December 2019

Grenada
Nathan gave a workshop on teaching statistics on the island of Grenada from December 1-6.

The boys and I enjoyed a night out at the Pizza Ranch while he was away!

The Adventures of Peter Rabbit and his Friends
Dorian enjoyed being on the crew moving sets for the 7th/8th grade play.  Actually, I think he most enjoyed missing school and hanging out with his friend Jaden!  I'm proud of him for participating!

This is what I got the first time I asked if they'd take a picture for me!

Christmas Concert
I spent the day with my mom and sisters shopping, went out for supper and attended a concert.  Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, and Marc Martel sang Christmas songs along with a live orchestra.  It was beautiful!

Christmas is coming
Molly found the perfect napping spot!

Mason and Levi sang in the church Christmas program and then we had Dad and Mom over for Christmas cookies.

Levi did a great job playing his saxophone for one of the songs.

Mason sang in the school Christmas program!

We've been having fun counting down the days until Christmas.  Each morning the boys love opening the advent boxes.  Mason made a paper chain countdown at school which he followed very closely!  When he got to "Eat a candy cane" and we didn't have any in the house, he said it was necessary that I went to Walmart and bought one for him!  It made my day!

Ice Fishing
Ice fishing season is now upon us!  It was their first time out for the season.

Christmas Eve
What a relaxing morning!  Dorian and Levi practiced playing Carol of the Bells as a duet for a long time!  They called Mason in to listen.  It was sweet music to my ears.

I went to a bridal shower for Courtney in the afternoon and then we had a Christmas party with the Bolkemas in the evening.  We carried on the tradition of playing Bingo and a game of volleyball!

Christmas Day
Merry Christmas Dorian, Levi and Mason!  We were so excited to eat the delicious breakfast that dad made, open presents that we had fun picking out, and go to church with you!  One of the highlights for the morning for me was when Mason recited all of Luke 2 for us before we ate breakfast.  What a brave, smart boy!

Mason made a snowman at school that he gave to us!

We had Christmas dinner at Mom and Dad's house and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of playing games and opening presents together.

Luke 2 "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room in the inn.  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests'."

November 2019

Fishing
Nathan took the boys fishing one last time for the season but it was pretty cold outside!

Star of the Week
Mason did a great job picking photos for his Star of the Week poster.  He did a great job for his presentation too!  We are so proud of you Mason Jay!

Wisconsin
Nathan and Dorian went to Bayfield, WI to visit a fish research station. They stayed at the only hotel in town, which was a historic bed and breakfast.

Cold
Winter weather has arrived and 2 degrees is just not very fun.  I'm thankful for a warm house!

Sunrise
Nathan captured a beautiful sunrise at the cabin!

Fall Concert (Living Between the Trees)
Levi performed in choir, orchestra and band!  Dorian performed in band.  I'm so proud of both of them!

Wii
We decided to play a family round of Wii racing one night!  Some highlights of the boys from the night were beating Nathan and seeing a 'glitch' which showed Mario with no car on the screen.

Thankful
For Thanksgiving this year we went to Mom and Dad's house!  We had a fun day on Saturday for another crafting day with the kids! 

October 2019

Heartland Break
The boys and I were excited about having a break from school October 2-4. Levi and Mason liked the headphones for watching movies on our drive to the cabin in our new vehicle. 

Mason loves making the United States puzzle over and over and guessing the capitals of each state.  He's a smart kid!

Nathan, Dorian and Grandpa finished up the shoreline rock project!  They are hard workers!

Nice work!  It looks great!

Friday night, after the boys had fallen asleep, we made a last minute decision to head to WI the following morning. So, on Saturday we packed up and started driving!  It was our first time staying in a hotel with Molly! We ordered pizza and swam at the hotel that night.

Sunday was a beautiful Fall morning!  We went to a trout farm where the boys could catch trout for us to eat for lunch!  Nathan has been brainstorming about aquaculture as a new research project and wanted to check this place out!

Thankfully all 3 boys caught fish!  We watched them fillet some of them and enjoyed them for lunch!

We drove home on Sunday night. 

Go Yankees
Nathan bought tickets for us to go with Matt and Janey to a Twins vs. Yankees game!

Teenager
Happy 13th birthday, Dorian! And, just like that, we have a teenager in the house!

Levi and Mason thought it would be funny to put the gifts they picked out for Dorian in an amazon package and tell him in the morning that he had a package by the door. He was surprised to find out the gifts were already wrapped!

Mason picked out a mini remote controlled car and couldn't wait for him to open it!

Levi picked out bubble gum that he knew Dorian was sure to like!

I love seeing the boys pick out gifts for each other!  We gave him a Packer's shirt and a football game.

Jaden stopped over to play on Saturday afternoon so we invited him to eat cupcakes with us!

There was a Packer's game on Monday night, the 14th, so we had a party with extended family to watch the game with us!  It was really fun to see Grandpa, Grandma, and Great Grandma arrive with Packer's clothes on!

Saturday in Sheldon
We are super excited about our new speed boat!  Now we have to be patient and wait for warmer weather to try it out!  Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma for letting us store it in their warehouse. 

We helped with some Fall clean-up.  The boys were having fun playing in all of the leaves!

Dorian is full of ideas and wanted Grandpa to help him cut some wood so he can make a pinball machine!

Levi found a riding mower at the warehouse!

School project
Levi and Jacob were partners to make an edible map for social studies.  Nice work boys!  They look yummy.

Travel
Nathan went on 3 work trips in the span of 3 weeks in October.  Texas, Michigan and South Carolina.  He enjoyed visiting Holland State Park with Todd and Jill on his trip to MI.

Grandparent's Day
It was really special for the boys to have both Grandpa and Grandma Tintle and Grandpa and Grandma Bolkema visit for Grandparent's Day at school!  What a blessing!

Hallelujah party
Dorian and Levi were busy making fishing poles out of paper in preparation for the Hallelujah (Halloween) party.  They are some good looking fishermen!

All 3 boys had fun playing games and winning prizes.