April Birthday Boys

My April birthday boys.  It has been an absolute joy getting a picture of them together each year and seeing how they've grown. 

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Kael is 21!

I am so glad Kael was able to come home yesterday to celebrate his birthday.  We went to Rube's- one of his very favorite places and it was so great to all be together to celebrate him!

Kylee and I were there too- I was taking the picture and she was at the head of the table on this end so I couldn't get her in the shot.

My favorite strong man.

Kael has had a busy spring with track meets and we love going to support him.  So far I think we have had someone at every one of his meets! Whether it's me and/or Kent, or some of the grandparents we are so lucky to have such a village who loves Kael.  And he's so easy to love. Kael is patient. Kael works hard.  Kael lifts heavy things.  Kael loves his family and spending time with them.  

Grandma Cindy brought some fun weightlifter decorations to his party and this is something that Kael is so proud of- his strength.  Getting on the leaderboard at Central was such a big goal of his and I truly couldn't be happier that he crushed that goal! He has hopes to keep moving up that board and I just know he's going to do it. 

Kael continues to enjoy playing guitar and I love when he's home and get to hear him play.  Every time he goes back to school I always say, "Kael it's going to be too quiet around here without you!" Kent loves when Kael is home because Kael is just fun and so easy to be around.  He and Kent love playing video games or watching movies together or even just sitting around and watching sports together, talking about players and stats- which is another strength of Kael's! He is so very knowledgeable about all things sports. He would kill it in any sports trivia game.

Kael has really gotten into poker this year.  He plays often with his friends at school and had a pretty big win last week! We plan to find a time once he's moved home in May to take him to Prairie Meadows and let him try his hand there now that he's 21. 

We love you so much Kael and we are so proud of you! Happy 21st!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Kael!

 Happy 20th birthday, Kael! 

What a year this guy is having.  Kael has been working SO hard- lifting heavy and really making strides in his throwing events! Earlier this year he cracked the top 100 in DIII for Hammer Throw and has continued to PR almost every meet since then! While I'm always happy for my kids when they have success, it's truly not about them winning or losing- I'm just so very proud to see his hard work and determination pay off! Track has become really important to him this season and it's been a to watch. 

Since he's away at college, Kael is the kid I see the least often which is what makes it so very sweet either when we can go to meets to support him or he can come home to spend the weekend with us.  He'll be home for Easter next weekend and I'm counting down the days! 

Kael continues to be just so solid and steady.  I would rely on that kid for anything and continue to be impressed with his never-shaken demeanor.  We could all learn a lot from Kael. He never gets too fired up or too disappointed about anything.  He's just always good and even if he's not, you'd probably never know because he never shows it.  

Central has been a great fit for Kael and he has made a lot of great friends.  He and his lovely girlfriend seem as happy as ever. 

He is an absolute joy to spend time with and I'm so thankful I got to spend the whole day with him yesterday cheering him on and just hanging out with him between his throws. He's just one of the good ones.  Love you, Kael!!! Hope you have a great day and we can't wait to celebrate you when you come home next weekend!!

Happy Birthday, Kael!

Happy 19th birthday Kael! Excluding the first year of his life, I would have to say this is the year of his life that he has changed the most.  

Kael has absolutely thrived as a college student. He's happy, he has great friends, a lovely girlfriend he's having fun with track and working hard at his classes. 

But more than that, I've seen him mature in so many ways.  He is responsible and handles things on his own that I used to have to remind him about. 

One thing Kent and I have talked about lately is how much we appreciate Kael's calm and steady attitude.  He's never really up or really down.   Anything stressful going on? Shrugs his shoulders and figures it out. He's so easy to please and just a joy to be around. 

He works hard at track and never seems to put too much pressure on himself.  We love watching him compete and get better each time.

He still loves his long hair and playing guitar. He and Kent talk music all the time and are going to another big concert next month. He's found some friends who have similar interests at school which makes me so happy for him. 

Kael is Kent's very favorite person to take out for dinner because he's not picky at all and is genuinely appreciative of good food.  He's great company too! 

Kael loves to be around the family. He was excited to come home this weekend to be able to watch Kylee run and also watch Kase's baseball games. Grandparents, cousins- he just loves to spend time with everyone and he's so easygoing and can have a conversation with anyone. 

Kael will do anything for you.  Seriously- he would give you the shirt off his back (and he has offered, many times when I'm chilly at a track meet or anywhere with him!) He's also never cold.  Ever.  He's the guy walking to class in the middle of winter wearing shorts- ha! 

I'm so happy that Kael has had such a great college experience so far but I'm also really excited to have him home for the summer.  The house just feels fuller when he's here and I just so enjoy his presence and hearing guitar sounds float down from his room. He's a great brother and enjoys asking Kylee and Kase questions about school and their lives.

I can't wait to spend the day celebrating my amazing first born! We have a day filled with track and baseball but tonight we plan to take him to dinner at one of his favorite places and I'm so happy we are able to make time to make him feel special amongst all the spring sports craziness!

Happy, happy birthday Kael.  You deserve every good thing that happens to you and may this coming year be as wonderful as this last year has been for you.  We love you so much and are so, so proud of you! Keep being great, buddy!  

April birthday boys

I can't believe this is the last year my April birthday boys will wake up in the same place together.  It has been an absolute joy getting a picture of them together each year and seeing how they've grown. 

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Happy Birthday Kael!

Kael is 18 years old today.  I've enjoyed looking through old photos lately, preparing for Kael's upcoming graduation party and I am just overcome with emotion- I am so, so very proud of this kid. 

When he was much younger, we were concerned that he didn't talk very much.  Now, while there are certainly no speech concerns, he still doesn't say a lot- most of my texts of questions to him are met with one word responses.  But when Kael does feel like talking, he's never afraid to speak his mind.  He's confident in himself without being cocky.  He is quick to smile or laugh, just like his dad.  It doesn't take a lot to keep Kael happy. There is never a roller coaster of emotions with him. He is always even keel.  When something exciting happens  and someone asks, "was Kael thrilled?" Not really.  Something terrible happened? Was Kael devastated? Nope.  He just handles things so well. Here are a few more thoughts on Kael at age 18!

Kael knows so, so many sports statistics.  I'm blown away by how much he knows and how he can remember it all. He's sparked an interest on my part to start following a lot of Twitter accounts just so I can stay informed and have an intelligent conversation about sports things with him!

Kael is the easiest travel partner.  He will sleep anywhere, eat anything, carry whatever you need him to.  He's up for an adventure and equally ready to just relax on a beach. I have loved making so many travel memories with him.

Gosh what a handsome guy.  

Kael has had lots of "lasts" this year.  Last football season, last high school track meets.  Last Homecoming, last Prom. Last year of Junkyard. But Kael doesn't seem sad about any of that- he just seems happy he got to be a part of it all. 

I like his long hair, but more importantly, he loves his long hair.  I will be so curious to see if he keeps it long for awhile and it's been fun seeing him care more and more about his appearance. Kylee offers helpful tips sometimes and tells him which kinds of shoes to buy and which socks to wear with which outfit and he tends to take her advice even when he didn't necessarily ask for it. 

Kael has stretched himself outside of his comfort zone with The Walk and signing up for Rocky Mountain.  I'm really happy with the mentor he has for church and he has enjoyed their talks.  And initially, Kael wasn't going to go to Rocky Mountain- he really likes to sleep in his own bed and be on his own schedule but he found out a few friends from church are going to he decided to go too and I'm happy he did- I think he will end up having a great time.

He has become a pretty awesome guitar player. Learning things almost completely by ear and occasionally googling things.  But mostly he listens allllll the time to his favorite bands and just picks stuff up.  He has even started writing his own stuff lately which is so impressive! He loves sharing his love of music and is willing to talk about bands and songs all the time.  He's even been trying to convince Kase to start playing the guitar or drums because he says he wishes he had started at a younger age.  I hope that in college Kael can find some friends who share his interest in playing guitar!

Kael does things in his own time.  We took several college visits starting as early as last year and he was in contact especially with BV and Central and ultimately has made the decision to go to Central this coming fall.  A year or two ago I honestly didn't know if college would be something Kael would really want to do so he explored all his options but I'm really happy for him to be going to Central and I'm so excited for what the future holds for him! 

His interest in music continues and one of his very favorite things to do is go to concerts with Kent. I can't keep track of how many they have gone to together and I'm so happy they can share this!

He is dedicated to going to the gym. He rarely misses a day of working out and often even goes to the gym after track practice. He also often rides his bike along while his best friend runs, playing music for him on his bike speaker to get his friend through long training runs.  Kael is such a loyal friend and that is one of my very favorite qualities about him. 

Kael is just an absolute joy and what a privilege it's been to raise him.  I'm so excited to celebrate the awesome kid (adult, now!) that he is all day today and throughout the weekend. We love you so, so much Kael!!!

April Birthday Boys

  Love watching these April birthday buddies grow and change. 

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