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Christmas 2012
I was looking at the last several year's annual summary (below) and noticed them getting shorter and shorter each year. Is that because I'm feeling busier as I get older? Is it because I feel like there isn't a lot of new, significant news to pass along? Can't say for sure, but I certainly don't want to break the pattern! So, here we go:
Taylor: Played 8th Grade Volleyball. Has two groups of friends (school & church) and both groups are solid kids. Plays guitar. Has gotten back in touch with her artistic side.
Austin: Still growing. Took my place as the tallest person in our extended family (I held that position for 30+ years). Plays basketball at school, guitar in the Youth Worship Band at church. Will get his drivers license December 2012. Not worried. He's a good driver (see Bridgstone Driving Video to the right).
Lisa: Still rocks at her job. Has a new (to her) MINI Cooper S after driving her Honda Accord for 14 years. She absolutely loves it.
Me: 1 year older...
p.s. Skydrive changed how photos are shared so that section of this page is gone. Go to the "Skydrive Photos" link (upper right of page) to see photos.
Christmas 2011
Once again, it's time to give the annual summary
of life in the Vandenburgh home. Feel
free to bypass all this text and just check out the pictures & video’s to
your right. I know that’s what I would
do. If you’re still reading, here we go:
This
was a transition year for me (Brian).
For years I’ve listened to other parents talk about how we should be
holding on to this time with our kids.
This was not always easy to hear thru the diapers and vomit and
seemingly constant need for attention. I
typically agreed with the sentiment and understand that the time goes by with
increasing speed as I get older.
However, this year was different.
Our kids are now young adults.
They are fun to be around. They
can have adult conversations about interesting topics. They have points-of-view that I haven’t
thought of. We used to take every
opportunity to get some time away from our kids (“Who wants ‘em!?”). I WANT to be around these people that coexist
in my house. This doesn’t mean I’m not
still excited about a Date Night when we can get it (that’s just crazy talk)
but I think this is the year where I want to spend time with my kids more than
they want to spend time with me. Now on
to the bragging…
Taylor: Beautiful. Smart. Athletic. First year in Jr. High School. Loves to read. Loves church youth group.
Austin: Tall.
Smart. Athletic. First year in High School. Plays guitar.
Loves church youth group.
Lisa: Beautiful.
Smart. Athletic. Loves her
job. Loves church.
Christmas 2010
Welcome to the newest version of our site.
Short Version: Unless you found this page by accident, we count you as a blessing to our family. Check back often, and subscribe to our YouTube page for updates throughout the year. I don't write very much, but we post a lot of pictures and video.
Long Version: Here's what's up with our family, from my (Brian's) perspective.
Taylor: It feels like Taylor is transitioning from girl to young woman. She's 12 years old now, and in the 6th grade. This is the last year at Lookout Mountain Elementary, and 6th graders are the top of the food chain. She is now included in the junior high group at church, and that has been great for her. I'm not sure how excited her brother was about her joining "his" group, but both have adjusted and have many mutual friends there. She decided to forgo gymnastics in favor of volleyball. Her team is mostly friends from school and they are having a great time. She hasn't played a true team-sport since soccer many years ago, so she's learning a lot about teamwork and relying on teammates. She has also joined Junior Assembly. This is a program for young men and women that teaches some dances (waltz, fox-trot) and basic manors. She's gone once and enjoyed dressing up for it. I went to Junior Assembly when I was her age, and still know how to dance a waltz and fox-trot. The only other thing I remember about the dances was that the boys lined up on one side of the room and the girls on the other. Someone would say "go" and the boys would sprint across the room trying to be the first to get to their favorite dance partner.
Austin: Austin is growing like a weed these days. I don't know how much this year, and maybe it's just that he's getting closer to my height, but it sure feels like a lot. As an 8th grader, he's in his last year at Mountain Sky Junior High. I think he's had a positive experience with junior high in general. It has not been without its challenges, but it appears to be better than I remember Junior High being. We are proud of his academics and (most of) his choices outside of school. This year he played Volleyball again, finishing 2nd in their district, and he's now playing on the 8th grade basketball team. He's playing electric guitar in Jazz Band 1 (see video), and also on a worship band that plays for Jr and Sr High's Sunday Morning. For us, it seems like parenting is a constant roller coaster with good times and times that are more challenging. Right now we happen to be in a really good period with both Austin and Taylor, and are trying to soak it in as much as we can before we take the next drop! Hopefully it will just be a little drop...
Lisa: If you recall (or just read below) Lisa began working at Advantage Inspection Service last year. She absolutely loves her job. I've heard people say they love their work and I've always thought "ya, I like my job too" but this is a whole different level. She is still in charge of keeping our family running like a well oiled machine, volunteering with Mom's In Touch (prayer group), cleaning houses, etc. Somehow she manages to get everything done, and (of course) done well.
Me: Remember the motorcycle I had last year (see below)? I was able to keep it for almost a year! It was a source of great fun. I took a few group rides with our church including a New Year’s Day ride to Tortilla Flat. I am grateful that Joe trusted me with his motorcycle, but miss it now. Maybe I’ll buy one when the economy turns around and the kids college is paid for and the house is paid off and…never mind. I help coach Taylor's volleyball team and really enjoy it. When I used to coach baseball for Austin, I had the motivation but lacked knowledge of the game. I was learning the same time as the boys. It’s fun to coach a sport that I know.
So that's it! Thanks for taking the time to read all this. I do want to give a shout-out to our church. We are so thankful for the youth program and leaders. Austin and Taylor are both growing in their faith and have great role models their. Lisa and I have found our church to be a great place to keep perspective on how small our problems are compared to so many others. We hope you have/had a wonderful Christmas and that 2011 brings you the things you need.
Christmas 2009
Short Version: For those who don’t read Christmas letters, we thank God for all our friends, family, and blessings this year. Please know that you are all in our hearts. I post pictures here for just about every month of the year so check back often and check them out.
Long Version: Looks like it's time to recap our 2009. Actually, maybe I'd rather give an "update". You know, where I talk about each kid and what they're currently into, and heap some well-deserved praise on my wife. That seems like more fun and potentially more interesting if I were to read it, say 10 years from now. Okay, here goes:
Taylor: Taylor is in what we call "the Golden Years." This is the time after childhood and before teenager. At eleven years old, she is old enough to completely take care of herself, however she listens to what we say and does what we ask (mostly). She has grown in her self-confidence in the last few years and seems (mostly) comfortable in her own skin. She probably spends too much time plugged in to iPods, computers, and her phone. She still has an amazing imagination, and has always been able to entertain herself indefinitely. She has not had a boyfriend this year. She has liked several boys, and many like her, but never at the same time. She has a great relationship with Jesus. She prays for people she knows and general "save the world" prayers for people she doesn't know. She's growing her hair out for Locks of Love. This is an organization that makes wigs for kids who’ve lost their hair. http://www.locksoflove.org/ . Your hair has to be 10" long and she's getting close. She plays the drum at school, and does gymnastics each week. Her goal is to be an interior designer when she gets out of school.
Austin: Austin is in 7th grade and will be 13 on Christmas Eve. We feel like we're just right on the edge of transitioning from the "Golden Years" to having a "Teenager". In this year we've watched as he figures out who he is and where he fits in. He doesn't take what we say (anything we say) at face value. He decides for himself what he's going to agree with or believe. He is a great person, and consistently impresses us with his caring heart. His teachers tell us he’s a joy to have in class, although he's very social. He loves texting (no one talks on the phone). He still loves being active. Anything outdoors is better than everything indoors. He likes his hair long, which is hard for me. His volleyball team (7th & 8th graders) won the district championship. He’s playing guitar everyday at school in the jazz band. He has a gift for praying out loud. He’s definitely better than me at that. We are blessed that both our kids are so much farther along in their relationship with God than I was at their age.
Lisa: Wow! Where to begin with her…As you may know, she keeps our family running smoothly and efficiently. She goes to field trips, helps out at school events, takes kids to lessons, practices, wherever else they need to go, does yard work, cleans our house, laundry, cooking, and everything else we need. If that weren’t enough, she is the coordinator of hospitality at our church, joined the “Mom Squad” on Channel 3 (see previous blog), manages Jon and Dina Gowars condo, and cleans houses/condo’s. Still not enough? This fall she started a new position as Marketing Consultant for Advantage Inspection Service (www.azinspect.com). They are a home/commercial inspection company owned by some friends of ours from church, David and Judy Swartz. This position plays to all of Lisa’s strengths (extrovert, organized, cheerleader). She meets lots of new people and makes them each feel special. It also helps that she’s representing a company that leads the industry in what they do. Lisa is an amazing woman and we’d be lost without her. There’s that part near the end of Proverbs where it talks about a Godly woman and how it makes her husband look good. That’s what she does for me.
Me: I’m definitely the boring one in this family. Work is slow, and we’re doing our best to cut costs and land enough work to survive. I’m still enjoying the guitar and take lessons with Austin. He’s better than I am now. A friend from work lent me his motorcycle for a few months while he gets settled in Boston. So I took the safety course and got my license. It’s a cruiser (http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/yamaha_v_star_650_classic/photo_01.html) and has been a lot of fun during this warm fall. I’ve taken the kids on some short rides, and yes, Lisa has been on a few. She says it’s more fun then she expected.
