Ryan at Fourteen

And, poof! Another year of laughter, fun, baseball and more baseball with Ryan has passed. Suddenly, he's turning 14. And, as his history teacher pointed out -- after 2020, he will be voting in the next presidential election. Wow.

In honor of age 14, I asked Ryan a few "14" related reflections (some silly):

14 Favorite Moments from the Past Year (in no particular order):

1. The one game we won during the Oregon Ducks season!

2. My week at Stanford Basketball Camp with Tate and Caleb

3. Tubing in Minnesota

4. Staying at Venetian Court with family and playing my first round of golf

5. Dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House (tower of seafood... yum!)

6. PE class in 7th grade

7. Spending the weekend in San Francisco with cousins

8. Going to the Dodgers World Series games 4 and 5

9. Playing with our new pool basketball hoop

10. Getting my braces off

11. Snowboarding in Big Bear

12. Making the Lookouts travel baseball team

13. Lots of lounge/sleep-in time this summer

14. Two more years until drivers license!

14 Word Description of What I Hope to do in the Next Year:

Play baseball, snowboard, splash around in the pool, win the little league championship, Yay!

Wishing you the best fourteenth birthday ever! We love you Rye-Rye D.

Lucie at Fourteen

And, poof! Lucie's first year as a teenager has flown by as quickly as it came. Our bright, fun-loving, best-read-person-in-the-family is turning 14 today. How did that happen? As her history teacher pointed out, after 2020, she'll be voting in the next presidential election. Wow.

In honor of age 14, I asked Lucie a few "14" related reflections (some silly):

14 Favorite Moments from the Past Year (in no particular order):

1. Getting contacts

2. Making the 8th grade volleyball team

3. Braces off!

4. Seeing Wicked in San Diego and Dear Evan Hansen in San Francisco with Gigi, Tate and Ryan

5. My first experience water skiing (I stood up!) while in Minnesota this summer


6. The Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios (even though I promptly threw up in a trash can afterwards)

7. Three weeks of Drama Camp this past summer

8. Winning the 7th grade volleyball championship game

9. Going to the mall/movies with my friends

10. Watching the entire series of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (7 seasons!) with my brothers

11. Playing with my club volleyball teams (especially at the end of the season once we really clicked)

12. Going ice skating in San Francisco with my cousins

13. Playing with all my cousins in Minnesota

14. Only two more years until driver's license!

14 Word Description of What I Hope to do in the Next Year:

Hoping to elevate my volleyball skills and enjoy every minute with friends and family!

We love you Lucie B. Hope you have the best fourteenth birthday ever!

Jake at Eight

Lovable, easy-going, smart, insightful, sweet, loyal, competitive, and naturally athletic - our favorite Jake turns eight today. It's hard to imagine our family ever existed without him. 

Jake is a bright light in our lives -- with his good-natured personality and ability to relate to people of all ages, he brings us together. Jake can go from playing video games and tossing a football with Ryan and cousins, to snuggling his lovies while watching Lucie's teen melodramas, all with the same level of excitement and interest. He's a great companion.

This past year has been a bit of a challenge for Jake. A recent move meant he had to go to a new school where he did not know a single kid or teacher. Though only a mile away from his former school, his new school was a completely foreign land to us all. 

Five months later, Jake's doing great. He's made new friends and enjoyed classmates' birthday parties. He was even chosen as a leader in his class with the role of George Washington in the 2nd grade patriotic performance. His teacher told me, "I didn't think twice about choosing him - I knew Jake was the only kid for the job!"

We know he'd still prefer to be at his former school (as would we) but he's made the best of it and never once complained. Now that he's befriended the PE teacher, things are looking up and he has declared PE time as "so much better!" than at his former school. That's high praise from a devoted PE lover like Jake. 

Other exciting adventures in this past year have included canyoneering in Zion, flying to San Francisco with Lucie and Ryan (no parents) to spend the weekend with family and being selected to play goalie on an All Stars soccer team. He was particularly proud of the All Stars selection, especially when our weekends revolved solely around his tournaments instead of Lucie and Ryan's myriad of activities. 

With two 13-year old siblings, Jake is certainly exposed to a lot above his age level. Case in point, he's the only eight year old I know who confidently refers to Instagram as "Insta". Despite his desire to sometimes act like another teenager in our house, I'm so grateful that he's still a little boy in his core. 

He adores his stuffed animals and is constantly lobbying to add to his collection. He likes to be read to at night, with the Berenstain Bears being a current favorite. And, much to the happiness of all in our house this Christmas, his belief in Santa and his reindeers remains strong. 

Most days, he'll even hold my hand on the way home from school. Knowing this won't last forever brings sadness, but mostly I feel deep gratitude for every moment of little boy-ness we still have. 

We love you sweet Jake, and can't wait for what the next year will bring you. Here's to many more adventures, athletic challenges, and pesto gnocchi in the coming year!