2016

Holy Moly it's 2017!  So so much has happened in 2016.  What a year we had!  It was filled with ups and downs and swoops, that's for sure. 

Christmas was magical, it always is for us, with having Austin and John David.  They are such good little boys, filled with joy and laughter.  We continued with our annual tradition of driving around looking at Christmas lights and then getting ice cream afterwards.  I loved hearing, "ooohh, ahhhh, oh look at that one!"  This year, our neighborhood set up a carriage ride.  We bundled up in our warmest gear, and got on a horse drawn carriage ride with 20 or so of our neighbors, rode around in the carriage and sang Christmas songs.  This is totally what I wanted to do and so right out of a life time movie.  I ate it all up and will definitely do it again.  This year, we met the deadline and were able to send Christmas cards to the Soldiers!  I bought the cards, the boys drew pictures and wrote a sweet note.  The boys really made out on Christmas!  They got there Xbox 1 from us, Pokemon cards (these were the big wants of the year, even though we are bleeding Pokemon), games, clothes, a pitching machine for John David, books, so much fun things.  Can't want to play with them.

2016 was a big year for us.  As I look back and I can't believe the growth we had.

School is going really well for both of the boys.  Austin had a hard time with 1st grade and while he has his moments of struggle in 2nd for the most part, he gets it and it's easy for him.  We have no problems getting them to sit down and do their homework.  Last year, a lot of the times it was a fight.  I am in awe of their reading ability.  Chapter books!  The story continues on and it's not just 10 pages.  They understand what they are reading and they enjoy it too! 

Sports.  John David is a natural!  I absolutely LOVE watching him!  There is just something about him and a ball.  I know my mom loved watching me play, she said it all the time, on our phone calls that we would have as adults.  And I know why!  It was never a chore for her and I hope that it will never be a chore to go to another game or practice.  He plays 3 sports, baseball, basketball and football and loves them all.   You should see Austin play basketball this year!  He has grown so much since last year!  He is so into it and so wanting to score and he already scored once, has stolen the ball and his our rebound king!  Austin is rocking it in bowling too!  His high score so far is a 70 and he is 7! with no bumpers!  He has a lot of work but he keeps getting better.  We started off with him getting a score in the teens and then the 20's, now we are consistently in the 40s and 50's!  He has his first tournament next weekend.  I'm both excited and nervous for him.  Both of them love the water too!  It's so fun and amazing to see how much they have grown in the water.  I remember 2 years ago, I couldn't let go of John and now he wants to go off of the diving board this summer.  To be fair, he wanted to go off of the diving board last summer, but I held him back.  They love jumping in the pool, going on water slides, playing with a ball (of course) and just splashing around.

They are for the most part helpful around the house.  They sure know how to make a mess that's for sure.  But they also know how to fold the laundry, clean their playroom and rooms, make their beds, set the table, cook meat, get themselves breakfast, keep Brady entertained, shovel the sidewalks, and a few other things I can't think of at the moment. 

They also know how to drive us crazy!  They do a good job at that as well.  I guess that is what they are supposed to do, right?

I have had a busy year at work with a lot of change.  And while it's been busy it's also been a great year.  I've learned a lot this year, and hope to continue to learn.  I love what I do and the company I work for, just need a little less crazy ;-) 

Kevin had an up and down year.  He went through a very difficult time when he had his first kidney stone.  He was hospitalized for 5 days, 3 in the ICU.  It was the most scariest time for me.    Not only was it a kidney stone, his kidney was infected and he was in septic shock.  We are very lucky that we went to urgent care when we did and they sent him to the hospital and not home. I was in shock when the doctors came in and said they were glad he was still here (after our first night).  I had no idea how serious of a condition he was in when we got there.  I thank our angels every day that we went when we did and that Kevin is okay.  It was an uphill battle, filled with procedures, medicine and patience, but we are on the other side of this.  I'm so thankful we are on the other side.  For some happy news, Kevin is in love with his Jeep he purchased in February, our Brady we got in October, coaching he started in November, his Michigan football team, his job, not to mentioned his wonderful family.  Seeing Kevin coach has been awesome.  He is really good with the kids.  I love hearing "coach".  Coach K is what the boys and I call him at home ;-)

I look forward to 2017. 

It happened....

This crazy thing just happened, and I've been warned multiple times, by multiple people that it would happen.  And I always said, "I know, they do grow up fast, but I still have some time"  Well everyone, it's happened, not all at once, there is still some babieness/little boyness in there but they are definitely
boys, and not little kids or babies anymore.  They have definitely grown so much from the start of summer to now.

They can ride their bikes.  And now that we've taught them to ride, they feel that they can just go wherever they want.  I feel like we have given some wings, but still need to cut them back a bit.  Because, I'm not ready, Kevin is not ready and the boys are definitely not ready to be full blown flying just quite yet.  But now that they have learned to ride their bikes, they are wanting to go on bike rides, which is great, because that is added exercise for me and family time which I love.  And I love to see how "free" they feel.  They are happy!

If they are not riding their bikes, they are riding their scooters, (thanks Aunt Dottie) and thanks to all of the older boys in the hood ;-) for teaching them to jump and do tricks (sarcasm) and thanks to the boys who have the ramps, because the kids think they are soooooooo cool now that that they can go on the ramps.  We even went to the skateboard park, I think I lost a few nails from nailbiting and Austin did fall, but they had a blast.  There were so many kids there, all sizes, 6-18, I'd say and so many levels, I told the boys to stay on the small ramp.  But when I wasn't looking, watching Johnny's football practice, Kevin had Austin go down one of the bigger ramps.  What about baby steps?  Austin, my little risk taker!

They have friends and a lot of them, family friends, school friends, neighborhood friends.  I can't quite keep up with all of them.   It's nice that they are so outgoing that they can make friends, wish I could make them as fast ;-)  The one thing the mommy books never talked about was this......  Boys making decisions at school or on the bus and then thinking that it would happen.  For instance, John and a friend at school, make plans to meet at the park after school.  "Mommy, I'm meeting so and so at the park"  Me, "wait, what, you have homework and...."  "Mommy, please, he is going to be there"  Does said kid make it there, will John be there?  You just never know.  Also, learning that while they love me and I know they do, they want to be out there with their friends.  From the minute they get off the bus, they want to be outside.  Which I'm cool with, because that beats being glued to the TV or devices, but I need to find my place again.  And I miss them so much during the day that it's hard to see them want be with friends rather than me.  I don't want to be the uncool mom but I also want to protect them and make sure they are safe.  And I do get my cuddles, let me tell you, when they aren't out with their friends, they do like to cuddle on the chair and they do make me feel special.  And Kevin gets morning cuddles with each of them.

I love watching John David play football.  He really is a natural and just loves to play.  He often likes to play catch, or practice having the ball snapped to him.  He almost always has a great attitude at practice and at the games and always tries his best.  He has an arm and can catch the ball.  He does great at flag pulling, and is a good runner.  He also cheers his team on and tells them good job. He is just a solid little boy with a lot to learn.  This weekend is the Homecoming game and there is a lot planned so I'm super excited to see how it all turns out.  And hopefully they will win a game.  They have yet to win a game.  It's okay, because they are learning the game and having fun!

Austin is rocking it at bowling.  3 weeks ago was his first time bowling without bumpers and he did very good.  His first score was a 44.  Since then, he has gotten 1 strike, and 2 spares.  They have coaches there to help him.  I can see that he is listening to what they say and trying.  He has 2 goals other than to have fun that he is working on, 1... not to get a gutter ball (keep his arm straight) and 2.  to make sure he waits for the bowlers on each side of him so he's not distracting them.  We are looking at getting him a ball so he has the right finger spacing, they said that would help him since it's made for him.

School is going well for both of the boys.  They both are rocking it at reading and are pretty good about doing their homework.  Austin's math has been a bit challenging at times, even for us, because we know the answer but they are teaching different ways to get there and that's been difficult.  We are managing.  Austin has gotten some high scores on his weekly tests which is an improvement over last year.  Taking his time on his work has been something that he is working on and we can see the results.  John's reading is crazy amazing.  Austin was no where near this level starting first grade last year.  I think it has some to do with 1/2 kindergarten in a different district.  It's just amazing!   They both have weekend news, where they write about what they did over the weekend.  Kevin and I love reading what they wrote about.  It's fun to see what they remember and who they write about.  We went bowling with Kayla and Maia last month and Austin highlighted it in his weekend news, not by their names but by their ages.  So fun.

We really have been having fun, the boys sure keep us busy.  One thing is for sure, we love these kids so much and they truly are good, happy, crazy kids.

Happy birthday to my favorite 6 year old!

Happy 6^th  birthday to my sports loving, joke telling, cuddly John David! It’s crazy that I’m wishing you a happy 6^th birthday.  6, my baby is 6!  What is going on?!?! 

You love anything that has a ball!  And you are such a natural!  You rocked baseball, we were so proud of you, you did a great job hitting from the coach, fielding, you knocked down those ground balls like a champ, and remember those 2 fly balls you caught, and what made me smile the most was when you cheered on your team, Let’s go, Emeralds, Let’s go _______.  You love to play Around the World with us, you love to throw the football and you have a spiral, and now you are hitting golf balls.  The one sport that you haven’t shown an interest in is soccer. 

You are such a great reader.  We loved getting notes sent home from your teacher about how good of a reader you are.  I’m honestly impressed with your level of reading.  I love how you sound out the words you don’t know and at least try to get the word.

You love making books and you are so creative with your stories.  You go through so much paper it’s crazy.

You are absolutely crazy about tacos! You could eat them every day!  You also, love spaghetti, pancakes, rice kripsies, cheese burgers, brats.  You still love a good cheese, mayo and mustard sandwich :-/. You think you don’t like chicken, but when you do eat it, you like it. Not only do you like to eat but you also like to cook.  I like cooking with you. 

You have a great big heart and are always making us laugh.  You like to tell us jokes, what do cows do on Saturday?  They go to the MOOOVIES.  You tell us this joke a lot and try to change it up too.

We can't forget you're love for texting!  It's so cute to see you text Grandma and Grandpa.  You totally gush all over them and it definitely shows your love for them!

You love to play with daddy.  You enjoy playing catch, Around the World, Basketball games, golfing and joking around with each other.  I love the relationship you guys have.

You have stolen my heart.  The other day you told me you liked my dress I was wearing and today when I asked how my sandals looked with my skirt, you said perfect.  You know how to make me feel special and I’m just so thankful to have you in our lives. 

Happy birthday to my Johnny!

Lucky # 7- Happy Birthday Austin!

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Happy 7^th birthday to our fun and loving boy, Austin.  Ironically, today is also your last day of First Grade. You are officially a Second Grader.  What just happened here?  How did you go from a baby to Second Grader in a flash?  Seriously, weren’t you just taking your first steps and saying your first words?  I say this all the time but I really need a PAUSE button.  I wouldn’t use it all the time, just on moments that I want to cherish longer.  You know like the moments when we are playing basketball as a family, or when we are laughing at the little things, you practicing riding a bike, you reading ( I LOVE it when you read to me) and I definitely want to make the time stand still when you let me hold you.  It’s not very often, but when it happens, my heart is HAPPY. 

At 7, you still have yet to lose a tooth.  I know you feel like you will be the last one to lose a tooth but I do hear that it’s better for your teeth in the long run.  And trust me, we could use some help in that department.  And besides, you are so cute with that baby smile. 

At 7, you love spaghetti, pancakes, steak, hamburgers, ribs,chicken, fruit, cottage cheese, chips (yes, you still love chips).  Let’s not forget about your love for Lemonade. You are still a pretty good eater and that makes me happy.

At 7, you love to read.  You like to read books and have books read to you.  Lately, you have been listening to stories on your Chromebook.  It amazes me at how much you have grown as a reader since last year when you finished Kindergarten.  You should be so very proud of yourself, I am.

You love to be outside.  You could be playing basketball, you know playing Around the World against daddy (and beating him sometimes!), me and John David (that's one of my favorite things to do) soccer, playing with chalk, riding your scooter, building a robot, anything.  I can’t wait for when mommy and daddy blast you with a super soaker. You love going to the park and climbing, swinging and monkeying around on the monkey bars.  

You love to text.  And you're getting pretty good at spelling the words.  I sure do think it's cute when you're texting Grandma and Grandpa.  Some of the conversations are super sweet and them some of them are just plain crazy with all of the emoticons!

 

You love to play games on the ipad, Chromebook, your 3DS, daddy's playstation even board games.  I think you might be a gamer one day.  I think you would play all day if I'd let you.  You get so into it and just want to WIN.

Grandma’s pool is the time when I think you are the most free and happy.   You just LOVE jumping in.  I love making memories with you in the pool. 

Austin, we love you.  I wish you knew how much and I wish I could explain to you how much.  One day, when you have a child, you know when you are living with John David and your wives, you’ll understand.   You are a great boy.  You want to do things on your own time and you do have trouble listening to my words and sometimes your teachers, but what 6 year old doesn’t.  I hear  The age that I have been waiting for. Lucky number 7!

Let’s make this a great year.  Let’s enjoy the summer.  Happy Birthday, buddy!