Bug's Tonsilectomy 2013

Sofie spent a lot of the Fall of 2013 sick with chronic Tonsilitis and Strep Throat. After many prescriptions and sick days, the doctor finally recommended that her tonsils be removed. So, just before Thanksgiving, she had surgery to get her tonsils out.

 

Sofie was cool as a cucumber when her surgical team came to take her away from us. Marty and I waited patiently for it all to be over. About 20 minutes after they came for her, she was all done and waking up.

 

 

 Daddy made sure she was comfortable with a popcicle...

 

 

And I snuggled up just as close as I could get to make her feel safe.

 

 

Before long it was time to take our Little Bug home to recover, though her bright smile wasn't quite as big as we are used to seeing.

 

 

Grandma Tina brightened her day with some flowers from Iowa. Friends showered her in love and ice cream.

 

 

Sofie spent more time being quiet than I have ever seen in her entire life. Her favorite quiet activity was learning to weave rubber band bracelets on her Rainbow Loom.

 

 

Her soccer team made her a special card that made her feel very special.

 

 

With a lot of love and even more rest, Sofie's smile returned brighter than ever!

 

 And just like that...she was back to her silly and sassy ways.

 



Fall 2013

With all the busyness of the past 6 months, I have fallen behind on our family blog. So, I am taking some time as this year begins to give a quick recap of highlights from our life together. 

August brought us into a new school year with all three kids in three different schools. For the first time, we had a child in elementary, middle, and high school.

 

Jack started his Sophomore year at Boyd High School.

 

 

Lily started 6th grade at Cockrill Middle School.

 

Sofie started 4th grade at Minshew Elementary. The girls started school with all new kids because of our move to our new house and the zoning change. It was a great change of pace for them both.

 

Jack was chosen to be part of the Varsity Acapella Choir at Boyd High and he and his choir buddies enjoyed a successful year of performances.  They loved hanging out at Dairy Queen after concerts.

 

 

And they put on a splendid performance of The Pirates of Penzance.

 



 

I could not be more proud of my Music Man!





 

Late October brought cooler temperatures and Halloween fun.

Lily was a candy corn and Sofie was a good witch.

 

 

Bug's Fall was filled with a new soccer team. In addition to the Ladybugs, her rec team, Sofie was part of an Academy Club called Manchester.

 

 

She also started Jazz and discovered she loves to dance.

 

And Lily was invited into the Advanced Ballet Class as well as Pointe.

 



Bug was named Minshew Colt of the month for September, which made her feel even more excited about her new school.

With things going so well at home, I was free to sneak away for a long weekend in Iowa for some much needed "Girl Time" with Mom and Minniette.

With some new beginnings, we also had some sad endings this season. Bug's soccer team, The Ladybugs, decided it was time to move on after 5 seasons of playing together. Most of the girls are moving on to Club Soccer, but Sofie is going to leave soccer behind and try some new things.

She will always remember Coach Jeff...

And she will always treasure the lessons that soccer taught her...to do your best, have fun, and to do the right thing.  We are so proud of our little Ladybug and are grateful for the memories of watching her fierce feet attack the ball on the soccer field.

Looking back, it was  a season of smiles, new challenges, goodbyes, and big fun.

 

 

Summer 2013

We had a busy summer full of fun stuff! 

 

 

In Mid-June, Jack had the privilege of being part of the Boyd Broadway Bronco National Company for "Legally Blonde, The Musical".  He traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska and competed in the International Thespian Festival. There were only 8 productions selected from the entire United States and Canada, so this was a great honor for the Boyd High School thespians.  They performed in front of a full house and received a standing ovation. 

 



 

Shortly after Jack arrived back home from Nebraska, we headed north again for Iowa. While we were visiting family, we took Jack on his first official college visit. He took a tour of Central College and began seriously considering the advantages of becoming one of The Dutch.

 

While we were in Iowa, we got to attend our annual extended family

 summer bike ride, called IgNite. 

 

 

We had a family cookout, lit up our bikes, and rode the bike trail at night. The kids loved it!

 

 

Marty was on bike duty and he did a great job putting lights on the bikes for the kids.

 

 

 Lily loved breaking in her new bike!

 

 

It was great being silly with Mama.

 

 

The kids had a great time playing with Madilyn and Noah.

 

 

Lily attended a missions camp at church, and Sofie participated in basketball camp.

 

 

Both girls had fun playing with friends and growing closer to Christ when they attended Backyard Bible Clubs with FBC McKinney.

 

 

It was a great way to pass the lazy days of summer.

 

We spent the 4th of July in Arkansas at Beaver Lake.

 It was fun riding in the back of Uncle Rich's truck.

 

 We spent a lot of time relaxing as a family.

 

 

And we loved hiking together in the mountains.

 

 

The water was cold and refreshing...and tubing was tons of fun.

 

 

Marty and I enjoyed some quiet time by the lake in the morning.

 

 

We always enjoy our time in Arkansas with Marty's family.

 



To close out the summer, Jack attended driving school and got his permit. Big day!

 



And just before school started, we moved into our new house at 5020 Grampian Way, McKinney, Texas.

 

 

Sofie loves playing on the swing in our new backyard.

 

 

We love relaxing on the patio.  

 

 

It was a summer of lazy days...

 

 

Big Adventures...

 

 

And new experiences...

 

Seasons in the sun!