A teenager in our family!!

The new teenager

 Ready or not, we have a teenager!  Cal turns 13 years old today!  Many have said to enjoy every moment because it goes by in a blink of an eye and we're truly experiencing that idea.  Thirteen years ago we welcomed a tiny baby boy into our life and time picked up speed from there. 

Cal still loves to be outside enjoying nature either skating, fishing, hunting, or building forts in the woods.  He is a very thoughtful and generous young man who extends his kindness by volunteering to help coach young players learning to skate and play hockey as well as those learning to play tennis. 

Cal is an excellent cook, often making lunch for the family and creating his own delicious recipes. He has inherited the "Najimy" humor and can often be found telling a sometimes-laughable joke, trying to make everyone smile.
These thirteen years have gone by so quickly already and he has matured into a young man that makes his parents proud!!

HAPPY 13th BIRTHDAY CAL!!!!

5K Race!!

 

Najimy guys at their first 5K

 

Charlie, Cal, and James all participated in their first 5K race this past weekend!  It was a rather cool, overcast day with temps in the upper 50s.  There were approximately 50 racers that participated in this run supporting thyroid research.

 The boys and Charlie have been training several times a week for the past few months running on the road from our house.  This is a new sport that the whole family seems to have taken to recently.  We even have a path all marked by 1/2 and 1/4 miles so we know what distance we have run.

The boys placed well in the children's division...with James coming in second and Cal right behind him!  They were able to participate in the race with some family friends running alongside or behind them as well.  Each of them finished the race beating their personal training times previously held. 

They finished the race by coming in to the finish line amid cheers of bystanders, photo-taking Mom, and bell-ringing sisters!  They are looking forward to completing more 5K runs and races in the future.

Happy Spring!!

The taps have been up, sap was collected, and delicious maple syrup was made, but it's over now.  It was a very quick sugaring season for us.  We didn't get the taps up until after hockey season was over and the temperatures are not ideal for sap flow.  We only boiled one weekend this year, but were able to make 7 1/2 quarts of syrup.  The children all helped with every aspect of this process.  It's amazing to see them able to be so independent.   At this point, they could probably do it completely on their own! 

The rink has melted and we're in the process of taking down the boards.  It wasn't the ideal year for skating with the great fluctuations in temperatures.   The children have been spending their free time in the stream, building forts in the woods, going for runs, and riding their bikes.  Tennis is on the horizon, ready to become our favorite "warm season" pastime again.  
Things we're looking forward to:  the swallows and hummingbirds returning, green grass and wildflowers sprouting, the sweet smell of apple blossoms and lilacs, and camping trips into the woods.
Happy spring!!

Happy New Year!

2012...already!  It seems it was just 1999 and there was all this hype and excitement about going into the 2000+  years. 
We are back into the full swing of schooling after taking it a bit easier for the month of December.  We did accomplish school during the month, but we also worked on making homemade Christmas gifts, baking cookies, enjoying the company of friends, skating, and participating in Christmas activities.  Deer season also occurred during the month, so that distracted us from our schooling for a bit.
Now, that month is gone and we're at it again in full force.  The rink is frozen, for a few days anyways, and the children have been enjoying skating during their lunch break.  There is much more of an eagerness to finish school when the promise of skating after schoolwork is complete looms as a possibility.
Best wishes for a wonderful new year!

First day of deer season

 

Monday, November 28th, was the opening day of shotgun season for deer.  Since Cal took the hunter safety program this spring and has turned 12 this year, he was able to go out for his first time to hunt for deer.  He and Daddy got up at o'dark thirty (4:30AM), had a hot breakfast (yes, Mom got up too!) and we out of the house by 5:15AM.  They were at their hunting location ready for action a half hour before shooting time.   Close to 8:30AM they heard some rustling off to the side and a buck appeared, munching on roots and oblivious to the camouflaged hunters.  Cal shot the fatal shot at 8:30AM...a nice 6-pointer, weighing 130 lbs.  He, Daddy, and Jidoo were all very excited!!   He came home to an excited mama and siblings too!   Our oldest child is now doing his part to fill the freezer for the family.  It seems almost unbelievable that he shot his first deer on the first day he was able to go deer hunting within the first few hours of the day!

Three generations of hunters.

He even tried his hand at pulling the deer out of the woods, but in the end Daddy had to do the most of the pulling.

Cal's version of the hunt, as taken from his hunting journal:
11-26-11   Opening Day Deer Hunting
Dad and I went to Windsor.  I followed Dad in, I didn't have any idea where we were in the dark.  We found a good tree, then got settled.  At around 8:30, Dad thought he heard something, then he saw a buck.  I stood up slowly, then saw him.  I waited until he got closer and shot.  He came closer, then I shot again.  He went around a brush pile and I shot a third time.  The bullet had trouble going into the chamber so I was pumping the gun, moving, Dad was talking, and the deer was looking right at me.  I got the shot off though.  We found blood, then waited for Jidoo.  We kept following the blood trail and were getting nervous because the drops were getting smaller.  Then we saw a tree he hit, covered with blood.   We went a little further, then Dad saw him.  We went and poked him, he was dead.  We saw that one of my shots went through its ear.  We gutted him and then dragged him out.  It was warm, so we were hot and tired.  He weighed 130lbs. and was 1 1/2 years old.
 

Birthday Twins

                                                       (Picture circa 2008)
James and Leah have had birthdays again!!  They recently turned 10 and 9.   Time is passing so quickly!!  We had a autumn themed party with the family for the both of them, complete with a three-dimensional pumpkin cake.   Our meal was followed by some game playing and football outdoors.
They are both still active in playing hockey this season again, as well as tennis this past summer.  Both are taking piano lessons and doing well with their schooling.
James has started going hunting with his older brother and Daddy.  Leah has become a great help to Mommy at home.   James loves to figure out how things work, what they're made of, what makes things "tick".  Leah loves to read, write poetry, and draw. 
They are both such awesome children!! We are proud to be called their parents.

Flashback!

It is still amazing how after 12 years of raising children, the passing of time seems to go by so quickly.  Here are some great pictures of the children from the past years.  Enjoy!

 Silly, happy faces

 Lily, age 3

 JB at a college hockey game

 Oh, that face!!

 Cal at the Olympic museum in Lake Placid, NY

Cal being goofy for the camera

Looking back at pictures brings back so many great memories! 

Duck!

Since spring Cal has taken the hunter safety course, turned 12 years old, and received his own shotgun. Now that autumn has arrived, so have the hunting seasons that Cal is interested in. He went on his first hunting excursion last weekend with Dad. They got up in the wee hours of the morning, paddled across the bog in the canoe while it was still dark, and set up their decoys and waited for the ducks. Cal's first opportunity came shortly after sunrise. He took his first shot and got his first duck!! Look how proud he looks! The mallard became supper a few nights later. Now he's looking forward to going out again and moving on to other hunting seasons.

Tennis

Summer is almost gone and we have been busy!!
All four kids took tennis lessons this summer.  The older three have taken the lessons before, but this was Lily's first year.  She was so excited to be old enough to take lessons this year after years of watching the other kids each summer.  They all did a great job improving their game.
Lily was actually able to hit the ball AND get it over the net!
Leah better grasped the concept of scoring and playing the game.
James improved his serve and his game, making his able to give his brother some competition in a game.
Cal's game is incredible! He's able to give his mother some competition now and even win against her occasionally.  He also had his first year of being a volunteer coach for the younger two levels.  We had tennis twice a week for four weeks and he arrived each time a half hour before the youngest group arrived to help the professional coach and other volunteer coaches set up the court for drills and games and to receive his instruction of the day's goals. He then would coach several kids each hour from two different age groups.  Finally during the third hour, he was able to receive his lesson along with the other youth volunteers and players his own age.  He won many matches and improved his game fantastically.

Lily is SIX!!!

Our precious baby girl is now six years old!!  How time flies!  Lily keeps us laughing daily.  Her humor and wittiness is unbelievable for her age.  Lily is our girlie girl.  She loves doing her hair, having her nails done, and dressing up.  She's a great student and loves books.  She loves having five other people in the house that can read to her.  Now, she's starting to read on her own...it's incredible! 
Lily is a great skater and played her first year of hockey this year at the rink where her siblings play.  She also started tennis lessons this summer and is loving it!  

Each year as Lily's birthday comes around, it's hard not to think of how her life started.   When she was only four days old we had to bring her back to the hospital.  She had a fever of 102 degrees.  The doctors were never really sure of what caused her to be sick, concluding that it was some sort of virus.  She had to have a spinal tap to rule out meningitis which was awful to endure as parents.  She needed oxygen tubes, as well as a heart rate monitor and breathing monitor.  It was the longest week of our life!  She is now a healthy little girl and we are so thankful to God for her!!
She brings us smiles everyday and is such a beautiful, loving, snuggling girl!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY!!!

Cal is 12!!!

Twelves years ago we became parents to an incredible boy! It's hard to believe just how quickly these 12 years have passed already. It seems like just yesterday we were driving slowly out of the hospital parking lot headed home with a tiny baby boy. Cal makes us laugh, makes us proud, and makes us feel honored that God chose to give him to us to raise and nurture.
Cal's interests haven't changed all that much in a year. He's still interested in hockey, tennis, hiking, fishing, playing in the stream, and drawing. He's matured so much this past year. Cal is involved as a coach/helper for youth tennis and hockey and is such a helpful boy!
On July 7th, our precious son was born bringing us delight and years of laughter and joy! Happy Birthday, Son!

Family update

It's been awhile since we've posted anything lately. Daily activities, schooling, and life leave other things neglected sometimes.
The many feet of snow has finally melted except for one small patch of snow in the backyard. The skating rink is finally melted and the boards are being put away until next year. It was our longest skating season yet - from the beginning of December until the beginning of March, but with much shoveling and snow blowing this year. At one point there were six foot walls of snow on the sides.
We've made maple syrup again this year...about 3 1/2 gallons.

Recently James decided he didn't need his appendix anymore, so it came out! He wasn't feeling great on a Saturday while we were making maple syrup, saying his belly hurt, but then he'd get up and play so we just thought maybe he was coming down with the stomach bug that was going around. He ate a little supper and went to bed, but ending up vomiting once later that evening. After sleeping through the night, he still didn't feel great in the morning so he stayed home from church with daddy. By the time the rest of the family got home from church he was crying that his belly hurt. At this point we knew something was seriously wrong. A phone call to the pediatrician sent us directly to the ER. We arrived at the hospital around 230 where they ran tests, kept pressing his stomach, and ran a CT scan. That was very revealing...showing the abnormal thickness of the wall of his appendix. He had surgery that evening around 9pm. Although they found that the appendix had ruptured, it was a successful surgery! He ended up spending the entire week in the hospital to recover. It was a very long week for him and our family, but we were fortunate that Charlie was able to take the week off from work and at least one of us was with him at all times, including during the night. We were even able to get a bit of school done while in the hospital. We're so thankful that God protected him and healed him and that he is running around and back to his normal self! Thank you to all who prayed, visited, called, sent cards, and helped out!!!

For now, we're trying to finish up school for the year while I'm looking already at school work for next year. The kids are happy to be outside riding bike, playing in the stream, and doing a little fishing. They are looking forward to camping trips, more fishing, and playing tennis this summer.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...and winter!!

Signs of Christmas around here are not only the nativity on top of the piano or the greenery and lights on the mantle and banister or the paper snowflakes hung from the ceiling, but the backyard rink up and frozen!
This year we had our earliest skate ever. For the past two years we've been able to have a little family hockey game on Christmas morning. This year the children started skating yesterday!! They were very excited to get out on the ice! Even this morning they were talking about how much fun they had last night skating and are anxious to be out their again.
Hoping the cold weather holds and the snowfall is light!

Great News!!

James and Leah were recently baptized!! On November 14th, both James and Leah were baptized at church along with two other children (who were also close-in-age brother and sister) and several adults. It was a joyous day!! Several family members were able to attend and then join us at home in celebrating their baptism and their birthdays. We are so happy that they have chosen to follow Christ in their lives and that they made this public testimony of their faith.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEAH!!!

Happy Birthday Leah!!
Yes, we celebrated a birthday earlier this week, but it's time for another birthday for the other "twin." Leah was born a year and four days after James. It was a unexpected pleasant surprise when we found out we were expecting another third baby so soon after our second baby. Before she was born we didn't find out whether the baby was a boy or girl, so when she was born and Charlie said, "It's a girl!", I asked....are you sure?
Soon our world turned very pink!! Pink dresses, pink blankets, pink socks, pink pajamas, pink! If you ask Leah her favorite color today....purple. I think she may have had her full of pinkness.
Fun facts about Leah:
Her middle name: Grace
Hobbies: crafts, drawing, reading, sewing
Things she loves: reading (if it's quiet, you can almost guarantee Leah's nose is buried in a book), spending time with her friends
What she does the most: talking (yes, she's a girl so the talking is almost non-stop!) and reading
Sports: hockey and tennis (love seeing a braid or ponytail sticking out of the back of a hockey helmet!)
Nickname: Gracie girl, sweetness
Favorite color: purple
Favorite time period: anything "old-fashioned", especially Little House on the Prairie times. Leah was actually excited when the washing machine broke, she thought she was going to wash all the clothes in our stream.

Leah is loving, sensitive, talkative, funny, and so sweet! She has a heart for others. After the earthquakes in Chile several months ago, she decided on her own to start collecting money for the a missionary from Chile that our church supports. To date, she has collected over $50. Just one example of her precious heart.

We love you Leah Grace!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!!!

Nine years ago today at 5:07pm, our second beautiful baby boy was born!! He was our miracle baby. When I was only a few weeks pregnant with him I had some very serious bleeding that resulted in a trip to the emergency room late at night. The nurses and doctors told us I had either miscarried or was in the process of it. They only took blood and never did an ultrasound. We went home very distraught thinking we had lost our precious baby. The next morning a nurse from my doctors' office called to say that the blood count was not consistent with a miscarriage. We were informed that I would need to have an ultrasound to make sure the pregnancy wasn't in one of my tubes. We went to another hospital that had an immediate opening and sat holding our breath as the technician performed the ultrasound. He was very quiet at first, but finally said that everything was just fine. We were able to see the heart beating on the ultrasound. Our brief grief turned to enormous joy and thankfulness. Apparently there was a hole in the sac and that was the cause of the alarm. I had several ultrasounds during the pregnancy to keep an eye on things, but carried James to term and delivered the biggest baby of all our children.
Our miracle baby was chubby and healthy. He now is an adorable nine year old who loves hockey, hunting, fishing, playing games, outdoor sports and playing, and figuring out how things work. He's the fix-it guy around the house when Dad's at work! He's a great brother and son. He's always ready to giggle or make you laugh. And his snuggles and squeezes are the best!!

Fun facts about James:
Nickname: JB (his middle name is Bourdo, named after his paternal grandmother's maiden name)
Favorite food: Pizza and corn
Sports he plays: Hockey and tennis
Previous name: Abraham (yes, overnight we named him Abraham, but then changed it to James the second day....because there are only seven other "J" names in the family)
Favorite football team: Patriots
Favorite hockey team: Clarkson (college hockey)
Favorite baseball team: Yankees (because Uncle Mark likes them, he rarely watches baseball)
Best known for: creating the term "dudo" in reference to a person that does something outrageously silly or ridiculous...it's become a family word now)

We love you JB!!! Happy Birthday!!!

We have a new nephew!!

My brother and sister-in-law had a beautiful baby boy born to them last week! He is absolutely adorable and cuddly!! Check out my sister-in-law's blog for pictures cuteness....http://leanasramblings.blogspot.com/
Congratulations to Dave and Leana!! Welcome to parenthood...it is the most noble profession.

School is in session!!

School is back in session here in our home!! It's nice to be back to a routine and teaching and learning.
All four children are being officially schooled this year. Lily has started Kindergarten! Yes, the baby is learning to read, write, and count. She loves it!! Leah has started third grade this year. She is excited to start learning cursive writing. James began fourth grade! He's already working so diligently. Whether we were ready or not, Cal is now a sixth grader. I'm still trying to grasp that thought. He has some exciting curricula this year that we are all excited about.

We have many group activities planned this year - book club, a music class that we're hosting here, research club at the library, biweekly science and sign language lessons, and occasional helping at a local church's senior citizen gathering. In between this we'll be doing our lessons, squeezing in a field trip or two, and living life!

Happy 40th!!

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!!!!

We love you so very much! Thank you for being a great father, husband, and friend.

Matthew ch. 6

Just finished installing a new hot water heater, after the old one was pouring out water. Here's our list of breakdowns, repairs or replacements this year: I replaced all four rotors and pads on the van's brakes, I replaced rear (air ride) shocks on the van, I repaired the parking brake system on the truck, we bought a new printer, a new dryer, and a new stove all to replace broken down ones, I removed and rebuilt the clutch and transmission in the washing machine, now (with help from Dad) I replaced the hot water tank. That only leaves the wheel bearings on my truck that need to be replaced and the carpenter ant damage that we found on the exterior wall of our house (I'm paying a carpenter for that one!).
Now don't take this as complaining (I actually laughed audibly when I saw the hot water tank leaking today), our kids are happy and healthy and so are we! And while we are by no means rich, we are (still) not in debt. So I'd say God is taking care of us just fine.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matthew 6:19-20

Actually all of Matthew 6 would be a review.

Summertime

Picking summer's wildflowers!!

We're not doing school and we're busier than ever!! It's been a few weeks where we have something almost everyday and most nights! Wow! When did we have time to do school?

Here's what we've been up to the past few weeks:
Cal got a job!! Well, sort of. He works one day a week at our library for an hour each time. He works with the children's librarian....helping in whatever way she needs - prepping for the summer reading program, shelving books, etc. He loves it and it's such great experience for him. Of course, it's all volunteer.
The older three kids are taking tennis lessons again. Twice a week, an hour each kid, for five weeks. Luckily there is a park/playground right there so Lily can play for the three hours we're there each time. Cal, James, and Leah love tennis! They've progressed nicely from last season. Hopefully Cal will have an opportunity to play in some tennis tournaments this year for the first time! Charlie and Amy are taking tennis lessons as well this year (not with the kids). There has been some improvement in our skills, but Amy STILL can't beat Charlie in a set. Maybe someday. We've also been playing other friend-couples that play tennis. It's been great fun!

Other than that we've been getting caught up on housework, playing in the stream, staying cool, and helping grandparents with yardwork. We're still continuing with our sign-language lessons during the summer as well.

Before summer officially started the kids had their musical performance. It went great!!! Cal was the Master of Ceremonies for the event, putting to good use his public speaking lessons. The other three kids sang in the choir. Leah played a piano solo. Both girls sang in a trio singing "God Bless the USA". It was beautiful....music to our ears!


We went camping at the beginning of June at one of our favorite places. It's in Vermont...can't tell you more than that because we wouldn't want it to become more popular than it already is now. There's no advance reservations, so it gets a different breed of campers. There's a large field for playing ball or throwing the frisbee as well as a beach area and very nice swimming area. We had such a relaxing time in spite of the overnight thunderstorms while in a tent! Some of us didn't care for the thunder and lightning being so close.....and it wasn't the two girls - they slept right through it!

Summer is flying by....we're hoping to get much more accomplished still!!

Setting off model rockets in the field across the street from the house....the boys and Charlie made the rocket themselves.

Our annual photo spot at our favorite campground in Vermont.