A Surprise Trip for ME!

 

Ben and our kids surprised me on a surprise trip! We were driving on 69 and I thought ok, maybe Kalamazoo? Then we merged onto 96 and I thought Grand Rapids to see some good buddies? But then when we drove past all their exits and I saw the sign and I knew it!! We were headed to Holland for their tulip festival!! I have always told Ben that I wanted to go to Holland and to see the tulips was the cherry on top!

1st up was late night swimming in the hotel pool! Even a run out to Meijer at midnight to get snacks to eat by the fire. So fun!

Getting ready for bed...I'm in bed and I see Luke brushing Ellie's hair in the mirror and he is telling her all about Hart Middle School. My heart. These two can go at it with the best of them but these moments I keep in my pocket for a long time.

Happy Mother's Day!! 

Happy Mother's Day to all us moms out there! We lead wholeheartedly and parent with a brave face leaning into hard moments and conversations. Momming might just be the most vulnerable thing we do! A loving shout out to my mom and Ben's mom!! We love you so much!

Next up, a family game of basketball. Of course!

Then, off to the Tulip fest at Veldeer's Tulip Farm!

In ONE sign there are two spelling errors. Oy vey.

The gardens were colorful and magnificent! Even our kiddos were stunned by their beauty.

We found tulips called Uncle Toms!

Inside Veldeer's gift shop they make the wooden clog shoes!

And you can buy them in your size. :)

Luke has earned some cash with his lawns and gifted me the most beautiful necklace. He was so excited to be able to buy and gift it to me. (I'm pretty sure he saw it on you tube) You can put your phone up to it and it magnifies you a message.

 I am so blessed. Time is so precious and our babies grow up quickly. (They are buying me gifts with their own money?!) BUT they will always, always be my babies. AND now I know how my mom feels too. It is an absolute gift to be called Mom. 

1st Place and Aladdin in the D!

Ellie and her team played SO great at the Hard Rock soccer tournament! They brought home the 1st PLACE hardware from the Rochester Lightening Tournament. This girl played so hard all weekend and we are so proud of you, Elle!

That Tuesday, Ellie's Aladdin crew from McG got tickets to see the Broadway Aladdin performance in Detroit at the Fisher Theatre!! After 3 tournaments and a big birthday over the weekend, we invited Aunt Cathy to go with her. :) Aunt Cathy for the W!!

Ellie with her favorite 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Cunningham, at the Fisher!

And on Thursday, Ellie led her Student Council to present at the monthly PTO meeting! She had put together a persuasive paper along with a slideshow on why our PTO should consider buying new soccer goals for our playground. She did GREAT and convinced the PTO to do just that! Ellie, you are such a leader and those communication skills are on point. We love you!

Off to a soccer game after the PTO meeting!

You are a GREAT big and little sister. 💜

Reconnecting with her BFFs on Luke's travel team! A whole season of togetherness is just getting started for these younger sisters and they love it!

Ellie and Kayla, BFFs on Drew's team!

And all the love and spunk you have to go with it...We can taste summer!!

Holy Wow! Luke's a TEENAGER!!

Our sweet, sports loving, determined, funny Luke is 13. Oh, man. How time goes by so very fast. Everyone tells you but until you've experienced it, you really can't appreciate the value of time. We are savoring each and every moment with you, Lukie. We love you to the ends of the Earth and then some. Happy birthday, big guy. You'll always be out lil' Lukey Pookey.  

 When asked, here were your responses as a 13 yr. old!...

Favorite subjects in 7th grade: World Geography because Mr. Schultz is awesome. PE because it was fun and you can be active. My favorite thing to do in PE was pickleball. Ayrton and I won the championship! Life skills because we got to cook food and all my friends were in my class. My least favorite classes were Math and Science because of Ms. Roffi. I survived and conquered my way to getting an A in both classes.

Favorite book in 7th Grade: Prisoner B 3087 by Alan Gratz, I read it in ELA with Ms. Purgatory.

Favorite Color: Red, Black, Blue (In that order)

Favorite Food: Pot Roast, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Dad's Smash burgers, Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo, Hibachi

Favorite Sport: Baseball because I'm in the season right now. I give special awards to soccer and basketball because we are not in those seasons right now.

Best Friend: Joey and Ayrton. I want to add a friend group: The boys- Colin, Grayson, Jack, and EJ.

Favorite Teacher from 7h grade, Hart Middle School: Mr. Schultz because he is the GOAT. He built his own shed in his backyard to have a mancave. He is friendly, positive, and funny! He gave me a bag of candy for my birthday and he said he could beat me in basketball.

Favorite Number: 24. Honorable mention is the number 4.

I get excited when: I play sports, be with my family, and go on adventures.

I get nervous when: Being in new situations (ex. camps), being in the dark, being home alone when I'm going to bed, and when I'm lonely

I am most proud of myself: for starting a business, keeping good grades in school, having a great time in sports, leaning closer to God, and being with the family.

My favorite thing to do with family: Movie nights, game nights, backyard sports

Favorite Movie: Harry Potter series, Rookie of the Year and Twelve

Favorite TV Show: Outerbanks (Yes, I finally said yes now that he's 13)

Favorite Candy: M&Ms, Hershey bar, White chocolate dipped pretzels, Hairbo gummies

Favorite Snack: Goldfish crackers and Cheez Its

Favorite Drink: Root beer & Lemonade. Honorable Mention: Prime

Favorite Animal: Polar bear and lions For a pet: a nice, gentle, likeable dog that cuddles you in bed

Favorite Pastime: Play videogames, work on sports, hang with Elle and Drew, eat a lot of food

Favorite Outdoor Activity: Whiffle ball, pick up basketball, biking on trails, & fishing

Favorite Sports Team: Detroit Tigers, Pistons, Lions, Red Wings, Michigan football, Atlanta Braves, Man City Soccer Club

Luke started off his birthday early with a 6 am wake up to donuts! We needed to get to Canton by 7 for their 8 am game.

Always time for a hug though...

2-4 getting to work!

Their tournament didn't end like they would have hoped BUT it's Luke's birthday and it's time to CELEBRATE!!

With Luke having a baseball tournament, Drew having a baseball tournament, and Ellie having a soccer tournament (will be in the next post!) all on his birthday weekend, Luke wanted a family dinner at The Hibachi House downtown Rochester. Absolutely, my sweet boy!

Luke was in a cooking class in 7th grade and learned all about hibachi cooking. Since then he's been wanting to try it! This was our 1st time taking the whole family and I am happy to report that everyone loved it!!

The pic below was not planned!

Chopsticks with the "helper" for the win.

Gifts and love from Ellie...

Gifts and love from Drew...

Happy Birthday, Luke! We love you so very much.

 You are worthy. You are loved. No matter what!