Andy- The DAD of the crew: Andy and I met on my first day of college while I was still bringin
g in my luggage to my dorm room at Indiana University. That was almost 30 years ago. After 26 years of marriage, I have especially enjoyed this season of watching him navigate being dad to four young men. He is their role model, wrestling partner, encourager, confidant, first boss, mentor, and their source of wisdom.
Michael-age 18: Michael is a former strong-willed toddler who presented his new parents with endless challenges for almost 8 years. Currently he is a confident high school senior who has chosen to use his God-giv
en intensity for good. He is not involved in many school activities because he insists that he is focusing on “Balance” in his life. He loves knives, shooting BB guns, watching 24 with his dad, fishing, snow skiing, and hiking the Appa-
lachian Trail. My favorite thing about Michael is having him come home from school and say, “Can we just talk? I feel like I haven’t talked to you all day.”
Bryan-age 16: Bryan was the easy-going, passive toddler who made us realize that Michael was indeed a difficult child. Bryan started running with his dad in second grade and has logged thousands of miles on the road just talking about business deals and life. He has always possessed a maturity
and seriousness that people notice. This year he is a high school junior who loves cross country, track, snow skiing, hiking the AT and is finally more sure of who he is and how God designed h
im. After starting a landscaping business at age 10, he continues to grow his business with dreams of becoming a commercial real estate developer. At night he searches the Internet for buildings that he would like to buy and repurpose. I love how Bryan can speak into adult situations with the wisdom and insight of someone so much older.
Christopher-age 14: Christopher was the perfect baby and the chattering toddler who would recite books that we read to him. He was born with a bicuspid aortic valve which SHOULD have meant surgery at age 5o, but instead caused him to have open heart and brain surgery at age ten when he contracted a rare bacterial infection. (Click on his video under “our miracle”) This year, Christopher is fully healed and participating in both the school play and the academic team at his middle school. He also loves hiking the Appalachian Trail and anything else outdoors. He is the size of a fourth grader but has the confidence of an adult. I love that Christopher is never bored and seems to entertain himself with singing Les Miserables show tunes, reciting lines from the latest movie he has watched, or seeking new random knowledge to share with friends and family-despite their lack of his enthusiasm.
Matthew-age 12: Matthew began life with three big brothers and has not yet stopped trying to catch up with them. He is outgoing and full of energy and was my first kid to actually make conversations with strangers witho
ut being prompted or embarrassed. He was also the first one to end up in the ER for stitches at age 2. He has an intensity for all sports, but we have focused him on basketball since it is played indoors and we do live in Indiana. He is competitive in everything and enjoys the limelight. This has presented us with many challenging opportunities to parent him and enough “Matty Stories” to last a lifetime. I love his affectionate personality (when he likes me) and his heart for God and his desire to serve Him with his gift of leadership.
