Time Away

This weekend we went to the temple overnight and left Emil Michael and Kirstin to babysit the younger boys. I was very nervous about it being an overnight trip but had my best neighbor on call as well as our friend that is a state trooper, just in case anything terrible happened. My neighbor, Donna said they were getting along great on Saturday and I would have been so proud to see them.

 I've decided that maybe all I need to do to get the kids to be kind to one another is just leave them to themselves. So next week I'll be moving out to Utah.... Just kidding. It was good to hear they can be kind to one another and leave the house still standing without Emil and I here. That has been one of my goals as a Mother and sometimes I wonder if I'm gaining any ground on that front. 

Sweet 16!

Emil Michael turned 16 yesterday. I can't believe he's 16! Where did the time go? We actually celebrated it last weekend. We did Cherries in the Snow instead of cake. (it's so nice when they get older and want something different.) 

Wednesdays are always crazy and we wanted to do some family time with him. He and Emil stayed up til the wee hours of the morning on Saturday playing a computer game Emil picked out for him. They both enjoyed it and I was glad it was only 2 player and I didn't have to play. Yesterday we gave him a digital camera. He loves taking pictures of the cats and they have a good photography class at the High School that he might take next year. I think he'd really like it. 

He is turning out to be such a sweet young man and I'm so glad he's a part of our family. His tender spirit always touches me and I don't even mind that now I have to lean up to him to give him a hug. He just keeps getting taller and taller. I don't have my pics to do a photo montage like I did for Kirstin since they are on a different computer. But it's OK since we didn't even have a digital camera until Emil M. was around 10 or so. The time sure flies...