Owen's Graduation Celebrations!

Back in January I started thinking ahead to Owen's graduation. Since he's the first one to graduate it's all new and we didn't have any sort of plan in place. It all came together fairly quickly in my mind. I decided that we would have a small ceremony at church with family and friends. I wanted to create a slideshow with a bunch of pictures of Owen growing up. I knew I wanted him to play the piano for us and then give a short speech of some kind. Nothing too crazy or too formal, just a fun night to celebrate him and his accomplishments. 

One thing that really made this whole experience less stressful for me was asking for help. I really wanted to do a slideshow, but I could not figure out how to get the music paired with the pictures and I did not have it in me to figure it out while also dealing with all the other things on my plate. So I reached out to a couple people at church and one of them said there son would be able to help. Tyler was awesome....he did a fantastic job and it seriously took such a weight off my shoulders. The other areas were the tech stuff at church for the night of. Bruce ran the slides and Bobby ran the sound. They also recorded the graduation which was such an added bonus that I honestly didn't think of until the week prior when my SIL asked if it would be recorded. Joanna a friend from church also didn't hesitate to help out in the kitchen when it dawned on me the week of that I wouldn't be able to be in the kitchen slicing up cake while also being in the sanctuary enjoying my son's graduation. The other thing that was freaking me out and don't ask me why....was the balloons. I knew I wanted a bunch of balloons at the welcome table, but it was just one of those things that I was really concerned about. I think it was because you can't really get them ahead of time. You need to pick them up the day of and I had way to much going on the day of to be worried about getting those. So I reached out to my parents and they gladly took that off my plate helping me to breath easier. 

Owen's graduation night was on Friday, May 30th at Riverview Community Church. The day before we went to Costco to buy a bunch of desserts and drinks since we were going to have refreshments afterwards. We dropped them off at the church and put them in the frig so they'd be ready to go the next day. 

I got a couple of these cute 2025 cakes, but had to get a picture of them with Owen before the ceremony because during the ceremony Joanna was going to be slicing all the cakes up and putting them on plates to make it easier for people to just grab a piece. 

Right when you walked in the church there was a table set up with Owen's picture collage...which I funnily enough didn't actually get in any pictures...balloons, a box for people to put cards in, his Words of Wisdom book and then the programs. Justine spent a good bit of time arranging the programs into an 18 since Owen is 18 years old. I had originally asked for just bunch of balloons, but Ga-Ga & Pa got two. 

We did move the balloons over to the window to use as photo props, but our family is too big so Jackson is basically completely covering up one bunch of balloons. :) 

So proud of this guy and all his hard work! 

It was definitely not all sunshine and roses for him and I during his 5 years of homeschooling, but I wouldn't change it for anything. 

I love how Ga-Ga matched with the colors of the balloons. 

Papa & Miss Ruth celebrating the graduate! 

These two matched the color scheme as well.

Owen will all the bruhs! 

A few months back I realized that I didn't want to be the MC for the night. I wanted to sit back and enjoy the ceremony. Josh...Owen's piano teacher seemed to be the perfect person for this job so I texted him and he was all for it. Their relationship has been so great because Josh is a fellow homeschool graduate himself. 

Other than the welcome table with the photo collage and balloons I didn't really plan on many decorations. On the day of the ceremony I was kind of kicking myself for not thinking of anything else and that's when it hit me I have all those birthday pictures I had taken each year I should do something with those. 

It's kind of amazing how it all worked out. I just happened to have 6 matching black IKEA picture frames that hold 3 pictures each which adds up to 18 individual pictures. It's honestly like I planned it that way, but I absolutely did not...happy accident for sure! 

At first I was going to put them out in the lobby on the dessert tables, but that made them too crowded and I was worried that people would bump the tables and the picture frames would fall over. Then I thought it would be nice to have something on the stage and I could evenly divide the picture frames and have 3 on each side. It ended up looking really nice and it didn't cost any additional money since I already had everything! 

The whole night ended up being wonderful. I told my dad later that it was an informally formal event and that was just what I wanted. I didn't want it to feel stuffy and stuck up. I wanted it to be real and fun and lighthearted. I wanted people to laugh and have fun because we were celebrating! 

As for guests we invited a bunch of family and friends. It's not really normal that you get to attend the actual graduation ceremony so I had to let people know that it wasn't an open house it actually started at 6:30pm. We did end up starting a bit later since everyone was having such a fun time visiting. 

I didn't get picture of everyone that attended, but I think it was around 45 people total. It was so awesome! 

Lots of people complimented me on my dress, but the funny thing was I had no idea what I was wearing until I went in my closet to change around 4:30pm that night. 

Josh opened the ceremony and then we watched the slideshow. It turned out so good! 

After that Owen played a few songs on the piano. 

He finished with an Angry Birds duet with Josh. I love listening to him play. 

After that it was my turn to get up and say a few words and present Owen with his certificate of graduation. I honestly had nothing written down for what I was going to say until that morning. It was so unlike me, but it worked out great. I didn't stress over it at all. I just knew the words would come to me and they did. I wrote them down and made sure to keep them short and sweet. I almost started crying, but I caught myself. 

Michael created a certificate for Owen since his actual diploma wouldn't be mailed until all his tests got validated by Lighthouse Christian Academy. 

I was too quick with handing over the certificate and then walking off the stage so we had to have a redo picture after the ceremony. 

Months back I told Owen that I wanted to throw him a graduation ceremony and that he would need to give a little speech. He did not like that idea one bit. Thankfully he took a speech course through school and it really helped him gain confidence. He still refuses to gesture....see the hands in the pockets, but overall he did so well and people even commented so. It was a great opportunity for him to thank all the different people that helped him get to where he is now. He also got to talk about what's next for him.

He has zero desire to go to college...maybe trade school of some kind is in his future. As of May 27th he's been working full time at a Water District near us as a Seasonal Maintenance Worker. He's been power washing and painting fire hydrants and doing other maintenance work like weeding and maintaining outbuildings for the district. It's his hope to get hired on with a Water District full time after this seasonal job is over.  

Micah Storer took this picture of me while Owen was speaking. I didn't really cry just got a bit misty eyed. Michael and I are so incredibly proud of Owen! 

After Owen's speech it was time for Pa to come up and talk a bit and end the ceremony with a blessing and pray over Owen. It was terrific! 

After the ceremony we had a few different desserts in the lobby with some water bottles and sparkling water. It was so fun hanging out and visiting with everyone. So many people took the time to write in Owen's Words of Wisdom book. Such a gift and such a wonderful night! 

Here's the recording of the whole night...I'm so glad we have this and it's the first time ever I haven't felt like I sound like Minnie Mouse in a recording. :) 

A couple days later on Sunday, June 1st all the graduates were honored in front of the church. From L to R it's Pastor Tim praying over these awesome guys, Owen, Max, Norland, Liam and Luke. Out of these 5 guys 3 of them are going in some sort of military service. So proud of all of them! 

A few days after that on Wednesday, June 4th we had Grad Night at Youth Group. Only 2 of the 5 guys come to Youth Group on Wednesday nights so the celebration was for Owen and Liam. We had pizza, cupcakes and cookies and Pastor did an interview talk show with the guys up on stage. It was fun getting to hear their answers and get a further glimpse into their minds. 

Such a fun time celebrating all their amazing accomplishments! Onto the next chapter! 

Jack Is 17 Years Old!

Today Jackson is 17 years old! 

My sweet second son is one year away from adulthood. These years are speeding by! 

Let's see what Jack's been up to this last year. 

 

We had a combo birthday for Zeke and Jack last year on Sunday June 2nd. Ga-Ga had bought that cool Christian t-shirt for Zeke so she had to buy a cool one for Jack. He loves this shirt! Just recently though we've had to start buying him shirts in size L. I told him he could always go shop in his Daddy's closet since they now wear the same size. 

Of course he got to open the OJEZ box as well. 

Jackson is not a cake person...he'd much rather have pie so we had pie and cupcakes. 

What Jack really wanted to do for his birthday was go to an escape room. Michael and I have been to a couple, but we've never taken the kids. I asked on FB for help finding ones that were more kid friendly. The last thing I wanted to do was have it be super scary or gory. I got tons of recommendations for Sure Lock Escapes so I booked the Abandoned Mineshaft room. I booked the room for 8 of us. Originally Zeke didn't want to go so it was going to be 6 kids and 2 adults, but then Zeke decided he wanted to go and Michael was sick so it still worked out. I was worried that there wouldn't be enough puzzles to keep all 8 of us busy and someone would feel left out, but there was plenty to figure out. We did have to ask for a few hints though, but we ended up making it out with 5 minutes to spare. 

I would for sure go back and try another room...it was a bit on the spendy side, but such a fun experience! 

Right after Jack's birthday we left for the rafting trip with our church. Jack and Zeke rode down with Mr. Micah and Micah even let Jack and Andrew drive on the freeway since they both needed practice. We stopped at Cousin's for dinner and had some fun with photo props. 

I don't know why, but this horse totally just makes this picture feel like one of those crazy Old Spice commercials. 

Jack and Andrew wanted to be on the same raft so they were hanging out together waiting for the safety instructions. It was really nice that Youth Dynamics let the kids choose who they wanted to ride with. I was sure it was all going to be based on weight and where they put you is where they put you and you wouldn't have much say in the matter. 

This was Jack's second time rafting, but Andrew's first. The year before Michael had come rafting with Owen and Jack so it was fun for me to get to see what it was all about. I was following the first group so I didn't actually get to see Jack's group in action, but I got to see the pictures afterwards. 

Our "campsite"- I say that with parentheses because it was a fairgrounds so it was just a big grassy field - ended up being the place where the kids hung out. We brought a few games and borrowed a game from one of the other guys there. We also brought outdoor toys so we spent some time playing catch and volleyball as well. 

Last day of 10th grade! 

Jack loves comics and he's created this comic strip with Pounce Puma, Staggy the Stag, Bill the Beaver, Cuddles the Bear, Will the Wolf, Cash the Squirrel. Pounce and Staggy are the main characters! I need to compile them all into a book. They really are very well done and funny! 

One of Michael's co-workers gives us clothes every now and again for the boys. Jack's favorite is this Bass Pro Shop sweatshirt...it's definitely a staple in his wardrobe. 

Owen and Caleb love all these super long turn based games which are not really Jack's thing at all, but while we were camping he joined in and played Nemesis with the guys. He actually won the two times he played. 

Jackson would much rather play shorter silly games or sports. 

Jack attended Drivers Ed with Andrew starting in March of 2024. They finished up in May and then Jack took his Driving Test on Thursday, May 30th. He passed on the first try, but you have to have your permit for 6 months before you can get your license so he couldn't get it right away. He didn't get his permit until mid-December so he had to wait to get his license until mid-June. I got him an appt on June 21st so we went in and got his license. On the very first day of having it he drove himself to MCD's. 

Jackson is such a good eater. His favorites include...burgers, hot dogs, spaghetti, beans and fruit.  

Jack and Zeke helped out at Kent Cornucopia Days for just a little bit until Owen came and picked them both up. 

On Michael's birthday we went and did a nice hike. The weather was gorgeous, but unfortunately after lunch Jackson started not feeling the greatest so we headed back without making it to our final destination. He ended up getting sick on the side of the trail so it was good that we turned back early. Poor guy felt much better after that, but we made him stay home while the rest of us went out to dinner. 

Summer Camp 2024 - Jackson is such an easy going guy. I love that even though his best friend Andrew wasn't able to come to summer camp that didn't worry him at all. He's able to go with the flow and have fun with all sorts of people. 

Jack and Justine had some nice bro bonding time at summer camp. They even got up and watched the sunrise together and had bro talks. I can't get over how much Jack's hair looks like the 80's Ken doll. 

Now you can't unsee it! :)

Even though Jackson was working last summer we made sure to plan things around his schedule so he could still go with us. I love having all my kiddos with us on adventures. 

Jack is the most affectionate when it comes to hugging his sister. 

Jack and Justine get along really well and it's been nice seeing their relationship grow. They definitely like to give each other a hard time and be silly...more Justine than Jack, but Jack's a good sport about it. 

All of Jack's completed work from his 10th grade year! 

On one of our hikes Jack didn't bring a coat and it was a bit chilly starting out...Justine...being his amazing benevolent self...lent Jack his hoodie so he wouldn't be cold. 

My sweet Jackers! 

Jack is most definitely the quietest of all my kids. You have to word things just right with him or you get the typical teenage responses of, "Yeah", "No", "Sometimes", "I don't know". 

We had so much fun last year going on hikes with the kids. It really is an awesome, basically free way to get them away from electronics and have a fun shared experience with them. 

All of my kids are big readers...they could sit with a book and read for hours. Jack is so funny when you ask him about camping he'll say..."It's so weird that we spend a bunch of money to live outdoors when we have a perfectly good house!" Don't let that fool you though...he loves camping! 

These two couldn't be more different if they tried. Always disagreeing and always butting heads. If I tried to have one of them help the other in regards to school work, WWIII would almost break out. They have zero patience for each other either. It's not a good situation. Thankfully they co-exist pretty well most of the time, but I'm just gonna keep praying that one day they'll actually like each other. 

Jack worked as a Lifeguard at Wild Waves the whole summer. He loved it! Wild Waves was great...super flexible when it came to scheduling. He was able to always have Sunday's off for church. He also requested time off for our camping trips, VBS and youth summer camp and they never denied him any time off. He also really enjoyed the job. Last summer was the first year I didn't get Wild Waves season passes since 2019 so I never did get to see him in action. My neighbor Michelle did though so she was able to snap a picture of Jack for me. 

Once summer was coming to a close I told Jack he needed to be thinking about where he wanted to work since Wild Waves was only a summer job. He decided to apply at The Federal Way Community Center as a Lifeguard or Swim Instructor. He ended up being a Swim Instructor. He only worked Tuesdays and Thursdays and it was great. He didn't like it as much as Lifeguarding, but it was good for him to have a job throughout the school year. 

Onto 11th grade! 

School for Jackson just comes naturally. He honestly doesn't struggle much at all. Geometry was the subject he's had the hardest time with, but even that he just focused and with a little help from me he got it done. He consistently is finished with all his work before 11am.

During his 11th grade year he completely finished all his PE requirements since he had the job as a swim instructor. He was in the pool for hours swimming with the kids. He also finished 2 years worth of French in 7 months. Like I said...school just comes easily for him. 

On Saturday, September 21st, Yeaab (Youth Pastor) and I took the youth kids to the Puyallup Fair. It ended up only be the 5 of us since a bunch of the other kids couldn't make it. 

We had such a great time and the weather was amazing! 

Jack and Justine had to try out the mattresses in the Showplex. 

Jack is always quick to volunteer for anything in regards to church. For the Fall Festival he and Andrew ran the golf game. 

I doubt Jack is gonna turn down free candy anytime soon! 

Jack is definitely the most clothing conscience boy in the family. He likes certain styles and when he likes something he wants whatever it is in multiple options. For example...he still loves flannel shirts and he has numerous flannels in different colors. 

Jack also loves Diet Coke and fast food in general. Many many times he's come home from working at the Federal Way Community Center and he's carrying a MCD's bag and a large soda. It's so fun to see him being independent and spend his money on things he enjoys. 

Look at this Beef Cake!

That's one of my favorite nicknames for Jackson. He actually has meat on his bone so he's beefy...I'm not saying that negatively though. It's nice because I can squeeze him when I hug him and there's actually something to squeeze. He's also such a handsome dude! 

Jack is still shorter than Owen is and for the most part I don't think it really bothers him. He has bigger feet than Owen does so I would assume that he would be taller, but maybe that's just a silly old wives tale. I just measured him a couple weeks ago and he was 5' 8". He was just complaining of growing pains so there's still a chance he could add a couple more inches in height. 

Another piece of clothing Jackson really likes is a good jean jacket. He is just like his Daddy though and he has monkey arms. He also likes the jean jackets that are lined with wool. I will definitely be on the lookout for a new one for this fall since he's grown out of the one he had. 

Since Jackson's been in the pool for months working he's been getting more and more conditioned. He also decided to start using weights at home to build up his muscles. He doesn't want to get "Jacked" per se, but he does want to be in good shape. 

Baking with my sweet guy! 

I love how Jackson can smile and look so good without showing his teeth. Some people can smile better without showing teeth and it just works for them. 

Jack and Zeke still share a room and they co-exist quite well together. There is occasionally a little arguing over the fan being on or something silly, but for the most part they are good roommates. They also love to play with the same things so that helps. Right now they are really into this new racetrack we bought Zeke for his birthday. There room has basically been completely taken over by this racetrack, but it doesn't seem to bother either of them at all. 

Jack very much wanted a new guitar for Christmas and that's just what he got...not that that was shocker at all come Christmas morning! 

Papa and Jack are still doing guitar lessons weekly on Tuesday afternoons. Jack and Papa played together for us on Christmas Day. I know they are also planning on playing something for us at Papa & Pa's 75th Birthday Party later in June. The guitar we bought Jack had a few things wrong with it...so earlier this year Papa took him down to Guitar Center in Southcenter so they could professionally tune the guitar. They also hydrated the fret board. After he got it back it sounded much better.

Jackson is my Hallmark Christmas Movie and Fixer to Fabulous watching guy. If I turn on any type of romantic movie or DIY show he's all for it. He also likes watching a bunch of the different Disney Channel shows like Liv & Maddie or Good Luck Charlie. 

He has no problem using Ella's tumbler that says Best Girlfriend Ever! :) 

Jack is still obsessed with Toy Story all these years later. He had really been wanting a new Buzz Lightyear that was movie accurate and he found one on Ebay. It was a pretty penny, but it was his money and he worked for it so he bought it. It's has some fun features...it glows in the dark, his wings are semi-transparent, it has toy mode and live Buzz Lightyear mode, Buzz's head moves back and forth when he talks, he says all the major lines from the movie, he has motion activated whooshing noises when you fly him around, all his joints ratchet into place to he's posable and his laser lights up. If you put him in live mode and push the button for his laser his head moves so he's looking in the direction the laser is being shot. He also has a microphone so when you talk to him he'll talk back. It really is quite impressive!

Jackson does his schoolwork sitting in the living room and he uses the coffee table that raises up as his desk. Charlie loves to get up and get Jackson's attention by walking right across his work and demanding to be acknowledged. He also loves to cuddle up right next to Jack on one of the pink blankets. Jack always says that he's Charlie's favorite! 

Jack and Justine have been helping Michael in the basement by screwing in the drywall for him. From what I heard there was just about the same amount of complaining as there was actual working. :) 

Ahhh...they're so sweet! 

After Michael and the boys (Jack and Justine) had finished working we took all the kids - minus Owen and Zeke because they didn't want - out to eat at Olive Garden. Jackson loves spaghetti, but most of had a bad experience with spaghetti the last time I made it so we have avoided it like the plague. Jack was so happy to get to order a big plate of yummy spaghetti and thankfully the smell of it didn't make the rest of us gag. 

Whenever we are on our way home from church this is the seating arrangement. Owen and Zeke are in the back....I think Owen might have come in another vehicle on this particular day...Jack, Ella and Justine are always in the middle seats. Jack can be a stinker because his favorite spot is right behind the driver. He'll be heading to the van to get in and Ella and Justine will be right behind him and instead of getting in and sliding over, he'll just get in and sit down and look at them like..."What?" Usually that's followed by. "This is my seat." and "Go around to the other door."

Jackson and his Ga-Ga! 

Ga-Ga & Pa come over almost every Wednesday for Family Night. It's so nice to get that time with them in the middle of the week. What's even better is they are in the process of selling their house and moving up near us. There new place will only be 1.6 miles from our house. They should be all moved in this time next month. Yay!!!!

Our Youth Pastor, Yeaab, took another job at a different church in a different state. On his last Sunday he preached, but before he got started he talked about having to go through all his stuff and pack it up. He set a couple things aside for Andrew and Jackson since he knew they would put them to good use. He gave Andrew his first bass guitar and Jack a foot pedal board. It was so nice of him!  

Jack and Andrew have been friends since before they were born. It was so fun for Kim and I to be pregnant at the same time. They were born 3 weeks apart almost to the exact minute!  

The Choralons from Northwest University came to our church back in spring 2025. They had a booth set up talking about NU. The boys were actually interested and wanted to go check out the college. I noticed that they had one more Friday campus visit left before the school year ended so we registered for that one. I took Owen, Jack and Justine with me. It was a whole day and it was so much fun! I had never been on a college campus tour before. NU was amazing...we attended chapel and worshipped together, we heard from most of the department heads getting all sorts of info, we took a campus tour to the different learning centers, we ate lunch in The Caf, we toured one of the student housing buildings and we also got to sit in and listen to The Choralons practice. It was a very full, but very fun day! Ultimately Owen & Jack didn't think it was a good fit for them, but Justine said he'd be interested in going there if he decides to go into the ministry. Such fun experience! 

Look at this handsome guy wearing a shirt that Pa gave him. He looked so nice for Mother's Day! 

Even though Jack liked having a job during the school year he was really looking forward to working at Wild Waves again this summer to be a Lifeguard. Ella also wanted to be a Lifeguard. They both worked so hard during the month of April doing 19 online modules learning everything they needed to know. They also had to attend a 3 days Lifeguard Training Class...funnily enough it was held at The Federal Way Community Center. They both did awesome and passed the training. On Saturday, May 17th they attended Orientation and then on Sunday May 25th they attended Department Training. They both have requested to not work Sundays or Wednesdays so they can still attend all the church and youth events. I'm so excited to see what this summer holds for the two of them. 

We celebrated Jack's 17th Birthday on Sunday, June 1st. We had Papa & Ruth, Ga-Ga & Pa, Justine, a new friend Daniel and his brother Raphael, and the Storer Family over for dinner. Of course Jack's choice of food was burgers and fries and pie for dessert. Miss Kim made yummy homemade vanilla ice cream to go with the pie. 

My sweet Jackers...

17 years old....one year away from official adulthood! In all honestly you are very responsible so to me it already feels like you're an adult. You have done a really great job at working at Wild Waves and the Federal Way Community Center and now again at Wild Waves. You still aren't sure what you want to do once high school is over, but that's okay. You do love to help people...you've contemplated the Army so you can enlist to be a combat medic. You're also interested in being a Fire Fighter / Paramedic possibly. Whatever you do decide I have no doubt you'll be amazing at it. 

You are such a confident guy and a go getter which are great traits to have. You can come off a bit braggy to people at times and you do need to make sure you can actually "put your money where your mouth is" before you make a claim about something. You do very much dislike being wrong and will sometimes get yourself in trouble because you'll double down instead of admitting you were in the wrong. Being humble is definitely something you'll need to work on as you grow in maturity. 

You have this fierce desire for justice. You do not like when people get away with doing wrong. You have a strong moral compass and you think people that sway outside of those moral parameters are being stupid. I don't see you following the in-crowd just because "everyone's doing it". That's definitely not your MO.  

You are incredibly intelligent! You can think outside the box, be creative and solve problems. You are highly self-motivated and when you want to accomplish something you will set out and get it done. I love this about you and know it will serve you well in the future. I can't believe this time next year we'll have just finished celebrating your graduation from high school. You are so close to being finished with high school...in fact you only have to complete 3 more credits to graduate! 

My sweet Jackson...

I think I'm extra emotional about your birthday this year due to just celebrating Owen's graduation. I know what's coming for you in a year and it will be here in the a blink of an eye. You have been so independent for so long I know it won't really be much of a change from how things are now. However, if you do decide to enlist then that will really change things in our household. My hope and prayer for you is to follow whatever path God has for you no matter where He might lead you. 

Jack you are such an awesome guy. You are sweet, social, kind and overall just a happy person. You know what you like and what you don't like and you won't compromise on your values. I pray that you hold onto that and don't let anyone lead you away from the purpose God has placed on your life. I am so proud of you buddy. I love watching you succeed at whatever it is that you put your mind to. I love cheering you on and I always will. I'll always be your biggest fan! 

Happy 17th Birthday! 

I love you so much!