Brothers' Birthdays

My brothers' birthdays are only 2 weeks apart. Our family actually has 5 birthdays and Christmas all within 8 weeks of each other. So the holidays are always extra fun and busy. :)

My brother Jace turned 11 years old this year. I honestly can't believe it. I remember when I was 11 years old and now here my little brother is turning that age. He got a sports bag, sweatshirt, and new game he really wanted for his birthday. :)

The next birthday we celebrated was my other little brother Scout's. He turned 8 years old this year...wow!! I was only 9 when he was born so this birthday made me feel especially "old". He got some new clothes and a Lego set he wrote down on his list. :)

It's such a blessing to watch my siblings grow up and to be their big sister. Happy birthday to the best little brothers ever!

xoxo,

~Michlyn

The "Sister Birthdays"

I have one sister who has a birthday on May 5th....

And another sister who has a birthday on May 6th...

DEAR LAURA GRACE - MY ANGEL BABY SISTER!

You are so precious and dear to my heart...I think about you sooo much and I can't wait to meet you in heaven one day. You are beautiful and perfect and I LOVE YOU! Give Jesus a big hug for me! 

AND TO MY CRAZY, BEAUTIFUL, SPUNKY, AND HILARIOUS SISTER ERIN!

You are my best friend. My life would be so boring and uneventful without you. I've loved having you as my partner in crime since the wee age of 1 1/2. :) You have a funny and unique personality and some people think it's hard to handle, but I think it's great. I can't wait to go on so many more adventures and make lots more entertaining memories. Keep your chin up and that beautiful smile bright! Love you!

~Michlyn

The Positives

This is a very late post.

But I thought I'd share some of the happy things that happened  for my birthday.

The weekend before, I got to get together with my 2 favorite cousins, grandparents, and my sister.

It was so fun and very much needed time spent with family that are close in age, and with grandparents that like to hear funny stories and ask questions about life. :)

On my birthday, as you know I was sick, but my sister did go to school and had a few things for me.

One of my friends got me chocolates and a card. Another friend bought me flowers and a coffee.

My big sister (not really - but she seems like it) brought me a gift card and a letter.

My best friend got me a Zac Efron card, a lanyard (for my keys when I get my license), and a scarf.

The weekend after, I went shopping with my sister, my best friend, and my mom. I scored on some awesome boots and a new purse!

So it really was a fantastic birthday! I am blessed.

~Michlyn

Sweet?? ...16

Hey everyone... I turned 16 yesterday.

Oh my goodness gracious. I am getting old. :)

You know everyone looks forward to their sweet 16 right?

Well I definitely was! Going to school to celebrate with friends, and dress up.

The thing is...this...

Yep. I got sick. Like sleep on the couch, your whole body aches, I just want to be healthy again sick.

On my birthday. Just fantastic.

So this was pretty much my "sweet" 16.

(p.s. thanks mom for putting this on facebook. haha at least I was drooling and you could barely see my sick & make-up less face. :) )

There were a few things that made my day brighter and happier, but those will come tomorrow when I'm not so lazy. It's my 3rd day home from school this week. :( I love school...most of the time. Just not the homework and the wake up early part of it.

I could use some prayers! Thank you - now it's off to bed again.

~Michlyn

My Best Friends Brithday

Soooooooo there is a birthday today.

And it just so happens to be MY BEST FRIEND'S!

Beka is 15 years old today! Whooaa - she's getting old. just kidding :)

Because that means I'm getting old too.

Happy Birthday Beka! I'm so glad God gave me a friend that is so understanding, helpful, spirited, and funny! You're not afraid to be who you are! 

~Michlyn

She's 14!

No matter how old she is...

2001

2011

... she'll always be my little sister.

Erin turned 14 years old today! I can't believe it. I remember when we were little, it was just you & I... no other siblings yet. We would play outside in our sundresses all summer long. And in the winter we would get bundled up and catch snowflakes on our tongue as we stood in the driveway.

You've almost caught up to me. You're only 1 inch shorter than me, and I'm done growing - So the idea that  you're going to be taller, is correct. I remember when I always thought, that you would never be taller than me.

Your feet are bigger than mine

You're stronger than me

BUT... you're still skinnier than me, and I don't think that will ever change. :) You've always been little, except when you were born. haha you were definitely a chubby baby. To this day, I still don't know how you stay so skinny. You eat all the time, and have a lot of snacks. I guess it's because you're so crazy and have some energy to run around. Unlike me... you always call me lazy and "no fun". 

We have good times together, and sometimes laugh so hard we cry. I enjoy those late nights when we'll watch TV until midnight. Or dance and sing to music in the car. I hope that when we grow up, we don't lose the bond we have. You are only 18 months younger than me. Even though it seems like you're so much older. Don't grow up too fast, because that means that I have to grow up first. :)

Love you sister,

~Michlyn

Top List of 2011!

Ok here's my top fave memories of 2011 - It was a great and memorable year!

January:

My top memory for January was Volleyball - I used to play on a team through another school and absolutely loved it! I played through the JO program (Junior Olympics) and had an amazing team with great coaches!

February:

Most of you know that I LOVE youth group, and also like to volunteer and help in anyway! So my favorite memories of February is the Valentine's Dinner and also Dare2Share! The dinner was at our church and I had a blast serving with my friends from youth group - the food was really good too! At Dare2Share we got to take a road trip with our youth group to Lincoln, Nebraska. At the conference, students are taught how to share their faith with their peers, get to watch dramas, worship, and a lot more. It was so much fun!

(Beka and I on the way to the church, we stayed at in Nebraska)

March:

I also love babysitting! I used to be a part time nanny for two little boys who I would watch once a week! They were such great kids and it was an awesome job! Another memory in March was the adoption finalization for my sister Tareh Jo - She became a U.S. citizen!

April:

For those of you who don't know, I was homeschooled last year. Anyway around April last year, we were thinking about putting me into school for the next year (which we did). So my favorite part of April was finishing up my homeschooling.

May:

This month is the month when all school work speeds up... homework finals, graduations, and end of the school year parties. I loved finishing up my schooling, seeing my siblings finish school, and watch my littlest brother graduate from Preschool. It was a great start to an amazing summer!

June:

The start of summer was great last year! Full of memories with friends and family. You can click here to read about my whole summer. My favorite memory in June was the youth group summer kick-off party, and also the fun time to relax with family and friends.

Beka and I at the summer kick-off party - We had a lot of inflatables!

Beach Day with Friends

July:

July was a busy month, but it was also a lot of fun! We celebrated one very special day in July (that we will celebrate every year) and that would be Tareh Jo's "Gotcha Day"! The day that she came home to us - Her forever family. Another fun event would be the trip we took to MOA (Mall of America) with the youth group! (If you can't tell yet, we have a lot of fun events in youth group - especially in the summer).

July 23rd, 2010 - Can't believe it's already been over a year

Celebrating one year - July 2011

MOA trip - Beka and I

August:

This month was probably the most fun, and busy month of the summer! My #1 memory from this month was Bunker Beach with the youth group! My next favorite memory was Valleyfair with my cousins and grandparents!

Excuse the smeared mascara and you got one fun day!

Cousins :)

September:

School had been in session for about a week by the time September got going. It was fun because I actually got to go to Valleyfair again with Beka one weekend! Another memory for September would be Beka's party! She invited a few people over for a bonfire and dinner and it was a blast!

October:

There was not too much going on in October - Just a bunch of school and homework and hanging out with friends! To start out with, Beka and I love taking pictures, so one day in October she came over and we did a photo shoot! It was a blast - I think we took around 300/400 pictures just on that day! Now we have a "photo shoot" like every time we see each other! My next memory is one of my very favorites from the whole year. FALL FLING! It was a great weekend full of friends, games, fellowship, worship, and tons of fun! If you want to read more about it then you can visit these links:

Fall Fling Part 1

Fall Fling Part 2

Fall 2011 Pictures

BEST FRIENDS

We played in the flag football tournament as a youth group! It was so much fun!

November:

My favorite memory in November would have to be my birthday! I had so many birthday wishes at school, through texts, and even on facebook! I felt very special on my birthday! Here are some pics from that day!

December:

There are a lot of fun memories from December! It was a fun and busy month because of the holidays, but I also had such a blast in December because it was a time to reflect on the year and also to look forward to a new year! Thank you so much for reading!

Here's a list of links to go to if you really feel like it; for December:

My Little Brother

Crazy Shopping with Beka

Only One Year?!?!

Happy New Year 2012!

It was so good to go back and look at what I enjoyed in 2011! I made a lot of memories and I'm very excited to see what 2012 will bring!

~Michlyn

Look who's 9!

Look at those cheeks...

Happy Birthday Jace! You're so special to us, and I can't imagine my life without you! You were my first brother and you definitely keep life exciting!

Your big sister,

~Michlyn

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving! We got to see almost all of our family, and we had a ton of fun! We went to my mom's side of the family first. We ate a lot of food, had laugh attacks with the cousins, watched the little ones play outside together, and the adults enjoyed each others company.

Before Thanksgiving, my grandma was hoping for a big family picture. Everyone said they would be stopping by sometime through out the day so towards the end before everyone headed home we took a few!

One big crazy family. 10 adults (grandma&grandpa + 4 kids & spouses) 19 grandchildren (16 yrs. - 22 months)

It was also Scout's Birthday! He turned 6 years old - I can't believe it! Our little man was born on Thanksgiving 6 years ago, and now this was his first birthday where it actually landed on Thanksgiving again! We called him our little turkey! :) So we got to celebrate in the morning with a few presents, and then later we celebrated with lots of family.

Hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving!

~Michlyn