I entered into a new decade this week… and as I contemplated how I’d like to commemorate my 40th birthday here online, I ultimately decided on one of Dave’s ideas — sharing a picture a year throughout my life. 📷
It just so happens that one of my favorite hobbies is creating yearly digital photo albums for our family and each of our children. I’ve been making them for nearly 20 years — including digitizing all Dave’s and my childhood pictures and putting them into hardcover albums (our kids LOVE looking through these books!)
Since I already had all our photos digitized and organized by year, they were fairly easy to access. The hard part was choosing just one photo per year — especially since I didn’t include photos of others who might not want their faces on the internet.
Below you’ll find a few photos that remind me of big moments in my life… but most are simply mundane moments from more than 14,000 ordinary days that made up the last 40 years.
I hope you enjoy this peek into my past — it certainly was fun to put together!
Baby + Toddler
0 = Four Generations: My Grandma is the only daughter in her family, my mom is the oldest daughter, and I’m also the oldest daughter, so I was the first 4-generation granddaughter on my mom’s side of the family. My grandma Norene (far left) is who Nora is named after.
1 = Grandparents: This is one of my only pictures with both of my dad’s parents, as my grandpa died of cancer shortly after I turned one.
2 = Journaling: I have many childhood memories of writing in little books — often numbers as high as I could count, then eventually words, which turned into daily journaling from middle school through college.
3 = Such a ham. 🥰
Elementary School
4 = My Christmas haul: I always made out well for Christmas and birthdays. This Christmas, in particular, I got my very first Cabbage Patch Kids, Carmen and Jerome (I asked for one with hair and one without).
5 = Kindergarten Graduation:
6 = Monkeying around: I was a very active kid and loved being outside.
7 = Fancy Birthday Cakes: Our birthdays were celebrated with all our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins (we had a lot), and my mom always bought themed plates and napkins. Then, our neighbor lady created a fancy cake that perfectly matched the plates and napkins.
8 = Grapes! I’m not sure if this was my idea or my mom’s, but when I was 8, I went trick-or-treating as “a bunch of grapes”. It was awkward to move around, but frugal and fun!)
9 = Sister Shirts: I don’t think I’m actually 9 in this exact picture, but I have pictures of me when I’m 9 still wearing this shirt. However, I needed to include a picture of my sisters so you could get the full experience (fanny packs and all). The shirts said, “I’m the Big Sister”, “I’m the Middle Child”, and “I’m the Little Sister,” and we wore them for as long as we could squeeze into them. They were a core memory from my childhood. 😂
10 = Sewing Class: This was a highlight of my childhood, and I’m so thankful for those years of sewing lessons. I made many of my own clothes, including a handful of swimsuits (which were very practical since I have an extremely long torso and tankinis hadn’t been invented yet!) And yes, I always felt shy and awkward during the style shows.
11 = Another Birthday: We stopped having big birthday parties after age 10, and instead had grandparents over for Sunday dinner after church. This was the first birthday with just my grandparents, and I actually still have the 2 gifts I received — a small radio alarm clock and a jewelry box.
Middle School
11 & 12 = Band Camp: I spent time at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (and other area band camps) for a few summers during middle school. I never wanted to do overnight camps (shocking!), but I did enjoy the experiences.
12 = Triangle Hair: Right before 7th grade, I cut my hair short. The only problem was that I had VERY thick, frizzy hair… and I didn’t particularly like doing my hair. We now affectionately refer to my 7th-grade school picture as “Triangle Hair”. 😂 (Note: at the time, I thought my hair looked amazing!)
13 = Eighth Grade Graduation: I loved school and vividly remember feeling so sad to finish 8th grade and yet so excited to start high school. My parents (and a few others) put on a highly anticipated dance after graduation — such a fun way to end a fantastic middle school experience.
High School
High school was amazing — I would do it again if I got the chance.
That said, it was difficult to sum up all the fun and memories in just 4 pictures (especially 4 pictures without lots of other people in them). Here’s my attempt…
14 = High School Music: I played in band, sang in choir, and took piano lessons all throughout high school. I also performed in 2 musicals, accompanied our church Jr. Choir, went on a choir trip to the White House, and was eventually titled “Most Musical” of my senior class. 🎶
15 = High School Sports: I loved being part of a team and played Basketball, Volleyball, and Softball throughout high school. I was very aggressive and was always motivated to “do better”! I received many sports awards and also won the Big League World Series the summer after my Junior year.
16 = Mom’s Wedding Dress: I have many amazing memories from being 16, but one of my favorite photos was when our church hosted a Wedding Dress Fashion Show. I wore my mom’s dress for the show, and it fit perfectly.
17 = Supportive Grandparents (and Parents): I had a slew of cousins who were all involved in so many extracurriculars… yet, my grandparents always seemed to be there watching and cheering me on. It was rare they missed even one game, concert, or recital. Also, my parents paid for 13 years of Christian Ed. and carted me to all the things all the time. 👏🏻
College
College was a whirlwind — playing 2 sports, singing in the choir, holding 2 part-time jobs and an internship, meeting, dating, and getting engaged to Dave, planning a wedding, and graduating in 3 years!
18 = Cleaning Crew: My first on-campus job was working as a janitor in the Field House (the athletic complex / gym). This is where I eventually met Dave and where we made so many great friends and memories.
19 = Carving Pumpkins: Dave finally asked me out in October of my sophomore year (thanks to encouragement from our boss) and our friends captured one of our first dates in this fun photo… the rest is history 😍.
20 = Surprise Engagement: Dave and our boss worked together on this too! A casual photo shoot that turned into a surprise engagement one week after my 20th birthday (read that fun story here).
D.I.N.K.s
I wasn’t sure what to label this season, and then I realized “D.I.N.K.” fit perfectly — Dual Income, No Kids!
We had SO much discretionary time, and while we weren’t working high-paying jobs, we lived frugally and had plenty to pay off all our student loans, upgrade our cars, do a bit of traveling, and pay down our mortgage.
21 = Our wedding! It was 2 weeks after my birthday because I wanted to be 21 before I got married. We enjoyed a fun honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort and immediately moved into our first home together.
22 = Summer: Before my 22nd birthday, I had always been on a school schedule, so I vividly remember this as the first summer I actually had to work (while Dave was home on summer break). I vowed I would eventually find a job that gave me the summers off… and while I’m not 100% “off” in the summer, I’m always home, so that’s OK with me!
23 = Hiking Mt. Rainier: Dave is from Washington State, so we flew out to visit his parents a couple of times in the first few years of marriage (then they moved to Michigan!) Mt. Rainier is one of Dave’s favorite places… super crazy that mountains have snow in the summer.
24 = Biking in Traverse City: I can’t remember exactly why, but we decided to do a biking trip through Traverse City, while staying at a cottage near Lake Michigan. I had started my business by then and was already working from home, so I didn’t need to worry about taking time off for vacations.
Farmhouse + Family
I launched my first professional website, we purchased our fixer-upper farmhouse and immediately began renovations, we hosted 2 international students, and found out I was pregnant — all in about 7 months’ time.
I joke that this was my “quarter-life crisis” because I was 25. It truly felt like a turning point in my life, all sorts of newness and excitement!
25 = Our Farmhouse: For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to fix up an old farmhouse. At this point in my life, I wouldn’t choose to do it again… but I love our quirky old house and wouldn’t trade it for anything else!
26 = Nora: Our first baby… and she really threw us a curveball. After years of not sleeping, I’m happy to share that she now easily sleeps in until we force her out of bed each morning.
27 = New Headshot: We had a family photo shoot when Nora was about 15 months old, and, on a whim, I asked for a few headshots. Little did I know, this picture would become my online presence for the next 12 years (I finally updated my profile picture last year!)
28 = Simon: Two years after Nora was born, Simon joined our family… totally the opposite of his big sister in almost every way.
Babies… and more babies
I was pregnant, nursing, or both every single day from age 25.5 through 33… hence, this season is entitled “Babies”. My hands were literally always full.
It wasn’t a bad season, but I wouldn’t choose to go back! I feel tired just looking at these pictures!
29 = Naptime: It was not uncommon for me to have one or more children napping on me at any given point during my “Babies” season. Nora rarely slept unless she could touch my skin. We found out later she had some sensory issues.
30 = Sweet Baby James: He was born just after my 30th birthday. Dave was 33, and James was our 3rd baby — giving us 3 kiddos 3 and under. Lots of “3’s”!
31 = More Naps: My parents took the entire family to Florida for Spring Break. I was pregnant with Clara and, at the time, Dave and I were the only ones with kids. It was a lot of work… and we took lots of naps!
32 = Clara Jo: I always (always) thought I’d have 5 children… and yet, the minute I found out Clara was a girl, I felt our family was instantly complete. On the car ride home, Dave said, “Do you think we’re done?”, and I was shocked he felt the same way. So strange.
Dekker, Party of 6
With our family “complete”, I thoroughly enjoyed having more time and energy to engage with our kids as they got older and more capable. It still amazes me how quickly kids learn and pick up on things.
It was not always easy, but looking back, I only remember the fun times (rose colored glasses!)
This was also (not coincidentally) the season I cut back on blog work and stepped away from social media. Best decisions ever!
33= Last Professional Photo: Our photography gal quit taking photos soon after, and we’ve never had professional photos again. Thank goodness for our tripod!
34 = Sunday Best: I’ve never been one to coordinate outfits for our kids, but it was fun to dress the kids up once a week and get out of the house after being home all week.
35 = Dave’s COVID Beard: I’m so glad we have a few photos to document Dave’s super bushy COVID beard!
36 = All 4 Kids in School: This was the first year all 4 kids were in school (if you count preschool). For the first time in over 10 years, I had 2 full hours to myself each week. 😂
Volunteer Extraordinaire
As I considered labels to accurately describe these last few years, “Volunteer” kept popping to mind. With all 4 kids in school full time now, I’ve spent thousands of hours volunteering for various church programs, in the kids’ classrooms, for recess duty, library aide, field trip chaperone, and on several different school committees and boards.
Honestly, I’ve been living my best life… all while growing out my hair through some VERY awkward stages! 😬
Also, if you have children in this age range, I highly recommend the short book “When Your Child is 6-12”. Lame title, awesome content for parenting kids through these “middle childhood years” (which just so happen to be my favorite years yet!)
37 = Longer Hair: I loved the ease of super short hair when the kids were little, but decided to grow it out again now that I have a bit more “bandwidth” in my life. Sort of a new look for my new era!
38 = Featured Photo: My college alumni publication featured me (along with 5 others) in an article highlighting 1 alumni from each continent. They chose ME from all of North America, touching on the ideas of simple living, choosing motherhood as a profession, and living out God’s call in the mundane moments of our everyday lives. I thought it was so cool for a college publication to intentionally highlight a stay-at-home mom in the midst of several other more “impressive” career achievements. (Read the article here – pages 16-18)
39 = Birthday + Father’s Day: Dave and I shared our special day last year… unbeknownst to each other, we gifted “share-size” bags of our favorite candy to one another. Our kids were thrilled.
40 = A Selfie to Celebrate a New Decade: My 40s are starting off with a bang — weekly cello lessons, daily weight lifting classes, a few more wrinkles, parenting teenagers, a part-time job at church, experimenting with water keifer, and evening hot tub dates with Dave.
I’ve been blessed with many wonderful memories to reflect back on, and I’m excited for all the new memories and experiences I’ll hopefully have in the coming years, Lord willing.
Also, if you’re looking for something fun to do on your next birthday (no matter the number), look through some old photo books or journals and write down something to be thankful for or something to laugh about for each year.
Related Reading: 40 of My Most Favorite Things
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