class of 2010

My nephew, Jake, graduated from High School this year. He's the first grandchild to reach this big milestone in our family. I remember the excitement of his birth...my very first nephew. We were all on cloud nine. I was a junior in High School and my mom pulled me out of school so we could all be at the hospital for his birth. It was a VERY BIG occasion.

I spent the night at my sister's house many nights and even joyfully took the night feedings to give her a break. Watching him grow...we just couldn't get enough of him. He was a little ham from the beginning and continues to have a hilarious sense of humor that adds so much to our family. We loved him so much. And here he is on his graduation day...where did the years go? We still love him so much and are very proud of the man he is becoming.

Time to get ready.Grandma's pride and joy.The big moment.We had two graduations this year in the same week...high school and kindergarten. Jake and Caedmon seem to have a special bond. They are the only grandsons in our family and they are both the oldest. Caedmon just adores Jake...pretty cool that they both had graduations this year in the same week. Jake is so creative and talented in so many areas...especially when it comes to any type of music or instrument. He will be pursuing a degree in Music at a local college this Fall.

Mom and I made these chocolate covered strawberries for his big grad party. It was fun and so fitting for Jake. He loves to dress up and has been known for wearing suits and ties to school or any chance he could get. Mom used her amazing talent with an array of desserts and I added the cupcake toppers.

The Hilarious Heart Patient

Thanks for your prayers for my nephew. Surgery lasted three hours and everything went great. We stopped by the hospital yesterday afternoon for a visit and Jake was his old self...cracking us up with his usual humor. Kevin was playing around with the latex gloves...blew one up...it popped loudly and Jake threw his head back and pretended the loud noise caused him to have a heart attack. If everything looks good today, he will be released this afternoon. We're so thankful that this is behind us now...Christmas is next, then on to working on getting our baby home.

Jake

Our family has needed a lot of prayers recently and I'm so thankful for our friends and family members that have interceded on our behalf. :) Today, my nephew is having surgery to repair an irregular heartbeat. The doctors need to find where the wrong impulse is coming from and fix it. My sister had a similar surgery three years ago. Pray for Jake's protection, and that the doctor can indeed locate the problem. Pray also for my sister and her family as they wait...that they would be free from worry. Thank you for your prayers!!

We had a full weekend. My dad turned 61. We were planning to celebrate at my mom's house, but after an ice storm went through on Friday over 120,000 people lost power...they were one of them. The report from the power company was that they wouldn't get their power back on until Christmas Eve. So we had the party at my sister's house. If you look real close, you'll see a rope being lowered down next to my dad's head. My niece sent down a birthday message for Grandpa from the loft. So cute. On Sunday morning, I woke up at my usual time these days...4:00. :) Two hours later, our power went off as well. I freaked a bit thinking we could possibly not have power all week. Kevin got the generator hooked up and I was able to use my curling iron. Well, after getting it half done, the generator stopped working. I had a feeling that would happen. So, off to church we went and I finished my hair in the church bathroom.

Thankfully our power, my sister's and my mom & dad's came back on Sunday afternoon. There are still over 50,000 people without power and it is bitter cold today. It's minus 20 degrees right now with the windchill. Caedmon's school is closed today because of the cold.

The song "Breathe of Heaven" has been my comfort and prayer this week as we continue to count down days and prepare quickly for this new little baby coming soon. "Lord, help me to stay focused on your Son amidst all the craziness this week. Amid the glitter and busyness of the season, help me not to lose sight of the miracle of that very first Christmas and the miracle that is happening right here in our family too."

"Breath of heaven, Hold me together,

Be forever near me, Breath of heaven.

Breath of heaven, Lighten my darkness,

Pour over me your holiness, For you are holy.

Breath of heaven."

Jake's 16th Surprise Party

On Saturday, my sister & brother-in-law threw a big 16th surprise birthday party for my nephew, Jake. Can it really be true that he is going to be 16 already? I remember his birth...I was a junior in high school and my mom got me out of school when my sister was going to the hospital that day. I drove like a maniac to get home so we could get to the hospital in time for his birth. What an exciting moment for our family welcoming the first grandson & for me, becoming an aunt for the first time!

That's one proud stylin' Aunt!

My sister asked us if we could come up with a plan to keep Jake away on Saturday until the big surprise. So Kevin called him up and asked if he wanted to spend the day with him and then we would take him out to dinner that night. Shanna had all the guests really dress up and had a "tie" theme, so we told him that we wanted him to bring his suit & tie because we were going to take him to a really nice restaurant. To get Jake back to his house, we told him that his dad wanted to borrow a drill from Kevin and that we were going to drop it off quickly before going to dinner. When we arrived, their parking lot was full of cars and their house was full of his friends & family. Everyone was asked to bring a tie as a gift or as part of their gift that reminded them of Jake, then share a story about why they chose it. I gave him a red tie to remind him of the day that he broke my nose and made it bleed a lot. He was four (Caedmon's age) and our family was having a picnic at the Hurshtown Reservoir. Everyone was throwing rocks into the water, so he did the same except his (a really big one) hit me right on the nose instead of making it in the water. Kevin was standing right beside me thankfully and caught me in his arms before I collapsed into the water. There was a lot of bleeding and a broken & very swollen nose! I've given him a hard time since. =)
A devotional challenge to the teens by Clint, Jake's DadRylie dressed in one of Jake's suitsWe're all very proud of you, Jake, and the man that you are becoming. You bring a lot of laughter & joy to our family. May you continue to be a shining light & positive influence to those around you! Happy 16th! We love you!

Watch out drivers, here he comes!