October 2015 Highlights

Things are going well at the Paasch household. School has been in full swing for both Mysia and Malachi, and both Lydia and I have been busy with our jobs! We’ve had a wonderful and exciting month as well.

Malachi had a few more soccer games, and did very well. It was a great opportunity for him to learn teamwork and get some of that energy out. He learned a few things along the way and it taught him some more responsibility. We hope he’ll do it again next year.

Malachi has also started piano lessons. We’ve talked about it for several years, and the chance finally became available. I now sit in the van for an hour while both kids learn how to properly make noise…

Mysia now has a music stand and book for her school violin. She is learning responsibility in having to take her instrument to school twice a week, and the extra practice. Mysia is also part of her school's PRIDE choir.

Lydia I attended parent/teacher conferences this month and learned that both kids are doing extremely well and excelling at school! Mysia is a leader in her class, and compassionate and helpful to her classmates. Her teacher said she’s polite and respectful, and that she can trust her with any task given. Malachi, as hyper as he is, had an fantastic report too. Besides being on top as well, he communicates with others and gets tasks done.

With that in mind, Mysia will be starting middle school next year! We’ve had several programs interested in her due to high educational scores (she’s smart). We’ve attended several meetings and are looking into what would better suit her when she starts 5th grade. It’s exciting!

We attended several activities this year! Two important events were the Pregnancy Care Center’s Walk 4 Life and the MEND balloon release. Both were very meaningful, and we enjoyed being a part!

We’re looking forward to the fall season, and what the next month brings us. Life is an adventure!

~Matt

September 2015 Highlights

September was a pretty eventful month. It started out with our 12 wedding anniversary. Lydia and I both took off work and spent the day in Branson... shopping! We also had a nice dinner date back in town.

During the first weekend, we took the kids to see the Avengers 2 at the theater after catching up with the earlier movies at home. Some great family time together! Yes... we're Marvel geeks. :)

Mysia is now in school orchestra, picking up the violin. She's trying to learn. Of course, she's still taking weekly piano lessons. She's reading many books and keeps busy with her own creative ambitions. 

Malachi started soccer this year as well. It continues into the middle of October. Practices have been on Friday evenings with the games on Saturday mornings. He's learning teamwork and the game in general. So far they've played three games: won, lost, and then tied. Malachi has even been a goalie! I've been able to stream each game through the Periscope app.

Malachi also celebrated his 8th birthday. The most exciting part is that he's old enough not to be sitting in a car booster seat, something he has been looking forward to since last year! He had a wonderful party with family coming over to celebrate.

Both kids have been doing pretty good with school, and excited to be attending. They come home each day with stories. We've also been visiting the public library each week. Both enjoy bring home new books to read. Of course, if there's a good movie to check out, we'll grab that too! Lydia and I were finally able to watch "Big Hero 6", one the kids had watched several times earlier.

Lydia is keeping busy working at BKD, and doing well in the office life. She also helps with the finaces at church. She's been involved in ladies' Bible studies each week and enjoys every moment of it.

For me , work has been great at KWFC & The Wind as well. I've been doing a lot for both stations. Working for Christian radio is fun and adventurous! 

Fall has arrived and we're enjoying the cooler weather... so much to be happening soon!

 ~Matt

Malachi: God's gift...

Last Sunday, I was running tech in the KidsLife center at church. Malachi's classmates were all asked if they could be given anything from God, like Solomon, what would it be? 

Answers included things humorous to serious, "100 cookies", "a new house", "good attitude", etc. 

When it came time for Malachi, his answer? "To be a Jedi...!!!"

LOL!


~Matt

Nostalgia at SDC

On Saturday, we enjoyed a family outing at Silver Dollar City in Branson. It had been over a year since we’ve all gone together. Since the kids are older and we don’t have to deal with a stroller or wagon, it’s more fun and enjoyable now that we can all ride together. Of course, they are a bit uncertain with some of the bigger rides.

For me, it gave me odd feeling. I’ve been going to the park since I was their age, and now I’m the dad. On some of the old rides, I remember how it was back when as a kid, and it was weird to now see things from my kids' perspective. I got a strange feeling of nostalgia that I’ve never experienced.

Yes, some things have changed, but there is definitely more excitement.. Better rides, more activities, and new experiences. However, there are some “hidden” aspects people have forgotten. For example, I made sure we went by the old jailhouse off the square. Yup, no one else there. Pretty cool!

We didn’t get to ride all the rides during this trip, but we have the rest of the year to do it!  

~Matt

Spring Celebration Trip!

Tax season is over! Yay....! 

Last Friday the 17th, the kids had the day off from school. So in preparation, we planned a family get-away for the weekend. It was something that the kids (and us) have been looking forward to over the past few months.

Lydia found some great deals in Branson. So we got up that morning, packed our overnight luggage, got a few things done around the house, and played video games before leaving town around noon. Our first stop was the Butterfly Palace. We got to release butterflies and go through several of the mazes. We even watched a 3D movie of the life of a butterfly.

After eating a quick lunch, we then headed to the motel, Castle Rock Resort. Once checked in, we changed into our swimwear and enjoyed the rest of the day playing at the indoor water-park! What fun we all had. There was a "lazy river" with tubes, allowing us to float around. Mysia was first to try the water slides, and after some encouragement, Malachi soon followed. They were a bit reluctant to return to the room around 11pm, but excited about Saturday.

The pools didn't open until 10am, so we enjoyed some rest that morning and ate breakfast while watching some movies on the TV. We packed all of our belongings before again spending several hours in the water-park. We had a great lunch before heading back home.

A short family vacation, and a whole lot of fun! 

~Matt

March Highlights!

The month of March was exciting, yet busy. I was still recovering from my hernia surgery, which made us adjust our schedules a bit. I've been on a weight restriction of no more than 10 lbs. of lifting. Lydia has been putting in overtime during the week and working all Saturdays.

The kids had Spring Break during the first part of the month. Lydia and I still had work, so they spent their time at the Boys and Girls Club with activities.

Lydia and I got to have a "date night" on the 13th while the kids stayed at home with Uncle Sam & Aunt Madisen. We had a nice dinner and watched a fun movie. It was great!

On Saturday the 14th, the kids and I went to “Jurassic Quest” at the Expo Center. It was neat seeing the giant dinosaurs. We spent some time at Jordan Valley Park and then attended the downtown Saint Patrick’s Day parade!

Mysia made PRIDE Panther at school on the 22nd! Yay...! We're so proud of her of course.

BJ and his family came to town for a visit. The cousins enjoyed spending Saturday (21st) playing. That evening, I pulled out my puppet Ace to get him looking good for the following. The kids were excited, so we had a "puppet convention" before bed. Mysia's puppet, "I'm more beautiful than Ace, because I'm a different 'ginger'... haha!

Malachi's art from school was featured at the Springfield Art museum on Sunday the 22nd. It was neat to visit and find his work among all the others from the area.

On Friday the 27th, we attended the Taekwondo Fundraising Banquet. I provided the entertainment by doing a skit with Ace. It turned out pretty good and we all won door prizes.

~Matt

Hernia Surgery (and Update)

On Friday morning, February 27th, I went in for hernia surgery. Mysia and Malachi had spent the night with Granny & Granddad. We arrived at the hospital and I was signed up at 5:30. After waiting a bit, they sent me to a room to get dressed in a cap and gown. We spent time talking with nurses and medication specialists. They set me up with an IV and began the process of surgery preparation. They wheeled me to the operating room and I was sedated around 7:45. I woke up around 9:30 and they said that the actual procedure only took 17 minutes. I ate crackers, drank juice, and the filled me up with liquids. After finally urinating, I was released around 1:15. On the way home, we stopped and grabbed lunch, then picked up the kids stuff from my mom and my medication from the pharmacy. I rested at home watching movies and sleeping. Mysia and Malachi rode the bus home from school for the very first time.

The following weeks of being in “recovery mode” have been interesting. I've been in pain, and have quickly learned to be careful getting up and around. I was completely down for the first few days, but back to work on Monday following the surgery. My co-workers quickly discovered that I could easily double over in agony when brought to laughter.

Currently, I've feeling better and my pain has gone down. I get occasional “shocks” when I get up too fast or twist wrong when sitting. I won’t be able to lift anything over 10 pounds for a few more weeks. Don’t want to cause it tear or anything… Of course, I’m praying that I won’t have to deal with this again.

Many thanks to those who have prayed and helped during this time!

~Matt

Mysia: Now 10!

Back at the end of January, Mysia turned 10! 

Wow… how time has flown. She is growing up so fast. One smart girl too.

As a parent, I’m so proud of her. Even though still a kid, she’s awesome. Her thoughts and actions prove how much insight she has on many aspects of life, and it often floors me. Her and I can spend much time in conversation. A very social personality, she can be sensitive on some matters, and can get a bit emotional with a compassionate heart. Such a sweetheart.

Of course, she takes after Lydia with her reading and getting lost in her books. We’ll usually find her sitting on her bed enjoying a good story. Mysia is also very creative with her writing. There are notes everywhere. Yes, she is definitely a joy to have around!

For her birthday, we upgraded her cell phone to an iPhone 5c. By doing so, we’re teaching her responsibility, especially with technology. She is able to keep in touch with us, along with other family and her friends. She loves interaction, so you will often find her in some sort of communication on her free time.

Mysia is also doing great with her homework and piano lessons. There are times when she gets frustrated, but is learning to deal with the problems and making great achievements. She’s also taken on more responsibilities with chores. For example, she’s in charge of the family laundry every weekend. She sorts and washes the the clothes, and doing a great job.

Mysia is an excellent daughter!


~Matt

Note: Mysia took the "selfie" and even did the editing herself! That's my girl....!

Crusin'....

Back in January, Lydia and I had the privilege to go on-board the KWFC Southern Gospel Cruise! We left the kids under the care of Sam and Madisen for the week-long trip. So it was quite an experience for the entire family.

Highlights of the trip? Well, we visited the Duck Commander Warehouse on the bus trip to New Orleans, unfortunately none of the family from Duck Dynasty was there. We visited Cozumel Mexico and enjoyed shopping. We also went snorkeling. Sadly, we took our cell phones with us in “waterproof cases” that turned out better holding water! Afterwards, we visited Roatan and enjoyed a day at the beach getting some sun. In fact, we got sunburned… yikes! Another awesome excursion was visiting the Altun Ha ruins, an ancient Maya city in Belize. A very unique experience as we climbed those ruins and viewed the country. It was on the outskirts of the rain-forest too!

Of course, the Carnival Dream was a pretty awesome ship to be on as well. I took advantage of the swimming pools and we really enjoyed the shows. We attended each of the Southern Gospel events too. On the last night, I was able to join the artists on stage singing “Just A Little Talk With Jesus”. The entire trip was blast and we made new friends too.

We were sad but happy to be back home. While gone, we missed our kids and being able to contact them. Perhaps we'll take them on a cruise next year?

What a trip!

~Matt

NOTE on the WEEK RUNDOWN

Just wanted to make quick note that I have decided not to continue posting the “Week Rundown” updates.

It’s been a joy to share what has been going on every day in our lives, and several have mentioned how much they like keeping up with us. Unfortunately, we have felt that it may be sharing too much publicly. With that in mind, it’s been decided to end it.

However, I will be sharing important news from time to time. Special occasions and events will still be reported. So yes, I promise to still keep everyone updated with the things going on in our family!

Keep following! Oh, and HEY... Contact us, as we would love to hear from you.

~Matt

Week Rundown! (12/28/14 - 01/03/15)

On Sunday, we attended church services and then went to the mall, doing some window shopping. We met my family for lunch at HuHot. The food was great, and we visited a bit before all deciding to hang out at my parents' house for the afternoon. That evening, we were visited with Gampa Gary. We shared Christmas gifts and played several rounds of Mario Kart. We then dropped of Malachi to spend night with his boy cousins.

Lydia went into work on Monday morning. Mysia and I went to my work for a bit and then we visited with the cousins and my family for the rest of the day. Lydia and I had a late lunch together as we signed over the totaled Bug to our insurance agency.  

The kids were off of school on Tuesday, so we spent the day together at home getting some things done… including taking down all the Christmas decorations. Boy, what a chore! That evening, Abigail and Ethan came over for a visit.

On Wednesday, the kids joined me as I did went in for work and did my radio show. We then went to the chiropractor to get "adjusted". We picked up Lydia and visited dentist for our scheduled teeth cleaning. That night, we stayed home allowing the kids to stay up past midnight to bring in the New Year. We made popcorn, drank sparkling grape juice and played Wii games.

We slept in on Thursday for New Years Day. Once up, we got ready and headed over to visit with my family at my parents'. We played games, took pictures, and ate.

Lydia went back to work on Friday, and then kids joined me as I did my show for the afternoon at KWFC. That evening, we watched a few movies and actually got to bed on time!

Saturday was nice as we spent most of the day at home getting things done and sorting things around the house. The kids got their rooms picked up. Lydia did a grocery run that evening. We also worked on schedules and getting things ready for our cruise in a week!

~Matt