Levi is 12!

 Levi Olin you are 12! We had fun celebrating you this month, although we all ended up getting sick, so your party was not quite as lively as other years. 

Birthday lunch at Kome Sushi! Your favorite! 

You chose banana cream pie doughnuts for breakfast. We made a valiant attempt and the filling was great, but the gluten-free yeast donuts were not as fluffy as I'd hoped. We'll have to keep experimenting. You enjoyed helping! 

Birthday Interview -- December 27, 2025

What is your favorite color? "Green and Gray"

 ...movie? "Family Switch" 

... tv show? "Carmen Sandiego" 

... book? "Chop Wood, Carry Water" 

... YouTube channel? "Snake Discovery" 

... favorite video game to play? "Hogwarts Legacy {he got it for Christmas}" 

... sport? "Football and basketball" 

... fruit? "Blueberries and bananas 

... animal? "Hognose snake" 

... thing to do everyday? "Playing outside, probably playing video games." 

... about Naomi? "That she's always up to do something, most of the time." 

... about Zoë? "That she plays board games with me." 

... about Zeke? "He tries to include me on his projects."  

... about Mommy? "That even if we play the same game over and over, you still like to play." 

... about Daddy? "That he includes me on building his fish tank." 

What do you want to be when you grow up? "A veterinarian." 

What do you like most about homeschooling? "That Mom helps me with school when it doesn't make sense." 

What is your favorite food? "I like BBQ Chicken pasta and pizza, pad thai." 

Anything else you want to remember about turning 12 (or are excited about)?  "That I get more stuff to do, like responsibilities; that Mom and Dad will probably say 'yes' to more things." 

We enjoyed our A&W Book Club celebrating "Treasures of the Snow". We made paper lanterns, carved soap, and ate fun snacks! 

The Splatoon cake we made for your party! 

For the fall semester you worked on a WWII project and you decided to share it with us since we celebrated your birthday on Pearl Harbor Day (December 7). 

Your Thanksgiving contribution: Green Bean Casserole. Our best one yet! 

We helped process a beef in November. You liked helping with the ground beef. 

We completed a National Parks puzzle during some of our first cold days of the fall. 

Mustache painted on at Fall Fun Day with Restore. 

Another bake-off -- you and Zoe worked together to make the Forbidden Forest cake from Harry Potter 2. 

At the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain during our family vacation in July in AR. 

You went to your first church camp at Encounter Cove, MO with the other 6th grade boys from Restore. 

Levi -- you are full of energy, zeal, and intensity for life! You awake ready to work, talk, play, move, be alive! You've begun to read morning devotionals in a book called "Catching Whimsy" by Bob Goff. I love that you come upstairs so diligently and start reading to start your day. I pray it will give you wisdom and knowledge about living well and growing closer to God. You have pursued regular work this year and walk Rubble (from our previous neighborhood) around 3 times a week; in turn, this has increased your fitness because you either ride your bike there (about a mile away) when the weather is nice or, recently, you've begun to walk all the way there and then take the walk with Rubble, and then we come to pick you up. Your goal for the coming year is to walk there and back! I'm so proud of the ways you are pursuing to be healthy and active and I pray you will continue to do so as you grow older. You are dedicated to learning in school each day, enjoying the trumpet in the homeschool band, making good progress in your piano skills, serving at church in the Kindergarten room, growing as a leader at Kick. They have invited you to begin taking the combatives class with the adults starting in 2026! I think you are ready -- you have been in jiu jitsu for 6 years, I believe, and I think you're ready to be challenged and pushed to the next level. You are an assistant instructor in Lil Champs and have just started helping in Junior Grapplers as well so I know you are making good progress even though I am not there to see it each week. You are gathering resources, doing research, and asking experts questions about getting a hognose snake. It looks like this will be happening in the coming year as well, which makes me nervous, but I think you are ready for the challenge and it will bring you lots of joy. I admire the way you move through life and I think it will be for your good as you grow into an adult -- the self-motivation, willingness to jump in and serve, the single-minded focus, and pure effort you put into all the things you pursue. I love you buddy and can't wait to see what '12' brings! Love, Mom   

 

Levi is ELEVEN!

 Levi Olin, you are 11! We celebrated you with a party on Sunday night, 12/15. We had pulled pork chili, fruit salad, and vanilla cake with blueberry filling. Your theme for your party was Pokemon. On your birthday day, we had vanilla and blueberry donuts for breakfast and went to Kome Sushi for lunch -- yum! 

- You participated in your Bully Battle and earned your orange/yellow belt at class on 12/16! Just a few days later at your Kick Christmas party you were chosen as the Black Belt student of the Year! We are so proud of you! You began attending Fellowship at Kick which is the leadership class; you help with the Lil Champs class once a week and then take about 6 classes a month. 

Birthday Interview -- December 20, 2024

What is your favorite color? "Green"

 ...movie? "Scrooge and Home Alone 2" 

... tv show? "The Mandalorian" 

... book? "Probably... Wings of Fire and The 39 Clues" 

... YouTube channel? "Brave Wilderness" 

... favorite video game to play? "Splatoon 3" {he got it for his birthday party on 12/15}

... sport? "Football and baseball." 

... fruit? "Banana"

... animal? "Snakes"

... thing to do everyday? "Umm... rest time, play on the nintendo switch, and reading." 

... about Naomi? "That she plays my Pokemon game with me." 

... about Zoë? "This is hard! Playing MarioKart with her." 

... about Zeke? "That he's nice to me." 

... about Mommy? "That  you try your best liking the stuff that I like, even if it doesn't make sense to you." 

... about Daddy? "That he helps me with board games and video games as well." 

What do you want to be when you grow up? "A veterinarian." 

What do you like most about homeschooling? "That we only do school in the morning, not in the afternoon." 

What is your favorite food? "Oooh, that's hard! Pork chili, BBQ chicken pizza, chicken noodle soup, dumpling soup, and BBQ chicken pasta." 

Anything else you want to remember about turning 11 (or are excited about)?  "To have more responsibilities; I started to collect Pokemon cards; and that I can play older video games and board games and stuff." 

- We had fun working on your Pokémon-themed birthday cake together! You began collecting Pokémon cards this year after you and I went out for special time and played the Pokémon game at Mission: Board Games. 

- Mimi reminded me of this picture from when you were 10 months old, living out in CO! So we recreated it at the Red Barn Farm this Fall -- 10 years later. I love it! 

- You learned how to embroider this year -- you made a lotus as your first project and then this tea towel for Pop-Pop's birthday! You are beginning your hand at whittling. You are working on improving your skills on ukulele with YouTube videos and have advanced to level 2A in piano! You did a great job at your recital in the Fall both on your own and on your duet with Miriam! 

- Reptiles are still your favorite type of animal. You got this neat airbrush tattoo of a snake at our Fall Fun Night with Restore out at Red Barn Farms. Sapphire your leopard gecko is doing well. Your pet business has grown this year -- 3 new customers; one family has 3 rescue dogs that we've taken quite a few walks with; another family has 2 dogs that you've watched for one weekend; and another family has a cat that we played with over Christmas break. 

- You love to read! Graphic novels are your favorite, but you also enjoy nature books and read a chapter from "Love Does" almost every night. 

- You are doing well in 5th grade! You're learning more advanced division, taking a writing course with Zeke, and have become a pretty good speller! Your favorite subject is history -- we're currently studying Ancient History. 

- Our traditional Monarchs baseball game was the All-Star game this summer! Lots of fun! 

- We rented a pontoon at Lake Jacomo in July and you and your siblings had such a great time jumping off the boat and playing in the water. It was a really fun day together! 

- You are getting better at cooking and baking! You worked on browning ground beef, cooking pasta, reading recipes and measuring ingredients. 

- You milked your first goat at Heather's house this summer! You continue to excel in taking care of animals and even just understanding them. You continue to read books to gain more knowledge about their care as well. 

- You greatly enjoyed your 10 year old trip in May to Loveland, CO! We hung out with your CO cousins, Grandma, and great-Grandma, aunt and uncle; we spent a night up in Estes Park -- took a couple of hikes, soaked in the hot tub, ate pizza, ran a 5K (your first one!), watched the Duck Race; spent time with a family that is friends with our family; went to the arcade in Berthoud and spent some time around town seeing the duplex we lived in when you were born, going to the coffee shop, walking around to places we frequented your first year of life! It was a wonderful memory we made with you! 

Levi, you are growing into a loving, caring, helpful, insightful, and focused boy! You take time to ask me how you can help me, you work hard at completing your school work each day, you are motivated to work and earn money, and you care very much about doing the right thing. You are a good friend -- listening and asking questions as well as sharing in conversations and paying attention to what others like or are interested in. I enjoy spending time with you on Friday afternoons -- taking walks, talking about what's going on in our lives, watching YouTube videos like Dude Perfect and Brave Wilderness, writing in our Mom/Son journal, playing Pokémon, praying together, and staying connected! I love you so much! ~Mom 

Levi is 10!

 Levi Olin, you  are 10 years old! We have entered the double digits -- woohoo! Here are some photos and things I'd like to remember about this past year. 

- You earned your first stripe on your white/orange belt, this month, for jiu jitsu! I'm proud of all the work you've put into this sport. You have worked hard and have learned a lot! 

- You love to eat and you enjoy baking and cooking too! You've become very good at making the green bean casserole for Thanksgiving each year. You also like to experiment -- you tried a few time to make some million dollar bacon at home (before you'd even eaten it!) and made some tasty breakfast for us. 

- You like to be active! You take yourself on jogs, we go on walks together, you like to ride your bike with Zeke around our family walk circuit. You enjoy playing football after our A&W hikes on Thursday afternoons and you like to play soccer in the front yard, especially with Lennox and her dad during Shay's piano lesson. You like to work on your slingshot skills in the backyard, you set snares around the yard in an attempt to capture squirrels (nothing yet!), and when we can find a court, you like to play basketball. 

- Your love of animals remains. You take good care of Sapphire and enjoy morning snuggles with Dora. The next pet you hope to get is a snake or another lizard. 

- You have worked hard at your Pet Care business this year. You have added two new customers that contact you with regularity to care for their dogs. That brings you to 4 consistent customers, with an additional 1 who will sometimes need help! What a fabulous start for a 9 year old. You are not afraid to pass out flyers, talk to strangers and ask them if they have pets you can care for, and meet new customers! I am proud of you. 

- In October, we had a screen-free month and you found several books at the library about staying busy without screens. You made tons of paper hats one Sunday morning. You made a pinata, a mustache, helped Zoe make a friendship chain, popcorn holders out of coffee filters, and more! I loved seeing your creative side shine through. 

- Squeezing beets to make a natural food coloring for our first Harry Potter baking project - his cake! 

- We went to Rocky Mountain National Park and you received your 4th Grade national park pass. It was a fun experience! 

- You love the outdoors! We did a very brief camping trip (due to thunderstorms) up to Wallace State Park in September. We'll try again next year! 

- You are getting better at playing piano (you've begun practicing daily!), you are still working on the ukulele and recorder. You enjoy listening to music especially Parry Grip, Jordan Feliz, Evan Craft, and Skillet. 

- One of my favorite special times -- going to a Monarchs game together each summer. This year we got a funnel cake and decided that would be a new special food we get to share once a year! 

Birthday Interview -- December 15, 2023 

What is your favorite color? "Green and Brown"

 ...movie? "Tin-Tin" and "Home Alone 2"  

... tv show? "Oh this is hard... Junior Baking." 

... book? "Right now it's probably the 'Who would Win?' books." 

... YouTube channel? "Dude Perfect and Snake Discovery" 

... favorite video game to play? "Legend of Zelda and Minecraft." 

... sport? "Soccer and football" 

... fruit? "Banana"

... animal? "Reptiles, specifically lizards." 

... thing to do everyday? "Nintendo" 

... about Naomi? "That she likes looking at the books I get her." 

... about Zoë? "That she asks before she takes something of mine, most of the time." 

... about Zeke? "That he helps me in Minecraft." 

... about Mommy? "That you're my school teacher." 

... about Daddy? "That he goes fishing with me." 

What do you want to be when you grow up? "I want to own my own pet store. And I want to be a vet. And a video game maker." 

What do you like most about homeschooling? "That we still learn a lot even though we don't spend a lot of time doing school." 

What is your favorite food? "BBQ Chicken pizza and Sausage, Green Pepper, and Mushroom pizza." 

Anything else you want to remember about turning 10?  "My 10 year old trip! Being in my two digits. Taking on more responsibility. And all sorts of things!"

Levi Olin, you make me smile everyday. You are an excellent helper, you pay attention to what's going on around you, you  are making good friends, you like to play games -- board and video, and you have learned to slow down. Recently, I was headed out on a walk and you asked to go with me. Typically I like some alone time on my walks, but I said it was fine for you to come along. Just a few minutes later, you came upstairs to get ready to go with me, and asked "Mom, do you want me to not talk? That way you can talk on our walk?" You are so aware of what's going on. You've always been my child who wakes up with questions and ready to converse, but you are beginning to notice that sometimes others aren't ready or need their space to talk as well. You are really maturing in this area and I am very proud of you! I look forward to the year ahead with you. I can't imagine our family without you in it! Love, Mommy