17, 15, 13, 11

We made the deadline this year! The sibling picture tradition lives on, and I refuse to let my tender heart dwell too long on how many more years I will be able to get this picture captured.    

Standing up so straight! Emma is horrified at the possibility that she might be done growing.  She does not want to be the shortie of the bunch, but Noah hasn't even started his major growth spurt.  My guess is the final heights will be Adam, Noah, Leah, Emma (sorry, sis). 

How can I ever adequately express how beautiful this sight is? These four have each other through thick and thin. They love each other, they support each other, they defend each other and call each other out and they teach each other so much every day. I love listening to them figure out things like how to respond to a text or how to act at a stake dance or what to do in various social situations. And we all laugh when they reveal some of the trials they've growth through together, like when they were all younger and the worst insult they could throw at each other was to, "Stop being the star of the show!!" 

There is a great question mark hanging over the future of these four, as Leah gets ready to head off to college in the fall and relationships are bound to shift and grow.  Their connections with each other have a very secure foundation to get them started as they all continue to navigate life together, and that is probably the greatest gift I could ever wish to give them as their mother. 

Also, Laney made it into the pictures this year. And then someone stuck her in the ottoman. 

December and January Concerts

 December meant AAALLLLLLL of the concerts.  Holy smokes! Choir concerts- 

Orchestra concerts- 

and dinner dates after orchestra practice.

Orchestra concerts!

Band practices

and band concerts!

Leah's first concert of her senior year!

Noah invited Emma to his bring a friend night at the DSM Youth Symphony!  Emma loved playing with his talented group, saw lots of friends there, and ultimately decided that she would rather spend her extra time working on her singing and acting skills. 

Emma upgraded to a beautiful full-sized cello!

Just in time for her first junior high orchestra concert.

Jazz band concerts

Leah's amazing Drake University Honor Orchestra concert!

Noah's school orchestra concert

And show choir!  Which, for Adam, means both synthesizer playing for the varsity ensemble, 

Ahh, the turtleneck and chains... 

and performing for the junior varsity ensemble. Show choir is such a Midwest thing, but I can't deny the joy that it brings to so many performers, including my kids. And they work so, so hard. 

Look at this dapper young man!

Jazz choir is a fun first for Adam this year, too!

These kids are so talented and so brave!

And if that doesn't sound like enough, Adam had one of the lead roles in the one act winter play as well. Sadly, he died in this one too. 

And in non-performing arts news, Noah and Emma have been participating in archery this winter. 

The robotics season is nearly wrapped up.  Leah is working hard on the music for her senior recital, occasionally attending greenhouse club and lumberjack (pancake eating) club, and has finally started working at the RecPlex. 

Emma's show choir is in full swing, and she is working on the dramatizers spring performance. 

And fellow Uber Driver Dad E. and I are just trying to watch performances and get everyone where they need to be as much as we possibly can! 

Where We Live

 Where we live, the world forgot that it's winter. We haven't had more than a dusting of snow this year, with only one two-hour delay for bitter cold and several days that have swung from negative temps to beautiful clear days in the 30s and 40s. 

The deer are all gathered up for the winter. This morning we had 7 deer with the zoomies zipping around the yard!

A few weeks back we had two beautiful foxes in the yard.  We usually only see one at a time, and they are both my very favorite wild animal this year.

Laney is always keeping an eye on any suspicious backyard activity.

Some days have been extra foggy! 

From sunrise to sunset, we just can't complain about where we live, even if it doesn't look anything like the winters that we have grown to love!