Benjamin is 11 and quick trip to Williamsburg

Finishing up our week of celebrations is Benjamin’s birthday, and this year we celebrated him turning 11 years old!

Benjamin has lots of hobbies and talents, but the ones that stand out most at this time are his love for soccer, yo-yo, Pokémon, and Rubik’s cube. He is determined to learn and master new things, and we are confident there will be plenty of new challenges in his future. Benjamin enjoys being with friends and has no shortage of them. He loves his siblings and his bond with each of them has grown in new was this past year. This year we were leaving for a quick weekend trip to Williamsburg on his birthday, so we celebrated at home the day before. We had birthday breakfast of cinnamon rolls, bacon, and fruit salad on the ‘You are Special Today’ plate, that we found days before his birthday while unpacking.

Benjamin requested a carrot cake for his birthday and since we were leaving after breakfast that morning, we had a tiny one.

Make a wish….

Next he opened gifts, the kids enjoy celebrating each other.

Once we got to Williamsburg, we stopped at a go-kart place to celebrate, and we all had fun riding go-karts for the next couple of hours. The boys were big enough to drive alone, and Eliza was big enough to be a passenger with them. It was a fun afternoon.

Our hotel was right in the middle of Colonial Williamsburg, and we could easily walk through the Colonial village and into the downtown area. We didn’t spend a lot of time looking at the sites, but enjoyed walking through the streets and looking at the different old homes and businesses of that era.

On Benjamin’s birthday, we visited with friends we made in Amman, Jordan, that now live in Williamsburg. They have a son that was in Caleb’s class for 2 years and friends with both boys. It had been 4 years since we saw each other, but the kids seemed to pick up right where they left off, and we all had a fun day together.

Later that evening, we went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner, and Benjamin kept asking when the waiters would come sing him happy birthday. He had the show he was hoping for and enjoyed every second of it. Happy 11th birthday Benjamin, we love you. Keep dreaming big!

 

14 Years!

This year Nathan and I celebrated 14 years of marriage. Over the past 14 years, 10 of them have been spent abroad living in 4 countries, and we have been blessed with 3 kids and the opportunity to travel around the world. Through the ups and downs, there is no one I could imagine doing it with than Nathan. 

Happy Anniversary, Nathan. I’m thankful that we fell in love and that God chose me for you. I love you.