My baby is growing up

My baby is registered for kindergarten. I'll have all 3 boys at the same school next year. I tend to think it's going to hit me harder next fall knowing that Ted will only be there that year before moving on the middle school.

Nate was a little unsure about registration. He didn't want to get out of the van when we got to the school. He reminds me of Ted when he does that. I think he was worried about when he was going to have to start. I told him it won't be until next year. Harrison tried to help me and said it's this year, not next year. Nate was fine once we got in the school and he saw another family we know.

Nate is also taking a class at The Farm. It's on Thursday mornings this month (so only 3 times). It's a class about tractors...which is why I haven't told him everything about what happened to Doug (Lana's husband). I had to drag him to his class this morning. He gets nervous when he doesn't know what to expect. He was fine once he saw the tractor toys to play with. As we were walking to our van afterwards, he asked me when he gets to go back to tractor class.

Pictures of our 10 yr old

10 years old!

We had a good weekend. Ted's first basketball game was yesterday at 8 am. His team lost by quite a bit but Ted said that he had fun playing. Nate and I went to the game while Bob and Harrison stayed home. Nate took most of the pictures while we were there. Ted is wearing the yellow jersey and red shorts. They don't match well but it's easy to spot him in the pictures.

Ted's birthday party was at 4 at Kidz Fit. I only took a few pictures--when they were eating cupcakes and the snacks. They ran around most of the time we were there.

Today, we went to Mass and then we let Ted skip religious ed. class. Ted worked on his Pinewood Derby car with Bob (and Nate) while I was teaching Harrison's class. We had a relaxing afternoon. The boys played outside with a friend since it was so nice out and they also worked a little more on their cars. Ted decided to have Chipotle for dinner and then we had cake and ice cream at home tonight.

Practicing riddles

The boys have all been trying to ask a variation of the riddle, "You're stuck in a room with no doors and no windows. You have a mirror and a table. How do you get out?"

Nate has noticed that I'm not very good at figuring out their riddles so he decided to help me. He was asking me riddles today so that I would know the answer the next time he asked me.

Nate: "You're in a room with lots of walls and a plate of bacon. How do you get out?"

Me: "You eat the bacon, get super powers, and bust your way out."

Nate: "No. You eat the bacon, get STRONG powers, and bust your way out." "You were close."

Nate: "You're in a room with a chainsaw. How do you get out?"

Me: "You eat the chainsaw, get strong powers, and bust your way out."

It got the laughs from Nate that I was hoping for. Of course, it will probably mean more time practicing riddles if I can't even get the easy ones right.

How quickly lives can change...

Yesterday started out well. It was going to be a warm and sunny day. I dropped Ted and Harrison off at school and then came home to take care of a couple chores. I dropped Nate off at daycare just before 9 and then went to work. Just as I was going back into the lab after a break, I received a phone call. I don't get many calls at work so it was a concern even before I knew who was calling.

Nate's daycare provider, L, had to leave because there had been an accident and her husband was pinned under a tractor. L's daughter, B, called to ask if I could pick Nate up right away. I hesitated because we were short-staffed this week and I was still trying to process what was happening (and was thankful that Nate was fine). I told her I would call Bob and see if he could get Nate. Bob was closer to the daycare provider so it was the better choice for him to pick him up.

It took me about 25 minutes to get home and my heart was heavy. I prayed for Doug and his family, not knowing how serious the situation was. Bob and I talked when I got home and he said it didn't sound good. We soon found out that Doug died. He was only 53 years old.

I had only seen Doug a few times during drop off or pick up so I didn't know him well. Lana and Doug have always made us feel that our kids are special and that it's a privilege to help care for Nate. I talked to Lana today and I am amazed by her strength. She is still in shock and disbelief, I'm sure, but she will get through this. She has a lot of family support close by so that will help her. I can't imagine the pain she is going through.

There has been a lot of tragedy around us during the last 6 months. It started last August when our neighbor was murdered. I want to tell God that he can stop now, that I think I get it. Life is precious and we need to enjoy each moment with family and friends because you never know when it will be your last time together. God knows me well, though, and knows that I'm thinking that sounds so cliche.

I ran across a blog this morning. "A Jesuit's Journey" had a post from a couple weeks ago that was just what I needed to hear today. He talked about tragedy and how our hearts crack and break during tragedy. Through those cracks, the love in our hearts can shine through and we can be the light in the darkness. We can be the answer to prayer. When families question whether there is love in the world, we can be the love they feel.

Since I missed a couple years of blogging...here are some of my Facebook posts from 2011.

Jan 29-- Ted had a party and sleepover last night. That went well except one kid got sick (crossing my fingers that no one else gets sick). Ted played the Wii quite a bit this morning and now he's out shooting hoops with a friend. We're having Chipotle for dinner and then hopefully it'll be an early bedtime tonight.

Jan 31 (early post from Bob)-- When I think of your birthday, this poem comes to mind...

Roses are Red,
Violets are Blue,
On your birthday this year
You're now six-squared and two!

Hmmm...not very romantic. How about

Roses are Red,
Violets are Blue,
I don't say it often enough:
I love you!

Happy Birthday, My Love!

March 8-- Harrison made a bed to try to catch a leprechaun. Gotta love the Schools on the move challenge--limited screen time this month and 60 minutes of activity each day. It really brings out their creativity. Harrison is hoping to catch a leprachaun so he can have 3 wishes. His first wish will be for infinite wishes, 2nd wish is for his white bear to be repaired instantly, 3rd wish for his stuffed animals to come alive and be under his command.

May 12-- Yay for summer break! I have 2 weeks until the boys join Nate and me. Time to start planning a couple trips for us. :)

June 8-- Laundry and packing today. Leaving tomorrow morning with the boys. I'm excited to see family and friends and I'm looking forward to some trips down memory lane.

June 10-- a good day yesterday on the road with the boys. I was reminded very quickly that 4 yr olds don't give you any warning when they need to pee. My 9 yr old got lots of practice reading a map after he asked me how many cities we were going through until we got to his aunt's and uncle's house.

June 17-- Harrison's first fish! His hands are at his sides during the picture because he doesn't touch slimy things. :) It was the highlight of Harrison's trip until Tim cleaned the fish. My sensitive boy cried about it for quite a while on the ride back to their house. We wouldn't have let him watch if we had realized it was going to affect him so much. I didn't think about it, since I grew up seeing that all my life.

June 18-- Made it home! The drive was good except for the hail storm in western Nebraska.

June 30-- Nate (my 4 yr old) said, "I'll go easy on you, Mommy" when he wanted to play a game this afternoon but I couldn't right then. I didn't do well playing chess this morning with his older brothers.

July 4-- I hope all of you had a great 4th! We went hiking on the Horsetooth trail and the boys did really well. We saw a couple deer and various bugs and the view was awesome. We were close to Horsetooth rock when we saw a rattlesnake on the trail. That's when we decided to turn around. :) Nate was wiped out tonight so I took the older boys to see some fireworks.

July 21-- I took Nate to the Swetsville Zoo last week. He loved it but we didn't get to see everything because a tree fell over the path that morning (before we got there). The owner took care of the tree right after we told him but we left before he had finished. It's been a long time since Ted and Harrison have gone so we'll plan to go another time before the end of summer

July 11-- Free slurpees at 7-11! That was a nice afternoon treat for us.

July 13-- Every time Nate wears a sleeveless shirt, I want to sing his version of the Backyardigans "into the thick of it". He sings it as "into the tickle pit."

July 15-- I think it's time to plan a date night. I was just a little too happy when the "Mom...Mom...Mom" turned into "Dad...Dad...Dad" as soon as Bob walked in the door tonight. The funny thing is that Bob is now asleep on the couch but Nate continues to talk to him.

July 25--Thanks to the paper airplane book we found at the library, there is paper everywhere in my house. I don't think the tv has been on today and the video games are put away so it's worth the mess.

Aug 5-- So excited to go camping with friends tomorrow!

Aug. 16-- We saw a moose and some deer on our camping trip--I think someone else got pictures of those.

Aug. 18-- perfect night for a water fight...it's good to hear kids having fun again on our street.

Aug. 21-- My 4 yr old is so sweet. "Mom, you look great in that. You look great in everything." He's forgiven for waking me up in the middle of the night to help him find his little bear.

Sept. 12-- Warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert. They were so good but the best part is that Ted baked them himself and I just got to eat them. The worst part is that he used up all the dough so I'll have to make more for next time--definitely worth it, though.

Sept. 16-- Friday folders made me smile today...

Ted brought home "Cherry Bomb Rules" which is signed on the back by those who attended the meeting. Harrison completed these sentences: My goal this year is...to get 100% math. My favorite subject is...science (with a picture of him at a desk blowing something up, I think).

Sept. 20-- Yay for Ted! He scored 100% on his first GT math test. He's so proud and we are too!

Sept. 25-- We're almost halfway through popcorn sales and the boys have been working hard. Harrison filled his form tonight and Ted only needs one sale to fill his. I love the support and encouragement offered by those who are buying from them. Harrison has promised at least 2 people that he will stay in scouts and get his eagle.

Oct. 20-- I am so relieved that cub scout popcorn sales are done. I have the paperwork and leftover popcorn ready to go so the hard part is done.

Oct. 21-- Harrison lost a tooth right before bed last night! It's the first top tooth for him. Luckily, the tooth fairy's helper reminded her to do her job so all was good this morning. He has lost all his teeth over school breaks so I guess the next tooth is coming out Nov. 23.

Nov. 17-- Nate wanted play chess with me earlier so he could help me be better at it. We didn't have a chance so now he is playing with Bob. It's fun listening to them talk about possible moves. I didn't think Nate was ready to learn to play but his older brothers taught him earlier this week the names of pieces and how they move. He did pretty well. He even caught Bob off guard at the beginning of the game--we're not used to playing strategy games with our 4 1/2 yr old. Nate moved his pawn and told Bob, "That's ok. You can take that pawn." After Bob captured the pawn, Nate said, "Now that's out of the way so I can take your queen (with my bishop)". That got Daddy's attention!

Dec. 1-- Busy day of baking today...pumpkin bread, chewy brownie cookies with m&m's and craisins, and M&M cookies. Some of the cookie dough is in the freezer so I can bake a variety in a couple weeks. The goodies seem to disappear quite quickly in my house. Harrison has told me it's because "we're men."

Dec. 3-- I'm tired. I took Harrison and Nate to the kids workshop this morning at Home Depot. They both loved it so we need to go again soon. I also did the Christmas shopping for the family we adopted. There were some great deals today and I picked up a few things for my kids too. Then, I came home and finished putting the ornaments on the tree. The boys left some of the best ornaments for last--the homemade ornaments. Those always bring a smile to my face as I take them out.

Dec. 13-- Don't you just hate it when it's snack time and you realize that your youngest didn't actually have breakfast yet? The older boys can get their own cereal so it's easy to forget in the rush of getting them to school to make sure Nate has a good breakfast. He got his own peanut butter kiss cookie and Pirate's Booty. I just gave him a Clementine to help with the Mom guilt.

Dec. 16-- I'm feeling really thankful this week for our jobs and our health. We found out that Microtune was shutting down so friends who are still working there are now looking for new employment.

Dec. 16-- ‎"All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth" Harrison's other tooth came out yesterday at school. He does not like the song, tho. :-)

Dec. 19-- We saw Santa while the older brothers were in school today. Ted and Harrison had decided they were too old. Plus, Harrison said Santa is at the North Pole, not the mall so he didn't want to go see some guy dressed up as Santa.

Reflecting on 2011

Overall, 2011 was a good year for us. It's been an extremely busy year filled with work and school and the boys' activities but we're doing well and overall we've been healthy.

The boys and I drove to MN over the summer to see my family. We picked up my sister-in-law, Trish, in Nebraska. That was a good idea since we all ended up getting a stomach bug while there. She drove quite a bit on our way back since I wasn't completely back to normal yet. I also attended my 20 yr class reunion while in MN. There were only 8 of us there for the reunion but it was fun. It was a good trip and I enjoyed getting to know Trish a little better. We're looking forward to planning our next adventure.

Life has been strange the last several months. In August, our neighbor was found murdered in his home just 3 houses from us. The kids had been out riding their bikes earlier that Monday morning. We had just finished eating lunch when we saw the police putting up red tape across our yard. My kids had played with his kids and had been in their house a few times. We had to talk to them and it was a difficult conversation to have with young boys. Those last 2 weeks of summer were spent mostly inside the house instead of soaking up the last days of fun before homework and soccer started. Our street was quieter and we missed the noise of the boys yelling and playing outside. Gradually, the boys and all the neighbor kids started having fun again in the cul-de-sac.

Sept. and Oct. were extremely busy for us. School and work were in full swing and Ted and Nate both played soccer. Ted and Harrison are also in cub scouts and I organized popcorn sales for the pack. We sold a lot of popcorn and made a lot of money for the pack so that was good that our hard work paid off.

In Oct., I found out that a woman I know at church was diagnosed with melanoma. My cousin, Kelly, died of melanoma on Oct. 31. Kelly was only a year older than me so he was the closest cousin I have (the others are all much older). I hadn't seen or talked to Kelly in several years but I have fond memories of when we played together as kids. It was difficult hearing that he had lost that battle. Cancer sucks. On a positive note, it did get me to make an appointment with a dermatologist so I could have her check a couple moles. Everything looks fine so far.

The year is ending on a good note. Thanksgiving was spent in IA and MN with family. Harrison celebrated 1st Reconciliation in Dec. We spent a few days during Christmas in Canon City with Bob's dad and stepmom.

These last couple days of 2011 are being spent relaxing together as a family and playing with the new toys. Nate still loves to cuddle with me so I hold him any chance I get. Ted has taken an interest in learning to cook and bake. He helped make cookies and lately he's been learning to make pancakes. Harrison is getting so tall and he's still his sweet funny self. The boys fight at times but overall they really enjoy spending time together.

I'm looking forward to the new year. Ted will turn 10 in January. We will celebrate Harrison's 1st Communion in April. Nate will turn 5 in April and start kindergarten in the fall. My hope in 2012 is for more joy than sadness. I will focus on enjoying the present time and not worry as much about the past or future.

Happy New Year!

Carol