august is 2!

It seems like just yesterday Chris and I were walking into the hospital to deliver a little boy. A couple hours later, we met August for the first time. He cried a few times and feel right to sleep. He would scream and cry until visitors came and immediately he would settle down. At one day old, we were already trying to get him on a schedule (ha). And most of all, we fell so deeply in love with this little boy.

Now I sit here and watch what used to be my baby run throughout the house while yelling “Auggie’s BIRTHDAY”, play with his new kitchen, and talk to complete strangers. He changed so much in the first year, but no one told me how much he would change in year two. He went from crawling to walking to running to jumping. He went from no words to one word to two words to trying to form sentences (yelling, DADA, WHERE ARE YOU?). He went from baby to toddler in what seems like a blink of an eye.

More than ever, we are seeing his personality and humor come out. He is silly, goofy and loves to laugh. He is learning how to be empathetic by kissing boo boos, sharing toys, giving hugs and showing concern. He is curious and is always exploring his surroundings. He is stubborn and will work to get whatever he wants. He knows how to throw a good tantrum yet knows how to swoon you into giving into his request. He still eats three main food groups: cheese, bread and fruit. He loves playing with musical instruments, airplanes, balls and bubbles. He loves Elmo and Daniel Tiger.

Most importantly, I hope and pray that our sweet little August comes to know how deeply he is loved by our Heavenly Father. I pray that August grows to know Jesus in a deep and real way. To trust Him with the big and small things in his life. And ultimately to love HIS people because He first loved us.

August Thacker–you have changed our lives in so many wonderful ways. Your energy, spunk and love for people brings me so much joy everyday. I consider it one of life’s greatest honors to be your mom. Daily, I thank God for giving me you to raise to know HIM and love OTHERS.

We love you more than you will ever know, August! Happy 2nd Birthday to my favorite little boy.

bohle family christmas letter.

It’s that time of year again–when the annual Christmas letter gets mailed out. Each year as I pour time into writing the letter, stuffing the envelopes and addressing the cards, I wonder how much longer this tradition will continue. Well, this year didn’t seem like the year to put an end to a 75 year family tradition. SO–without further ado, here is our annual Bohle Family Christmas Letter.

 

We are half way into our third year of living in this Dutch town called Holland. We are now acclimated to its winters with 150 inches of snow (2014), the wooden shoes in the spring and the beaches in the summer. Because of this, the theme of this year’s traditional Christmas letter is “being Non-Dutch in a Dutch town”.

 There are many things we love about our life in Holland (the winters not being one of them). The one thing that remains evident is that we are not Dutch. We have brown hair not blonde, our last name doesn’t start with “Van” or “Vander” nor does it end end with “Zwaag” or “Berg” and the only shoes we own are made out of cloth not wood. Through it all, we are learning how to survive in this Dutch town! 

Chris’ employer, Hope College, calls all their employees and students the “Flying Dutch”. His wardrobe spills over in the colors of blue and orange and wooden shoes line his office windowsill. Even though he hasn’t fully grasped what it means to be a “Flying Dutch”, he loves working with college students in his capacity. Chris can often be found planning student activities, teaching leadership courses and advising student groups.

Amanda continues to teach 1^st grade at Holland Christian. Although she loves teaching 1^st grade, her biggest struggle remains learning how to pronounce all of the Dutch last names. Another major area of concern is finding a Dutch costume to wear during the Tulip Time parades so it at least appears like she’s from this town! Rumor has it there was a Dutch version of Amanda marching the streets last May.

August will turn two on December 27^th. His energy and spunk keep us on our toes. His biggest interests this year include Elmo, balls of any kind (he seems particularly fond of footballs), emptying the kitchen cabinets, and saying the word “no”. August knows no stranger and he was quickly adopted into the “Flying Dutch” family. We are daily blessed by the joy and love that he brings others and us.

All joking aside, we love our life in Holland. Between two jobs that bring us great purpose and a wonderful church family, we feel very blessed to be living and serving in Holland. God has blessed us greatly and our desire to bless others in return. If you ever find yourself in West Michigan, please be sure to stop by and say hello! We will great you with windmill cookies and tulips!

Each morning August wakes up asking to give the Baby Jesus in our nativity scene kisses. May this childlike faith, be a reminder of the purpose of the Christmas season, to celebrate the birth of our Savior and show Him our love each day.

 

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Much Love,
Chris, Amanda and August Bohle