"School Pictures" taken by mom. ;) The boys got to return to school in-person in August. The school has many restrictions in place that made this possible (mask-wearing, temperture checks each morning, a hybrid schedule for Luke at the Secondary, to name a few) and they love those days! They've also been able to spend time with us on campus for some outdoor events and meetings. One of our next-door neighbor boys has also joined Luke for some of these, as well as youth group at church! We tried exploring a couple (new-to-us) places to mountain bike and hike while enjoying the changing aspens, but it wasn't always easy to find a place that wasn't effected by the many wildfires that were still burning. This fall, Levi requested a new haircut (cut by mom, as usual), got to play soccer, and had a birthday in October! We also recently celebrated Judah's birthday, not long after Halloween (we all dressed in our Star Wars costumes for a Challenge party with college students)! Unfortunately, Covid infections are rapidly increasing, so our entire school district has switched back to remote learning. The boys hope (and so do we) that they can return in-person after winter break.
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The boys spent a lot of time reading and enjoying our neighborhood park this summer. We also got new next-door neighbors that also have 3 boys, so all the kids ended up spending a lot of time together in our yards! For Father's Day and 4th of July, we were able to continue some traditions! We also enjoyed a physically-distanced Father's Day lunch with a couple neighbors, which was so special! We love our neighbors! During the last couple weeks of summer, the boys got to attend summer camp for 2 1/2 days! The camp had shortened the days and limited their numbers so kids could still come and enjoy this summer's Christ-centered program. They had to wear masks regularly, preparing them for in-person school in August. After they returned, we squeezed in one more camping trip before at Chambers Lake in Colorado before they started school. It was absolutely wonderful, but little did we know that a few days after our visit, the area would be in flames. The Cameron Peak Fire started on August 13th near Chambers Lake. The wildfire has burned for months and grew to the largest in Colorado history. At the time of this blog post on November 14th, the fire is currently 92% contained and burned 208,923 acres.
I apologize for not keeping this section of our blog up to date!! The pandemic changed many of our circumstances, yet the boys adapted very well, and we still got to enjoy some traditions. The boys' school did not return in-person after their Spring Break. Our church also transitioned to "stay-at-home" streamed services, so our new norm often looked like living-room worship while still in our pajamas. ;) We kept our Easter tradition of making "Resurrection Rolls," and tried new things too, like chalk art of a cross on our driveway. We ended the month of May, and the end of the school year, by celebrating Luke's birthday! We are so grateful to God for him! He did a great job finishing his final year of elementary school, and received the honor of an Excellence Award from his teachers too!
"School pictures" taken by Darci This past fall, Luke participated again in Robotics Club. As a 5th grader, we were proud of the example he set for the younger students! Levi played another season of soccer, and their team name was the "Tigers." He also turned 8 in October! Both older boys continue to do well at school and participate in Awana every week. And last but not least, Judah turned 3 in November! More than anything, he is interested in motorcycles, monster trucks, and cars. He also has been a "helper," in many ways. He likes to help daddy in the garage and yard and help mom with vacuuming. They are blessings from the Lord!
To start our summer, our family took a road trip to Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin. We made a quick stop to the Field of Dreams. Having grown up in Iowa, this was one of Darci's favorite movies, and she had visited the field when she was a child. We celebrated the graduation of our nephew, Hayden, and then later celebrated Luke's 10th birthday! After we returned to Greeley, the boys had a great time at a local Vacation Bible School in June. We wrapped up July with a couple family adventures... bike rides around town and an afternoon hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Luke would say the highlight of his summer came at the very end of July... Camp Elim! He was away from home for 5 nights and days. He made lots of friends, and earned badges by memorizing Bible verses. He also was introduced to personal Bible study as well as some things he had never tried before, like canoeing and archery! On the first Monday of August, just a couple days after Luke returned home from camp, these two had their first day of school! We have continued our tradition of praying together on the way to school... we lift up friends and teachers, but we also ask the Lord to help us throughout the day to bring Him honor and glory and make Him known to others.
These 3 had a great time traveling to Wisconsin to see family, and since our Cru Winter Conference was pushed back a day from recent previous years, we were able to spend Christmas day WITH family. We were grateful! After the break (and thankfully no sickness during the break!), the older boys got back into their school routines and Judah began missing them... at least for a little while. ;)
Times flies. And the boys have grown so much. Here's a quick update on some highlights. Luke turned 9 at the end of May! Brett and all 3 boys have a common hobby... RC (remote controlled) cars, and that was the theme Luke wanted for his birthday party. He asked for a vanilla cake, and specifically not cupcakes, with salted carmel topping. :) While we were in San Diego for our Summer Mission, we had a free day that we spent at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. San Diego and the entire trip was definitely a summer highlight for our whole family. Judah turned one year old on November 2nd! We celebrated with a little party themed after the book "Where the Wild Things Are." He somehow managed to take off most of the frosting from his cupcake and put it on the floor, but devoured the rest! He is officially done with his helmet and we are pleased with the results from the past couple months. He enjoys being chased by his big brothers, dancing, and kicking balls. We are so thankful to God for the precious gift of Judah!
The boys have been in school for a couple weeks already. Luke was excited to return to school. He is very social and loves seeing his friends. He is in 3rd grade and is trying out the Lego Robotics Club at school. Levi was also excited and, as he put it, "ready" for kindergarten. He really enjoys soccer and the season begins next week. Both boys are also looking forward to Awana starting next month. Judah is 9 months old. He is crawling everywhere, pulling himself up on all the things, and walking with a walker or along furniture. Now, if he would just sleep through the night, we'd really be impressed. ;) He has been wearing a cranial helmet that was made specifically for his head for almost 4 weeks (and has a few more weeks to go). It's purpose is to round out his head, and we have seen a significant change already! Since he has to wear it 23 hours a day, we are very thankful that he doesn't seem to mind it.
The boys had a great time in San Diego too! They love being around college students, of course, but a highlight for them was getting to see friends (kids from the other staff families) every day in San Diego! We are so thankful that the Hullah boys get to experience our summer assignments with us. It is amazing that they get glimpses of other kids, families, and students walking with the Lord. The day after we completed the San Diego Adventure Summer Mission, our family went to Legoland in Carlsbad, CA! We were able to get the boys in free using coupons they had collected from the free Lego magazine they receive! Luke and Levi are "Lego maniacs" and had a great time building, as well as riding lot of rides. :)
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AuthorThe Mama Archives
November 2020
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