Whew, life! It’s been awhile since I’ve written an actual update about our real life, and there is a lot to say…so here we go! Let’s do 3 things about each of us, just to cover the bases of what has been going on in our family over these past few months!
Ezra
- Little man is almost fully potty trained AND sleeping in a big boy bed. We decided when we moved, we would just do all the big transitions at once. And Ezra just tackled them all head-on, as he does. Also: I have zero kids in diapers full time. WHAT?
- Ezra is BUSY. He is our biggest trouble maker at 2.5 and DOES.NOT.STOP. He’s the kid that is out to prove to the world that even though I thought I knew what I was doing by the 3rd kid, I actually did not have a clue. He defies all rules and expectations that I’ve set up before. He’s going to change the world. I just have to survive raising him.
- He is universally adored. It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it? That the kid who causes the most trouble is the kid that everyone likes. Yup. That’s Ezra. He’s talking up a storm and making friends wherever we go. He loves to step in and boss people around and most people just blink at him and do what he says. I told you- he’s trouble!
Kiah
- Kiah is 4.5 and is as sweet as Ezra is spicy. He loves to chat and is extremely artistic. He can play by himself for a long amount of time, but also is my touchiest and clingiest child.
- Kiah stays busy all day long- he wakes up before 7 am 100% of the time, and his body does not stop moving until he crashes at bedtime. We always tell him that he has springs in his legs because he just kind of bounces around. He can do a hand stand by slowly just raising his legs into the air, core fully engaged. His legs are in the air most of the time. When I read books to them, he’s usually upside-down, listening. He’s small but mighty. Remember when he was labeled “failure to thrive”? Ha. Not this kid. This kid is the exact definition of THRIVING.
- Kiah started riding a big boy bike a few months ago and is now fully confident and upgraded to a medium boy bike. He loves to ride bikes! He just finished up his first year of preschool and LOVED the art, music, and large muscle movement that they did on a daily basis. He is able to count and identify numbers and is slowly starting to understand that letters make sounds. He will do one more year of preschool before starting Kindergarten in Fall of 2022.
Tera
- Tera just finished up 1st grade and is excelling in reading (she comes by that one honestly) but still needs to work on Math (she also comes by that one honestly). She is able to read chapter books and is starting to figure out how to pace herself. For the most part, she gets really excited and reads a chapter or two and then abandons the books all around the house. Personally, I read ONE book at a time and this method of hers drives me crazy, so I have the feeling it will stick around for many years to come. Because that is just the way it is, huh?
- Tera loves to be outside exploring nature and anything to do with animals. I know most kids like that type of thing, but Tera REALLY likes that type of thing. She says she wants to be a zoologist when she grows up, and Theo and I would not be surprised one bit if that actually happens. She could spend all day in a creek catching craysfish or cicadas and any chance to interact with large animals is also a highlight for her.
- It’s been fun seeing her make friendships and start to act more grown. She started in K very young (had just turned 5), so she’s always been a bit younger than her peers and I’m just excited to see some friendships really start to blossom.
Suzanne
- I am LOVING my summer vacation. It’s been really fun to be home with the kids and to be able to run my own schedule. I know that stay at home Mom life isn’t for everyone, but after the year that we have had, being home with my three kiddos is exactly what I needed. The summer seems like it’s already flying by! I will be returning to teaching and doing 1st grade again. I am THRILLED. I absolutely love my job. I am especially excited to have my first year done and feel much more ready to go into my second year with clear expectations and communication.
- I turned 30 this year and was not thrilled. Lol. That was a tough birthday for me!
- I am officially what is known as a “covid long hauler”. This means that I have long-lasting symptoms of COVID even after the virus has long passed. I have struggled greatly since May with a headache that has never left. Yup, I’ve had a headache for 7 weeks now. I also still have little sense of smell. Some days are worse than others, and some days I am mostly just discouraged. Some days I am functioning just fine! Either way, I am working on having an attitude that doesn’t destroy my family and that glorifies God. Some days are harder than others on that front!
Theo
- The challenges that Theo has faced this past year on his job are immense. I would like to talk about it more, but let’s just say that “moral is very low” in the police department. The insults, undermining, accusations and lack of support have really had a toll on Theo and many other officers. He’s still doing his job and he’s still doing a great job, but man…it’s tough.
- Theo is really enjoying pursuing rental properties on a larger scale. We just closed on rental property #5. Two have long-term renters, one is run as an Airbnb, one is our current residence and one is getting fixed up to become a long term rental. Theo manages them all seamlessly and really enjoys the work.
- Theo went on a weekend trip to take a shooting course back in April. He absolutely loved it and can’t wait to do another one! He highly recommends TDI Ohio for any classes that they offer!
Other Family News:
Did you know that we moved again? Yeah, we did. It’s a long story, but basically it made sense for our family. It’s not a forever home, but it’s a home that we plan to be in for a few years at least. It’s also located very close to our Airbnb and makes it far easier for me to clean and manage the place.
In October, we began attending a church plant with some other families from our church. We have been attending that for the last several months and it has been a blessing. The smaller church size has meant greater fellowship and getting to know one another. Despite our small size, we have had plenty of needs to meet and it’s been a great joy being able to partner together to meet those needs.
And that is a little update on our life! I do plan to write a little more about our rental properties, and maybe at some point I will be brave enough to publish a post on what it has really been like to be a law enforcement family this past year…but for now, I’ll live you with these fun little updates!