Family Update #1

So much to cover, so little time.  But the kids are changing, the school year has wrapped up and I feel like I need a kid review to remember this time period.  So first I'll start with the I-man.

Issac means he will laugh and when he was just a few months old Travis and I worried we had misnamed the two boys based on temperament.  Because Issac was a colicky baby and he just didn't fit the ideals, standards and expectations that my other two kids had set as precedent before him.  Wyatt means little warrior and he was the easiest baby ever and we were starting to wonder if we had totally given each child the wrong legacy.  Because for all of Travis and my name picking that was what we made our decisions on most, what kind of legacy the meaning of the name could potentially have for the child.

After several months of constant crying, multiple diagnosis from the doctors and several procedures later they chalked it up to his temperament or colic.  Eeks I was scared.  My mom and dad gloated in his difficulty because I had been an especially prone to crying infant as well.  But after six months or so he flipped the switch.  And the child I had known to that point left and was to never be spotted again.  Instead lay a little boy with smiles for miles, almost dimples, the bluest blue eyes and blond hair making women everywhere coo over him and exclaim his absolute adorableness.  On the first day of nursery he walked away from me never looking back or worrying about where I was.  Likewise started the pattern of his life of never needing me.

Although he was a much easier child in some ways I worried most over him.  He didn't need me long before he could communicate and I wondered how he was away from me.  Because although he was now a very happy child, he was super spirited and filled with a mischievous streak that could make him seem like his often compared alter ego Dennis the Menace.  Sending him to Primary and Preschool I worried about how he was behaving, if he was being good or if he was using his new found freedom from me to reign in terror.

And for the most part I got good reports from his teachers and other adults.  Still at home he remained our amusement maker.  In Kindergarten at a parent teacher conference his teacher expressed her only concern "When he gets excited he talks louder and louder and louder."  To which I replied, "Have you met me?  I can't teach him something I haven't learned to do yet.  But we'll work on it."  And we did.  He started his first grade year this year.  I was a little nervous because his teacher was a neighbor and I just didn't want something to happen that would cause later awkwardness.  But alas my concerns were for naught.  He had a great year.  So great that at the end of the year he got the Principal's Award, which is for the student who best exemplifies the behaviors and attitudes of our school of being responsible, organized, kind, etc...

So what would I say about this kid now. He's amazing, he's kind, he controls his mischief and instead focuses all his energy, enthusiasm and drive into sports, extreme sports and playing.  He's fearless and brave, a leader, a good example, a great big brother and a good little brother.  A happy kid who loves to be happy and make others happy.  He's taken a huge growth spurt as well as maturity spurt this year and changed from a child to a boy.  I can't wait for him to grow into a man.  Each day of child raising is a surprise, one kind that I particularly love! 

I'm Speechless

It's Father's Day.  I want to write something wonderful about my hubby, a tribute to be quoted it is so amazing.  But alas, I am speechless.  Maybe for the first time ever.  Because words can't do him justice.  So here he is...

If you see him, get to know him.  I've never met anyone who regretted it!

Monte Carlo

So Bella and I for our first day of summer vacation indulged in ridiculous girl movie watching.  I love that we can indulge our goofy side together.  So we watched the movie, Monte Carlo, one I had not seen, but Bella had. 

The scenario was 3 girls, 4 boys.  And as we watched we oohed and aahhed over different male leads.  Once the movie was over we continued the debate finding other internet images of these boys.  We still can't agree, so I'll leave it up to my viewing audience.

Who is the hottest of these boys (boy 3 and 4 are the same, one with long hair, one with short-if you choose him you must pick a hair length as well)?  Well what are you waiting for?  Weigh in!

Pierre

Luke

Giulio 1

Giulio 2

Cory

End of Year Madness - Oh My!

If you had doubts about my sanity before, well then let me assure you I am for sure insane currently.  Every mother feels a little frazzled at the end of the school year.  I am exactly one week away from the last half day of school; it's so close, but still unreachable or at least it feels that way.  So I just keep breaking it down to smaller chunks of time so I don't get overwhelmed.  Each morning, I repeat the mantra: "I just gotta survive today."  And it's been that way the whole month of May.  Here's what we've been up to:

Women's Club of Manheim Adopted a Block
Softball and Play practice galore
Softball games every Tuesday and Thursday
Math Night at Doe Run
Temple Trip to Washington DC
Graduation Parties (x3)
Cinco De Mayo Party
Celebrity Scoop Fundraiser
Board Meetings, Monthly Meetings and Presidency Meetings (WCM, PTO, Primary, Library, etc...)
- that's a whole lot of meetings if you get my drift
Weekly volunteering in the boys' classrooms
Spring Cleaning
Foster Care Training
Foster Care Recertification
Choir Concerts, Orchestra Concerts
First Grade Musical
Day Camp planning
Taxes finalized - ugghhh
Teacher Appreciation Week
Thank you gifts for officers (Order, prep, deliver)
Working at the School Store
4 Newspaper articles and photo shoots to Promo different events
Parental Visits galore
Lots of end-of-year Field Trips
Special Auxiliary Training
Middle School Book Fair
End of Year Carnival at the Elementary School
Dental visits
Many abandoned Book Clubs "Ain't nobody got time for that"
Relief Society Socials
End of Year Banquet
Order, Sort and Deliver Yearbooks (add a final sale for those who forgot to order originally)
Field Day Instruction
Scholarship Banquet
Activity Day and Scouts
Sporting Tournaments
Barnstormer Baseball Game
Memorial Day Picnic
Hiking
BBQ's
Planning, helping, and/or running fundraisers (Manheim Rock n' Glow 5K and RAINN em in)
Buying, making, sewing costumes for RAINN
Regular and Skype Assembly at the Middle School
Breakfast with Friends (a girl has to take a break every now and again)
Attend Bella's musical 3 out of 4 Show times
Run a mile fun run with younger kids, turn around and run a 5K with Bella
Clean Up Race starting at 11pm
Bake for a bake sale
Bake for end of year parties
Race a human powered horse for hours while eating and playing with friends

So that covers May through the end of the weekend June 2nd.  And next week...well I'll let you know how it went if I survive.  (Pictures to come)

Bachelorette Season Premier Highights

Well it's official.  Desiree has all the tools she needs to be a handy woman.  I don't know which was worse, the guy who showed up in stiff full metal armor approaching both the stairs into the house and Desiree with stilted terminator steps or the guy who asked, "Will you accept these abs?" appearing shirtless straight from the limo,.  On this guy's plus column is the fact that he is totally hot and practically a neighbor to my husband's Texas roots, but still everything about him screams douche baggery even in his job title which is Drilling Fluid Engineer. 

One thing is for sure.  I have never seen a lot of men look this awful in suits since my high school prom.  The wardrobe people must know that the casting is done so that when they spend the rest of the season predominantly undressed they will look good, but that doesn't translate well to a sample rack suit.  So when most of the men have upper bodies that are bigger than The Incredible Hulk, invariably the sleeves are too short and the buttons strained.  Add to that eye sore filled visual some very short suit pants, due to very large although deliciously "bite"able tushes from all the gym hours and you are starting to get the picture.  Last, top that off with a bunch of hipsters sporting totally inappropriate shoes, think Converse, sneakers, and other assorted non-formal footwear.  All that I can say is Eeks.

In typical fashion the season was filled with awkward dancing and poetry, manipulation via children from previous relationships, cheesy sentiments, fiery magic, the worst self designed suit possibly ever made and assorted riff raff nonsense.  The most awful by far were the ER doctor who while having one on one time takes off and puts on his glasses repeatedly, seriously no fewer than 6 times in their conversation and pair him with uber creeper guy who had some seriously misguided fantasy suite seeking idea on night one that skeeved Des out to where she gives him the boot before the Rose Ceremony even happens. 

In the end, one thing remains the same as with other seasons, I am totally riveted.  Can't wait to find out what my new tag line of stupidity will be for the upcoming year.  And hopefully I won't unwittingly be repeatedly saying something sexually graphic to people like last year before someone explained what it meant to me.  Sorry folks.  I guess the old adage is true.  You learn something new everyday, even through the Bachelor/Bacherlorette Franchise.  Hope you enjoy watching as much as me!

Over and Over

There are certain facts that I have to relearn over and over.  They are:

*I know better than the average woman how a man thinks.

I love a new pair of running sneakers something fierce.

**I can actually sing.

**I look a lot younger than I actually am.

 

I love going out with friends.

**I love staying in with friends even more.

I love gifts, but not at the expense of blowing the budget.

 

I may not like chocolate in theory but sometimes it's just what I need.
Sight reading piano music on demand for our church choir is good for me.
Sometimes the worst memories in life are the best experiences.

The Golden Rule really is golden.
***Just thinking "I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus" makes me laugh.
I really do have more energy than the normal person.
My husband is spectacular and I constantly underestimate him.

* Story 1 - The end of school year brings tons of activities for our family and meetings for me.  Think concerts, musicals, productions, meetings, etc..Because of this, I have been wearing nicer clothes. One day a neighbor stops me and says you look delicious again today.  I said thank you.  I explained that it was that time of year where I had to dress up regularly because of appointments.  She said in all seriousness to me, "No, it's because your hubby is home."  I laughed and continued on my way.  And was reminded that if I was trying to impress my hubby it wouldn't be with business dress, it would be with nakedness.  This concept along with others seems to allude most women.

** Story 2 - The other night I went out with friends.  We were supposed to go to dinner, then relax at a friend's house.  Everyone was claiming they needed an earlier night.  Low and behold, friends text and we end up at a local favorite where Karaoke is being held and they insist on carding me because no one believes I am older than 21.  I don't actually want to sing and after some ridiculous singing my friends agree I should back up dance and not sing.  Eventually my friend talks me into a duet, Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" where she abandons me.  Everyone is going wild, and the DJ confirms after that there were moments of brilliance in my singing.  I guess being sober and not tone deaf really makes me a passable singer.  Also I realized that I really would rather stay in and do chill stuff more often.  I'm getting too old for that other business.

*** Story 3 - I was in a church meeting.  We were discussing dealing with difficult people.  And the kindest, most wonderful, what would appear to never be angry woman says, sometimes when I want to say something really mean, I think to myself "I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus."  A good concept but she was so passionate about this and it was so unexpected that I just cracked up, wondering what her idea of really mad is.  To this day when I start to get really angry I remember this story and can't help but start laughing.  It works for me too, maybe not for the same reason, but I'm sticking with it.

 



It's Mother's Day

If marrying Travis was the best thing I ever did, then having kids is the best thing that ever happened to me. Because with those decisions, I've become more than I could have ever been and I'll spend the rest of my life living up to what my kids believe I am. There is no gift needed in this household because my kids are the greatest gift I have. Happy Mother's Day!