Lucy and Ellory recently.

Lucy and Ellory had a great second semester of 2nd grade! It's fun to watch both of them grow in school, in the things they are learning like reading deeper books and talking about them, more advanced math and problem solving, and in comprehension and writing. Both Lucy and Ellory had truly wonderful teachers this year and we are so thankful for them! We are excited for summer to begin and for all the fun that brings.

Lucy and Ellory both did winter rec basketball and did great! Proud of both for getting out there, trying your best, and making improvements! We took a family trip to Destin, Florida in February and Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Kayla got to join as well. We really loved our time at the beach! We had a great time celebrating Easter with both sides of the family- the best reason to rejoice! They continued on with Sunday School and piano lessons through the rest of the year too, and Ellory with her dance class. Both did spring rec soccer and were on the orange team. Lucy and Ellory, you are great players and it's fun to cheer you on! We had a great time at Tulip Festival with family and friends and Lucy and Ellory got to Dutch dance in the parades this year for the first time! They just had their end of the year piano recital- Lucy played The Kangaroo That Almost Flew and Ellory played Stomping Five, and both did very well. Ellory's end of the year dance recital was a “dancing through the decades” theme and she danced to Surfin' USA by the Beach Boys and Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley. Her dances were neat to watch! I got to be a chaperone on their zoo field trip at the end of the year (along with my weekly classroom volunteering), and we had a great time!

Ellory had strep in January, but after that both Lucy and Ellory had a super healthy winter and spring- thankful for that! We celebrated Lucy and Ellory turning 8 in February- what a special celebration! We got to celebrate at the end of January with the Schut side and in February with De Jong side closer to their birthday. They chose to have separate, smaller parties this year with a couple friends from class. Lucy chose to go to Drop Zone in Sioux City and then come back for Pizza Ranch pizza and Dairy Queen ice cream cake with a sports theme. Ellory chose to go to Pickled Palette in Sioux City for pottery painting and out for Peach Wave ice cream with a panda theme. On March 3, 2025, Lucy lost her top left lateral incisor. We said goodbye to Great Grandpa Schut on January 29, 2025. We miss him a lot, but look forward to seeing him in Heaven again one day and are very thankful he was a wonderful grandpa. At their 8 year old wellness check, Lucy was 4'5” (85%) and 55 lbs (40%). Ellory was 4'3” (59%) and 58 lbs (53%). Thankful for happy, growing girls! In March/April, Ellory was having blood in her urine, thankfully no other symptoms, but doctors kept an eye on that for awhile. We had several appointments, including a specialist appointment in Sioux Falls. They couldn't find an exact cause, but ran some tests and thankfully it wasn't anything serious, and that it was some sort of kidney infection that usually runs course in 5-6 weeks, and that's what happened and she hasn't had any blood in her urine for weeks now, so that's good news! Lucy was excited to get rid of her sling in February and have her collar bone be healed (after breaking it over Thanksgiving break)! Another big update for Lucy is that she started wearing glasses in January. She has done very well with wearing them and looks beautiful!

We had the greatest news ever on March 2, 2025, of Lucy accepting Jesus in to her heart! What wonderful news and we rejoice in her salvation! She was coloring in her Bible verse coloring book during church, and in the prayer section, she wrote a prayer that she wanted God to be with her for the rest of her life and asked Him to be in her heart forever. We talked about it further together after church and Kley and I prayed with her/over her and Lucy prayed also, and what a glorious day that was! We pray He would continue to work in your heart, Lucy! And Ellory's too (we celebrated a glorious day with Ellory awhile back when she accepted Jesus into her heart also)!

Some of Lucy's favorite things to do are anything sports related and listen to Phil Wickham. Ellory's favorite things are reading, listening to music, stuffed animals, and crafts. They both have been enjoying building lego cities and playing school. We love you so much Lucy! We love you so much Ellory! Watching you grow is a gift and you bring so much joy to us!

Lucy and Ellory recently.

Lucy and Ellory are in 2^nd grade and are both doing great! They have adjusted well and both do great going to school each day. Both of their teachers are great and they each have some nice friends in their classes. So proud of both of them!

We celebrated Norah turning 10 in October and had fun during Halloween. Lucy was soccer player Lionel Messi and Ellory was gymnast Simone Biles. Lucy and Ellory both had a quick but terrible stomach bug in October too. So thankful that we got to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with both sides of the family. We got together with De Jongs in Orange City for Thanksgiving and Christmas and also were able to go to Des Moines with Schuts for both holidays too- so special! Over Thanksgiving break on November 29, Lucy took an unfortunate tumble during a cousin keep away game and broke her right collar bone. She will be in a sling for six weeks and is being a total trooper! She has handled it very well and hasn't complained. So glad it didn't hurt her for too long and that the pain wasn't too intense. Poor Lucy also had a big bout of sickness right before Christmas and had pneumonia for a full week. So glad everyone was healthy for Christmas! We have been losing some teeth too! Lucy lost her top left central incisor on August 18, her top right central incisor on September 19, and her top right lateral incisor on November 1. Ellory lost her top right lateral incisor on August 26. We said a sad earthly goodbye to Papa Van Etten on September 23, 2024, but look forward to seeing him again in Heaven someday!

Lucy brought up several times that she would really like to try flag football this fall, so we let her try it and she absolutely loved it. She was the only girl, but it didn't phase her and she went out there with such bravery and determination! She was pretty good and has been enjoying watching football with Kley too and learning about the game. Ellory is doing a tap and jazz dance class this year and has been enjoying it and doing a great job! They are both taking piano lessons this year and it's fun to see how much they have learned after only a year and a half of lessons. Mrs. Heidi is their teacher this year, which is who Norah has had and who taught their Kindermusik lessons when they were younger, so it's special to have a teacher they already knew and for all three to go to the same place. They were both in the Christmas piano recital and did a very nice job! Ellory played “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Have A Holly Jolly Christmas,” and Lucy played “Silent Night” and “Angels We Have Heard On High.” I got to join Lucy as a duet for her right hand since her collar bone was broken. Lucy and Ellory are in 2^nd grade Sunday School this year and are enjoying that too. They were both in the Christmas program and sang about how Jesus is our light. They had a school music program around Veteran's Day that was “Celebrate America” themed with some fun patriotic songs and dances. They did great at both programs! We had fall conferences and are so glad to report that Lucy and Ellory are doing great- very smart and kind!

Both Lucy and Ellory are very sweet with younger kids and they get to be around many with cousins and kids in life group. Lucy is into all sports, loves anything athletic, and loves building things like magna tiles or car tracks or towers. Ellory loves coloring, crafting, music/dancing, and stuffed animals. Both enjoy playing outside and creating scenes or cities with legos or dolls. Playmobil and Lil Woodzeez sets are favorite toys too. It's fun to hear their growth in reading this year and reading some chapter books! We are so thankful for such loving, kind, smart, and beautiful inside and out girls! Lucy and Ellory, we are so proud to be your parents and we love you so very much! We pray His love for you would continue to grow in your hearts!