Tag: family memories

AROUND HERE: JUNE 2018

Around here we have been…

GETTING USED TO SUMMER. The routine of each day has shifted. The kids are sleeping in longer and some days still in their pajamas until almost lunch time.  They are enjoying the extra time they have to explore their own interests, including the building of a wooden roller coaster in our yard. We are hopeful that this obsession will end soon and that no bones will be broken in the process.

Summer camps are also in full swing. Our school offers quite a few activities, as well as a free lunch program for kids 18 and younger. We are there almost every day. The girls participated in dance camp and had a blast with their friends, and {D} attended a camp that focused on electricity.

All the kids are making new friendships at the playground as well!

 

SMILING at the memories of the fun Anniversary road trip we took at the beginning of the month. We celebrated our ‘Sweet 16’ Anniversary with a surprise (and kid free!) trip that Craig had planned all on his own. We drove through Iowa, a bit of Missouri, and finally ended up in Marion, KS- a super small town that now holds a piece of our heart.

I wrote an entire post about our experience, which you can read HERE. The grand surprise was an outdoor concert featuring the amazing Christian band, Unspoken. Craig even arranged for the two of us to meet the group! This is definitely a trip that we will cherish!

 

 



 

GIVING Craig the credit he deserves for being an amazing daddy! Father’s day was celebrated at our home, and just as we do every year for Mother’s Day – we made sure to line everyone up and take a few photos. We love looking back on these memories and seeing how much the kids have grown. It won’t be long before Craig will no longer be able to manage this particular pose:

This year, we invited Craig’s parents over for a Father’s Day brunch after church, which meant that he was also included in the photo blitz. As we get older, it is easy to forget to take pictures of the grandparents with their adult children. That makes the times we do remember to do so even more special.

We hope we are raising our boys to be great fathers too.

 

PARTICIPATING in a fun football camp. The Minnesota Vikings, our favorite NFL team, collaborated with Hyundai to offer a youth football camp at their brand new practice facility in the Twin Cities. As soon as the registration became available, Angela jumped on the computer and signed all three boys up! There is a limit of 300 participants, and the spots filled up fast!

Craig and the boys spent the weekend at the house of one of Craig’s best friends from college. His family lives close to the practice facility, which was really nice. Their two boys were also able to participate in the camp. All of the kids were able to have their picture taken with Kyle Rudolf, and practiced drills led by some of the best coaching staff from the area. We are thrilled that they were given this FREE opportunity. They haven’t stopped talking about it!

 

This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!

AROUND HERE: MAY 2018

Around here we have been…

 

FINISHING SCHOOL. It is hard to believe that the end of the school year has already arrived! All five kids have worked very hard in their studies and are ready to move onto the next grade level. The end of school year activities – school softball games, class field trips, and programs have been keeping us very busy.

 

 

 

 

RUNNING AND JUMPING at track meets. May also kept the kids in good shape. There was a 5th grade District meet, in which {D} participated. All of the kids, besides {M} were also able to take part in a track and field day for Lutheran Schools in Perham. Angela helped with the school track club and was able to assist in the track meet that Zion school put on for 5th – 8th grade Christian schools in our area.

As parents we are very happy with how hard our kids tried at their events – and even that they were able to come in in first place in some of them; But more importantly, we are proud of the sportsmanship that they displayed with their teammates and other athletes.

 

 



 

CELEBRATING Mother’s Day. Each year, Angela requests only one thing – pictures with her clan. This year the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and so we set the timer on the camera and lined up. The pictures turned out better than we ever imagined – in fact, we love them so much that we are considering having them printed to hang on our gallery wall!

 

GETTING the yard summer ready. After a long winter of shoveling snow and avoiding ice patches in the yard, we were excited to get the lawn mowers out, trim the bushes, and to plant a few flowers. Angela is happy that have the landscaping project from last summer behind her. It feels great to be able to enjoy the outdoors without being all bundled up! Soon there will be beach trips and water balloon fights!

 

This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!

AROUND HERE: APRIL 2018

Around here we have been…

 

REMINISCING on an entire year with {K}. We met in China in April 2017, and spent two weeks in country before returning home. It is really hard to believe that we have had a full year of adventures with this sweet girl already!

{K} home one full year!

 

Days after meeting {K} in China – April 2017

 

Throughout the year, Angela has interviewed {K} – asking her about her favorite things. It is amazing to look back on these videos and realize how much easier it is for her to communicate with us now. Her looks have changed quite a bit also! If you are interested in the videos you can see them here: 4 months home, 9 months home, and 1 year home.

Easter, April 1st, was the very last holiday that we had yet to spend as a complete family of 7. We had a wonderful celebration.

 

WATCHING the snow melt. Spring weather has finally reached the Midwest! Though the last snowstorm created a muddy mess of things, we couldn’t be more excited to be outside after such a long, cold winter.

 

 



 

RELAXING on our days off. With the warmer weather of Spring, the after school activities and sport camps are beginning to fill the calendar. The days we have to just snuggle up at home are precious. The kids always seem to find new and fun ideas to explore.

 

 

CELEBRATING Craig as he retires from the Fire Department. He has been a volunteer fire fighter for eleven years. We are so proud of him for the selfless sacrifice that he has made through those years. He finished off his duties by coordinating a beautiful memorial service for the firefighters who passed away this past year in the state of Minnesota. It was an incredibly touching program that included a vocal solo from {D}. We found it symbolic that {D} was just a newborn when Craig got accepted into the department and that he was able to help his dad to end his service.

We are absolutely overjoyed that we will be able to spend more time with this incredible man. Wonderful memories are yet to be made!

 

This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!

YOU SAY GOOD MORNING

Every night as I tuck {K} into bed, she says to me ‘You say good morning’- not so much a question as a statement. A fact. I am quick to answer ‘Yes.  I will say ‘good morning!’  It is a little way that she reminds herself that even though she is closing her eyes now, when she opens them her family will STILL be there.  Precious words from a child newly home and still learning what family is all about.

This past week found us in many waiting rooms.  Waiting to see specialists who would begin evaluations for what will be years of care.  She has already been through so much, and will continue to be faced with many challenges. More on that tomorrow.

After the appointments we were able to meet up with some very special people who knew our daughter long before we did.  The incredible family who fostered her while she was living in China (and coincidentally live only a couple hours away from us now!) and the sweet doctor from Shanghai who lobbied to get {K} the care she needed, the care she deserved. These people are so, so special to us and there will never be enough thank you’s to properly acknowledge how grateful we are that they stepped up for our girl, saw her worth, and were willing to fight for her. The fact that we were able to break bread together and see everything come full circle is nothing short of an orchestration by God Himself.  We are so blessed.

We were a bit worried though, that seeing these people from her past may set her back a bit – confuse her.  Worried that all of the doctor’s appointments might scare her and cause her to lose trust in us.  But God showed us, once again, that he is making beauty from ashes.  Through it all {K} held strong, she looked to us for reassurance, she leaned on us for comfort, and really seemed to understand that we were going through it all WITH her, FOR her. She understood that at the end of the day we were going to bring her home and back into that same bed in the evening, where we would tuck her in and she could once again say ‘You say good morning’. Our bond is getting stronger.

 

A reminder, if you ever want to catch up on what our family is up to – you can check out our family YouTube channel!

REMEMBERING THE EVERYDAY

I just finished uploading the 4th installment of our weekly photo vlog!  I have slowly been improving the quality and content of this series.  This week I made the text a bit larger (and more readable) and also added a new feature – small videos within the scrolling timeline video!  I’m happy with how it turned out!

An entire month of our family’s memories have now been preserved.  Sure, it took a little more effort than what I have previously put forth; But now all these precious photos and videos are presented in a FUN way, and easily accessible instead of being stored and hidden in a computer file.

These little weekly videos simply showcase our lives – no fancy vacations or spectacular adventures.  They may not get thousands (or even hundreds) of views on YouTube, and that’s okay.

It’s not about that.  It’s about us.

They are a reminder of how brave {K} was at her very first checkup in the United States, a glimpse of how the boys used their imaginations and worked together to create some awesome fidget spinners, and a memory of the giant smile I had on my face when Craig raced all the kids on his 37th birthday – just to prove to himself that he was still the fastest.  On those days when it feels like all I do is cook, and clean, and wipe dirty hands for the millionth time – when I feel like ‘just’ a stay at home mom – I can remember that I am also a curator of family memories.

We will hopefully watch these videos in the future and recognize that our lives are full.  Full of love.  Full of togetherness. Full of happiness. Full of the simple everyday.

 

To see all the videos in this series, click HERE.