Found: 4 yr. old......Lost: our baby!

It was just four years ago we brought home a bundle of energy from the hospital on Super Bowl Sunday! There hasn't been a dull moment yet. Jonathan Mark gives our family so much joy and laughter! He is a crack up! I would have to say this child has required more supervision than the others......as well as stitches and band aids!

Thank goodness Jonathan stops long enough to cuddle. I am so happy he will still snuggle with me while I am working on school with the other kids or reading to him. Sweet boy, he is.... Likes to help in the kitchen, laundry, or yard work with daddy.

He is a patient with the daily routine which often revolves around the schedules of his brother and sisters. He lives for our trips to PE, hiking, and going to church.

Jonathan is running - sprinting - 90% of the time! I could have posted 20 pictures of him tearing across some kind of terrain......

Jonathan is always up for whatever the family is doing - he'll try anything! The last child is so trusting......

Jonathan loves to do puzzles, play with trains, and sit in on school time. He loves his brothers and sisters and his dog. He is learning to eat new foods, broadening his vocabulary - and is quite the athlete. He lives life to the fullest - no reservations.....

Our hearts burst with big dreams for our little "big boy".....Happy Birthday Jonathan - love you so much.....

"You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus."

2 Timothy 2:1-3

a decade old......

It's time for the birthday blitz again.....starting with ten year old Ryan! His big day is almost over and I am racing to get his birthday post in under the wire........

What parents wouldn't be bursting with pride? Ryan has grown and matured in many ways this year. We are so thankful to call him son! I love his adventurous spirit - rarely fearful - and wanting to try new and exciting things.......that I would never think of. Ryan is inventive and creative. He has aspirations of learning how to start a business and building a treehouse with his grandpa Spence just to name a few. When he puts his mind to it, Ryan is focused and dependable and gets his work done. He is learning how to do every job with excellence and finding new ways to do even his day to day chores more efficiently and training his younger siblings to do them.

I appreciate Ryan's heart to spend time with his brother and sisters - enjoying and coming alongside them.

There is no shortage interest and willingness to try new things and have fun here.....

Courageous and brave......

Gives 110%!

Joyful and persistent.....

This year Ryan is learning Spanish and memorized a good portion of the Westminster Catechism. He is also studying the entire book of Isaiah with Dad and Madison at Bible Study Fellowship. I have noticed Ryan's special ability to love and accept kids in his social circle who have special needs or difficulty fitting in with their peers. He often takes the time to spend with them or encourage them. I am filled with gratitude to the Lord for this aspect of his character.

As Ryan grows and his character develops he gives us all significant joy! We continue to pray each year for his physical, emotional, and spiritual growth.

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Chris, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge -- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:16-19

Happy birthday big boy.....I love you!

Expedition to the Rose Parade - 2011 (Part 4)

I think he's forgotten his frozen toes and fingers now....

After a quick 2 hours.....the parade was over...12pm and we had been there about 6 hours. The end of the parade is quite unique in that there is a boat load of tow trucks following the parade in case the floats break down. This year only one was utilized so there was a long line of them after! People really jetted out of the scene very quickly - but we decided we didn't want to fight traffic and had our lunch on "our lawn" before heading home. It was delightful to go home to a hot shower, comfortable chairs, family, food - and my favorite: football. All in all, yes - a fun escapade. I don't think I have the need to do it every year. But I would do it again. My dream? Scoring a seat INSIDE the Rose Bowl for the game......now that would be worth sleeping on the curb for!

Tow trucks as far as the eye can see!

Parade viewing spot turned picnic area...

the vendors headed down route.....

Back to the car.....notice Mr. energetic there....

Roses everywhere......even in the yard next to the van.....

Not 10 minutes later from the picture above!

.....the game!

Expedition to the Rose Parade - 2011 (Part 3)

Each float made for the parade has to conform to certain regulations in the areas of height, width, length and thematic design and ENTIRE surface must be covered using a variety of flowers, seeds, bark, leaves and other natural materials Most of the floats are controlled with internal, computer-driven hydraulics and are entered in the parade on behalf of a corporation, city, or organization. This is what I love about the Rose parade - creative and nothing too wacky - and the flowers, fruits, and vegetables are so beautiful! To maximize one's parade experience - you really have to go view the floats before the parade or after - because there is no way to appreciate all the work while they are whizzing past you! We also realized after getting home and seeing some repeat on the tv that from our vantage point on the street we missed some things on top of the floats - like seeing inside the rose bowl on one, and jumping dogs on another! It was hard to narrow down which photos to share.....(click on the images to see them in a large size for more detail - may not work on every one though)

Here is our viewing "group" and then some! This is what it looked like all along the parade route - though there are areas with grandstands where people paid from $50 a seat into the hundreds!

The parade Grand Marshal - Paula Deen

Go Wisconsin Badgers!

Hail Horned Frogs!

I think this was my favorite floats because of all the cool things going on.......well and I love the fair.....I could crop in on any of the details and it is stunning.......

This is the front of the float...."A State Fair to Remember"

......close up.......

.......and the second half of the float from the dunk tank and not even to the back!

One of my other favorite floats was the Trader Joe's Exploring Planet Dinner float.....

......after the float passed.....notice some of it is folded down - this was because the overpass for the freeway was before our spot and near the end so sometimes the floats weren't extended up all the way......

"Pac-Man's 30th Anniversary Party"

One of the floats which carried public servants.....loved the canine.....

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Ok.....I'll stop with the float pictures.......

Expedition to the Rose Parade - 2011 (Part 2)

For those not familiar with the Rose Parade - and I know you are out there - the entries fall into four general categories: bands, horses, service groups, and the floats.

The bands were great - my hat is off to all those kids marching 5 miles some carrying small and large instruments! When they got to us after going for 2 hours they still had spirit and zeal! The college bands are my favorites but there were also bands from Mexico, Japan, and bagpipes!

The college bands rock! They play so well and with such enthusiasm. They are always matched with the cheerleaders, mascot, and team float.......

This band from Mexico was so joyful and seemed to be having a great time.

Pretty girls.......

Love the bagpipes....

The high school bands are always so thrilled to be there and seem to enjoy the experience - though by the end when they got to us there were some poor souls visibly in pain from carrying tubas and base drums over 5 miles and for 2 hours!

I think this band is entered almost every year....

The horses were beautiful - and decked out .......

From top.......

to bottom.......