My men

Today was the last day of trapping season for my men.  This new pastime has really caught their attention and they've gotten really good at catching racoons.  Now this coyote was a first and pretty significant for my man.  It was the "white whale" for my "Ahab".  We have so many coyotes around here and they have been known to cause problems for some of the local dogs (and chickens).  They wake us at night with their howling and set our dog on edge.  Much like the old cartoon of Wylie Coyote, they are very, well - wily and difficult to catch.  I'm so thankful that my man caught at least one (even though on a practical level, it didn't even make a dent in the population) because he was completely obsessed and vexed until he did so.   Good job babe! (Now you can give it a rest.) 

These were my men last week.  We had the opportunity to keep a buddy for a couple of days while his parents were out of town for work.  Three boys wasn't any harder than two, especially when they were all having fun.  It just reminded me about how God has provided friends for my sons.  When we first moved back to town, there seemed to only be one boy close to their age in our circles of friends and such.  Over the past two years, God continually has given them more and more good friends who are likeminded.  Whether at church, through basketball or other home school opportunities, they are now "covered up" in friends and if anything, the challenge is to maintain a healthy balance between friend time and family time.  Ben here is just one example but we are thankful for all of them.

Ethan's birthday

Well, this month my oldest turned 12.  Next thing I'll know he'll be shaving!   He had a great time with his buddies sleeping over and and chose to top it off with both a big chocolate chip cookie and his favorite of all time - a pumpkin pie.  The boys wrestled, laughed, played Legos & the video games.  No one was hurt but it was pretty crazy around here that night.  Despite my best attempts, I still managed to miss one of the boys in this photo below.  Too many for me to keep track of them all I guess.  

I can see how he's growing up in so many ways.  Obviously he's physically changing before my eyes (and he has the same size feet as I do) but I love to see the glimpses of maturity in him as well.  He still knows how to be silly, that's for sure, and I was impressed to see him spend his birthday money on a Kindle rather than on more Legos.  What impresses me most is his heart for others.  He has reached out to a new friend the last few months that doesn't have many of his own.  He has demonstrated more generosity, not only to friends but even to his siblings at times, that's new!  He is learning to control his emotions in a more "grown up" way, he is confident standing on his own and even staying home alone at times, and shows more responsibility in getting his chores and other requirements done quickly without stalling.  He even talks about his desire to maybe be a missionary someday.  Only God knows his future but we pray he will continue to walk in the Light.

Rejoice with us as we watch our boy become a young man.  Happy Birthday Jaybird!