It's SNOW...no, It's RAIN...No, It's ICE.

A few days ago we woke up to a few inches of snow. Tyson had to be at work early for a meeting - so I trusted Jack to "babysit" and ran out to shovel the driveway.

By the time school was out - the temps had melted quite a bit of the snow...but my kids still wanted to play in it. Good thing they got their fix! We've had SO much rain and now it's starting to ice. This is PURE MICHIGAN.

Nolan tried on Jack's fake glasses the other morning and thought he looked pretty smart. He's a funny kid. Ask him to tell you a knock-knock joke.

Tyson was traveling for work this week...and it was our turn to carpool for soccer. I filled the Suburban up! And also reminded myself that I'm OKAY with my 3 kids. I believe carpool is a great form of birth control. We were a walking circus.

Happy 7th Birthday, Jack!

Dear Jack,
Yesterday you turned 7! And I need to be honest...we did not come through with a party...or even a cake...and this morning you told me that we forgot to sing "happy birthday" to you. I felt like a terrible mom. Holy cow. Who does that?

First of all, I am sorry that you were born so close to the holidays. I feel your pain. January birthdays get the raw end of the deal...mainly because everyone is on a "holiday hangover" and no one wants to have yet ANOTHER party. :(

But - we did celebrate you! We went to see the movie SING! as a family...then for dinner we took everyone, plus your friend, Connor, to Dave & Busters. You guys played games, ate dinner, and drank the most sugary drink EVER. We also had presents for you...so I wasn't a COMPLETE parent failure. And I'm making up for it tonight with your favorite meal: Chicken tacos & a guilt-cake from Costco. We.Will.Sing.

Jack - at 7 - you are funny and kind. You love being with family and friends...yet you definitely crave some quiet time to recharge alone. You love a good joke or a prank. Your favorite shows are America's Funniest Home Videos or any prank show that we deem "age appropriate."  You are SUPER creative. You love drawing and singing...but you especially love RAPPING. Straight up, Detroit style.  For Christmas you got a microphone and you use your iPad to create beats...and then make up songs. You have talent and I hope you keep working hard.

On the soccer field you are the BEST teammate! You are encouraging and upbeat...although we've had to tone down the "bossiness" in your voice. You just really LOVE TO WIN. You play hard and you never give up...which is my favorite part of watching you play. You are a natural athlete, but you will be successful because of your innate WANT to do your best. You love ALL sports...especially soccer, baseball, football, and basketball (because deep down you're a Hoosier).

You love your dad SO much. And you watch out for your little sister and your little brother. You are becoming more responsible...and I appreciate your help.

Jack, you have a HUGE heart and a love for animals. I love your inquisitive nature...even though I sometimes feel like the questions will never end.  I hope you always have a need to find out new information and learn new things. It's one of the BEST qualities you can possess as a person.

Happy birthday to the boy who made me a mom. I love you more than words.

XOXO,
Mom

Are you still here?

I've been a terrible blogger. Apologies. Things got CRAZY at the end of 2016. We have 3 busy kids and I'm running a side-business that feels like a full-time job {at times}. So - I swear, this time I mean it - I will do a better job! Nolan is going to have a huge gap in his "life events" and it's all my fault.

Recap of the end of 2016:

Teeth were lost! Jack has now lost 4 and Josie has lost 2. Nolan has come close to getting a few knocked out...

Fall happened and it was unseasonably warm...which made all of us HAPPY!

For Halloween we had a Kylo Ren, a Snow White, and her side-kick Dopey (sorry, teenage Nolan...I thought it was cute).

After a low-key Thanksgiving - we helped Josie celebrate her 5th birthday! She's a WHOLE HAND now! She had a Tea Party with some friends and it was a very fun time! (See previous post)

For our 11th Anniversary - Tyson and I took a parental time out and flew down to Key West for a long weekend. We had SO much fun...eating, drinking, and honestly, sleeping!!! Yes, I took many naps and slept past 9am. Uncle Bill has a few condos down there and was gracious enough to let us stay in one. He also took us on a bar-hopping tour of Key West and it took me a full day to recover.  Our friends, Jeff & Jaime, came down from Miami too! It was SO much fun! Oh, and we took a very adventurous jet ski tour.

We prepped for Christmas with Josie's Live Nativity program and then SANTA came! His BIG gift this year was a bounce house for our basement! Nolan is one happy kid.

For Christmas we spent time in Fort Wayne, with Agnes (visiting from Idaho) and in Warsaw with Uncle Jon, Cassie, Uncle Joe, Aunt Gina, and all the cousins. Too much fun was had! It is always great to see the kids playing and spending time with their cousins. We wish we were closer to everyone!

So - that's the wrap on 2016. Lame, I know. But I really will be better. 2017 will be an EXCITING year in the Becker house!

Happy 5th birthday, Josie!

Dear Josie,

On November 30, 2016 you turned 5! You are a funny, happy (usually), opinionated girl.  You have a mind of your own and you aren't afraid to tell us exactly how you feel...especially when it comes to your outfits. You are SO sweet...so caring with your brothers. Sometimes when I frustrated with Jack - you actually say what I want to say BETTER than I could. You have a calm and rational side that has started to emerge over the past few months.  You are a great friend. You take people under your wing and you truly find FUN in life's littlest moments. You love Jack and Nolan SO incredibly much! I feel like you are the BIG sister to both of them sometimes. Actually, if we're being honest, I'd leave you in charge of them in a heartbeat. You also LOVE your dad. Every night when he comes home from work - you run and hide so he has to find you. You are an old soul, Josie.  I see you interact with your brothers and your cousins and your friends - people are drawn to you and you give them your full attention.

Right now you love coloring and your American Girl doll, Lea.  You like playing with Barbies, too. You are a girlie girl.  That being said - you can also wrestle Jack to the ground if you have to... You can hold your own on the soccer field and play video games with the boys.  You LOVE school and I know you will be SO ready for Kindergarten next fall.

We may butt heads on clothes - but you are a mini-me.  I think the world of you and I'm so proud to call you my little girl.

Happy {belated} birthday!
I love you!
Mom

IU's Secret Weapon

In case you missed it - BUT HOW COULD YOU??!?! Our INDIANA HOOSIERS beat Michigan State this past weekend. AND.IT.WAS.GLORIOUS.

If you're wondering who the new mastermind is behind our sudden ability to play defense...well, I have some news for you. The IU staff is consulting with Nolan. I know what you're thinking: "A TWO YEAR OLD?" But he seems to have an innate knack for defense.

Above you can see him discussing some coverage options with his mentor, Papa Denny. So - there you have it - the Hoosiers' secret weapon wears diapers and sleeps with a stuffed dog.

GOOOOO HOOSIERS!

I should add...my excitement for the win over the weekend was ELEVATED when I was standing in line at Target today and overheard two girls talking about the game. They were both wearing Spartan gear (the SHAME) and I just smiled (like a creepy person who is eavesdropping on a conversation in the checkout line.) ZERO CARES. "Ugh, I can't believe we lost that game...blah blah...we were winning by SO much...blah...I didn't even know IU was that good..." Well, we might just be! We've waited TEN long years for that win. We've lived in Michigan for (roughly) 8 of those years! This win was a BIG deal. UUUUGE.

Snapshots

Here are a few snapshots from the second half of our summer:

We got to spend a couple weekends with Aunt Kim at the lake. Here she is with Nolan - hugging his "dog" that she gave him for Christmas last year. It's his fave.

Idaho came to the lake in JULY. It was so fun to spend time with Agnes (and Devin & Kristin).

Nolan went to his first movie! The Secret Life of Pets. He ate plenty of popcorn...but couldn't quite make it through the whole movie. 

This is Josie's reaction to her pre-Kindergarten shots at the pediatrician's office. When my dad saw this...it took him back to ME at 13. I literally did this.

We had an AMAZING summer with Mia and were sad to send her off to MSU for her sophomore year. We miss her already.

Oh - hey Uncle Joe.

The Carsten family came up from FW to visit one weekend. Made Jack's summer. We all took in (half) a Tigers game. 

Bedtime antics. Crazies.

We spent Labor Day enjoying the lake! What a fun summer. So many great memories made at the new lake house! Already looking forward to next year.

Sorry. But when did my baby get so big. {tears} Napping with "Dog."

IU soccer played at UofM. We had to take the kids over for the game. IU is ranked #3 in the country right now...so we witnessed a really great game! Hoosiers won 2-0.

It's beginning to LOOK a lot like fall in Michigan. (not so much FEELING like fall yet) If you've never visited Michigan in the fall...you're missing out. It's beautiful! Oh, and we have amazing CIDER mills with Cider Donuts. Nothing better.

Back to School Blues

Jack started 1st grade the Tuesday after labor Day. We are SO excited for an exciting year ahead. He has lots of friends in his class and has been VERY positive coming home every day after school. He has Mrs. Harris this year.

Miss Josie started her year in Pre-K with Mrs. Bugar. She has a super small class - but equal number of boys vs girls. If you know Josie - you know that the start of the school year means we are now having fights every morning about clothes. So every MWF - you can just send up a patience prayer for me around 8am. Because Lord knows - we're fighting.

Oh and then this happened. NOLAN is going to school, too. He's doing the 2's program with Mrs. Laux. He's actually repeating this class because he already did it once as a newborn (with Josie). I can say - when Josie did it she turned 3 soon after the start. She was totally independent. TOTALLY different experience this time! {patience prayer, again} Nolan is personable and funny...but he's also STUBBORN and ORNERY.

So - there you have it - back to school...

Soccer Mom

It's official. I'm a Soccer Mom. Jack is playing on the U7 Rush travel team this year. They travel around Metro Detroit playing other U7 teams. It's a big commitment - BUT he actually does LOVE it and it feeds his competitive nature. He's a pretty loud voice on the field (and from the sidelines). We've had to remind him to be more encouraging...but the kid HATES losing. Because of that - he's a pretty badass defender. Don't get me wrong...he also loves scoring. But his competitive nature makes him protective of the goal and coaches love kids who hate losing. He's aggressive and focused on the field. We've had fun watching him develop as a player. That being said - we will also continue baseball and possibly add basketball to his line-up. People can say what they want about kids being "over-scheduled" - I get it - but I also know that a BUSY kid stays out of trouble. We're keeping them busy.

And then there is Josephine.  She's playing on a U6 Rush Academy team this fall.  She practices once a week and plays a game every Saturday. She LOVES it and is really improving. The biggest positive for her is self-confidence. She is always following in Jack's footsteps - so having her moment to shine is really fun to watch. Here's a story from her first game:

Tyson took her to the field for the pre-game practice. Her coach (who is Jack's full-time coach) was on duty to coach the girls.  He asked is she wanted to be called Josephine, Josie, or a different name.  Tyson told him we call her Josie or Jojo. He was like "Great! I'll call her Jojo." So the ENTIRE game he's yelling "JOJO!" from the sidelines and she is totally oblivious that he's talking to her. Needless to say - we are switching her "soccer name" back to Josie for all future games.

Nolan TURNED Two!

Well - in an effort to document my third child's life...I have failed. I'm a terrible blogger lately. A million excuses...work, crazy schedules, lack of sleep, etc. Regardless - I owe Nolan a birthday post.

Somehow my BABY turned TWO on August 20. He's such a little man. We celebrated in Warsaw with my parents, grandparents, Joe, Gina, and the cousins.

Uncle Jon and Cassie called in via FaceTime to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY (or Happy You You) to Nolan. I think that might have been the highlight of his day. The singing.

While we were in Indiana - we had a chance to visit a few of my great-aunts. Aunt Kate (top left) is 101 and Aunt Mary (top right) is going to be 100 next month. Of course, Gigi and Grandpa Gigi came over to celebrate their youngest great grandchild. Nolan felt preeeettttty special.

Some info on the two year old:
Nolan weighs 30lb and is 33in tall. So basically he's a future running back. He is a snacker. Meals? No thanks...he'll just snack all day. Nolan is a talker! He has a lot to say and he will talk non-stop. Unfortunately, there are only a select few of us who speak his language. He's SO friendly and outgoing. He can make someone's day at Target or the grocery store...with his happy wave and "hello!" I literally see people brighten up in his presence.  His favorite people are Jack, Josie, and both of his "papas." Nolan is funny and also very opinionated. We are so thankful he's part of our family.

Summer Days

Summer is flying by! We try to make the most of these hot, sunny days. We've had plenty of sprinkler days with popsicle snacks.

LOTS of visits to the lake this summer. Just making up for not being able to go last summer... Boy is it a fun place to spend a weekend!

An occasional nap. Cooper is the King of Naps. Nolan is, too. Jack and Josie could use some work on their napping skills.

And plenty of side walk chalk, too.  I try to keep them busy - but we also enjoy our down time. The school year is right around the corner and that brings LONG days and LONG nights. Soccer will be starting and both, Jack & Josie, have full schedules. (which means so do mom & dad...and Nolan) These are the days.