Chase turns 14!

 Holy cow....How is it the new year and how is Chase 14?!?! The years are whipping by and it's Chase's last year in middle school. He's going to be in high school next year! AIIEE!

We had a blast celebrating Chase. He got a lot of fun things he wanted, and got to eat donuts and Whataburger, his favorite. We had a great day opening gifts and going to Main Event. He mostly likes the arcade, so that's where we spend the most time. The boys found a game that gave you tons of tickets, so with the 3 of them all playing, they each had like 5,000 tickets to spend at the end! It was so crazy! We got actual real prizes! It was so fun.

Chase is such a fun addition to our family, and we're lucky to have him. He's funny, the class clown, but smart and engaging too. He's kind to others, and he watches out for those that might not have a friend. He's getting taller every day, has braces now, is still into scary movies and movie making in general. He's on the broadcasting team at school and writes, directs, and is the only anchor on the news. He's responsible and organized, and is still taking Kuk Sool Won, a Korean martial art, and is almost a brown belt! He's a great brother and so fun to be around and we're excited to celebrate him.

Right after Chase's birthday, we had a winter storm roll through, and we got a fun surprise day off school! We had fun making ice, jumping on the icy trampoline, hunting for icicles and enjoying the freezing weather. It's always fun when winter arrives in Houston. The kids really wanted it to snow, but we only got a few flurries. Maybe in February! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We had a fun and relaxing winter break. It sort of crashed at the end there, the first week back at school Chase and Karen were sick for a week! But we finally got better, and got the Christmas decorations put away, and I guess it's really over now. It was such a beautiful 2.5 weeks that we didn't want to end. There was a lot of relaxing time, which is the best. The sleeping in and not having to worry about schedules was awesome! And the best part was that because Jason was so busy the few months before, he was off the 2.5 weeks too! It was incredible. We watched movies, and made treats for our friends and neighbors. We saw the lights at the Space Center, eating dinner at a Vietnamese place before hand and we were the only ones in there, just like on a Christmas Story movie! 

We visited the giving machine downtown where you can buy clothes and supplies for needy families and that was a great experience. Before school ended Claire had a week of fun where Karen participated - Elf day, Polar Express Day, Grinch day, and even her holiday party day. It was a fun week! Jason also took Claire to the school for a gingerbread house contest, and they had a great time. We visited a few parks around town and had a great Christmas program at church before enjoying a wonderful Christmas day. The kids got all things they wanted and we felt very blessed. 

After Christmas we explored the forest more around where we live and even saw a snake! We went and visited our friends in the country and got to ride ATV's and shoot guns, which the kids loved. We did spear throwing and fireworks for New Years and stayed up way too late celebrating with our neighbors. 

We had a wonderful 2023. We feel so blessed to have each other and we enjoy so many wonderful blessings. We're excited to see what great things 2024 has in store!