2nd Quarter of 2018

Team Pirates with Tim as head coach and our former neighbor and friend Joy as assistant coach

The 10th Year of our Japanese Cherry Tree

Gabe's team (the Panthers) receiving their trophies

Birthday Boys (Chase-9, Gabe-6)

Our Natural-Born Skater...Wheels of Glory!

Our Favorite Kindergarten Graduate of 2018

Family Picture Before my Cousin's Wedding in May

A dozen things I learned (or was reminded of) during the first half of 2018: 1. My kids are resilient and very adaptable creatures! I’m so proud of them for doing so well in their first school-year at a public school. They both blended in well socially and were right on target academically. Look out 1st and 4th grade...Chase and Gabe are ready for you! In the meanwhile, these two boys are getting to do a ton of fun things in summer camp back at their old school (Faith Outreach). 
2. I’m never too old to laugh at Tom and Jerry cartoons, especially when I get to share giggles with Gabe while watching them. 
3. Chase can never have enough attention and is never at a loss for words...even if he’s asking the same questions he asked in an earlier conversation and especially if he’s competing with his brother! 
4. Gabe can never have enough costumes and continues to amaze me with his imagination as he switches over to superhero mode within the blink of an eye.
5. Along the lines of #5, there’s no sense in getting mad over costumes being all over the floor after Gabe plays. He’ll soon be over this stage and I’ll be sad I won’t have a little superhero running around the house trying to fight off villains and save the world. 
6. Piggybacking on #5, it’s ok for my couch and carpet to be worn, for my walls to have blemishes, for there to be way too many toys and for me to be too tired to constantly keep them organized and off the floor, for there to be a crack in the ceiling from water damage from the bathtub upstairs where the boys have splashed too much...these are all signs of happy, healthy lives in my house! 
7. You can never have enough prayer warriors in your life...but sometimes you have to be more transparent to allow people to specifically pray for you or to be able to specifically pray for others. Don’t be afraid/ashamed to share your mishaps with others because your story of redemption may be exactly what they need to hear. 
8. Working full time is a blessing, but time with my family should never suffer because of it. “I wish I had worked more and spent less time with my family,” has never been on anyone’s tombstone. It’s ok to make less money and have a lower job title if it means having more time with your loved ones...that time with your cherished ones is priceless! 
9. Soccer seasons fly by and my kids are never going to be like Pele! We’ve had undefeated seasons as well as seasons split with wins and losses; my kids have had games when they’ve scored goals as well as games when their coaches are screaming at them to pay attention. For the record, I don’t feel they’ve always earned those trophies in spite of our “every kid gets a trophy” society. However, every season is unique and enjoyable! The feeling you get as a parent on the sideline cheering on your child as they score a goal is one of life’s greatest adrenaline rushes. Believe it or not, Tim actually missed coaching the 4/5 year olds during the spring season when he transitioned to coaching Chase’s team with the 8/9 year-olds, but he’s already signed up to give the fall season another whirl with coaching Chase’s team again. Meanwhile, Gabe adjusted well for it being his first time not having his Dad coach him. (Refer back to #1-praise God, my kids are adaptable!) 
10. When a child has to pee really badly while standing in a line at Water Country and suddenly says they don’t have to pee anymore, don’t believe them when they say that it’s just water running down their leg. (True story from Gabriel.) 
11. Clear retainers can still be found when lost on a playground at a daycare! (True story from Chase shortly after getting his bottom braces off and getting his retainer.) 
12. Last but not least, I’ll never be coordinated enough to look cool doing the Floss. I’m ok with being the one moving to the right when everyone else in my exercise classes are moving to the left. I’m fine with not updating my Facebook profile picture very often or posting endless selfies...I’m almost 37 years old; you know what I look like by now. I don’t need a constant stream of affirmation from others to make me feel better about myself because God has already convinced me that I’m worthy because of Him! A bonus one (#13): the crusade to use sunblock and fight off those nasty cancerous cells is great. I certainly don’t want skin cancer for me or my fellow pale loved ones and it honestly scares me to see people even my age already getting cancerous cells removed, .....BUT, a little Vitamin D is still good for the soul. As Faith Outreach’s summer camp motto goes, have “fun in the Son!”