Psychosis is kind of a scary word. Ok well its super scary.
When I used to teach medical terminology at the Massage Therapy school in town. We would break scary words down...so here goes... Psych--meaning mind. Osis--meaning abnormal state of. So Psychosis simply means abnormal state of mind. PHEW!
SO the fact that I have diagnosed myself (thank you Web MD) with psychosis is ok. I am in an abnormal state of mind. Its much happier sounding to think you are just in an abnormal state of mind instead of suffering from psychosis.
Here is the real deal. No I am not mocking anyone. I am just struggling. This is hard. Harder than I thought it would be. I let the joy of adopting a daughter, completing my family, creep into my soul on occasion. As soon as I start to feel it swell, as soon as my heart feels it...I FREAK OUT!! I stop, call it a protection mechanism, call it self preservation, call it what you will...but it is what it is. When you think of and pray for an adoption you imagine the end result, not the process. I am trapped in the reality of the process and longing for the end result.
I am feeling isolated...Really?! I am adding to my family and I am feeling isolated and alone. Its true. Not pretty but the reality of this. I feel like no one gets it and yet I know everyone gets it on some level. I just also understand that not everybody walks in my shoes everyday. So it is what it is.
If there was a recipe for a smooth adoption it would be posted on the Internet by now, there likely would be a you tube video. But this isn't like roasting the perfect chicken here. This is people, emotions, reality. Its hard, gritty, awkward, and uncomfortable.
Stuck in the process.
Can not wait to tell you what the end process feels like.
Then I will need to rename my blog! Ideas anyone??
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Choices
Choices....
Everyday we make choices...pants or a skirt, this route or that, coffee or tea....if only all choices were that simple. That is just not the case often times choices are painful, create stress, change. Sometimes its a matter of choosing what you have always asked for when its finally offered up to you. Oh the proverbial fork in the road. You asked to be on the journey, you maybe even asked for a specific result. But when faced with the reality of it, what you asked for scares you. You begin to doubt yourself, can I? Am I capable of this? Should I take the road to what I want or should I just take the easier route. And then He shows up and asks you to TRUST to not put Him in a box. He reminds you that He is bigger than any of your fears, any of your doubts and He knows exactly how its all going to work out. He has your back. And when He is for us, well who can be against us?
Some choices in retrospect you look back on and you smile knowing it was the right one. Tom would be one of those choices I can definitley look back with confidence knowing that choice was the right one for me. I was recently talking to an old friend and she reminded me of her doubts of Tom and I. She was suprised and relieved to know that he was the type of man that he is. She apologized for the unfavorable vote she gave our relationship nearly 16 years ago and blessed me with knowing that she was very happy to be wrong. On November 28th we will have been married for 13 years, together almost 16. I cant imagine this journey without him. I am so proud that he is my husband, partner, and greatest supporter.
My husband, like I have told many of you, is not necessarily as open as I am. He actually HATES facebook and doesnt like it when I get personal on there. He thinks its weird that I blog...but he respects and understands why I do. He knows its important to me. My choice to share with my little corner of the world what is happening in my life is a big deal to me. To be surrounded in prayer is something I feel the need to ask for and no matter the outcome albeit good or bad, I often just need people to know whats going on.
Back to choices...Remember the day that you and your spouse chose to spend the rest of your lives together. Your giddy almost over the possibilities of what your family is going to look like. You dream of where you might live, where you will vacation, holidays, and of course children. How many, what you'll name them and where they will go to college? Ok maybe not the college part but being SIOUX fans, we did :) Tom and I discussed that we would have 3 children, primarily boys (carry on the Alderson name) then we would maybe someday adopt or maybe do foster care. We both just adore children. Tom is often called the baby whisperer as all babies love him and I am kind of known to have a few extra kids with me no matter where I go. Even before we had kids of our own, I would ask people if I could babysit their kids!
Something happened to us the moment we became a parents. It was almost cellular. There was a shift in our hearts and our souls that was unrecognizable, unlike anything we had ever experienced before. Our love for children was magnified by 1000 and we knew we were doing what God had intended us to do.
The day we had Tommy was life altering, he taught us unconditional love. To love someone so much that you would literally be willing to lay your life down for them, from the moment you lay your eyes on them. That was a powerful emotion! An earth shattering life changing experience. He taught us so much, namely to be a family. We learned that the word sacrifice was interchangeable with Mother/Father.
After Tommy was born we reprioritized moved back to ND from Colorado, so we could be closer to family. Tom was headed back to college so that we could provide a stable future for our beautiful son. We would wait to add any more additions so that we would be able to accomplish our goals. Then tragedy struck and my brother passed away. We suddenly had this urgency to live life to the fullest and to value every moment given. We decided to trust God to work out all the details. He brought us Caleb within less than a year of my brothers death.
Caleb was angelic as a baby. My round faced cherub was a joyous addition to our family. Adventuress, into everything, 100% BOY!! A pure delight. God did work out all the details and Caleb went to daycare very little. Tom and I worked out a tag team type schedule. Tommy was an amazing big brother. Caleb taught us to trust and what blind faith looks like in the day to day things of life.
Then came Luke. I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Luke. Caleb was only 11 months old and sitting in a highchair eating cheerios. Tommy cheered. I cried. I wasnt ready. I wanted more children. JUST NOT SO SOON! But we were reminded about trust and blind faith. Luke taught us that sometimes the best things come when you least expect it. He also taught us that we are not in control, and he tries to reign in a little control of his own every chance he gets. haha!
My pregnancy with Luke was so difficult, I went into labor early with him. I was on bed rest, had my gall bladder removed during the pregnancy. I was miserable. I knew that I would never physically have another baby. Luke and Caleb were only 20 months apart. Three boys was all I ever believed I wanted. I knew boys, I knew how to do that. We made a decision to end our ability to produce more children shortly after Luke was born. It was the right choice. In our minds we would maybe some day adopt a child, probably from a foriegn country. Tom has two cousins that came from Korea. They are his FAMILY in every sense of the word. Adoption felt like a natural way to grow our family, if we ever felt the need to.
When Luke was about 2 I started to have a stirring in my heart to adopt a daughter. The idea of never having one was sad to me. I have such a GREAT relationship with my parents and I wanted to have that with a daughter as well. Dont get me wrong I absolutely love being a mom to 3 boys, its amazing! They take care of me, and I like being the Queen Bee :)!! But there is something about little girls that is just so wonderful. The idea of watching Tom walk her down the aisle. The new dynamic of our family. Our boys being protective of a little sister. Its all appealing to me. But more importantly that stirring that we felt was undeniable.
Then Tom was laid off when the market took a crash. Although he never missed a beat and was employeed full time shortly thereafter, two months was a hit on us and it took sometime to dig out. When Luke was 4 and a half we started talking about foster/adopting. We have a very dear neighbor who works for the state of MN and reminded us that if we chose to foster we would be getting involved in a system that has a different end goal then us. The purpose of foster care is to get the children back with their biological parents in hopefully a happy healthier enviornment. Not to have the foster parents adopt them although that can happen.
SO we CHOSE to be satisfied. We have 3 beautiful healthy boys. We are blessed! This is what our family is suppose to look like. Honestly, it hurt a little. But we tried, it just seemed that this was not the choice for us.
We closed the chapter on the idea of growing our family beyond a family of 5 a few months ago.
Then, well then God showed us no box can contain Him. That His timing is perfect.
In early October I received notice that a young woman was having a little girl and was choosing not to parent. That she had been told about our family from a mutual friend. I was asked to meet her.
I came home from a work event and sat down with Tom in the kitchen. I started the conversation with...'want to hear some life changing information?' I proceeded to tell him the few details I knew. He proceeded to tell me NOTHING. Thats right NOTHING! AHHHHHH! I knew I didnt marry a talker but I was literally needing to verbally explode and my very calm and rational husband, asked me to be quiet. He asked me to pray. That night neither of us slept. We had so much to say. But remained silent. I went through a plethera of emotions. It was everything from there is no way we can do this, to we have to do this. The next day, the rollercoaster continued. It ended with the realization that I should meet her. So I did.
We met and spoke briefly. It was easy. Our views on adoption similar. We both wanted a closed adoption. That was a big sigh of relief for me. It was easy, too easy. The baby girl is due on November 28th, our wedding anniversary. The legal, financial, medical details all fell into place swiftly. Many details are still in process. But things are moving along with few bumps in the road. We have the support and approval of our families. All the "signs" and prayers point to this being the right choice. The right choice for this young couple. The right choice for my family. The right choice for this baby girl. Choices.
Life is hectic 3 school age boys with a wide range of activities. A new business with 14 staff members. A full time (plus some hours) career. Now an adoption. Preparing for a new baby. Can we handle this? Will we go insane just trying to keep up? Our priority is these children, but even that requires some balance because you must work to care for them. To say I am fearless would be a lie. I am human and although I like to think I have it all under control I know that is far from the truth. We are not perfect, we struggle. But to not take the opportunity to have a prayer answered seems ridiculous to me. To walk away from a blessing, not on my radar. People say to us when we tell them. 'Oh, you are such good people for taking on this baby' We are not that great of people. We are just people who want a sense of completion when it comes to our family. To follow what we believe God has intended in our lives all along. Someday I will blog about how at every turn there is confirmation that this is what is meant to be. There are a dozen or so blog posts in my head for this. Take these topics for example: If she is born on her due date, the day she will officially become ours would have been my brothers 32nd birthday. We found a social worker, lawyer and finalized the details to make the adoption work over a 2 hour period. We instantly agreed upon her name. 2 years ago I bought 6 stockings for Christmas time just in case. We found a birth mother whose idea for adoption match up perfectly with what we are looking for. And so many more stories that I could spend hours telling you about.
Now for the scariest part of it all. She could change her mind. This dream could crash around us in an instant. Which is why my husband would prefer that I just zip it until she is here and home with us. But I cant zip it. I am scared. I am scared of the heartbreak potential for all parties involved. My heart longs for my daughter and to have her in my arms. To show her love and a sense of family. To tell her how she grew in our hearts from the day we decided to become a family over 13 years ago. To look into her eyes and let her know that she is right where she belongs. To tell her that her big brothers have been asking for her since Luke was old enough to say baby sister. That this was no fluke, no coincidence, but God's undeniable plan for our family. So I need to tell you, so you can pray with me, if you will.... That it all goes smoothly. That this baby is healthy. That the birth parents will have support, love and confidence in knowing that they made one of the most difficult and brave choices that any young person should have to make.
Its November 1st and it marks a countdown to a lot of change for us. We are frightened and hopeful. Cautiously optomistic. Prepared for the worst and hoping for the best.
So for now, we choose faith. We choose trust. We choose love.
**It would not let me spell check and its too late at night for me to use my brain so I ask for some grace when it comes to spelling, punctuation and grammar--Thank you in advance :)**
Everyday we make choices...pants or a skirt, this route or that, coffee or tea....if only all choices were that simple. That is just not the case often times choices are painful, create stress, change. Sometimes its a matter of choosing what you have always asked for when its finally offered up to you. Oh the proverbial fork in the road. You asked to be on the journey, you maybe even asked for a specific result. But when faced with the reality of it, what you asked for scares you. You begin to doubt yourself, can I? Am I capable of this? Should I take the road to what I want or should I just take the easier route. And then He shows up and asks you to TRUST to not put Him in a box. He reminds you that He is bigger than any of your fears, any of your doubts and He knows exactly how its all going to work out. He has your back. And when He is for us, well who can be against us?
Some choices in retrospect you look back on and you smile knowing it was the right one. Tom would be one of those choices I can definitley look back with confidence knowing that choice was the right one for me. I was recently talking to an old friend and she reminded me of her doubts of Tom and I. She was suprised and relieved to know that he was the type of man that he is. She apologized for the unfavorable vote she gave our relationship nearly 16 years ago and blessed me with knowing that she was very happy to be wrong. On November 28th we will have been married for 13 years, together almost 16. I cant imagine this journey without him. I am so proud that he is my husband, partner, and greatest supporter.
My husband, like I have told many of you, is not necessarily as open as I am. He actually HATES facebook and doesnt like it when I get personal on there. He thinks its weird that I blog...but he respects and understands why I do. He knows its important to me. My choice to share with my little corner of the world what is happening in my life is a big deal to me. To be surrounded in prayer is something I feel the need to ask for and no matter the outcome albeit good or bad, I often just need people to know whats going on.
Back to choices...Remember the day that you and your spouse chose to spend the rest of your lives together. Your giddy almost over the possibilities of what your family is going to look like. You dream of where you might live, where you will vacation, holidays, and of course children. How many, what you'll name them and where they will go to college? Ok maybe not the college part but being SIOUX fans, we did :) Tom and I discussed that we would have 3 children, primarily boys (carry on the Alderson name) then we would maybe someday adopt or maybe do foster care. We both just adore children. Tom is often called the baby whisperer as all babies love him and I am kind of known to have a few extra kids with me no matter where I go. Even before we had kids of our own, I would ask people if I could babysit their kids!
Something happened to us the moment we became a parents. It was almost cellular. There was a shift in our hearts and our souls that was unrecognizable, unlike anything we had ever experienced before. Our love for children was magnified by 1000 and we knew we were doing what God had intended us to do.
The day we had Tommy was life altering, he taught us unconditional love. To love someone so much that you would literally be willing to lay your life down for them, from the moment you lay your eyes on them. That was a powerful emotion! An earth shattering life changing experience. He taught us so much, namely to be a family. We learned that the word sacrifice was interchangeable with Mother/Father.
After Tommy was born we reprioritized moved back to ND from Colorado, so we could be closer to family. Tom was headed back to college so that we could provide a stable future for our beautiful son. We would wait to add any more additions so that we would be able to accomplish our goals. Then tragedy struck and my brother passed away. We suddenly had this urgency to live life to the fullest and to value every moment given. We decided to trust God to work out all the details. He brought us Caleb within less than a year of my brothers death.
Caleb was angelic as a baby. My round faced cherub was a joyous addition to our family. Adventuress, into everything, 100% BOY!! A pure delight. God did work out all the details and Caleb went to daycare very little. Tom and I worked out a tag team type schedule. Tommy was an amazing big brother. Caleb taught us to trust and what blind faith looks like in the day to day things of life.
Then came Luke. I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Luke. Caleb was only 11 months old and sitting in a highchair eating cheerios. Tommy cheered. I cried. I wasnt ready. I wanted more children. JUST NOT SO SOON! But we were reminded about trust and blind faith. Luke taught us that sometimes the best things come when you least expect it. He also taught us that we are not in control, and he tries to reign in a little control of his own every chance he gets. haha!
My pregnancy with Luke was so difficult, I went into labor early with him. I was on bed rest, had my gall bladder removed during the pregnancy. I was miserable. I knew that I would never physically have another baby. Luke and Caleb were only 20 months apart. Three boys was all I ever believed I wanted. I knew boys, I knew how to do that. We made a decision to end our ability to produce more children shortly after Luke was born. It was the right choice. In our minds we would maybe some day adopt a child, probably from a foriegn country. Tom has two cousins that came from Korea. They are his FAMILY in every sense of the word. Adoption felt like a natural way to grow our family, if we ever felt the need to.
When Luke was about 2 I started to have a stirring in my heart to adopt a daughter. The idea of never having one was sad to me. I have such a GREAT relationship with my parents and I wanted to have that with a daughter as well. Dont get me wrong I absolutely love being a mom to 3 boys, its amazing! They take care of me, and I like being the Queen Bee :)!! But there is something about little girls that is just so wonderful. The idea of watching Tom walk her down the aisle. The new dynamic of our family. Our boys being protective of a little sister. Its all appealing to me. But more importantly that stirring that we felt was undeniable.
Then Tom was laid off when the market took a crash. Although he never missed a beat and was employeed full time shortly thereafter, two months was a hit on us and it took sometime to dig out. When Luke was 4 and a half we started talking about foster/adopting. We have a very dear neighbor who works for the state of MN and reminded us that if we chose to foster we would be getting involved in a system that has a different end goal then us. The purpose of foster care is to get the children back with their biological parents in hopefully a happy healthier enviornment. Not to have the foster parents adopt them although that can happen.
SO we CHOSE to be satisfied. We have 3 beautiful healthy boys. We are blessed! This is what our family is suppose to look like. Honestly, it hurt a little. But we tried, it just seemed that this was not the choice for us.
We closed the chapter on the idea of growing our family beyond a family of 5 a few months ago.
Then, well then God showed us no box can contain Him. That His timing is perfect.
In early October I received notice that a young woman was having a little girl and was choosing not to parent. That she had been told about our family from a mutual friend. I was asked to meet her.
I came home from a work event and sat down with Tom in the kitchen. I started the conversation with...'want to hear some life changing information?' I proceeded to tell him the few details I knew. He proceeded to tell me NOTHING. Thats right NOTHING! AHHHHHH! I knew I didnt marry a talker but I was literally needing to verbally explode and my very calm and rational husband, asked me to be quiet. He asked me to pray. That night neither of us slept. We had so much to say. But remained silent. I went through a plethera of emotions. It was everything from there is no way we can do this, to we have to do this. The next day, the rollercoaster continued. It ended with the realization that I should meet her. So I did.
We met and spoke briefly. It was easy. Our views on adoption similar. We both wanted a closed adoption. That was a big sigh of relief for me. It was easy, too easy. The baby girl is due on November 28th, our wedding anniversary. The legal, financial, medical details all fell into place swiftly. Many details are still in process. But things are moving along with few bumps in the road. We have the support and approval of our families. All the "signs" and prayers point to this being the right choice. The right choice for this young couple. The right choice for my family. The right choice for this baby girl. Choices.
Life is hectic 3 school age boys with a wide range of activities. A new business with 14 staff members. A full time (plus some hours) career. Now an adoption. Preparing for a new baby. Can we handle this? Will we go insane just trying to keep up? Our priority is these children, but even that requires some balance because you must work to care for them. To say I am fearless would be a lie. I am human and although I like to think I have it all under control I know that is far from the truth. We are not perfect, we struggle. But to not take the opportunity to have a prayer answered seems ridiculous to me. To walk away from a blessing, not on my radar. People say to us when we tell them. 'Oh, you are such good people for taking on this baby' We are not that great of people. We are just people who want a sense of completion when it comes to our family. To follow what we believe God has intended in our lives all along. Someday I will blog about how at every turn there is confirmation that this is what is meant to be. There are a dozen or so blog posts in my head for this. Take these topics for example: If she is born on her due date, the day she will officially become ours would have been my brothers 32nd birthday. We found a social worker, lawyer and finalized the details to make the adoption work over a 2 hour period. We instantly agreed upon her name. 2 years ago I bought 6 stockings for Christmas time just in case. We found a birth mother whose idea for adoption match up perfectly with what we are looking for. And so many more stories that I could spend hours telling you about.
Now for the scariest part of it all. She could change her mind. This dream could crash around us in an instant. Which is why my husband would prefer that I just zip it until she is here and home with us. But I cant zip it. I am scared. I am scared of the heartbreak potential for all parties involved. My heart longs for my daughter and to have her in my arms. To show her love and a sense of family. To tell her how she grew in our hearts from the day we decided to become a family over 13 years ago. To look into her eyes and let her know that she is right where she belongs. To tell her that her big brothers have been asking for her since Luke was old enough to say baby sister. That this was no fluke, no coincidence, but God's undeniable plan for our family. So I need to tell you, so you can pray with me, if you will.... That it all goes smoothly. That this baby is healthy. That the birth parents will have support, love and confidence in knowing that they made one of the most difficult and brave choices that any young person should have to make.
Its November 1st and it marks a countdown to a lot of change for us. We are frightened and hopeful. Cautiously optomistic. Prepared for the worst and hoping for the best.
So for now, we choose faith. We choose trust. We choose love.
**It would not let me spell check and its too late at night for me to use my brain so I ask for some grace when it comes to spelling, punctuation and grammar--Thank you in advance :)**
Monday, September 26, 2011
Mediocrity
Are we raising children in our society that will cure cancer? Maybe children that will be able to find the next energy source? Children that will be the next president??
Or are we raising middle of the road regular people?
First of all let me say that there is 100% NOTHING wrong with being a middle of the road regular person. If that's what you want to be.
BUT I am a believer in the idea that there is SO much more to life than just being average. I think people are happiest when they are pushed to do things they didn't even know they could do. That when we put in the time and effort to accomplish goals or difficult tasks, we have a certain special self pride.
Goal setting is important. If you say your going to do something and then you don't do it, it doesn't feel good. We are trying really hard to hold our kids to their commitments to see what its like to set a goal and accomplish it, even when its hard, even when you think you don't want to. This has been an awesome experience for Tommy. He is the only one who is old enough to have set a big goal and accomplish it so far. The past two years he has committed to shooting 100 pucks a day for the 100 days of summer and therefore shooting 10,000 pucks. There were A LOT of days where he skipped and A LOT of days he had to do more than 100 pucks and A LOT of days he second guessed himself. We were always willingly let him off the hook, but he was bound by his commitment in his mind and always found a way to get it done even when it was hard. He has enjoyed the weight of the accomplishment and what it has meant for his game.
Our kids go to a school where they are rewarded for "getting caught doing something good" Now I like the idea of this. But unfortunately it is not for when a kid goes above and beyond, its for the everyday norm. Caleb got a reward for walking nicely in line. Luke got one for helping a friend put his backpack away. I have also been told that some of our kids have gotten candy for turning in assignments and homework. I know I am going to ruffle some feathers but I am NOT ok with that!!
Let me just say that I recognize that this is not the fault of the school. I understand why they implement programs to reward kids. If you reward good behavior it breeds more good behavior! Unfortunately not enough parents teach kids to listen to the teacher, to be respectful, to be kind to others. So the schools are having to come up with plans on how to teach what should be taught in homes. (And we wonder why our schools aren't measuring up. But that's a whole different days subject)
I am worried that if we continue to reward our kids for doing things they SHOULD be doing we are creating "regular people". A society where just getting by is good enough. I never got candy for turning in my homework! Or rewarded for walking in the hallway nicely. Or for helping a friend. I just knew I should turn it in, walk nicely, or suffer the consequences. I helped friends, well, because they are my friends and my parents taught me to treat people well.
Consequences are frowned upon or feared, I am not sure which, maybe both. But in my opinion consequences teach people boundaries. Boundaries are important. Think about a relationship you have that lacks boundaries and I am sure its not your favorite relationship. If we reward a child for doing what he is suppose to do, instead of going above and beyond. You will breed entitlement. If Luke's walking nicely in the hall and gets a reward, well that's not fair because Sally was walking nice so she deserves one too. Really deserves one for doing what they are suppose to?! In fact we were at Luke's 'Kindergarten Round Up' and a mom very innocently said. "My daughter is very upset because she hasn't gotten a reward yet! What does it take to get one?" I think we are missing the point. What she was saying is my daughters good and wants to be rewarded too. Entitlement. Yikes.
EXCELLENCE should be rewarded! Mediocrity should not!
The other day Caleb had a friend over. I was on the elliptical in the basement listening to them play. The friend was sad because Caleb was winning at the games they were playing. Caleb tried to teach him to play a game that the friend had never played before. He explained with some practice that he would get better. The friend wanted to play something different. Which is totally ok. He was not whining or complaining just wanted to play something else. I did hear Caleb say while they were playing, things like "how about if we pretend you win" or "how about if you start with a score of 6 and I start with 0" Later after the friend left I told Caleb it was ok to be good at a game and win. He said "I just don't want him to be sad" I told him "do you think the teams who beat the Twins or Vikings worry about the Twins and Vikings feelings?!" I could not believe the next words came out of my mouth or that they even had to be said, but I said..."its ok to be the best, its ok to win!" REALLY?!
I am a BIG believer in the idea that we all have gifts. God given gifts that come in different sizes, packages, etc. Sometimes we don't know what those gifts are until we get older sometimes we know them our whole life. But we are all here for a reason, to contribute. I want my kids to work hard, to be the best when they can, and if they can't to know that they tried their best. To use their gifts to better themselves and others. I don't want them to worry about everyone's feelings or apologize for excelling. I want them to set goals accomplish them and be proud, but humble.
So my advice to my boys and to anyone else that wants to hear it....Don't miss the boat or allow your children to miss it because they are afraid to be the best or win at something because of someone's feelings! Life is not fair, its hard and its not always butterflies and gumdrops. So learn how to fail gracefully and don't be afraid to get up and try again! If you leave every task knowing you gave 110% you can leave it with your head held high. But always remember to display grace and humility. Life is tightrope...remember BALANCE :)
Or are we raising middle of the road regular people?
First of all let me say that there is 100% NOTHING wrong with being a middle of the road regular person. If that's what you want to be.
BUT I am a believer in the idea that there is SO much more to life than just being average. I think people are happiest when they are pushed to do things they didn't even know they could do. That when we put in the time and effort to accomplish goals or difficult tasks, we have a certain special self pride.
Goal setting is important. If you say your going to do something and then you don't do it, it doesn't feel good. We are trying really hard to hold our kids to their commitments to see what its like to set a goal and accomplish it, even when its hard, even when you think you don't want to. This has been an awesome experience for Tommy. He is the only one who is old enough to have set a big goal and accomplish it so far. The past two years he has committed to shooting 100 pucks a day for the 100 days of summer and therefore shooting 10,000 pucks. There were A LOT of days where he skipped and A LOT of days he had to do more than 100 pucks and A LOT of days he second guessed himself. We were always willingly let him off the hook, but he was bound by his commitment in his mind and always found a way to get it done even when it was hard. He has enjoyed the weight of the accomplishment and what it has meant for his game.
Our kids go to a school where they are rewarded for "getting caught doing something good" Now I like the idea of this. But unfortunately it is not for when a kid goes above and beyond, its for the everyday norm. Caleb got a reward for walking nicely in line. Luke got one for helping a friend put his backpack away. I have also been told that some of our kids have gotten candy for turning in assignments and homework. I know I am going to ruffle some feathers but I am NOT ok with that!!
Let me just say that I recognize that this is not the fault of the school. I understand why they implement programs to reward kids. If you reward good behavior it breeds more good behavior! Unfortunately not enough parents teach kids to listen to the teacher, to be respectful, to be kind to others. So the schools are having to come up with plans on how to teach what should be taught in homes. (And we wonder why our schools aren't measuring up. But that's a whole different days subject)
I am worried that if we continue to reward our kids for doing things they SHOULD be doing we are creating "regular people". A society where just getting by is good enough. I never got candy for turning in my homework! Or rewarded for walking in the hallway nicely. Or for helping a friend. I just knew I should turn it in, walk nicely, or suffer the consequences. I helped friends, well, because they are my friends and my parents taught me to treat people well.
Consequences are frowned upon or feared, I am not sure which, maybe both. But in my opinion consequences teach people boundaries. Boundaries are important. Think about a relationship you have that lacks boundaries and I am sure its not your favorite relationship. If we reward a child for doing what he is suppose to do, instead of going above and beyond. You will breed entitlement. If Luke's walking nicely in the hall and gets a reward, well that's not fair because Sally was walking nice so she deserves one too. Really deserves one for doing what they are suppose to?! In fact we were at Luke's 'Kindergarten Round Up' and a mom very innocently said. "My daughter is very upset because she hasn't gotten a reward yet! What does it take to get one?" I think we are missing the point. What she was saying is my daughters good and wants to be rewarded too. Entitlement. Yikes.
EXCELLENCE should be rewarded! Mediocrity should not!
The other day Caleb had a friend over. I was on the elliptical in the basement listening to them play. The friend was sad because Caleb was winning at the games they were playing. Caleb tried to teach him to play a game that the friend had never played before. He explained with some practice that he would get better. The friend wanted to play something different. Which is totally ok. He was not whining or complaining just wanted to play something else. I did hear Caleb say while they were playing, things like "how about if we pretend you win" or "how about if you start with a score of 6 and I start with 0" Later after the friend left I told Caleb it was ok to be good at a game and win. He said "I just don't want him to be sad" I told him "do you think the teams who beat the Twins or Vikings worry about the Twins and Vikings feelings?!" I could not believe the next words came out of my mouth or that they even had to be said, but I said..."its ok to be the best, its ok to win!" REALLY?!
I am a BIG believer in the idea that we all have gifts. God given gifts that come in different sizes, packages, etc. Sometimes we don't know what those gifts are until we get older sometimes we know them our whole life. But we are all here for a reason, to contribute. I want my kids to work hard, to be the best when they can, and if they can't to know that they tried their best. To use their gifts to better themselves and others. I don't want them to worry about everyone's feelings or apologize for excelling. I want them to set goals accomplish them and be proud, but humble.
So my advice to my boys and to anyone else that wants to hear it....Don't miss the boat or allow your children to miss it because they are afraid to be the best or win at something because of someone's feelings! Life is not fair, its hard and its not always butterflies and gumdrops. So learn how to fail gracefully and don't be afraid to get up and try again! If you leave every task knowing you gave 110% you can leave it with your head held high. But always remember to display grace and humility. Life is tightrope...remember BALANCE :)
OH LUKEY!
Dear Luke,
Now that you are a kindergartner you are getting more adventuress! Here are some examples of what I mean.
The other day you were told you had to a raw vegetable with your pizza. You were given the choice of cauliflower or cucumber, you chose cucumber, it was two whole slices, you thought you might die. You gingerly ate the first slice along with your pizza. When it came time for the second slice you decided you just could not do it. Which put me in a tough position. You see your brothers ate their choices quickly and then finished their pizza. It would just not be fair for me to let you off the hook. You said, but mom its disgusting. I insisted. So Dad offered you dipping sauce... again a challenge because you are my kid who doesn't like to dip, NOT ketchup, NOT ranch, and definitely NOT barbeque sauce. So you chose syrup....yep maple syrup. That last slice was gone in no time flat! All I could think was I am glad its done, but man that is "disgusting".
You also have earned yourself two REBEL REWARDS so far this year. Those are tickets for being caught doing something good. Good Job LUKE! But you also earned yourself a green slip. You called me promptly when you got home to explain that you had not been listening at rest time and that you got in trouble with the teacher, you then proceeded to inform me "But its okay Mom because I am so over it" IF only it were that easy buddy. When I wouldn't let you play outside with your best friend Brevin later in the day you repeatedly shouted..."BUT MOM I AM OVER IT"
You recently announced that you wanted to be a police officer. Dad and I asked you to maybe choose a profession that was a little safer. Afterall you are our baby! You shouted "ok then I will be a racecar driver!" LOL
Recently we had a situation where we had to choose whether or not to cheer for the Bison or the Gophers...every Sioux fan's nightmare. When I explained that it made me a little sick to my stomach to choose between them and asked you who you would be cheering for you said "I don't know mom I am too obnoxious" I later realized that you have a little trouble with the word nauseous and it often sounds like obnoxious :) Never a dull moment bud!
Here's looking forward to more funny moments with you.
Love you!
MOM :)
Now that you are a kindergartner you are getting more adventuress! Here are some examples of what I mean.
The other day you were told you had to a raw vegetable with your pizza. You were given the choice of cauliflower or cucumber, you chose cucumber, it was two whole slices, you thought you might die. You gingerly ate the first slice along with your pizza. When it came time for the second slice you decided you just could not do it. Which put me in a tough position. You see your brothers ate their choices quickly and then finished their pizza. It would just not be fair for me to let you off the hook. You said, but mom its disgusting. I insisted. So Dad offered you dipping sauce... again a challenge because you are my kid who doesn't like to dip, NOT ketchup, NOT ranch, and definitely NOT barbeque sauce. So you chose syrup....yep maple syrup. That last slice was gone in no time flat! All I could think was I am glad its done, but man that is "disgusting".
You also have earned yourself two REBEL REWARDS so far this year. Those are tickets for being caught doing something good. Good Job LUKE! But you also earned yourself a green slip. You called me promptly when you got home to explain that you had not been listening at rest time and that you got in trouble with the teacher, you then proceeded to inform me "But its okay Mom because I am so over it" IF only it were that easy buddy. When I wouldn't let you play outside with your best friend Brevin later in the day you repeatedly shouted..."BUT MOM I AM OVER IT"
You recently announced that you wanted to be a police officer. Dad and I asked you to maybe choose a profession that was a little safer. Afterall you are our baby! You shouted "ok then I will be a racecar driver!" LOL
Recently we had a situation where we had to choose whether or not to cheer for the Bison or the Gophers...every Sioux fan's nightmare. When I explained that it made me a little sick to my stomach to choose between them and asked you who you would be cheering for you said "I don't know mom I am too obnoxious" I later realized that you have a little trouble with the word nauseous and it often sounds like obnoxious :) Never a dull moment bud!
Here's looking forward to more funny moments with you.
Love you!
MOM :)
Monday, August 29, 2011
GREAT Weekend!!
We had a GREAT family weekend in the cities preparing for the upcoming school year and trying to sneak in some R&R!
My wonderful parents have owned their business for 10 years and have only closed their store (other than holidays) 19 total days...Can you imagine having only 19 days off in 10 years?! Don't get me wrong, they don't miss much especially when it comes to their grandsons...they come after they close, they come separately, they close a little early. But closing for 2 consecutive days...this is a VERY BIG deal!! Being closed for more than 1 day in a row has only happened TWICE this weekend being occurrence #2! We feel pretty special that they wanted to spend that time with us. And we had such a GREAT weekend!
We left after their store closed Saturday night. We arrived in the cities Saturday night late. We woke up early Sunday morning with one thing in mind Twins Baseball!! Did we have tickets...nope! Was I nervous...nope! All the boys doubted me, big and little, but I was sure if we arrived early enough we would be able to get tickets. As we were coming over the bridge I saw the ticket window opening, perfect timing!! My Dad and I jumped out, ran to the ticket window, by the time Tom drove up to the ticket window we had 7 tickets in hand! Point of this story...don't doubt me! :)
Grandpa and his boys....
What a brood....
The Toms :)
Two peas in a pod....
We enjoyed watching the game and how the Twins spanked those first place Tigers, lots of home runs and double plays, amazing treats (I was worried they would have to roll me out), and GREAT Minnesota weather.
Then we had a great treat one that we had to stretch out for....
One that we could not sit still waiting for...
We got to go on the field!!
Yeah we thought we were pretty cool :)
We had to take a pre life changing event picture...
Then a during (yep thats my boys running the bases)
Ok so we are not so special...there are lots of kids who get to run the bases at major league fields! We think its pretty cool that Target Field is one of those places! From what we were told when there is a Sunday afternoon game, kids get to run the bases! We are so glad the boys got to participate we think its an event we won't soon forget!
Then it was back to the hotel for some fun in the pool!
This one's dark but you can still see the smiles...
These guys are such goofballs....
Then it was off to Benihanna's, great food, service and a fabulous experience by all!!
The looks on their faces throughout the experience was more fun to watch than the fancy moves of our table side chef...
Luke's FULL, so were the rest of us...YUMMY!
Next morning we headed to the MOA, I heard a lot of "NOT SHOPPING!!" "Can I wait in the car?!" That was true until Grandpa decided it was time to check out some rides...oh how quickly they zipped their lips! Tommy and Caleb was all about the rides...
Luke not so much. He would rather have a slushy..That's my boy, this mama is not a big fan of rides either!
Luke saw these balloons and decided they looked ok, this was the only ride he wanted to go on! Ha ha! His brothers were willing to go along for moral support
We finished it off with lunch at Red Robin, we seriously need one of those in Fargo....YUM!
Then it was off to the outlet mall for some school shopping and then we hit the road to journey back home!
All summed up GREAT weekend!
My wonderful parents have owned their business for 10 years and have only closed their store (other than holidays) 19 total days...Can you imagine having only 19 days off in 10 years?! Don't get me wrong, they don't miss much especially when it comes to their grandsons...they come after they close, they come separately, they close a little early. But closing for 2 consecutive days...this is a VERY BIG deal!! Being closed for more than 1 day in a row has only happened TWICE this weekend being occurrence #2! We feel pretty special that they wanted to spend that time with us. And we had such a GREAT weekend!
We left after their store closed Saturday night. We arrived in the cities Saturday night late. We woke up early Sunday morning with one thing in mind Twins Baseball!! Did we have tickets...nope! Was I nervous...nope! All the boys doubted me, big and little, but I was sure if we arrived early enough we would be able to get tickets. As we were coming over the bridge I saw the ticket window opening, perfect timing!! My Dad and I jumped out, ran to the ticket window, by the time Tom drove up to the ticket window we had 7 tickets in hand! Point of this story...don't doubt me! :)
Grandpa and his boys....
What a brood....
The Toms :)
Two peas in a pod....
We enjoyed watching the game and how the Twins spanked those first place Tigers, lots of home runs and double plays, amazing treats (I was worried they would have to roll me out), and GREAT Minnesota weather.
Then we had a great treat one that we had to stretch out for....
One that we could not sit still waiting for...
We got to go on the field!!
Yeah we thought we were pretty cool :)
We had to take a pre life changing event picture...
Then a during (yep thats my boys running the bases)
Ok so we are not so special...there are lots of kids who get to run the bases at major league fields! We think its pretty cool that Target Field is one of those places! From what we were told when there is a Sunday afternoon game, kids get to run the bases! We are so glad the boys got to participate we think its an event we won't soon forget!
Then it was back to the hotel for some fun in the pool!
This one's dark but you can still see the smiles...
These guys are such goofballs....
Then it was off to Benihanna's, great food, service and a fabulous experience by all!!
The looks on their faces throughout the experience was more fun to watch than the fancy moves of our table side chef...
Luke's FULL, so were the rest of us...YUMMY!
Next morning we headed to the MOA, I heard a lot of "NOT SHOPPING!!" "Can I wait in the car?!" That was true until Grandpa decided it was time to check out some rides...oh how quickly they zipped their lips! Tommy and Caleb was all about the rides...
Luke not so much. He would rather have a slushy..That's my boy, this mama is not a big fan of rides either!
Luke saw these balloons and decided they looked ok, this was the only ride he wanted to go on! Ha ha! His brothers were willing to go along for moral support
We finished it off with lunch at Red Robin, we seriously need one of those in Fargo....YUM!
Then it was off to the outlet mall for some school shopping and then we hit the road to journey back home!
All summed up GREAT weekend!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Metamorphasis
Being a mom of three children I think you notice a lot of things at different stages for each kid, especially when all of your children are the same gender, its easy to compare. The change from being a toddler to a boy is a traumatic one for Mom, but for the boys, I think its one they are so proud of. It means big time independence, freedom to run through the neighborhood, riding a bike with no training wheels, going golfing with Dad, booster seats instead of car seats, scrapping the toddler bed and so much more.
With Tommy I missed it. He went from being a toddler to a boy over a short time span...during his transition I had a baby who was less than one year old and was pregnant with another child. I seemingly woke up to find a big boy who took the place of my baby. The moment Tommy became the oldest sibling he became a big helper to me, he had a sense of authority and loved it. So I viewed him differently. This is a role he embraces and enjoys, he genuinely likes being the oldest. But I missed it! Terrible, I know, but this blog is not called "How to be Mother of the year/decade/century"!
With Caleb I think I missed it too. Heartbreaking... He went from being a toddler getting into everything into a big boy, but on his own terms. Caleb is the most independent of my children, if I was a betting man, I would venture to say he will be the epitome of a self made man. He just likes to do it on his own, figure it out by himself. So when he woke up one morning and I noticed he was a boy and not my baby it really shocked me. I remember saying to Tom "where did our baby go?"
With Luke I watched for it...and recently it happened. You know what I am talking about. They literally morph right in front of you, they go from that round baby face, round belly, clumsy, stalky state to a lean, tall, thinned out face, confident demeanor, that practically brings you to tears. Or at least it does for me.
Here is a pic of Luke in 2009 age 3...
Here is a pic of Luke on his 5th Birthday....
Here he is today 5 years 8months and 10days...
Despite his messy shirt from his yogurt, and his lacking smile because I made him take a picture for my blog :), Do you see it?? He is SO different! And in just a little over 3 weeks he is going to be a kindergartner! How on earth did this happen?? He went from being my dark haired blue eyed baby to my handsome little man. And I understand that I can't do much but embrace it...but I am struggling. I don't know if its because the reality of it is just around the corner. Or that he was at his first ever sleep over and didn't need me to come get him in the middle of the night like I anticipated. Maybe its that he is so excited for kindergarten that he asks every morning if today is the "big day".
I just want to push pause, drink it all in, take lots of mental and regular photos. Remember what it like to have someone who is not embarrassed to kiss me in front of his friends, hold my hand in public, someone who thinks my lap is the best seat in the whole joint, that my kisses can fix anything, that the band aids in my bathroom closet are better than any trip to the doctor, that my very fancy meals (yeah, right) are better than any resturaunt, and who tells me that I am the "best most beautiful mommy." These days are numbered...heartbreaking. Its so bittersweet...maybe it was better when I missed it...ripping off the band aid vs peeling it off slowly.
Yes yes I know there are bonuses...bonuses like no more daycare costs, independence, transitioning to a new style of parenting...but right now those are the only bonuses I want to recognize...I am having a bit of a mommy pity party...its my party, I can cry if I want to.
With Tommy I missed it. He went from being a toddler to a boy over a short time span...during his transition I had a baby who was less than one year old and was pregnant with another child. I seemingly woke up to find a big boy who took the place of my baby. The moment Tommy became the oldest sibling he became a big helper to me, he had a sense of authority and loved it. So I viewed him differently. This is a role he embraces and enjoys, he genuinely likes being the oldest. But I missed it! Terrible, I know, but this blog is not called "How to be Mother of the year/decade/century"!
With Caleb I think I missed it too. Heartbreaking... He went from being a toddler getting into everything into a big boy, but on his own terms. Caleb is the most independent of my children, if I was a betting man, I would venture to say he will be the epitome of a self made man. He just likes to do it on his own, figure it out by himself. So when he woke up one morning and I noticed he was a boy and not my baby it really shocked me. I remember saying to Tom "where did our baby go?"
With Luke I watched for it...and recently it happened. You know what I am talking about. They literally morph right in front of you, they go from that round baby face, round belly, clumsy, stalky state to a lean, tall, thinned out face, confident demeanor, that practically brings you to tears. Or at least it does for me.
Here is a pic of Luke in 2009 age 3...
Here is a pic of Luke on his 5th Birthday....
Here he is today 5 years 8months and 10days...
Despite his messy shirt from his yogurt, and his lacking smile because I made him take a picture for my blog :), Do you see it?? He is SO different! And in just a little over 3 weeks he is going to be a kindergartner! How on earth did this happen?? He went from being my dark haired blue eyed baby to my handsome little man. And I understand that I can't do much but embrace it...but I am struggling. I don't know if its because the reality of it is just around the corner. Or that he was at his first ever sleep over and didn't need me to come get him in the middle of the night like I anticipated. Maybe its that he is so excited for kindergarten that he asks every morning if today is the "big day".
I just want to push pause, drink it all in, take lots of mental and regular photos. Remember what it like to have someone who is not embarrassed to kiss me in front of his friends, hold my hand in public, someone who thinks my lap is the best seat in the whole joint, that my kisses can fix anything, that the band aids in my bathroom closet are better than any trip to the doctor, that my very fancy meals (yeah, right) are better than any resturaunt, and who tells me that I am the "best most beautiful mommy." These days are numbered...heartbreaking. Its so bittersweet...maybe it was better when I missed it...ripping off the band aid vs peeling it off slowly.
Yes yes I know there are bonuses...bonuses like no more daycare costs, independence, transitioning to a new style of parenting...but right now those are the only bonuses I want to recognize...I am having a bit of a mommy pity party...its my party, I can cry if I want to.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
BAD BLOGGER!!
I am alive and have SO much to say....
but here's the problem (s)...
#1 I have 3 ridiculously busy, hilarious, and adorable boys...not such a problem, but they make it hard to know where to start...too much free comedy.
#2 Business is BUSY! Great thing! But not great conditions for blogging!! In fact I am at work and its taken me 45 mins to get to this point!
#3 I LOVE LOVE LOVE summer....so blogging will happen just maybe not anytime soon!
So please forgive me, know that I am here, and I will be back!! :)
but here's the problem (s)...
#1 I have 3 ridiculously busy, hilarious, and adorable boys...not such a problem, but they make it hard to know where to start...too much free comedy.
#2 Business is BUSY! Great thing! But not great conditions for blogging!! In fact I am at work and its taken me 45 mins to get to this point!
#3 I LOVE LOVE LOVE summer....so blogging will happen just maybe not anytime soon!
So please forgive me, know that I am here, and I will be back!! :)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Anniversaries
**************WARNING*************
Today is not about Raising Good Husbands. Today I am using my blog as a way to vent. To explain the break in my heart that will likely never heal. Today is about Pain.
This one may be rough.
So tomorrow is the 8th Anniversary of the death of my brother. REALLY?! "Anniversary" When I think of "Anniversary" I think of happy celebratory things...This is a date I do not want to CELEBRATE! Save your cakes, your cards, and your well wishes. This is NOT something I want to remember. Plus when you use the word Anniversary it somewhat requires a phone call to those celebrating with you. Its not that I want to call my parents and say "remember when?" But if I don't call them....well I don't want them to believe I forgot either....believe me I will NEVER EVER EVER forget.
So we have become accustomed to a short call just to say "I love you" and that's it.
We don't say anything else.
Its a call I have made 8 times.
Tom has apologized 8 times to me for my loss and not knowing what to do.
8 times I have told him..."Its not your fault its just hard."
Who knew this would be my life? I should be celebrating my brothers marriage. I should be looking forward to our next family get together. Maybe excited to hear about my new nephew or niece. NOT 8 times of this.
When I let myself go there, which is hard not to do when this date comes close. I cant help but remember. I think its ok to remember the pain, the hard stuff. But it SUCKS! So its not a fun place to be. But its all I have when it comes to this date.
I recently watched a movie called the Rabbit Hole. Nicole Kidman is in it, she was nominated for an oscar. But it was lower budget and didn't make a real big impression at the box office. Anyways. Its about grief. Nicole Kidman plays a woman whose 5 yr old son dies. His dog whom he loves runs out into the street. He runs out after it. When the car swerves to miss the dog it hits the boy and he dies. Her mother in the movie also lost a son when he was in his 20s to drug addiction. There is a scene in the movie where the two mothers are cleaning up the 5 yr olds stuff and placing it all in a corner in the basement. As they look at the small pile of stuff that represents his 5 yrs of life, Nicole's character says to her mother, "Does it ever go away" (meaning the grief). Her mother says "No." Then goes on to explain...I will paraphrase....at first its big, then it changes as time goes on, but its always there, always. But if it was not there you would have nothing so you learn to respect and cherish it, because its all you have left. Without it you would have nothing to tie you to the person.
What happened to my family turned our world upside down. And not for the better. It changed my family dynamic, took away my best friend, and altered what I expected for my future. Plus it just plain SUCKS!!
Yes I have memories good, funny, loving, but just memories. The tangible thing I have is grief. If that sounds sadistic its not meant to. Its just what I have left. And in someways I am grateful for it.
I miss him terribly. Who he was and what could've been. What could've been is harder to handle now than I ever thought it would be. That's new to me and very raw. Very raw. I have a huge lump in my throat and breathing thru my nose just to type these words. He was a pain in my butt, he made me crazy, but he was my only sibling. He was it. Now, now there is just me. I would take him back in a second. Take just one minute to squeeze him, tell him that I love him. Just one moment. Every single one of my good memories as a child involves him. Now he's gone just a memory. And even though it was 8 years ago, the pain is ever evolving. Sometimes when I spend time with my husbands side of the family its hard. I think it will never be like this on my side. Not there fault, just hard.
Oh don't get me wrong. I celebrate his life. I celebrate how intelligent, loyal, funny, fun loving, and driven he was. I celebrate who he was and who he could've been. He had a big personality but only let certain people see it. He had a close network of people. Sometimes at his grave site there will be a shirt, baseball, or other memorabilia there from those who you know really knew him and loved him. He made an impression on those who loved him and he will not be forgotten.
23 years on earth just isn't enough time. Simply NOT enough.
Yes I am blessed to have had him for that long. There are plenty of people who have lost someone they loved in a shorter period of time. If I was in a better place right now, I would remind you to hug those you have now, mend fences to fix broken relationships, you never know what tomorrow holds.
But today I am just sad.
Monday, June 20, 2011
My Dad is better than your Dad!
As harsh as the title of this blog sounds its not meant to be...you know when you were little and you used to tell everyone how much stronger, smarter, and overall cooler your Dad was than anyone else's Dad. Well this word war was playing through my head as I was thinking of all the awesome things I wanted to tell you about my Dad. Yes I am a Daddy's girl, always have been, and after 33 years of being one I really do not foresee this changing much. My Dad really is the BEST! I know lots of girls who think the same thing about their Dad's but really mine is the coolest, at least from my perspective he is :)
He is STRONG
He enforces the law for a living...now you know that's cool!
When he retired from 20+ years of service in the military he grew a handle bar mustache...it was only temporary. :) The following is not a pic of my Dad just an example of a handle bar mustache :)
hehe! Thank goodness it was only temporary!!
ON a more serious note...my Dad is one of my Hero's. He is the true definition of having a servant heart. He served his country, he now serves his community, and he has never stopped serving his family and those he holds dear to his heart.
My dad taught me to love sports, mainly baseball...my first job ever was keeping score for softball at age 13 --$10 per game. LOVED that job!
He bought me my first car a blue Ford Fairmont...smurf blue :) Like this one only two tone blue...dont be haters :)
He taught me to drive a stick shift. Something only the coolest girls can do.
He demands my best and has my utmost respect.
He has demonstrated every day of my life what a GOOD HUSBAND looks like, acts likes, and loves like. Which helped me to find my GOOD HUSBAND and another amazing Dad!! Thanks Dad.
He loves me no matter what...I am not perfect and screw up a lot. He loves me anyway. I remember on my wedding day, I was only 21 years old, I was getting ready to walk down the aisle and he stopped and looked at me and said "I don't care how many people are in that room or how much money we have spent, if you do not want to do this, we can turn around right now" I of course had no such thought in my mind. But it was his way of letting me know that he would love me and support me no matter what. It meant the world to me.
Today, he is one of the COOLEST Grandpas ever. Watching him throw the ball around the yard with the boys and just plain staying active with them, is simply AMAZING!! He also tries to really know them. When he talks to them you can tell he really wants to know whats on their minds and in their hearts. He genuinely misses them when he doesn't see them and I have been told at one time or another by all 3 of my boys that their favorite place in the world is Grandpa's house. How cool is that?? He has even taken an interest in hockey. All for the sake of his grandkids.
More than any lesson my Dad has ever taught me, he has demonstrated the importance of family. A lesson that I only hope I can demonstrate to my boys.
Thank you Dad for all you do, have done, and have yet to do! I love you Daddy! You Rock!
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!
He is STRONG
He enforces the law for a living...now you know that's cool!
When he retired from 20+ years of service in the military he grew a handle bar mustache...it was only temporary. :) The following is not a pic of my Dad just an example of a handle bar mustache :)
hehe! Thank goodness it was only temporary!!
ON a more serious note...my Dad is one of my Hero's. He is the true definition of having a servant heart. He served his country, he now serves his community, and he has never stopped serving his family and those he holds dear to his heart.
My dad taught me to love sports, mainly baseball...my first job ever was keeping score for softball at age 13 --$10 per game. LOVED that job!
He bought me my first car a blue Ford Fairmont...smurf blue :) Like this one only two tone blue...dont be haters :)
He taught me to drive a stick shift. Something only the coolest girls can do.
He demands my best and has my utmost respect.
He has demonstrated every day of my life what a GOOD HUSBAND looks like, acts likes, and loves like. Which helped me to find my GOOD HUSBAND and another amazing Dad!! Thanks Dad.
He loves me no matter what...I am not perfect and screw up a lot. He loves me anyway. I remember on my wedding day, I was only 21 years old, I was getting ready to walk down the aisle and he stopped and looked at me and said "I don't care how many people are in that room or how much money we have spent, if you do not want to do this, we can turn around right now" I of course had no such thought in my mind. But it was his way of letting me know that he would love me and support me no matter what. It meant the world to me.
Today, he is one of the COOLEST Grandpas ever. Watching him throw the ball around the yard with the boys and just plain staying active with them, is simply AMAZING!! He also tries to really know them. When he talks to them you can tell he really wants to know whats on their minds and in their hearts. He genuinely misses them when he doesn't see them and I have been told at one time or another by all 3 of my boys that their favorite place in the world is Grandpa's house. How cool is that?? He has even taken an interest in hockey. All for the sake of his grandkids.
More than any lesson my Dad has ever taught me, he has demonstrated the importance of family. A lesson that I only hope I can demonstrate to my boys.
Thank you Dad for all you do, have done, and have yet to do! I love you Daddy! You Rock!
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!
Friday, June 10, 2011
I heart being an AUNT! :)
I am very blessed to be an Aunt. I love love love my nieces and nephew. I wish my niece and nephew who lived in Chicago were here so I could spend more time loving them up and getting to know them. Hopefully that will be in the future, the near future, I can only pray :) Mya is a true beauty and the ultimate in girly girls. She is a talented musician and could hum you a tune and braid your hair at the same time. I adore her and wish I got to see her more often! Noah, my only nephew, and is so super cool and so SMART! I love watching his adorable face when he hangs out with his crazy boy cousins. I think its quite the transition from hanging with his sister to being with my brood. He and Caleb are best buddies and very close in age. Ok Keen, if your reading this...please move here. I need to see my nieces and nephews more often :) They are being world travelers right now in China visiting their Dad's side of the family! So I couldn't ask my sis in law for permission to put their picture on here. So that will have to come another time.
Being a mom to three boys, can sometimes be sad from the female perspective. They think their Dad is the best thing since sliced bread, honestly so do I, so how do I blame them. Its hard when I tell them a sports fact or statistic and they quickly go verify the information with Dad. Although I can get them to cook with me, I often force them to clean with me, I cannot get them to shop with me without bribery. Watching chic flicks well...not so much. I also do not foresee Mother ~ Son days at the spa. My boys are 100% boy. And I love them for that. So God gave me nieces!
This is Kate (L) and Morgan (R) My two little niec-ies as I call them. They live very close to us and I am so grateful for that. First of all let me say that my boys ADORE them and their Uncle thinks they hung the moon. We LOVE having them over toplay hang out (sorry Morgan-hehe), go to movies, or most recently a road trip to the zoo. When they come over they interact with the boys and have lots of fun. But they also hang out with me. That's right ME! They love to cook with me, watch a show with me, talk and visit, they are like my little assistants, I love hearing what makes their minds tick and what their heart desires. I love it and I think they do too! When a question is asked or a statement is made they look to me to figure out the truth, not to their joke-ster of an Uncle. I absolutely LOVE this! When I need girl time I will call up these two little sweet peas to come over and hang out with Auntie Rach! I do some pretty amateur hair dos on Morgan and she thinks they are pretty cool. I share my clear but shimmery lip gloss, a quick shot of hairspray, and a sneaky spray of perfume. They love this! I love watching their faces when I remind them how beautiful they are.
Let me tell you a bit about them...
Morgan is a bit of a tomboy but such a mama bird. She is the best helper, give that girl a task and she will handle it with flying colors and anxiously anticipate the next task. She is your typical tweener, loves her cell phone and texting, in fact my favorite text to get from her is "what r u doing?" This means she's really bored if she has time to text me this! She plays basketball, softball, and soccer. She is emotional, compassionate, and loving. She has a hilarious laugh and crystal blue eyes that just melt your heart. She wants to be a teacher just like her mom. She will be a great one! She and Tommy are BEST friends. They have a very amazing relationship...one you just have to witness! I love how they interact...true friends! And oh how I love to embarrass them with my loud singing and dancing especially when we are in public or driving down the street. I enjoy watching them sink further and further into their seats and in pure preteen embarrassment HAHA!!
Then there is Kate. She is just hilarious! Her curls are ridiculously awesome! The best way to describe her is tell you a little story about Ms Kate. Recently when she was over she exclaimed she was hungry and that we should invent a sandwich. We proceeded to decide that ham, cheese, mayo, lettuce and for a secret ingredient...Doritos! We would call it the Kate/Rachel Sandwich! YUMMY!! I presented it to her and she then wrinkled up her cute little nose and explained that it must be cut diagonally and then she said that no "brown edges" aka crusts could be on there. LOL!! After we finished our sandwiches she told me should would like another one please. She then mentioned that she would wait out on the deck for me to bring it to her. LOVE HER! So full of personality and a girl who knows what she wants and how she wants it. That's my niec-ie!
I thank God everyday for nieces and nephew. Looking forward to a fun Family Reunion and time to hang out with the crew!
Being a mom to three boys, can sometimes be sad from the female perspective. They think their Dad is the best thing since sliced bread, honestly so do I, so how do I blame them. Its hard when I tell them a sports fact or statistic and they quickly go verify the information with Dad. Although I can get them to cook with me, I often force them to clean with me, I cannot get them to shop with me without bribery. Watching chic flicks well...not so much. I also do not foresee Mother ~ Son days at the spa. My boys are 100% boy. And I love them for that. So God gave me nieces!
This is Kate (L) and Morgan (R) My two little niec-ies as I call them. They live very close to us and I am so grateful for that. First of all let me say that my boys ADORE them and their Uncle thinks they hung the moon. We LOVE having them over to
Let me tell you a bit about them...
Morgan is a bit of a tomboy but such a mama bird. She is the best helper, give that girl a task and she will handle it with flying colors and anxiously anticipate the next task. She is your typical tweener, loves her cell phone and texting, in fact my favorite text to get from her is "what r u doing?" This means she's really bored if she has time to text me this! She plays basketball, softball, and soccer. She is emotional, compassionate, and loving. She has a hilarious laugh and crystal blue eyes that just melt your heart. She wants to be a teacher just like her mom. She will be a great one! She and Tommy are BEST friends. They have a very amazing relationship...one you just have to witness! I love how they interact...true friends! And oh how I love to embarrass them with my loud singing and dancing especially when we are in public or driving down the street. I enjoy watching them sink further and further into their seats and in pure preteen embarrassment HAHA!!
Then there is Kate. She is just hilarious! Her curls are ridiculously awesome! The best way to describe her is tell you a little story about Ms Kate. Recently when she was over she exclaimed she was hungry and that we should invent a sandwich. We proceeded to decide that ham, cheese, mayo, lettuce and for a secret ingredient...Doritos! We would call it the Kate/Rachel Sandwich! YUMMY!! I presented it to her and she then wrinkled up her cute little nose and explained that it must be cut diagonally and then she said that no "brown edges" aka crusts could be on there. LOL!! After we finished our sandwiches she told me should would like another one please. She then mentioned that she would wait out on the deck for me to bring it to her. LOVE HER! So full of personality and a girl who knows what she wants and how she wants it. That's my niec-ie!
I thank God everyday for nieces and nephew. Looking forward to a fun Family Reunion and time to hang out with the crew!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Rachel's Random thoughts
When I can't sleep I will blog, one of the bonuses of being a blogger I guess...a remedy for insomnia!
This week is the first FULL week of summer and I can honestly say we are off to a racing start....hmmm racing this calls for my first .......Random thought!
Did you know this year I picked the winner of the Kentucky Derby!?! That's right I did it! I had a very specific strategy. My husband and I do not typically watch horse racing of any kind but this year we were around and it was on the tube and we got sucked into the whole scene. I told him I was going to pick the winner. Tom laughed at me, gave me his typical..."yeah right" expression when I come up with CRAZY ideas. And so I watched and put my plan to work...right before the race I declared that Animal Kingdom would be the winner. Tom shook his head in disbelief. Then the race began, Animal Kingdom well lets just say he didn't look promising. So I looked away, I was reading the paper or checking facebook...ok probably checking facebook...haha! When I looked back my horse was winning and then HE WON!!! You would've thought I won the lottery the way I was running around the room and celebrating!! When we all calmed down and was calculating how much mula I would've won, had I bet. Remember in order to win the lottery you must buy a ticket...I digress...anywho...Tom asked me what my strategy was. I hesitated in sharing my secret, but ultimately decided to share my VERY scientific strategy. I watched at the beginning of the race when they introduced all the jockeys and picked the jockey who....wait for it...here it comes...looked the most ARROGANT. Yep that's it. WELL IT WORKED DIDN'T IT??
Thanks Animal Kingdom...you and your arrogant looking jockey pretty much rocked it!
Back to the summer!
Although I would love to tell you that our summer is spent soaking up the sun by the pool, barbecuing with friends, and playing rounds upon rounds of golf....that is just not the reality of our lives.
Like I said we are off to a racing start this summer...This week alone we had VBS, golf lessons, and baseball for all 3 kids. Caleb began a month long hockey camp and Tommy began his 10,000 puck challenge (100 pucks shot per day for the 100 days of summer). STILL to come this summer is a hockey camp for Tommy, swim lessons for Caleb and Luke, and a trip to Kentucky for my Grandma's Birthday! On top of all of this I have been trying to put hours in managing my business however I can do that from wherever I am, its just better if I am there. The kids have been such troopers and my car is handling the extra luggage and extra miles pretty well. My checkbook is in ALOT of pain from the high gas prices though...ouchy!
Speaking of luggage...we will be packing ours tomorrow to head to the Ellis Family Reunion in Park Rapids MN. WE are looking forward to spending lots of time with family that we haven't seen in a long time. I hope to read a good book and catch up on lots of paper work...speaking of reading!!
Book you must read this summer....Two Kisses for Maddy...Its a great read, my friend Sara recommended it to me and borrowed it to me. It was a great, quick, sad read. Just be prepared he curses kind of a lot. But its worth it. Check it out.
![Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love [Book]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u4WmRanqI1g0_OKPiEylQYoGfB5BMoDAVCUUK4Qc_toXfCfF0sBN6cH5ey0xDBAKbUOus6OqWuoFec3RryrmAuVjhjD7Y2XO72UxhMgsn2_9Ep3Cs3Hfk3Hp-C-T4vlHpYE5e8tn9edEx2ORq3261YQVpoheIQ2Q=s0-d "Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love [Book]")
He's from MN and a blogger. I loved it!
You know what else I love...JENNIFER LOPEZ!
I know I know RANDOM!! I cannot believe I am admitting this. Her singing, well I wont comment but her personality and most of her movies I really enjoy! But I do love her, she seems so genuine and she isn't perfect. She's a mom. She is WAY better than Paula Abdul on American Idol. I just think she is super cool...ok now I sound like a silly teenager...don't judge me people! HAHA!!
Speaking of American Idol....I watched this season cause the kids really got into it but if you are looking for a good cry just listen to that Lauren Alaina new release "Like my Mother does" wow be prepared for the waterworks especially if you are a mom. It gets me every time and is my most recent purchase on Itunes. WOW...cant believe I admitted that either...oh well...judge me if you must! HAHA!!!
Back to my kids and things I love....I LOVE cooking with my kids...tonight we made a delicious meal...here is a recipe you must try so YUMMY and EASY!
Boil Spaghetti noodles til they are aldente
Chop Bacon into bite size pieces and cook in a pan, then drain the fat
add one can mushrooms drained
one can black olives drained
one diced tomato
and one box of swansons chicken broth
then add the noodles.
Bring to a boil and simmer for around 10 mins
**it takes like 15 mins after the noodles are cooked to make this**
While you are making this have your kids find all the left over hamburger and hot dog buns in the cupboard that you need to get rid of and place them on a cookie sheet. Have them split them and place them on the sheet, they can then butter them and sprinkle with garlic salt and then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven til cheese is melted.
ENJOY!!
Ok enough Randomness! Have a GREAT weekend everyone! :)
This week is the first FULL week of summer and I can honestly say we are off to a racing start....hmmm racing this calls for my first .......Random thought!
Did you know this year I picked the winner of the Kentucky Derby!?! That's right I did it! I had a very specific strategy. My husband and I do not typically watch horse racing of any kind but this year we were around and it was on the tube and we got sucked into the whole scene. I told him I was going to pick the winner. Tom laughed at me, gave me his typical..."yeah right" expression when I come up with CRAZY ideas. And so I watched and put my plan to work...right before the race I declared that Animal Kingdom would be the winner. Tom shook his head in disbelief. Then the race began, Animal Kingdom well lets just say he didn't look promising. So I looked away, I was reading the paper or checking facebook...ok probably checking facebook...haha! When I looked back my horse was winning and then HE WON!!! You would've thought I won the lottery the way I was running around the room and celebrating!! When we all calmed down and was calculating how much mula I would've won, had I bet. Remember in order to win the lottery you must buy a ticket...I digress...anywho...Tom asked me what my strategy was. I hesitated in sharing my secret, but ultimately decided to share my VERY scientific strategy. I watched at the beginning of the race when they introduced all the jockeys and picked the jockey who....wait for it...here it comes...looked the most ARROGANT. Yep that's it. WELL IT WORKED DIDN'T IT??
Thanks Animal Kingdom...you and your arrogant looking jockey pretty much rocked it!
Back to the summer!
Although I would love to tell you that our summer is spent soaking up the sun by the pool, barbecuing with friends, and playing rounds upon rounds of golf....that is just not the reality of our lives.
Like I said we are off to a racing start this summer...This week alone we had VBS, golf lessons, and baseball for all 3 kids. Caleb began a month long hockey camp and Tommy began his 10,000 puck challenge (100 pucks shot per day for the 100 days of summer). STILL to come this summer is a hockey camp for Tommy, swim lessons for Caleb and Luke, and a trip to Kentucky for my Grandma's Birthday! On top of all of this I have been trying to put hours in managing my business however I can do that from wherever I am, its just better if I am there. The kids have been such troopers and my car is handling the extra luggage and extra miles pretty well. My checkbook is in ALOT of pain from the high gas prices though...ouchy!
Speaking of luggage...we will be packing ours tomorrow to head to the Ellis Family Reunion in Park Rapids MN. WE are looking forward to spending lots of time with family that we haven't seen in a long time. I hope to read a good book and catch up on lots of paper work...speaking of reading!!
Book you must read this summer....Two Kisses for Maddy...Its a great read, my friend Sara recommended it to me and borrowed it to me. It was a great, quick, sad read. Just be prepared he curses kind of a lot. But its worth it. Check it out.
He's from MN and a blogger. I loved it!
You know what else I love...JENNIFER LOPEZ!
I know I know RANDOM!! I cannot believe I am admitting this. Her singing, well I wont comment but her personality and most of her movies I really enjoy! But I do love her, she seems so genuine and she isn't perfect. She's a mom. She is WAY better than Paula Abdul on American Idol. I just think she is super cool...ok now I sound like a silly teenager...don't judge me people! HAHA!!
Speaking of American Idol....I watched this season cause the kids really got into it but if you are looking for a good cry just listen to that Lauren Alaina new release "Like my Mother does" wow be prepared for the waterworks especially if you are a mom. It gets me every time and is my most recent purchase on Itunes. WOW...cant believe I admitted that either...oh well...judge me if you must! HAHA!!!
Back to my kids and things I love....I LOVE cooking with my kids...tonight we made a delicious meal...here is a recipe you must try so YUMMY and EASY!
Boil Spaghetti noodles til they are aldente
Chop Bacon into bite size pieces and cook in a pan, then drain the fat
add one can mushrooms drained
one can black olives drained
one diced tomato
and one box of swansons chicken broth
then add the noodles.
Bring to a boil and simmer for around 10 mins
**it takes like 15 mins after the noodles are cooked to make this**
While you are making this have your kids find all the left over hamburger and hot dog buns in the cupboard that you need to get rid of and place them on a cookie sheet. Have them split them and place them on the sheet, they can then butter them and sprinkle with garlic salt and then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven til cheese is melted.
ENJOY!!
Ok enough Randomness! Have a GREAT weekend everyone! :)
Friday, May 27, 2011
CRAZY
I was "that CRAZY mom" yesterday...I hope no small children had nightmares...
So we are at Tommy's baseball game and I had to leave his game a little early. I drive by the park where Caleb and Luke are playing to check on them before I go, I see two boys beating the CRAP out of one another. From my car I scream "HEY!!" No one turns to look at me. SO, I throw my car into park, leave my door open and fly across the park with speed I forgot I had.
Okay so I didn't quite look that good but you get the picture, I actually shocked myself at how quick I could move and in flip flops even!
Let me set up the scene for you...
Two kids beating each other down, one kid kinda frozen, another with his hat turned sideways egging them on (cheering), two kids coming at them with tree branches, lots of other kids either watching from the play equipment or just playing. NOT AN ADULT IN SIGHT. At first I thought maybe they are just "playing" pretending to box or be ninjas, then I thought "OH NO" what if their parents love MMA...I panicked.
Then for a split second I thought what if I am on that show with John Quinones
HAHA! Crazy what goes through your mind in what is likely split seconds!
So I run up to them and scream in my biggest mom voice "KNOCK IT OFF!!!" They all froze. The child being pulverized looked up at me with his big brown pools of shame for eyes, tears and sweat running down his face snot everywhere like I was his saving grace. The "pulverizer" looked as though he may wet his pants. Honestly I could have turned him over my knee right there. I asked them "Where is your Moms?!" I got the typical "I don't know!" So I told them "Go find her and tell her what you did!!" You know what they did! They left to go find their moms. Not sure if they told them what they did but they left and stopped fighting. My two main objectives.
Then I turn my attention to the kid with his hat sideways and the branch boys, I tell them "YOU are not cool, if I ever catch you acting like this again you will be in HUGE trouble" I even say "Do you think your mother would be happy to know what you are doing right now?" They all hang there heads and say "no". I am using my BIG voice the whole time and I get BIG results. Kids are scared silent. The word BUSTED is consistently on my mind...haha!
Then I scream at ALL the other children despite them not being involved, that if I ever catch them fighting they will be kicked out of the park...as if I have that kind of authority. I tell them that when someone is fighting to come get an adult because if they let it happen they are just as guilty. Sounds like a lesson from one of my parents, the words I was using, were shockingly similar to something they may say! Thanks again Mom and Dad :)
Then a mom comes up, she gives me that "I can't stop staring at your train wreck" look. I then proceed to admit what I was just up to as if I were at confession. I am shocked at what I just said and did with these children that do not belong to me. Shocked. But NOT disappointed I did it.
As for the children that do belong to me, they are oblivious...running around with their buddies the Ness kids from hockey. They are either in agreement with what I just did or so used to me hollering they are unfazed. As I am running back to my illegally parked vehicle with the door wide open and my purse on the seat (dumb) Caleb screams to me "Have fun Mom, See you later LOVE YOU!" Really buddy?! I love you too! I thought for sure that I just mortified you with my crazy, but you love me despite it?! Or are you just used to it....either way...this CRAZY mama, loves and adores you and will be CRAZY for you anytime!!
So we are at Tommy's baseball game and I had to leave his game a little early. I drive by the park where Caleb and Luke are playing to check on them before I go, I see two boys beating the CRAP out of one another. From my car I scream "HEY!!" No one turns to look at me. SO, I throw my car into park, leave my door open and fly across the park with speed I forgot I had.
Okay so I didn't quite look that good but you get the picture, I actually shocked myself at how quick I could move and in flip flops even!
Let me set up the scene for you...
Two kids beating each other down, one kid kinda frozen, another with his hat turned sideways egging them on (cheering), two kids coming at them with tree branches, lots of other kids either watching from the play equipment or just playing. NOT AN ADULT IN SIGHT. At first I thought maybe they are just "playing" pretending to box or be ninjas, then I thought "OH NO" what if their parents love MMA...I panicked.
Then for a split second I thought what if I am on that show with John Quinones
HAHA! Crazy what goes through your mind in what is likely split seconds!
So I run up to them and scream in my biggest mom voice "KNOCK IT OFF!!!" They all froze. The child being pulverized looked up at me with his big brown pools of shame for eyes, tears and sweat running down his face snot everywhere like I was his saving grace. The "pulverizer" looked as though he may wet his pants. Honestly I could have turned him over my knee right there. I asked them "Where is your Moms?!" I got the typical "I don't know!" So I told them "Go find her and tell her what you did!!" You know what they did! They left to go find their moms. Not sure if they told them what they did but they left and stopped fighting. My two main objectives.
Then I turn my attention to the kid with his hat sideways and the branch boys, I tell them "YOU are not cool, if I ever catch you acting like this again you will be in HUGE trouble" I even say "Do you think your mother would be happy to know what you are doing right now?" They all hang there heads and say "no". I am using my BIG voice the whole time and I get BIG results. Kids are scared silent. The word BUSTED is consistently on my mind...haha!
Then I scream at ALL the other children despite them not being involved, that if I ever catch them fighting they will be kicked out of the park...as if I have that kind of authority. I tell them that when someone is fighting to come get an adult because if they let it happen they are just as guilty. Sounds like a lesson from one of my parents, the words I was using, were shockingly similar to something they may say! Thanks again Mom and Dad :)
Then a mom comes up, she gives me that "I can't stop staring at your train wreck" look. I then proceed to admit what I was just up to as if I were at confession. I am shocked at what I just said and did with these children that do not belong to me. Shocked. But NOT disappointed I did it.
As for the children that do belong to me, they are oblivious...running around with their buddies the Ness kids from hockey. They are either in agreement with what I just did or so used to me hollering they are unfazed. As I am running back to my illegally parked vehicle with the door wide open and my purse on the seat (dumb) Caleb screams to me "Have fun Mom, See you later LOVE YOU!" Really buddy?! I love you too! I thought for sure that I just mortified you with my crazy, but you love me despite it?! Or are you just used to it....either way...this CRAZY mama, loves and adores you and will be CRAZY for you anytime!!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thought for this Memorial Day Weekend :)
Never do I miss the opportunity to tell my children that I love them. So often that at times I hear the "I KNOW MOM" after I tell them. If I have gotten home from work late and they are already in bed, which honestly has happened more often than not lately. I still go in, kiss them and tell them I love them. ALWAYS! Not a hard thing to do but something that can be easily skipped due to "oh they know" or "I will tell them in the morning" or "I am EXHAUSTED"
You and I know that we have all done this, saw on the caller ID who was calling and said..."mmm I think I will talk to them later." Or "it's just my mom/dad/brother, I can talk to them later." Literally the day before my brother's last day of life, he called me. I looked down at my cell phone and thought, I really just need to finish this vacuuming and I will call him tomorrow or the next day. For some reason I did the exact opposite. I answered spoke to him for a long while. We talked about random things, everyday things, we laughed. There is not a moment that goes by that I don't CHERISH that conversation. In the conversation he had told me somewhat randomly that he had just finished reading the book of John in the Bible. He told me some cute southern girl told him to read the same book of the bible I encouraged him to read. He left it at that and I did not push. I found a lot of peace in that in the days after his death. But what would've happened if I missed or ignored his call, the guilt and regret would've been overwhelming.
I recently heard that a powerful business man, I am pretty sure its Trump but cant remember, always answers calls from his children. NO matter who he is meeting with or doing. And he meets with some pretty important people. But by taking those calls he tells those kids that they are the most important people in HIS world! Love this, something to live by!
Have a fun, safe, and BLESSED Memorial Day!!
You and I know that we have all done this, saw on the caller ID who was calling and said..."mmm I think I will talk to them later." Or "it's just my mom/dad/brother, I can talk to them later." Literally the day before my brother's last day of life, he called me. I looked down at my cell phone and thought, I really just need to finish this vacuuming and I will call him tomorrow or the next day. For some reason I did the exact opposite. I answered spoke to him for a long while. We talked about random things, everyday things, we laughed. There is not a moment that goes by that I don't CHERISH that conversation. In the conversation he had told me somewhat randomly that he had just finished reading the book of John in the Bible. He told me some cute southern girl told him to read the same book of the bible I encouraged him to read. He left it at that and I did not push. I found a lot of peace in that in the days after his death. But what would've happened if I missed or ignored his call, the guilt and regret would've been overwhelming.
I recently heard that a powerful business man, I am pretty sure its Trump but cant remember, always answers calls from his children. NO matter who he is meeting with or doing. And he meets with some pretty important people. But by taking those calls he tells those kids that they are the most important people in HIS world! Love this, something to live by!
Have a fun, safe, and BLESSED Memorial Day!!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Living intentionally....
SO it is my goal to live with intention, with purpose. To be honoring to my God, my family, and to who I am and who I am trying to be.
I believe in writing down goals... Did you know that only 10% of people write down their goals? And less than 10% of people in the US are considered wealthy. 80% of those wealthy people have written out goals...interesting correlation. That being said. This short blog is a version of me writing down my goals. If I write it down I will do it. I HOPE :)
You see I am about to enter what is typically a sad season for me. Lots of sad grief filled anniversary dates are up and coming. I usually stuff them down...remember THE MONSTER
As I enter this season instead of the typical stuffing, this year I want to process. I am going to relive...which is maybe the wrong term, I am going to walk back through it with a different perspective. I am going to be really raw and real. No sugar coating...sorry. I think blogging and journaling these events as I remember them will be healing in a way. Healing that my heart is honestly longing for. I also want to honor my precious brother through all of this.
As I scan back on those events, but have not really dived in, I see evidence that there is a GOD! That people are beautiful and well intentioned. As well as stupid and opinionated. (sorry no sugar here) That each moment in time is well orchestrated, even when we don't want to believe in what is happening. That you quickly learn who your true friends are. That even family that you except to be there can fail you. And so much more. These truths are amazing, awe inspiring and heart breaking. To ignore them another year and just stuff them down will do nothing but feed the monster.
So I will put a **WARNING** at the top of those blogs...so if you only want to read about my hilarious but adorable children and how much I love them you will know not to read these blogs. But if you too are tackling your own monster...well than we can journey through all this together.
Lord, I am so scared of what is ahead. But fear will not stop me. Healing is a good thing. Something that I am worthy of. I love you for showing me this Sunday, that I have a broken heart, sick, and in need of repair. And that you alone Lord can heal me.
I believe in writing down goals... Did you know that only 10% of people write down their goals? And less than 10% of people in the US are considered wealthy. 80% of those wealthy people have written out goals...interesting correlation. That being said. This short blog is a version of me writing down my goals. If I write it down I will do it. I HOPE :)
You see I am about to enter what is typically a sad season for me. Lots of sad grief filled anniversary dates are up and coming. I usually stuff them down...remember THE MONSTER
As I enter this season instead of the typical stuffing, this year I want to process. I am going to relive...which is maybe the wrong term, I am going to walk back through it with a different perspective. I am going to be really raw and real. No sugar coating...sorry. I think blogging and journaling these events as I remember them will be healing in a way. Healing that my heart is honestly longing for. I also want to honor my precious brother through all of this.
As I scan back on those events, but have not really dived in, I see evidence that there is a GOD! That people are beautiful and well intentioned. As well as stupid and opinionated. (sorry no sugar here) That each moment in time is well orchestrated, even when we don't want to believe in what is happening. That you quickly learn who your true friends are. That even family that you except to be there can fail you. And so much more. These truths are amazing, awe inspiring and heart breaking. To ignore them another year and just stuff them down will do nothing but feed the monster.
So I will put a **WARNING** at the top of those blogs...so if you only want to read about my hilarious but adorable children and how much I love them you will know not to read these blogs. But if you too are tackling your own monster...well than we can journey through all this together.
Lord, I am so scared of what is ahead. But fear will not stop me. Healing is a good thing. Something that I am worthy of. I love you for showing me this Sunday, that I have a broken heart, sick, and in need of repair. And that you alone Lord can heal me.
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Here goes nothing...stay tuned...or stay away...up to you! :)
Here goes nothing...stay tuned...or stay away...up to you! :)
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Blog Tag :)
So my friend Amber from http://thestrobel3.blogspot.com/ tagged me in a post and I am going to play along! Amber sis in law is my bestie and she has a really fun blog! Check her out! She also has a little girl and is expecting twin boys! FUN!! x2 :D Its all about favorite things....although I am bit of a rebel, dont always like following the rules...so I will start with favorite things and then I will likely share some things that annoy me! :)
Favorite Things
#1Homemade Mother's Day Gifts...They just melt my heart...my lil boys are so creative and funny!
First this one above is Tommy's...He has become such an artist I love the details of my favorite colors and his very beautifully cursive signed name...ADORABLE!!
This one is Caleb's...It was a book comparing us...I love that I have him believing my favorite food is salad, and that I weigh just 80 lbs at my young age of 29...hehe...I also love how he spelled my profession...."mossogr" translation massager :) SO FUN!
Now for the piece de resistance...This is Luke's portrait of dear old mom. Yes that is a pig nose...here is how the conversation went....
Me: "Luke this a LOVELY drawing of me, do you think Mommy has a piggy face or a piggy nose"
Luke: "No not really I just learned how to draw one and thought you would like one"
In my head: You have SOOO much to learn about women
Me: "What a beautiful blue string necklace I have!"
Luke: nothing just looks down
Caleb: "It used to have fruit loops on it, but he got hungry on the bus, so he ATE them!"
Everyone laughed...Happy Mother's Day to me!
I also got a beautiful bead for my pandora bracelet...Sioux GREEN of course! Tom later said it would be good if I went to Wimmers and wrote a list of charms I would like...the next one they want to get me is purple for the Vikings...oh how I love being a Mom to 3 boys.
#2 How my husband is still like a kid when it comes to the things he loves! My husband loves sports. He LOVES hockey! He LOVES baseball! We went to the Twins game this past Tuesday, just the two of us and very last minute. After a few small bumps in our plans which nearly gave him a heart attack (we had minor ticket issues) He walked into the stadium, went straight to his best possible view of the stadium and beamed with a grin from ear to ear!! You could just feel the joy coming off of him...it was GREAT to be there, GREAT to be together, GREAT to see it all...but the best part of it all was his reaction. Money well spent! Best Buy takes your pic for free and emails it to you at the game...it was confusing on where to look because you can see yourself in the monitor that's why Tom is looking down! :)
#3 My girlfriends, last night we just hung out...laughed, talked about inappropriate things, laughed some more...no pressure to be something your not...just have fun! I am blessed, very blessed.
#4 HOT WEATHER...when we were in Minneapolis it was 83 degrees and humid...I LOVED IT! I long for summer. Please come soon summer or I may go on vacation and not come back!
#5 My job, mainly because it doesnt feel like work...it feels like I was meant to do this my whole life. I love giving and recieving massage. I love helping people. I love the opportunity to change lives for the better. I just love it. Although I struggle with balance at times with home and work I am confident I am doing what I am suppose to do.
#6 Matchmaking...I will have to blog about this another day in more detail...I love doing this! I have set up three couples that are now happily married and have children. But I have had my disaters as well. And I do mean DISASTERS! I just believe life is more full when you have love in it. I have visions of myself being like the millionare matchmaker, minus the millionare part :)
#7 Cooking. I haven't done this in a LONG time. So tonight, hope your hungry family...mama has a plan to fill your bellies with healthy goodness! I have an oriental chicken salad recipe that is AWESOME & EASY!!
Now to the annoying :) Let see if I can get to 10 things total...
#8 So I am in the grocery store at 8am the other day getting birthday treats for Tommy's class (PS when I delivered them all the girls asked Tommy if his mom was just 18 and if I was his older sister~ CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK THERE!!!) anyways, I was in line and a woman was checking out with her son, he was eatting a complimentary donut hole. He had a candy bar in his hand and a dollar. I thought to myself Cute she must of let him pick out his own afternoon treat and he gets to pay for it...PRECIOUS! She then proceeds to unwrap it and let him eat it...he then proceeds to climb on everything and run out the front door. She then proceeds to scream at him, "I dont know whats wrong with you?! I cant believe you just ran out the door you are so NAUGHTY!" I gave her the EVIL eye...REALLY lady? Your going to give your child that CRAP to eat at 8am and then tell him HE is naughty...shame on you...shame.
#9 That I didnt bake Tommy's birthday cake this year. When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted he told me he wanted my famous chocolate cake with chocolate icing, the one I decorate like an amateur with m&ms and everyone enjoys. Then they all fight over the last piece!...when it came down to it I just simply ran out of steam so on the night before his birthday...I cringed at hearing myself say...how about a DQ icecream cake?? He of course said AWESOME!! But it just wasnt the same and I will not let that happen again, definitley not my mom of the year moment. I know not a big deal but it was to me. And the $24.99 price about sent me to my grave!
#10 That we as women put ourselves at the BOTTOM of the list. We are accepting of pain both emotionally and physically because we are always on the back burner. Everyone else's needs come first. I do this myself all the time...and I hate it! I am trying to get better and will call you out on it if you do it to yourself around me! You DESERVE good things people! Life is a rat race but we can take time to enjoy our families, the little things and attempt to take care of ourselves too. Not just on Mother's Day! I am a priority and my well being matters. There is no shame in needing a little time to myself, to go out with my girlfriends, and to take care of my body. No guilt, no shame. I am a better wife, mother, more patient, more compassionate, loving, when I take care of ME! Why is that such a hard thing to admitt. Why do I hear the negative self talk mantra starting in my head when I say things like that. Clearly an issue that needs work...we will get there. Eventually.
I feel like I need to end on a positive... so here goes...my new favorite thing is BLOGGING and even more than that reading other peoples blogs...its so true that you can walk down a street and stare at the homes and not know the health or the energy of those behind the walls of the home. You can stare into a sea of faces and never truly know what those hearts are longing for, hurting for, or working through. Death and Taxes may be guarantees but so is struggle...we all struggle. So extend grace to all you meet is a great philosphy to live by. Thank you for letting me peek into your life so I can pray for your struggle and rejoice with you in your joy! Keep on blogging!
So now I will tag some of my blogging friends to stay within the rules of 10 favorite things or you can throw in some things that annoy you like me! :) So Sara, Brandi J, Elizabeth, Betsy, Vicky...tag your it :)
Favorite Things
#1Homemade Mother's Day Gifts...They just melt my heart...my lil boys are so creative and funny!
First this one above is Tommy's...He has become such an artist I love the details of my favorite colors and his very beautifully cursive signed name...ADORABLE!!
This one is Caleb's...It was a book comparing us...I love that I have him believing my favorite food is salad, and that I weigh just 80 lbs at my young age of 29...hehe...I also love how he spelled my profession...."mossogr" translation massager :) SO FUN!
Now for the piece de resistance...This is Luke's portrait of dear old mom. Yes that is a pig nose...here is how the conversation went....
Me: "Luke this a LOVELY drawing of me, do you think Mommy has a piggy face or a piggy nose"
Luke: "No not really I just learned how to draw one and thought you would like one"
In my head: You have SOOO much to learn about women
Me: "What a beautiful blue string necklace I have!"
Luke: nothing just looks down
Caleb: "It used to have fruit loops on it, but he got hungry on the bus, so he ATE them!"
Everyone laughed...Happy Mother's Day to me!
I also got a beautiful bead for my pandora bracelet...Sioux GREEN of course! Tom later said it would be good if I went to Wimmers and wrote a list of charms I would like...the next one they want to get me is purple for the Vikings...oh how I love being a Mom to 3 boys.
#2 How my husband is still like a kid when it comes to the things he loves! My husband loves sports. He LOVES hockey! He LOVES baseball! We went to the Twins game this past Tuesday, just the two of us and very last minute. After a few small bumps in our plans which nearly gave him a heart attack (we had minor ticket issues) He walked into the stadium, went straight to his best possible view of the stadium and beamed with a grin from ear to ear!! You could just feel the joy coming off of him...it was GREAT to be there, GREAT to be together, GREAT to see it all...but the best part of it all was his reaction. Money well spent! Best Buy takes your pic for free and emails it to you at the game...it was confusing on where to look because you can see yourself in the monitor that's why Tom is looking down! :)
#3 My girlfriends, last night we just hung out...laughed, talked about inappropriate things, laughed some more...no pressure to be something your not...just have fun! I am blessed, very blessed.
#4 HOT WEATHER...when we were in Minneapolis it was 83 degrees and humid...I LOVED IT! I long for summer. Please come soon summer or I may go on vacation and not come back!
#5 My job, mainly because it doesnt feel like work...it feels like I was meant to do this my whole life. I love giving and recieving massage. I love helping people. I love the opportunity to change lives for the better. I just love it. Although I struggle with balance at times with home and work I am confident I am doing what I am suppose to do.
#6 Matchmaking...I will have to blog about this another day in more detail...I love doing this! I have set up three couples that are now happily married and have children. But I have had my disaters as well. And I do mean DISASTERS! I just believe life is more full when you have love in it. I have visions of myself being like the millionare matchmaker, minus the millionare part :)
#7 Cooking. I haven't done this in a LONG time. So tonight, hope your hungry family...mama has a plan to fill your bellies with healthy goodness! I have an oriental chicken salad recipe that is AWESOME & EASY!!
Now to the annoying :) Let see if I can get to 10 things total...
#8 So I am in the grocery store at 8am the other day getting birthday treats for Tommy's class (PS when I delivered them all the girls asked Tommy if his mom was just 18 and if I was his older sister~ CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK THERE!!!) anyways, I was in line and a woman was checking out with her son, he was eatting a complimentary donut hole. He had a candy bar in his hand and a dollar. I thought to myself Cute she must of let him pick out his own afternoon treat and he gets to pay for it...PRECIOUS! She then proceeds to unwrap it and let him eat it...he then proceeds to climb on everything and run out the front door. She then proceeds to scream at him, "I dont know whats wrong with you?! I cant believe you just ran out the door you are so NAUGHTY!" I gave her the EVIL eye...REALLY lady? Your going to give your child that CRAP to eat at 8am and then tell him HE is naughty...shame on you...shame.
#9 That I didnt bake Tommy's birthday cake this year. When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted he told me he wanted my famous chocolate cake with chocolate icing, the one I decorate like an amateur with m&ms and everyone enjoys. Then they all fight over the last piece!...when it came down to it I just simply ran out of steam so on the night before his birthday...I cringed at hearing myself say...how about a DQ icecream cake?? He of course said AWESOME!! But it just wasnt the same and I will not let that happen again, definitley not my mom of the year moment. I know not a big deal but it was to me. And the $24.99 price about sent me to my grave!
#10 That we as women put ourselves at the BOTTOM of the list. We are accepting of pain both emotionally and physically because we are always on the back burner. Everyone else's needs come first. I do this myself all the time...and I hate it! I am trying to get better and will call you out on it if you do it to yourself around me! You DESERVE good things people! Life is a rat race but we can take time to enjoy our families, the little things and attempt to take care of ourselves too. Not just on Mother's Day! I am a priority and my well being matters. There is no shame in needing a little time to myself, to go out with my girlfriends, and to take care of my body. No guilt, no shame. I am a better wife, mother, more patient, more compassionate, loving, when I take care of ME! Why is that such a hard thing to admitt. Why do I hear the negative self talk mantra starting in my head when I say things like that. Clearly an issue that needs work...we will get there. Eventually.
I feel like I need to end on a positive... so here goes...my new favorite thing is BLOGGING and even more than that reading other peoples blogs...its so true that you can walk down a street and stare at the homes and not know the health or the energy of those behind the walls of the home. You can stare into a sea of faces and never truly know what those hearts are longing for, hurting for, or working through. Death and Taxes may be guarantees but so is struggle...we all struggle. So extend grace to all you meet is a great philosphy to live by. Thank you for letting me peek into your life so I can pray for your struggle and rejoice with you in your joy! Keep on blogging!
So now I will tag some of my blogging friends to stay within the rules of 10 favorite things or you can throw in some things that annoy you like me! :) So Sara, Brandi J, Elizabeth, Betsy, Vicky...tag your it :)
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Heroes
With it being Mother's Day tomorrow...I wanted to be able to tell you a bit about one of my heroes...
Her upbringing is one that is hard for me to wrap my mind around. To say she grew up in a third world country, in poverty, is an understatement...the women lived in a hut...yes a hut
This one is not "the one"..but I think we need a visual....and this one is probably like the Hilton in comparison to the one she actually lived in.
To say she has experienced tragedy, loss, pain...again probably the understatement of the century. But yet she is the essence of perseverance.
She is a wonderful Mother and a PHENOMENAL Grandmother.
Here are just a few of the things that make her AMAZING
#1 Birthdays are a really big deal to her...your day is not complete with out a phone call singing you her rendition of HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
#2 She is the BEST and I do mean BEST waker uper...she would massage you and sing a wake up and stretch song for you...so AWESOME!!
#3 She rocks in the kitchen and never down plays it!! Which I just love...You will say "WOW this is good Mom" and she will say "Yep" or "I know" Nothing wrong with being good at something and knowing it!
#4 She is genuinely LUCKY...she wins at everything...I mean EVERYTHING. Which she claims is all skill :)
#5 She is generous....so GENEROUS. You need something she gets it for you. She is not afraid to give you the shirt off of her back...she amazes me.
#6 She has a kitchen gadget OBSESSION...LOVE IT! I 125% love this about her, she finds the newest gadgets and always gets one for me too~ See #5 :)
#7 She loves a GREAT deal, if she finds a shirt she likes, don't be surprised if when you look in her closet she has EVERY color it came in!
#8 She doesn't waste, she doesn't know how...Didn't finish your supper, that's OK Mom will save it and eat it at the next meal with some rice :) HA HA!!
#9 She is hardworking...she has owned her own business for I think 9 years now...maybe just under...anywho...she has NEVER had an employee, rarely takes a day off, has built a business from NOTHING to something to be very very PROUD of.
#10 She loves my husband, I mean loves him as her own. As a daughter, there is just something about that that makes you feel SO GOOD! And he loves her too.
#11 She is such a GREAT example of what love looks like. I want to be a Grandma, just like her!! And I am so grateful to her and my Dad for showing me what a good marriage looks like
#12 She loves with her whole self, when she loves you there is not a part of her soul that doesn't love you. She is such a passionate person. Its the reason for her temper. But that's acceptable when you understand the first part of this.
I could go on and on,really...I want to tell you why she is such a great teacher, how she is loyal, how intelligent she is, how she can sing/dance, and loves to be social but I will save that for another time.
You know I have heard it said that the mother/daughter relationship is by far one of the most complicated relationships there is...I believe it. We used to fight, scream, not talk, get super angry...but now I realize its just part of the journey. When I reached my mid to late 20's we seemed to put all of our petty fighting aside. I think it had alot to do with my need to mature and the realization that life is too precious. Plus the grandkids help :)
Being a mother is definitely the hardest job in the world. I am so blessed to surround myself with so many amazing women to which I can follow their lead...Mom, Peggy, Jen, Heather, Sara, Nicole, Brandi, Stacie, Liz, just to name a few...so many of you are amazing Mom's for all kinds of different reasons... THANK YOU for sharing your stories with me, recipes that make my life easier, helping me figure out what to do, and what not to do. Sharing your successes and struggles with me has taught me so much...my love cup is so full right now....love you girls! I am so BLESSED!!
MY MOM 
Her upbringing is one that is hard for me to wrap my mind around. To say she grew up in a third world country, in poverty, is an understatement...the women lived in a hut...yes a hut
This one is not "the one"..but I think we need a visual....and this one is probably like the Hilton in comparison to the one she actually lived in.
To say she has experienced tragedy, loss, pain...again probably the understatement of the century. But yet she is the essence of perseverance.
She is a wonderful Mother and a PHENOMENAL Grandmother.
Here are just a few of the things that make her AMAZING
#1 Birthdays are a really big deal to her...your day is not complete with out a phone call singing you her rendition of HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
#2 She is the BEST and I do mean BEST waker uper...she would massage you and sing a wake up and stretch song for you...so AWESOME!!
#3 She rocks in the kitchen and never down plays it!! Which I just love...You will say "WOW this is good Mom" and she will say "Yep" or "I know" Nothing wrong with being good at something and knowing it!
#4 She is genuinely LUCKY...she wins at everything...I mean EVERYTHING. Which she claims is all skill :)
#5 She is generous....so GENEROUS. You need something she gets it for you. She is not afraid to give you the shirt off of her back...she amazes me.
#6 She has a kitchen gadget OBSESSION...LOVE IT! I 125% love this about her, she finds the newest gadgets and always gets one for me too~ See #5 :)
#7 She loves a GREAT deal, if she finds a shirt she likes, don't be surprised if when you look in her closet she has EVERY color it came in!
#8 She doesn't waste, she doesn't know how...Didn't finish your supper, that's OK Mom will save it and eat it at the next meal with some rice :) HA HA!!
#9 She is hardworking...she has owned her own business for I think 9 years now...maybe just under...anywho...she has NEVER had an employee, rarely takes a day off, has built a business from NOTHING to something to be very very PROUD of.
#10 She loves my husband, I mean loves him as her own. As a daughter, there is just something about that that makes you feel SO GOOD! And he loves her too.
#11 She is such a GREAT example of what love looks like. I want to be a Grandma, just like her!! And I am so grateful to her and my Dad for showing me what a good marriage looks like
#12 She loves with her whole self, when she loves you there is not a part of her soul that doesn't love you. She is such a passionate person. Its the reason for her temper. But that's acceptable when you understand the first part of this.
I could go on and on,really...I want to tell you why she is such a great teacher, how she is loyal, how intelligent she is, how she can sing/dance, and loves to be social but I will save that for another time.
You know I have heard it said that the mother/daughter relationship is by far one of the most complicated relationships there is...I believe it. We used to fight, scream, not talk, get super angry...but now I realize its just part of the journey. When I reached my mid to late 20's we seemed to put all of our petty fighting aside. I think it had alot to do with my need to mature and the realization that life is too precious. Plus the grandkids help :)
Being a mother is definitely the hardest job in the world. I am so blessed to surround myself with so many amazing women to which I can follow their lead...Mom, Peggy, Jen, Heather, Sara, Nicole, Brandi, Stacie, Liz, just to name a few...so many of you are amazing Mom's for all kinds of different reasons... THANK YOU for sharing your stories with me, recipes that make my life easier, helping me figure out what to do, and what not to do. Sharing your successes and struggles with me has taught me so much...my love cup is so full right now....love you girls! I am so BLESSED!!
Happy Mother's Day!!
Friday, May 6, 2011
11 years ago my life changed
As I type this I am bawling, I can hardly believe that 11 years ago you came into my life. (The pictures in this blog are from your 10th year of life :) and fourth grade as well as the summer before 4th grade )
First some of the stats...I know you would appreciate this :) You weighed in at 6lbs 12oz (the largest of all my babies) You were due on May 19th and came to meet us on May 6th! In time for your Aunt Jen and Uncle Grant's Wedding! You were 20.5 inches long. You screamed and were a healthy happy boy from your first breathe. I learned so much about babies with you. Made so many mistakes. But we survived it all!!
Now I am going to gush over you a bit...as a baby people would often comment on how beautiful you were (Gerber baby was actually often how people referred to you) and how I really could bring you anywhere (you were so good and friendly) You rarely made strange and seemed to be fascinated by other children especially your very busy older cousin Morgan. You brought out a side in my own mother that was just awe inspiring to me. You truly changed her, us, our entire family...in the best ways imaginable.
I went into labor with you after attending a Cinco De Mayo party at Dad's bosses home. Dad went to fast over a speed bump and my water broke...11 hours later...you were here...crazy and wonderful!
Now your stats at 11 so your adult self can compare someday :) Today you are an entire 56 inches and last you told me you weighed just over 70 lbs...wow! You have changed in 11 years but you are still sweet, make friends easily, you are such a gentleman, have excellent manners. But you are also a leader not a follower....I love this about you. You love sports and right now you would do just about anything to be like your Dad! So cool! You play hockey, golf, and baseball. Hockey is by far your favorite.
You and Morgan are such GREAT buds still to this day! I hope when your adult self reads this...you guys are still good friends...if you haven't talked in a while call her! You know she would love to hear from you! Do it...because your Mom says so!! :)
You love little kids and I can imagine you working with kids some day! Although your little brothers annoy and frustrate you VERY easily... I think this has something to do with them knowing just how to push your buttons.
Your Dad and I love you so much buddy! We are so proud of the young man you are becoming! WE ADORE YOU!
First some of the stats...I know you would appreciate this :) You weighed in at 6lbs 12oz (the largest of all my babies) You were due on May 19th and came to meet us on May 6th! In time for your Aunt Jen and Uncle Grant's Wedding! You were 20.5 inches long. You screamed and were a healthy happy boy from your first breathe. I learned so much about babies with you. Made so many mistakes. But we survived it all!!
Now I am going to gush over you a bit...as a baby people would often comment on how beautiful you were (Gerber baby was actually often how people referred to you) and how I really could bring you anywhere (you were so good and friendly) You rarely made strange and seemed to be fascinated by other children especially your very busy older cousin Morgan. You brought out a side in my own mother that was just awe inspiring to me. You truly changed her, us, our entire family...in the best ways imaginable.
I went into labor with you after attending a Cinco De Mayo party at Dad's bosses home. Dad went to fast over a speed bump and my water broke...11 hours later...you were here...crazy and wonderful!
Now your stats at 11 so your adult self can compare someday :) Today you are an entire 56 inches and last you told me you weighed just over 70 lbs...wow! You have changed in 11 years but you are still sweet, make friends easily, you are such a gentleman, have excellent manners. But you are also a leader not a follower....I love this about you. You love sports and right now you would do just about anything to be like your Dad! So cool! You play hockey, golf, and baseball. Hockey is by far your favorite.
You and Morgan are such GREAT buds still to this day! I hope when your adult self reads this...you guys are still good friends...if you haven't talked in a while call her! You know she would love to hear from you! Do it...because your Mom says so!! :)
You love little kids and I can imagine you working with kids some day! Although your little brothers annoy and frustrate you VERY easily... I think this has something to do with them knowing just how to push your buttons.
Your Dad and I love you so much buddy! We are so proud of the young man you are becoming! WE ADORE YOU!
HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY
THOMAS WYATT!! 
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