And that's a Wrap!

We are on the brink of a new Decade everyone, (!) and for people who like to reflect and ponder and dream,(LIKE ME!!!) this is like our SUPERBOWL! 😁😁😁😁😁
 I've been daydreaming and remembering; I've been pausing and journaling and planning.  I've been surveying my life-all the life-that took place for me/us this past decade, and I couldn't be more grateful for EVERYTHING; and I couldn't be more excited for what is to come in the decade of the 20s.
 My life is accelerating at an alarming rate. If each decade doubles in speed, than Evie will be graduating high school before I know it. 😳😳😳 (She's class of 2030!)

To quickly recap the last ten years, I'd say that my/our identity has changed dramatically.

We went from just the two of us  (2010).............>

To just the six of us (2019)!

I had several medical procedures, a house move, some incredible trips and adventures, made new friends and said good-bye to others.

Ireland!

Hawaii (x3!), once very pregnant with Evelyn

Italy! aka, "Babymoon"

Thailand

Amsterdam

We had babies,

various people living with us,
house projects
and job promotions.

projects like building cribs!....

Pregnancies! Lots of growing humans this decade....!

Our first child, Evelyn Grace. 

"Three babies for the price of one" pregnancy 

Many small people

And trouble. Lots and lots of trouble. But cute trouble.

Like anyone, we experienced so many good times, but also a lot of hard times.
 There was a lot of life in this last decade.

SO. MUCH. LIFE.

And it is in this life that John and I have really solidified and unified even more in our marriage.
This was a hectic decade.
There were a lot of transitions and seasons that pushed both of us to our emotional and spiritual and physical edge.

I believe in my heart that we are entering a sweet season of life; I picture it as a beautiful harvest of what we have sowed so far in our family. 

There was a lot of waiting in this decade: waiting to be pregnant; waiting for my pregnancy to be over; waiting for the babies to grow up; waiting to move into our new house; a lot of the time it was waiting for the day to be over!

In this decade I vow to do less waiting and more living. 
Because I can. 😁 
I finally feel emotionally able to do so.

 "crazy hair night" at Awanas!

Evelyn turned 8.
Yes.
EIGHT.
 I can't believe I have an eight year old; but then again I can because she  understands technology better than me and challenges me with deep theological discussions. 😳😳😳

She is intelligent, compassionate and full of opinions. She is finding where she belongs in this world, and during the next ten years she is going to go from a little girl of 8 to a woman of 18. 😩

The boys too are thinking, comprehending and deciding who they are.

For Christmas this year the kids received sleeping bags.
They also received fishing poles and suitcases.
Can you see a theme here?! Now we just need to find a summer camp! 😃

The kids were so excited about their travel gear. They decided they were all going to sleep in their new sleeping bags in the basement on Christmas night.
However, when night fell, sickness, fatigue and apprehension caused each of them to rethink the basement campout.
Caleb, however, refused to be deterred.  Frustrated with his siblings for backing out, Caleb decided to take on this experience by himself. He packed his little suitcase with clothes for the next day and found his camp site in the basement.

He was content and comfortable the entire night; he ascended from the basement the next morning with a big smile on his face. He was dressed in new clothes that he packed in his suitcase.

When he has his mind made up, he will proceed, regardless.
I am excited to see what this decade holds for him.

James was most delighted by his train tracks. He officially graduated from wooden Brio tracks to electric Gauge N, a professional type of track that takes great patience and precision to assemble.

I watched him as he connected the tracks and strategized solutions to obstacles and created new ideas.
I believe the next ten years he will continue to create, explore and discover.

And then there is Levi. This next decade will probably be spent on fields and courts, watching and cheering him on.

One of the favorite gifts were soccer nets. We set them up in the basement, and the boys have been using them constantly. Levi's domination on the soccer field is a bit intimidating, even in a basement.

For John and me, I believe we are entering a season together that is going to be our best one yet. We are celebrating 15 years of marriage, and truly this past year I have felt more love, appreciation and admiration for him.
John is a true leader in our family. He is respected at work, in our community and especially in our family.
I believe there are big things ahead-wonderful things ahead- and I really couldn't be more excited for 2020 and beyond.

Christmas Tree Magic

November has been all things turkey.

Turkey art...

Turkey sweets...

and THE BEST turkey I have ever eaten.
Melissa and Rob brought us  an organically  raised turkey from their friend's small farm in Washington.
John smoked the dark meat
and sous-vide the rest.
It was one of the most
delicious things I've ever had. 

Turkey grill master

We had a nice couple of days with family.  It was so wonderful sharing the table with everyone! :) 

Ready to Feast!

COUSIN TABLE! :) 

Pie time is every one's favorite part.

Caleb's choice: pumpkin, toffee almond, citrus and caramel pear.
I've never seen someone eat (and enjoy!) so much pie. 

Evie goes with a little bit of everything and a lot of whip cream

Levi likes anything and everything anywhere at anytime.

James is a pumpkin pie guy 100%. 

It's always our tradition to "walk off" the meal.
Yes, us adults were definitely carrying most of these bikes up the hill by the end of the walk. 

We postponed getting our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving because putting up the holiday lights took John a bit longer than expected and used up all our Christmas spirit and energy.

The kids complained and moaned at having to wait yet another day to commence their Christmas tree trimming; the only thing that made them feel better is that we promised we'd go to their favorite local Christmas tree farm the very next day after school.

Evelyn remembered this place and assured the boys that there would also be free apple cider and candy canes. This seemed to be more important than actually finding a suitable tree, so they agreed that tomorrow would be better; they managed to endure a whole day of school. Climbing into the car in the afternoon, they anticipated the whimsical family memory that was about to be made.

By the time we got everyone home, properly nourished and suited up with rain boots and coats for our Christmas tree cutting adventure, it was nearing dusk;  John urged everyone to get into the car so we could arrive before dark.

The car was bouncing with Christmas excitement as the kids all sang Christmas carols and discussed qualifications for the perfect Patton tree. As our mini van rolled up to the tree farm, we witnessed a man in big boats rolling down the garage door. It was a little before 5:00 and John thought that they perhaps closed at 5. Certainly they would at least welcome one more family before calling it a day...right?!?!
 The man walked over to our van and John rolled down the window. "Nope, we are closing up early. Just getting to dark and dangerous out here in the forest to cut down another tree." He seemed pretty matter of fact and tired. Four excited kids faces immediately dropped.
John was leaving for a business trip the next day, so this was our big chance to find a family Christmas tree.
"Noooo!" cried the kids. "We want a Christmas tree!" Levi was actually crying. He was excited to hike out to the woods with Dad and saw it down.
John and I were silent for a moment as we pulled out of their lot.
Any other Christmas tree farm was going to be closed now, as the darkness suddenly descended over all of us. We were out of luck.
"Well," started John, "there is always FredMeyer."

It was true. The local grocery store near our house was an option. No, we wouldn't be traipsing through the woods picking out the perfect tree together. But we could grab a gallon of milk on our way out?😒
The kids weren't thrilled with the idea; but, when they realized it would be another week until we could get a tree from the tree farm, they obliged.
Everyone, except Levi.
All the convincing and reasoning and even bribing in the world couldn't convince him that this was a fine option.
He was adamant about wanting to wait it out the week in order to cut it down himself.

Well, majority won (as it does in most of our family predicaments and disagreements) and we drove to Fred Meyer to get our tree.
In protest, Levi refused to get out of the car.
So I agreed to stay with him while the rest of the crew went in .
He didn't complain or sulk; he was perfectly happy sitting in the car with me. He was simply standing up for what he believed was the right way to go about selecting a tree.

 About 15 minutes later, the rest of the family emerged from the florescent lights carrying with them a handsome looking Christmas tree.

Making Holiday Memories

John secured it on our roof with twine, and Caleb said a prayer that it wouldn't fall off the roof. At every stoplight he asked Dad to make sure it was still with us.
And as we pulled up to our house and put the tree in its place in front of our main window, no one remembered that we didn't chop it down.

And so, we have our Patton Christmas tree. 

The holidays can officially begin!