Happy 11th Birthday, Wesley!

Wes gets better with age and celebrating him is so much fun! 

Can you even handle this cutest Pokemon loving boy? I just love that he continues to like Pokemon and fantasy and all the other-worldly things.

He didn't think he was going to get this plush Pokemon because they are not easy to come by, but mom and dad pulled through and made it happen!

Miradon + Wes = Best Friends

Hiking shoes for our trip to Scotland brought a smile to his face!

His birthday was on a Sunday and church got canceled right before we left because roads were not in great condition to be driving on. We love church, but disappointed we were not.

Aunt Kelli and Autumn being in town for his day were the cherry on top!

This was one of the few snow storms we had this winter, so we made the most of it!

Wes couldn't wait to show Miradon to his actual best friend, Ryan, so made a stop over there to say hi.

Aunt Kelli helped make the best cake for our boy and it sure made him happy!

Happiest 11th birthday, son, we love you with our whole hearts! We want nothing but the best for you and know you are more than capable of making the best happen. Thank you for being the boy you are and not changing for anyone. Keep being you, it will take you anywhere you need to go!

11 Things we love about Wes. 

1. Unapologetic. This boy is unapologetically Wes Monsen and I am so glad he owns his interests and desires and doesn't shape them around what others/majority think they should be.

2. Sweet. Cuddling and writing nice notes are two of his strengths.

3. Peacemaking. His a way of connecting with friends, family members, and all those around him brings peace to every situation.

4. Curious. We love the way Wes wants to know why things are the way they are.

5. Friendly. Everyone who knows him knows they can count on Wes to be their friend.

6. Capable. We have always said that Wes could become whatever he wants, and that hasn't changed at all.

7. Strong. Wes is a strong kid! He is like a brick wall on the soccer field.

8. Happy. Wes's default mode is smiling and happy. His happiness brings it out in others.

9. Smart. Wes is always impressing his parents with his knowledge.

10. Storyteller. Wes knows and tells great stories. He is currently writing a long fantasy story that could be a book someday. 
 

11. Selfless. Wes's tendency to think of others before himself makes him a great friend to all.

Christmas Break and a Happy New Year

 We had a pretty low-key Christmas break hanging together and with friends-

Mom is a struggler. We saw the new Puss and Boots movie, but had to wait a while to get in. No wonder so many tickets were available for that showing!

These little girls keep everything lively-

Families that work out together...

Sleepovers with best friends are always a blast-

We invited some of our favorites over for our annual New Year's Eve party and it was a blast as always-

Liv & Neve

Mae & Max

The Ranc and Diaz families were so fun to celebrate the New Year with even though the Buckeyes didn't pull through for us to make it to the National Championships. Good thing we don't care about football all that much!

Love these great people I get to spend all my years with!

We got to head to church on New Year's Day for our Christmas Sunday re-do and it was a great way to start the year-

Yay for 2023, we can't wait to see what she brings!

Merry Christmas to All!

 We had another amazing Christmas at the Monsen home and we are so grateful for the abundance of blessings that flow to our family-

These cute faces rolled in around 5:30am and were ready to go! Well, we had to wake the little girls up, but they didn't mind one bit and we got right to it (after teasing the kids that we were going to take showers and making sure gifts were actually left, and blah blah blah...right of passage!)-

The kids took turns at playing "Santa" and we took our time opening gifts and admiring them and just soaked in another beautiful Christmas morning. What a gift it is to be able to do this.

Nothing like a beautiful Christmas brisket!

Or a baby on Christmas day!

Laser tag was an immediate hit-

Christmas chaos is just the best!

These girls just make my heart burst!

This might be our last year of lego sets for all because of the tears that were shed, but it was fun while it lasted and the lego trays were perfect-

It was a gorgeous day outside and Christmas actually fell on a Sunday, but church unfortunately got canceled because road conditions were bad. We were actually bummed, but of course loved our day together.

That brisket was smoked to perfection by our in-home pro smoker, just in time for the Joyces to arrive for dinner and games-

We sure love this family and are so grateful their friendship. Look at all these cute kids!!

Ti-ti and Liv are two peas in a pod!

And so are these Evie and Cora girls-

After friends left, we were able to squeeze in a couple FaceTimes before bed and it was the perfect way to end our day-

What a day!

What a year!

What a wonderful life!