Twelve

Today, our Jeremiah turns 12.  TWELVE.  It's been an adventurous 12 years.  It hasn't been the easiest thing, being Jeremiah's parents.  But, along with the struggles over the years, we've had a lot of adventures.  Jeremiah seems to have boundless energy.  He wakes up at dawn and is going, going, going until 10pm.  If I could bottle that energy and sell it, we wouldn't need to worry about paying for college (in just 6 short years....EEK!).  He's creative and smart; curious and ambitious.  He's funny.  He's impulsive (almost to a fault).  He's an adrenaline junkie.  He likes to know how things work.  He likes to invent games.  He's still a master with Legos (being a part of the Lego Robotics team at his school).  But, what happened to my little boy?  With each passing year, he is becoming much more like a man.

We have lots of prayers and hopes for Jeremiah in the upcoming year: for growth--spiritual, emotional, and physica; for health; for deep, meaningful friendships.  I pray he learns to control his impulses and check his attitude.  It's going to be an exciting year of change for our firstborn as he ventures into adolescence. Let it begin.

1 month old

12 years old

Interview:
What is your favorite color?  GREEN

What is your favorite food?  GREAT-GRANDMA'S TAMALES

What is your favorite animal?  ORCA

What do you like to do for fun?  READ, ORIGAMI, MINECRAFT, Wii, FOOTBALL & BASKETBALL, BIKE RIDING, SKATEBOARDING, BOARD GAMES 

What is your favorite board game?  MUNCHKIN

What is your favorite book?  THE HUNGER GAMES SERIES

Who is your favorite musician?  FIVE IRON FRENZY

What is your favorite song?  SUPERPOWERS (FIF)

What do you like most about yourself?  I CAN INVENT THINGS WITH LEGOS

What do you want to be when you grow up?  ENGINEER

We had a mellow day of celebration.  We brought brownie cupcakes to his class.  We had cake and ice cream and Jeremiah opened gifts.  Then, we played games.  He'll do some real celebration this weekend when he and Peter go to Magic Mountain with one of his friends.  Plus, he already had a 3-day weekend with my parents this past weekend and had some fun with his cousins.  Not bad for a 12-year-old.  

Really, we should go into the cake decorating business….  ;)

Fire, fire!

Big breath in

All at once

Opening the gift from Grandma and Grandpa F

From Alayna

Reading cards

Shirt from Great Aunt Dalynn

Shirt from Grandma and Grandpa F

Game from Grandma and Grandpa F

Movies from Mom and Dad

Happy Birthday, J-man.  Here's to a whole new year of YOU.

Day Trip to Santa Barbara

Yesterday, we had a chance to explore Santa Barbara when we met my Mom there so she could take Jeremiah back to LA with her for a solo weekend visit.  We figured, since we were driving there anyway, we may as well make a day of it.  So, we decided to visit the Santa Barbara Zoo (we get free admission due to our membership with a local zoo in SLO), go to the beach, and walk around downtown. The zoo is small, but there is still a lot to see.  It was over 80º outside, so perfect for some time on the beach after walking around for 2 hours.  After that, we headed to State Street for a late lunch and window shopping.  All in all, it was a delightful day!

Spent waaaaaay too long with the elephants  (I took about 20 photos of them)

Hear the lioness ROAR!

Alayna loved the Meerkats!

Sullen Gorilla

California condors feasting

Their names are Katniss and Peeta!  LOVE IT!

Beach time

Last Visages of Winter Break

The kids had 3 weeks off for winter break.  This was a new thing for us, and we rather enjoyed it (though all of us were ready for them to return to school today).  Peter was also off for most of their last week of break.  So, we had some great family time.  Kids played with friends on several occasions.  We did a couple beach trips.  We road our bikes a lot.  We played at different parks.  We went to see the elephant seals in San Simeon.  We went to a gathering with new church friends (nevermind that it was a football party...).  We even had a chance to serve in a local ministry called The People's Kitchen.  It was a full last week.  And, now, it's time to settle back into the swing of things.  But, first, some photos!

Playing with the race track

Art time with a friend

Elephant seals!

San Simeon Lighthouse

Birdies

 Hearst Castle

Let's go fly a kite….

She got it up in the air

With Dad's help.  :)

Fly

J-man's turn

 Run, Layna, Run

Waves

 Down time

Getting along!!!

As the sun is setting

 Riding home

Buzz cut Before/After

Helping the People's Kitchen

Enchiladas, rice, and corn