Birthdays & Baseball

Since I have taken a social break online, I have missed sharing about my loved ones on their birthdays. So this is THE BIRTHDAY POST for my favorite people with a little bit of a baseball twist. 

Here's how it would go if we were a professional baseball team:

Top of the line up...

CF: Jeremy! There are days when this guy probably feels like he's batting .230, but from my view in the dugout, he is an all-star. One of the highlights of this year has been cheering him on and joining him (somewhat) in getting healthier. 

When Jeremy makes up his mind and sets a goal, he is undeterred. His self-discipline and dedication to losing weight and exercise has been fun, rewarding, challenging, and admirable.

I am super proud of him for making some healthy changes! But what I appreciate more, and what I too often take for granted, is how he always chooses me. We have had our share of blow-ups and disagreements, but that's not the end of the story. By God's grace, we come back together and work it out.

He's definitely the MVP on this team.

For Jeremy's last birthday, he met Wesley in Kansas City to watch the Astros beat the Royals 6 - 3. It was a quick trip for them both but they got to enjoy baseball and BBQ.

Next up...

2B: Me -- yes mom gets a spot on the team too. I am the author of this blog and manager of this team so I get to be 2nd in the line up. Often times, the 2nd batter is a good bat handler and needs to be one who can take pitches to allow the leadoff hitter to steal. 

I don't know about handling the bat, but I do know how to take some pitches. And I often sacrifice bunt so that makes me good for batting in the 2 hole.

I got to spend my last birthday at my favorite place in the whole world--THE LAKE. Being at the lake feeds my soul. It can be any lake, and fortunately, we have a few lakes within 1-3 hours from us that we can enjoy. 

3B: Marian! Marian has a birthday in April, so in 2020, we were in the middle of lockdowns and in 2021 we had a family crisis that didn't ask for permission to collide with her day.

So this year she actually got to have lunch with grandparents, dinner and dancing with friends, and then we had our family birthday dinner for her and Wesley a week after.

LF: Saimon -- this kid is our power hitter so he's 4th in the lineup to drive us home. Saimon got to spread his birthday celebration out over Spring Break with a big extended family lunch and fun with friends throughout the week. 

Saimon turned sweat 16 this year (that's not a typo). He is sweat 16 because I do not know anyone who works out more than this guy. He's in athletics at school and then he works out at home up to 3 more times a day. He is one strong dude.

1B: We have another power hitter, Omar! Omar did not get a car for his birthday, but he found a good deal on one a few months later. Omar spent the last two birthdays hanging out with friends and re-introducing the family to Golden Corral. He also has become a frequent shopper at Boot Barn so most of Christmas and Birthday money went towards his new style. 

SS: Wesley - Wes is one of two left-handed batters on the team (mom being the other). He has leadoff-type skills so he gets 6th in the lineup, and he makes a good shortstop because he takes charge on balls hit in the air as well as communication among infielders. Wesley has spent the last 2 birthdays at Pine Cove working as a counselor at the Bluffs. 

There is a lot to love and appreciate about Wesley, but what you may not know is that he is....

RF: Emily! When asked what position she wanted on the team, without hesitation Emily said, "OH, I want to be way out in right field, out where the dandelions grow."

Emily most enjoys spending her birthday with family and friends. She likes to read every birthday card...out loud. The last two birthdays she has gotten to do exactly her favorite thing--quality time with her favorite people, feeling loved and celebrated. 

Emily has also been on a journey to a healthier lifestyle and is almost half way to her goal!

Catcher: Crouched behind home plate, Savannah primarily is responsible for receiving all the pitches thrown at her, but she also has a lot of duties on defense. Preventing stolen bases, suggesting pitch selections, and framing the strike zone make for a lot on her plate. Savannah is 8th in the lineup because she is also a patient hitter.

Savannah has spent the last couple of birthdays with a small group of friends. She is beyond ready for her next birthday because she will finally get a phone!

 

And last but not least....

P: Katerin is batting 9th in the lineup because of her leadoff-type skills. And as pitcher, Katerin is a swingman because she may be used as a starter or a reliever. 

Since Katerin went to college and is now in the workforce, we have spent less birthdays with her on her actual birthday. But she has enjoyed special outings with her best friends and joined us for family dinners when possible.

 

What's a team without our own ballboys??

The best Ballboy & Ballgirl

Hiccup & Cocoa just celebrated their 2nd birthday

Birthdays give us a chance to turn our attention to each family member and give God thanks for their life, their gifts, who they are, and who they are becoming.

And I think we would make a heck of a baseball team!

You may have guessed already, but we love the Astros! 

So to end this post, I'll share some fan pics from over the years...

Let's go Astros!

Thanks MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com for helping me form my lineup!

Counting Gifts

It's been a hard season. I keep thinking I will write when I get out of this season, but it's still hard and I don't see any break soon.

So how do I cope in the unrelenting waves of hard? 

One way I keep walking forward through hard seasons is finding things to be grateful for in each day. I started a journal in 2015 after reading 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Now I have multiple journals and nearly 8000 reminders of good. Reminders that God is present. He is kind. He sees me. And He holds all things in His hands.

Here are a few things that have made the list lately...

7812. Jeremy and I getting our 2 mile walk in with the dogs.

7828. Emily starting a new job.

7892. Seeing the magnolias in bloom next to the church with the red doors.

7895. Savannah and I getting dressed up and going to dinner and shopping on a Friday night.

7898. Birthday dinner for Wes and Marian (the twins) at Sho-Gun.

7905. Saimon getting a bouquet of flowers for me Saturday morning.

7908. Escape Room with most of our kids on Mother's Day--we enjoyed it and made it out with 7 minutes to spare! (truly miraculous)

7918. Omar teaching Katerin how to rope.

I came across Jeremiah 15:19 about a year ago and one part of it stood out to me as I practice gratitude. Right in the middle of the verse, it says,

 "if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman." 

Practicing gratitude causes me to extract the precious from the worthless. It halts the rehearsal of toxic thoughts and turns my attention to the kind gifts God gives in the midst of trials.

What kind gifts did you notice today?

2021 in Review

2 - The number of times our family of 9 has been together this year. It's harder to get everyone in one place at the same time with Katerin working in Waco, Emily in BCS, and Wesley at CofO & Pine Cove.

0 - The number of things we have to complain about. God's provision and presence has been abundantly clear.

2 - Our 2 pups are quite the source of enjoyment for our whole family. Cocoa & Hiccup are well loved!

1 - True Story: Circumstances usher us into unwanted territory sometimes and it's hard to navigate in a new place. This year is full of stories that are not mine to tell, but what I can talk about is the assurance of who God is and His work in our lives that is unmistakable.

For this reason, we can enter this season with JOY and GRATEFULNESS.

Merry Christmas from all of us!

SAT is not just a test anymore

 

I'm a freshman SAT mom and I need an SAT Acronym Book for Dummies!

It started when my daughter said she wanted to tryout for SATs in the Spring of her 8th grade year. I'm asking myself, "When did the SAT start having tryouts and why already in the 8th grade?"

I soon found out she meant the Student Athletic Trainers so we attended the Zoom meeting, got all the links, read the handbook, previewed the calendar and she was ready to commit!

She was so excited to make the 1st cut and advance to the next step: Summer FB practice starting July 26. Bye-bye Summer!

I soon ran into another repeated acronym when we examined the July and August calendars.

PX

What's that? I checked the handbook, emails and even looked to see if there was an answer key on the bottom of the calendar explaining what the acronyms stood for. Nothing.

I finally mustered up the courage to email Coach Marr, which by the way, I did not know if I should address her as Coach Marr or Ms. Marr. Was she a coach? I wasn't sure but she seemed intimidating so I chose to call her Coach Marr.

In my email I tried to prove my due dilligence of searching for the answer of what PX stood for so that I could avoid wasting her time, but ultimately I just had to ask.

And I felt like a dummy...again.

PX = practice

Of course it does! It's on the calendar 6 days a week!

My sportsYou app began blowing up with posts --

About teams....VFB, JV, 9FB, FrA, V VB, VB, BBB, GBB, BSOC, GSOC

Places: FH, ATR, PNG, KF, TMHS, CFA, SA

And things like EQ, NHS, NHSSMA, TSATA, FHFT, GHATS

#noBCD--some of which I still do not undertand.

Then pops up an acronym we all know...MDA. That one shouldn't be on the app or on the calendar, but it is. Marr had 3 weeks FMLA after surgery and we all hoped for the best--praying for Coach Marr to be cancer free ASAP.

I know as the school year progresses new acronyms will continue to sprinkle the sY feed and I'll continue to use context clues to try and figure it out so I'm not the mom with the DQ.

And maybe I'll create a cheat sheet on the SAT Google Drive FYI.

To the future Freshman SAT Parents, SAT Acronyms Cheat Sheet TBA!

(Photo creds: Larry Stanteen--fellow SAT parent! TY!)

Bye-bye Big Blue

Today we said good-bye to our beloved Big Blue. It was time. But we cannot say good-bye without taking a drive down memory lane….

We got Big Blue back in 2012 right before we adopted.

Big Blue welcomed us at the airport when we came home from Colombia with our 4 additional kids.

Big Blue took us to church as a family every Sunday.

We took many trips to see family living a few minutes away, some a few hours away and some out of state.

Big Blue went with us to Pine Cove Family Camp.

Big Blue carried 13 Freshman for Marian’s Homecoming in 2015 and about 12 freshmen for Omar’s Homecoming in 2020.

Paw-paw and neighbors all shared Big Blue to carpool a few years while our kids attended Rosehill Elementary.

Friends piled in Big Blue to go view Christmas Lights one chilly December night—listening to Christmas music, munching on snack bags of Christmas trail mix, and drinking hot cocoa.

Big Blue shuttled students to the airport to head out on a mission trip.

And Big Blue carried Wes and Marian with their photographer, Hannah Clausen, and all their gear to downtown Houston for their Senior photo sessions.

As Big Blue aged, parts started breaking off in the interior, and we just collected the broken pieces under the seats. I was sure to tell the new owner in case he hadn’t noticed.

Gorilla tape kept the interior attached to the side passenger doors and held a few other parts in place too.

As kids became adults, we needed Big Blue less and less for family outings. We used it more for work errands, but errands requiring Big Blue became few and far between.

With it’s broken radio, poor A/C circulation, fabric stains, miscellaneous pieces tucked under the seats… none of the kids are really sad with the news of selling Big Blue. Can’t really blame them.

But Big Blue served us well and it was certainly well used. Big Blue logged nearly 100,000 miles and I’m sure 100,000 memories with us too.

Saying good-bye is not sad at all because unlike Big Blue, the family memories will last.

Love ya Blue!

Christmas Letter 2020

 

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

700 years before Christ is born, Isaiah tells us His name. His name is Immanuel. God with us.

In a time when we have been quarantined and isolated, His name is still the same. GOD WITH US.

This is our story in 2020. We made plans to finally redo our kitchen and dining area. This reno would also give the front of our house a nice face lift. January and February zipped by! With much excitement, we started to tear down the right side of our house in early March. We had the midsection of the house “secured” with plastic and plywood and about 1/3 of our house GONE when (PSA: Plot twist!) the Pandemic was declared and lockdowns ordered. Would we be able to work? Would we be able to get materials? Now everybody is coming back home and we are missing part of our house!

God with us.

Fortunately, we were able to continue working and surprisingly, 2020 has been our busiest year yet. We had more hands to help and more time since our kids did not have to go to school. Sounds wonderful right? The plot thickens because we quickly tired of working on the house and we were definitely tired of each other.

God with us.

Our favorite contractor, aka Dad, became overwhelmed with paying jobs, so he wasn’t very available to work on our house and tell us what to do. Although Saimon might run Evermon Homes someday, even he will admit (sometimes) he isn’t quite ready to run the remodel project. So the good news is that we hired many of our subs to come get the work done (Or at least get it substantially complete….by Christmas).

This was the kitchen window over the sink

We tore out the kitchen and moved it to the right

And made a new front entrance

Welcome!

And here’s the climax: As I reflect on 2020 and our remodel, I can’t help but think that we have had some demo and reno in our hearts too. I didn’t love it when we tore out sheetrock from the ceiling and old insulation and rat poop fell around us. Just like I don’t love it when the walls I put up are ripped away and the selfish ambition and pride is revealed. We saved some of the original shiplap from the roof and had to carefully pull each piece apart, remove nails, and clean it up. Jeremy hung it in the new breakfast room. It’s not unlike our family this year as we had to learn to talk through some hard things, give space and reaffirm the importance of sticking together always—especially as our kids get older and move on. We still have knot holes and splinters but as we fit together, we have a story to tell--kind of like that wall in our breakfast room.

Looking into the new breakfast room from the back

God with us.

Katerin graduated from UMHB on December 11, and she is looking for a job (get in touch if you know of something!) 

Emily is making it on her own in College Station. 

Marian just moved out to her first apartment and is working full time and starting Fire Fighting training. 

Wes is thriving in his Sophomore year at College of the Ozarks. 

Omar is happy to be the only Evermon at THS this year as a freshman. 

Saimon and Savannah look forward to joining him there next year. 

And all of us adore our two new additions to the family, Cocoa and Hiccup, the cutest boxers you will ever know.

Conclusion: Through the good and bad, and we have had a lot of good this year, God is with us. We hope you recognize His presence in your 2020 too. How have you experienced God with you this past year? His name is the same, from the first time Isaiah told us, to Matthew’s reminder when Jesus was born, today, and tomorrow.

That’s what makes Christmas so merry!