So Behind.

We just celebrated Sam's 14th Birthday and I am now seeing how far behind I am in my birthday posts. Over the last 2 years, everyone has grown so much. Eli is no longer 8..he is 9 and has switched schools. He finished the years with his brothers in private school because he wasn't thriving in his current Spanish school. That was a hard decision, but it was the right one. Once he switched schools, I saw him confidence grow and he became very engaged in learning. He walked into that school and immediately showed off his leadership skills, earning the leadership award for his class. Over the last year, Eli has also found a huge group of friends in the neighborhood he plays with. Dylan, Cole, Lucas, Collin and Jersey (Dylan's sister). There have been 2 recent additions as well...Brooks and Emery. When Eli isn't on the ball field, playing tons of baseball, he is outside playing with his friends. The last 2 years have been difficult on Eli because of our adoption of Madi. I am proud of the growth I have seen in him and look forward to seeing him grow into a man of good character.

Madi is now 7. She is rocking it out in school. She is a leader in her class and everyone loves her. This year, she played basketball and gymnastics. She quit gymnastics in time to start wrestling season, and really enjoyed wrestling. Now, she goes to a club practice 2xs a week and is doing great and improving so much. This winter we found out that Madi had sleep apnea, so she got her tonsils and adenoids out. That surgery was tough but now, she sleeps well with the help of some sleep meds. At school,  her best friends are Laney and Ella but she really gets along well with her classmates. The neighborhood hasn't been as nice to Madi as it has Eli. The girls next door and across the street have turned out to be mean girls and luckily, God has protected Madi from them. She has some other neighbours she plays with often. Jonah, Micah, and Andrew are her daily playmates and we have her many friends from school over often. 

As a family, we went to Florida this past Thanksgiving and that was fun. We didn't go skiing and we aren't going to the beach because we purchased Mattox a car. Things are changing quickly in this house as everyone grows up. It's not shocking that I haven't found time to get on here and write....