Our Last First Tooth Lost

I feel like many of the posts for Caleb could start with "Our last..." It's crazy watching our youngest hit these milestones because it seemed to take forever with Hailey to hit hers. It's crazy how perspective changes the way time feels.

Caleb lost his first tooth. He has been waiting and waiting to lose his tooth and finally on June 23rd he lost his first one. That's pretty late for our kids. He's been six for months, and most of our kids had lost there's when they were 5.

He was so excited for the Tooth Fairy to come and she didn't disappoint.   

It was a bit rough there for a minute as he had me pull it out. Poor kid!  But later he said it didn't even hurt.  I think he was more scared than anything.

And We Have a Driver!

Hailey began drivers ed the beginning of May after 5 weeks she was done. It was a lot more work than we anticipated, but she did great and now has her permit. She probably won’t have her license until next Spring, but she’s having fun practicing!  Way to go, Hailey!  We’re so proud of the hard work you put into things. We love you.

Hailey was so sick in this picture, but we had to get a pic with her permit.

Side-note: Hailey was so stressed by the end with school finals and drivers Ed ended up sick for two weeks. But it didn’t stop her. She made it through her last week, driving sick and finished.

June Was the Month of Random Sickness and a Bazillion Appointments

I am writing this post for my future self.  Sometimes life with five kids gets crazy, and I don't want to forget the crazy times we went through just to keep these kids alive. :)

We started June out with Jack breaking his arm. This involved 4 appointments just to get the cast.  Then he had to get a second cast and another date to get it removed. That is six just for this kid.

Hailey finished up drivers ed and was sick the first week of June.  The second week she ended up with Bronchitis and Laryngitis and was in bed for a week straight.  This also required a visit to the urgent care on the weekend to help her out.

Then in the midst of all that, Conrad had an asthma flare-up out of nowhere and took two appointments to get him better with days of every 4 hours (including nighttime hours) nebulizer treatments to get him feeling back to his old self.


Brayden must have been feeling left because he ended up with a croupy cough.  For most kids age eight, that's no big deal.  But with Brayden, his airway gets really tight to the point that he really struggles to breathe, so we always end up at the Dr. for a steroid.  Thankfully this time, the steroid took care of it.  But, that's days of sounding like a seal when he coughs and talks and prayers that he doesn't get worse.

I also ended up doing four well-child checks for scouts, a job, and because Caleb had been whining about his leg hurting for months.  To top it all off, we have two in braces, and I think we ended up at the orthodontist 3 times because of a lost retainer.

That makes a total of 16 appointments.  If you don't count weekends, there are only about 20 days in a month that Dr.'s are open.  We averaged about an appointment a day.  When June was over, I wondered where it had gone because we hadn't gotten out and done much. I also wondered how I got through all those years with babies and running on no sleep because June was a reminder of all those sleepless nights!  HAHA. We were so happy to have July come and grateful that everyone is happy and healthy with no lasting issues.

The Whirlwind we called Baseball

This year all of the boys played baseball.  The two older kids played travel ball, which made life difficult, and we won't do it again, but it helped them improve a lot.  Brayden got a bit ripped off because of travel ball, so next year will be his year for all the attention.  Baseball for some of the kids started in February and ended the first week of July.  That's a long baseball season.

But, even though we were at baseball games or practices most of those nights, I totally loved watching these boys this year.  It's so fun to watch the kids grow and improve on the things that they love.  Conrad really improved on playing infield, and his arm got a great deal stronger this year.  His hitting improved, and he got some great hits. He played on two teams and really enjoyed the Babe Ruth season.

Jackson loves to pitch and had many opportunities to do just that.  He did great, and it was fun to watch, although it's a bit nerve-wracking too.  :)  His hitting also improved quite a bit.  He had some really great hits.

Brayden played up with the kids just above him so he could play with friends.  But, that didn't intimidate him.  He had a great time this year and began learning the skills it takes to become a great player.

To say Caleb loved baseball this year is an understatement.  Most six-year-olds, ours included, are at the game but not really into it.  But with all the years of watching his brothers and playing with Bo and the boys in the backyard, he's really picked it up.  He ran all over the field to get the ball and throw it where it should go because the other kids weren't that into it.  It was hilarious to watch.  He also LOVES sliding into every base, every time.  Probably our favorite part.

Each age has fun things to watch, and this season definitely didn't disappoint.  I took many videos but not many still shots, so I don't have many pics.  Here are some I've got.

Brayden's team

Brayden hitting

Caleb's Team

Jackson pitching (terrible pic)

Jack hitting

These two boys with their buddies

Jackson's 11th Birthday

Summer has gotten away from me!  It's not almost the middle of August, and I haven't blogged all summer.  I can't forget this kid and his 11th birthday, and I try to get all caught up.  Jackson adds so much to our family.  I think he has a lot of me in him, which is excellent at times and at other times, makes his life a bit harder.  :)  But, he's one good kid, and we sure love him.

Here are some highlights from his day.  First and foremost, he chose to have strawberry shortcake.

   Here's his before:

 Opening gifts:

 And after:

This kid is ALL, BOY!  He loves:

Hunting

Fishing

Camping

Chopping Wood

Building fires

Scouts

Riding his motorbike/bike

Baseball/Pitching

Just started cross country and loves it

His Nintendo DS

Legos

Spending time with his brothers

We love how generous he is.  If he gets any money, he buys a little something for him but then makes sure everyone else gets something too.  He watches out for his little brothers, although sometimes this can cause problems, it's more helpful than not.  :)  He is a talker.  When I tuck him in for bed, he would talk to me for hours if I'd allow it.  I love that he tells me what's going on in his life because not all of the kids do that.  He's a good helper and loves helping in the kitchen and has become quite the little cook.  He can cook a mean scrambled egg.  Jackson, each year as we watch you grow, you surprise us with all you do.  You're a great kid.  We can't wait to see what you do next.  We love you to the moon and back!