daddy4ms

Happy Birthday to my son who turns 19 today.  He is enjoying his time as a Freshman at K-State.  It's hard to believe that I have a son in college. I look forward to see where God takes you. Happy Birthday Son! Here are a few pictures of Mitchell over the years:

Today is my oldest son's 18th birthday.  Mitchell, I am proud of the man you are becoming. From your care and interest in Camp Barnabas to the desire to want to do your best in the classroom and one the field/court to a growing interest of spending time with your family.  Happy 18th Birthday! Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

Happy Birthday, Mitchell. Today is Mitchell's 17th birthday! I don't think I am old enough to have a 17 year old.  I hope you have a great day, son.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Mitchell:

Today, my oldest son turns 16.  Happy Birthday, Mitchell. I look forward to celebrating this weekend with you.  Here are a few pictures of him through the years:

Today, Steve (Bethany's dad), myself, and Mitchell are on a day trip to Dallas, TX. We were up bright and early to catch a flight from Wichita to Dallas.  Then stopped by Steve's church in Dallas, lunch at In & Out Burger, and then headed to American Airlines Center to watch the OKC Thunder play the Dallas Mavericks.  Below are some pictures from the trip:

On Wednesday night, Mitchell had his 8th grade promotion at Hesston Middle School. Here are a few pictures from the night:

Mitchell & his 8th grade team won 1st place in league scholar's bowl yesterday. It came down to a buzzer beater. Picture of his team is below. Way to go Hesston 8th graders!

Well, actually today, I am.  My son, Mitchell turns 14 today.  Happy Birthday, Mitchell! From the beginning, he has been keeping us on our toes.  With his early and quick birth to his new games or languages to loving and making videos to being very passionate about sports and his activities, I am proud to call him my son.   Have a great 14th birthday, Mitchell!

Bethany and I were caught off guard last week when Mitchell began thinking about what he should give up for Lent.  We had not talked about it much at home, but I guess he heard Pastor Brad mention it during a sermon the previous week.  I guess he is listening more than I think he is.  Mitchell is a creative, intelligent, and passionate individual.  As with all of us, our strengths can also show as weaknesses at times.  For example, Mitchell's passion when directed appropriately is great, but can also come out in anger or being easily frustrated.  My administrative gifts can also get in the way of meaningful conversations with others when trying to complete a task.  I share all of this to remind myself that my son is growing up.  Even though, we can clash at times, I still love him dearly and the unique personality God has given him. What can at times seem to be a self-focused, authority challenging, & quirky young man can also think deeply...

I just received a phone call from Mitchell letting me know that he won the Middle School Geography Bee. He was very excited! Middle School in Hesston includes 5 th -8 th grade. The Geography Bee had 12 students competing for the title. Now, Mitchell takes a 100 question quiz and if he gets enough right, he will go to state in Salina . Way to go Buddy! As I was asking about the questions, he let me know that the questions that put him over the top were related to the States' quarters. You had to say what was on the back of several of the states' quarters. Pops (Bethany's grandpa who just passed away) was a coin collector and gave all of the kids a sleeve that contains state quarters. Mitchell has enjoyed adding to this collection and learning more about them. Pops, as a coin collector, would be so proud of Mitchell too for following in his footsteps of a love of coins.

Well, it's been a week and I still have not blogged about the trip with Mitchell. I have had several people ask about it, so I am finally sitting down to write. For those who didn't know, I planned a weekend trip with Mitchell last weekend (Oct. 22-24) to Branson , MO. The purpose was twofold: have fun with my son & have a conversation about adolescence. The trip started bright and early as I loaded the van with all four kids and left Hesston at 6:45 a.m. The kids were so excited about seeing the sun rise. However, it was too cloudy and they didn't get to see much of a sunrise. We stopped for breakfast at McDonald's and continued on to Yates Center where I dropped off Mackenzie, Megan, and Molly at my parent's house. Then Mitchell and I hit the road. I told him we were headed to Branson because it was a surprise. However, he found a cup that gave him a hint that it might be Branson . As we left Yates Center, I explained that this weekend was to be a lo...

Mitchell really enjoys basketball. His team is doing great as they have only lost one game. It is so fun watching him cheer and get excited for his team. He encourages them both on and off the court. The one thing missing: scoring a goal. He really wanted to make a basket and had not yet. Today, that changed. He received a great pass from his teammate and shot the ball and swish. He was so happy. You could see it on his face. His grandma and grandpa were there to see it too. His sisters' were excited for him as well. This has been a good season to teach him about patience and teamwork. We have been able to talk about the importance of playing defense and making good passes. It also has challenged him to want to get better by practicing. It has been fun watching him get better.

I cannot believe that my oldest turned 10 today. I can remember clearly 10 years ago. Mitchell was due Jan. 3rd. Bethany had been to the doctor that day (Thursday, Dec. 9th) and they said it would be another 2 weeks before he was born. Bethany kept talking about her back hurting most of the day. She was busy vacuuming at the church that day as well as attending choir practice that night. I think it must have been mother's intuition because she decided to do some laundry before going to bed. In our apartment below the church office, we had a dryer that when it went into a spin cycle it shook everything in the kitchen. So, we went to bed and Bethany was awakened to a crash of dishes falling to the ground because of the dryer. She cleaned up the dishes. I slept through the whole thing. I know I am a bad husband! Bethany came back to bed and could not sleep and then it happened-her water broke at 11:30 p.m. This put us into rush mode. We did not have a hospital bag comple...