed fishing with his new Batman fishing pole and tackle box.  We have the best place to fish.  It is quiet, about five minutes from the house, and the fish are almost always biting!  You both waited so patiently for the fishing line to move and for the fish to bite. In between casting the reel, you both made time to swing on the swings for a little while.  It was beautiful weather and tons of fun for all of us. It was a very relaxing way to spend some Sunday afternoons. 

Joshua is chillaxin by the side of the lake,
waiting for the fish to bite.

Funny Story from Luke:

The other day Luke was in the kitchen making a dessert for himself.  He made a sweet dessert to use complete with 1/2 banana, strawberry syrup, and peppermint shavings.  Luke was very serious about wanting to try this creation.  He never did actually eat it, and I am not sure why, but I can tell you that Luke completely enjoyed making it!  It was very funny!






Another Funny Story From Luke:

Somehow a conversation started about the next trip to the doctor and getting shots.  I am not even sure why the discussion started.  But Joshua said that shots were not as bad as getting blood drawn from your veins.  Luke insisted that the four shots that he was going to have to get at Dr. Arter's office the next time he went was way worse than getting blood drawn.  So Joshua went out to explain that getting blood drawn was way worse than four shots.  Joshua explained that he had to get his blood drawn every year in order to check on how bad or how much better his food allergies were doing.  Luke listened very intently and waited for Joshua to stop explaining.  Luke very simply responded to Joshua that getting your blood drawn could not be thaaat bad because all they were doing was drawing a picture of your blood.  I have to say that the comment went past me very quickly because I started to explain to Luke how the collection of blood was different, when I burst out laughing.  Drawing a picture of blood!  If I have not said it lately, I absolutely love and adore my kids.  They are the best!

I love you more today than yesterday.

Love,
Mama

Dear God....I Hope You Get To Go To Bed

Joshua, Miss Sarah, & Luke

Dear Joshua and Luke,

Funny Story of the Week: 

Joshua:  Dear God, Please have a good night...wherever you are.....and whenever you get to go to bed.  I hope you get to go to bed.  Amen. 





Have I told you lately how much fun it is being your mom?  There are so many times I sit back and watch you two, or reflect on things you have done.  I feel like the luckiest mom in the world that I get to be your mom.  It is so much fun!

Joshua & Luke fell asleep in the van.  This can not be
comfortable for either one of you!

On St. Patrick's Day morning, we had a lazy day at home.  We did not have to go anywhere for the day, so we had one of your favorite mornings where you got to stay in your pajamas and play a large part of the day.  Well, you both started making leprechaun traps in the hopes of catching your very own leprechaun.   Your imaginations were especially sparked when we had the rare opportunity to see a GORGEOUS double rainbow in the morning before school the day before.  You both had talked a lot about seeing it, and were sure there were leprechauns running around somewhere on the trail in the backyard.  Or maybe in the timber behind the trail?  And the pot of gold must be nearby?  Or was it two pots of gold, one for each rainbow? 

One trap was tied onto the refrigerator.  It was a long green cylinder with a bottom.  It was attached by a piece of yarn.  You must have assumed that these were pretty hungry leprechauns.  Another trap was upstairs outside your bedrooms.  It was an old plastic cotton candy container with a piece of construction paper loosely placed over the top.  Another trap was made from MagnaBlocs, one of Joshua's most favorite blocks to build with.  It was a quiet day of checking the traps with no disruptions.  We finally decided to get some dinner.  When we got back home, those pesky leprechauns had visited our house?  We were not sure what they were after, but they did leave some quarters behind.  We are fairly certain that we startled them as we came in the door.  Otherwise, they would not have left any coins behind.  Joshua was a little uncertain going to bed that night.  He was a little nervous that the leprechauns stayed around his room to play some more tricks on him.  What a fun day!

We were so lucky to spend an evening with Miss Sarah.  You both love her so much, and I know that you miss her.  I am certain that you will always be a part of each other's lives.  Miss Sarah, and her parents, Mr. Marty and Miss Linda, came to watch you both play your last basketball game of the season.  What a treat to have Miss Sarah see you at a game, but she also brought along her parents.  After a very entertaining game, we went to a fish fry with Miss Sarah's family.  It was great catching up with her and filling her in on what was going on in your lives.  Miss Sarah has been and always will be a very special part of our family. 

The Little Chiefs basketball team posing with the mayor.

Later in the week, you both received your awards for a great basketball season.  As I have mentioned before, you could not have asked for better basketball coaches.  You both had the most patient coaches and dads anyone could have ever asked for.  You both increased your skills, learned a lot, and had a ton of fun.  Now on to baseball for Joshua and soccer for Luke.  Happy Spring!

The Blue team posing with the mayor.

I  love you more today that I did yesterday.

Love,
Mama

March ........ In With A Lamb

Best Buds at Principia College Elsa, IL

Dear Joshua and Luke,

Last Sunday we spent a special day with Aunt Laura, Papa's sister, Daddy's godmother, and your Great Aunt.  We see Aunt Laura in church each time we go to church with Grammy, but this was an extra special day because we got to spend the whole day with her.  We had planned hiking Monk's Mound, but we quickly made a detour to Pere Marquette after we found Cahokia's Mound to be closed.  Aunt Laura was so easy going about it. The boys enjoyed getting to know her on a more personal level, and so did I.  Even though we make the trek to Pere Marquette several times a year, it is never boring and never the same.  Joshua enjoyed playing checkers with Papa and Grammy.  Luke enjoyed playing Jumbo Towers with Daddy.  It was a special day.

Joshua & Papa planning their next move in Checkers!

Luke & Daddy building a tower.  Aunt Laura is close
by cheering on these builders.


 

This week I was able to attend the Atrium with you, too.  I miss going each week and keeping up on what you are learning.  Last year I was very blessed to have the time to volunteer every week in the program.  This year I have class when you are both attending, but I am so proud of you.  Joshua enjoyed showing me God's creation, basically a timeline in the world's history.   He has been working with his classmates on this for a while.  Luke enjoys setting up the prayer table at home and listening to bible stories and praying. 




This is a great experience for both boys.  We have been very lucky to learn that Joshua will be able to stay with this group through completing his first communion next year.  It is very difficult for me to believe that Joshua will be preparing for his first communion next year. 





Joshua showing one page from
My Amazing Dog!

This week we also had the pleasure of attending the Youth Author's program at Joshua's school.  Joshua has been working on writing his book for almost two months!  We finally got to see the book today, and it was well worth the wait.  Joshua wrote the book about My Amazing Dog, Onyx ~ everything from how we got her to the day to day things with her.  It was a great story, and the illustrations were awesome!  Joshua was so proud to read his book to us (and many other parents).  It was fun listening to the other children read their stories to us.  We are really proud of the work Joshua does at school. 



Luke and Joshua both insisted this weekend that I buy them a "blank book" from the teacher store so they could each write a book.  How could I say no? (They do know how to get what they want a lot of the time!)   Luke immediately started drawing and writing about Aang, the Avatar, the Last Airbender.  Everything seems to focus on this series that both boys discovered on Apple TV.  More on this another time.  Joshua started a book called, "Joshua's Mind Book" in which he can write about everything that is on his mind.  Two clever boys, don't you think? 

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

Love,
Mama

Dad - I Am Running Out of Juice!

Luke practicing his defence stance during a practice.
(Luke is the second from the right.)

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

Funny story of the week:  You both had your basketball games on Saturday this week.  Luke always play first.  As I have mentioned before, basketball and playing sports has not been Luke's most favorite things to do, but he does like being with friends and being part of a team.  He is usually most interested in talking to the other kids and even sharing an Avatar move or two for the team.  But I will say that Luke likes to stay with the team most of the time during the game, so when he sees his team chasing the basketball down the court, he will follow the team.  He does not like to get too close to the ball in case of an accidental body injury if the basketball touches him.  :)  By the fourth quarter, Luke is getting very tired.  It does take a lot of effort to run up and down the basketball court?  Just about the time he is in the middle of the court, trailing behind both teams, he looks at Eric and says, "Dad!  I am running out of juice!"  The spectators burst into laughter.  Yes, that's my Luke!   Sweet, funny, and adorable Luke!

Coach J helping Joshua line up his shot!

This has been a bit of a troubling week for Joshua.  We have spent some time learning about friends, best friends, etc.  Joshua came home from school very sad about his best friend in his class.  He was sad because his friend did not want to sit by him at story time that day.  I explained to him that a best friend does not always have to sit next to him.  Someone can be your best friend, and still not sit by you every day. At first, I did not realize just how devastating this was for you.  But I do know that you are a sensitive guy, and I can see why your feelings were hurt. 

To begin with, your "best friend" is a very good friend, and will be very good friends with you for a long time.  You both have many things in common and enjoy doing lots of the same things.  He is a very nice boy.  Secondly, you have lots of friends in your class and other classes.  This is not your only friend.  I explained to Joshua the importance of sitting by and playing with other friends once in while.  Once he got to school the next day, his best friend told him that they were still best friends and that he just wanted to sit by someone else yesterday.  Joshua felt so much better.  I hope he did learn that it is OK to have many friends and to sit by other friends sometime.  One thing I realized is how much it hurts to see you cry and be so sad about something I have very little control over.  It feels like up to now I have been able to "fix" so many things and to help in so many situations, but this made me feel pretty helpless.  I know I do not like this feeling, but I know there is much more to come in life.  I promise I will help you grow stronger in dealing with these things (and I will learn and get stronger, too.)



The Little Chiefs - Luke's team

Let's talk about friends.  I had a few friends that I grew up with, lived in my neighborhood, spent the night at each other's houses, etc.  I have so any great memories of these friends.   Some of them were even in my wedding.  Then, I met new friends in high school.  Again, great times with great friends.  After I got married, I had my college friends.  Later on, work or "school" friends.  Since I have been out of the classroom, I see these friends less and less all the time.  Great times and great friends all the way around in all of these different settings.  I have been very blessed.  Then, we have our friends that we have met through our kids and their school, classes, sporting events, etc.  I will tell you that I feel very blessed to have a few close friends that have been with me through many of these different parts of my life..  I treasure each one of my friends in a different and special way. 

Best Buds

I  must mention one of my friends this week - Jan - and ask you for prayers for her family.  This is a sweet friend that I worked with at Belle Valley in the teaching part of my life.  Jan was always an inspiration to me as a teacher.  She knew her kids well, taught them well, and the kids LOVED her.  She was also a very good friend.  I do not see Jan very much these days, but maybe two or three times per year.  I have been thinking about her a lot the last several days because her son, Marc, passed away this week.  Jan loved her family and especially her son, Marc.  I can vividly remember her telling stories of things she and Marc did together, and how much she loved being a mom.  I am certain that she loved her son, Marc, as much as I love both of you.  I feel so much sadness for her and her family.  Even though I do not see Jan very much these days, I hope Jan knows that she has a very special place in my heart, and that I would do anything in the world for her.  I wish I could take some of her pain away right now.  I wish I could tell her that God is faithful and will help her heal.  For now, please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. 

I love you both to the moon and back.  X's and O's 43 million times until googleplex.  And yes - THAT IS A LOT!!!!!!   Also, I wish you both lots of friends, good memories, people to share your life with, etc. I also wish for you that you have a few really good friends that you can count on throughout your life. That is when you will really recognize your blessings.  I know I have recognized mine! 

Love,
Mama

Loves

Luke & Joshua with Honey Bear & Mr. Lovey Dovey Guy

Dear Joshua and Luke,

     Valentine's Day is always a treat with you two.  You both LOVE making valentine's.  And you also love receiving them.  Daddy and I have always liked Valentine's Day, too which is why our wedding anniversary is just a few days from the actual day.  Valentine's Day is always a good day to remind friends and loved ones how much you love them.  We all enjoyed making valentine cards for each other.  And we took you to make your own stuffed bear and cheetah for Valentine's Day.  It was so exciting to put a wish inside your stuffie before you finally "filled" him up.

Levi, Ashton, Joshua & Luke

We also enjoyed watching some eagles up the River Road with some friends.  This is an annual trip for us, but it was extra cool taking good friends with us.  It always makes it so special to have a friend along.  We stopped to see the Piasa bird, and we took the ferry across the Mississippi River.  We even walked the trails at Pere Marquette.  It was a windy, but beautiful day.  A great day for a walk.  You both found a cave with Daddy on your walk down a new trail.  It looked like an old abandoned house from many years ago, but it was a great cave to explore.  You called it the Litteken cave just in case it had not been discovered before.  :) 

Inside the Litteken cave.

Joshua taking the ball down the court. 

Joshua seems to love playing basketball.  So far, he says it is his favorite sport!  At this time, I kinda think it is his favorite.  At least until soccer starts again! 

Luke following the ball down the court.

Luke likes basketball, but I can not say that he loves it just yet.  He loves going and seeing Avery, one of his sweet teammates.  He also loved practicing "Avatar" moves at the players.  He is keeping his eye one the ball for the most part, and keeps up with the other players. 

Joshua, Luke & Ashton making Easter sun catchers.

We were very blessed to spend the afternoon with Ashton. He is a very nice young man that Joshua (and Luke) adore and love spending time with. It is always fun to have him at our house. Today they played robbers, made Easter sun catchers and door know hangers. These boys love crafts, and it is a lot of fun doing it with them.

I love you both more today than I did yesterday.

Love,

Mama