Happy Birthday, Sunshine

It's amazing to think about all the changes we've been through this year. He went from three days a week at preschool to all-day kindergarten. He adapted to that much better than I did! He's made a tremendous amount of friends and continues to excel in school. Just recently he's started reading, but he still prefers to do mazes or dot-to-dot books than to sit down with a good book. Just seeing how much his handwriting has improved over the last few months is amazing. I'm so proud of how well he's doing, and he loves having his friend Hunter from preschool and our neighbor Luke in his class.

And I thought he was obsessed with hockey last year--my goodness this kid astounds me with his never-ending love for anything hockey related. He doesn't care what game is on (but he obviously prefers to watch Blackhawk games), he wants to watch it. He's even been known to watch college hockey simply because it's hockey. He knows all the Blackhawk players and their corresponding numbers and knows at least one player on each of the other 29 teams. He's finishing up his first session of being on a hockey team, and it's been a great experience. He's in a house league, so there are six teams total of about 12-13 kids. They play five games during the 14 straight Saturday and Sunday practices, and he's been learning a lot and having a blast!

But my boy is developing quite a bit of a temper, unfortunately. He's been known to get mad at times and can be downright mean. We've been trying to curb that, as well as the claim that people are "being mean" when they don't want to do what he wants.

My life is definitely complete with him in our lives. I used to tease and be jealous of the relationship my brother had with my mom, oftentimes referring to the whole situation as too much of a mama's boy issue. But now I can completely relate. There's a special bond I have with him, but perhaps much of it can be attributed to me staying home with him while Riley attended daycare. Regardless, he is my boy and I'm so proud to be his mom. Happy birthday, big guy. May all your dreams become a reality and remember how much we all love you.

And now...Jeremy through his six years.

At the hospital

3 months

6 months

9 months

1 year old

18 months

2 years old

2.5 years old

3 years old (and sick)

3.5 years old

4 years old

 

5 years old

6 years old

Apologies

I'm sorry for the lack of posts. We've had a sickly house as of late, and I just haven't had much energy to do anything. It started with Jeremy being at home for three days a few weeks ago, and he had a 102-degree fever. (I admit that selfishly I enjoyed having the poor kid cuddle up with me. He did feel awful, but I was glad I was there to take care of him. And he fell asleep one day on my lap--man I miss those days when he was a lot smaller!) After day three, I took him to the doctor, for the doctor to practically scare me and claim that J may have early stages of mono! But that she wasn't for certain! Ugh. He did have spots on his throat, but his strep test came back negative.

Then two weeks ago he had yet another fever--this time at school, so he had to come home. He was fine the next day, so we spent much of it doing puzzles and playing games.

So then what happens last Sunday? I get sick. Horribly sick. It's been a rough process. I felt it coming on Sunday afternoon while we were outside enjoying the unseasonable weather. It was in the 60s, but I had such a chill--which might be somewhat attributed to the hockey rink--that I had Phil get my winter hat, coat and gloves from inside. Monday morning I had the 102-degree fever. I was a mess on Monday and Tuesday. And then Tuesday Jeremy went to the nurse with a stomach ache! I was floored. He came home and I said I couldn't play with him. He did a puzzle, and then I dozed off (Phil was working from home.) I woke up and J was fast asleep on the couch! I'm guessing the time change and all the sunshine might have worn him out. But he was back at school on Wednesday!

As for me, I'm feeling better. Still not 100%, which stinks. I hate being useless. In hindsight, I should have gone to the doctor, but I was feeling better Thursday and Friday. But now I can't breathe and my ear is clogged. I'm guessing I have a sinus infection and/or an ear infection. I think I'm off to the doc on Monday for some stronger drugs.

No rest for the weary here!
 

Little Girl

Sometimes I find myself looking at my little girl and realize she's not so little. She's now eight, and has become such a beautiful, insightful and emotional girl. I gaze at her in wonderment because she has her whole life ahead of her and has so much potential. The world is out there for her to explore, she can strive for so many awesome things and can be successful in whatever she does.

Reading at J's hockey practice.

And then I blink and realize that in a few years, she may hate both myself and Phil just for being her parents.

I know these next few years are going to be tough; I remember how difficult being a teenage girl can be. I was not always full of the best behavior, both at home at at school (one time my basketball coach reamed me out for rolling my eyes at her). There are snippets now of Riley dealing with her emotions, and although we've yet to hear the "I hate you," we do get plenty of "it's not fair." I keep reminding her that life is not fair, which is something I know my parents told me.

Such a beautiful girl.

When my grandfather passed away on Dec. 6, I asked both kids to write something to put in the casket. I explained that they could write whatever they wanted. Riley helped Jeremy with his, in which he wrote:


Dear Great Grandpa,
I want to be with you for Christmas.
Love, Jeremy

Jeremy's letter.

Seriously, these kids amaze me. But Riley's, my goodness, it completely took my breath away.

She wrote:
He will always be with you in your heart. He will always remember all of us. He will especially remember that you were very kind to him. He will remember that in all the days when we were young. He will remember all of your birthdays and your parties. But before he even left he wanted to say goodbye but you were not there.
Love, Riley
 
Wow.

And to top it off, after the funeral, we came home and Phil and I were emotionally spent. The kids went upstairs, and Jeremy came down to get his crayons. No big deal, right? They both come down about 15 minutes later, and Jeremy hands me a card and Riley hands one to Phil. They both read:


Dear Mom and Dad.
Thank you for all that you do, from soccer, hockey, softball and T-ball. I hope $10 will do.
Love, Jeremy and Riley


Wow.


We simply told both kids that they didn't need to do that, and that all we need is for them to do their best. We said that we would continue to do this stuff for them as long as they did that. And what does Jeremy say?

"It's OK, Mom. It's Riley's money."

The kids are two of the best things that have ever happened to me. I hope they know that.
 

Joke TIme

I wanted to capture this because it is hilarious.

Tonight Phil was enjoying some Laffy Taffy, which always has jokes on it. So he read one of the jokes tonight.

"What do you call a clam that doesn't share?"

Jeremy's answer: A not-sharing clam.

I couldn't stop laughing.

(The real answer is shell-fish. But I personally like Jeremy's answer better.)

Funny 2012

I wanted to capture some funny things the kids have been saying lately.

From Riley:

A few weeks ago, Jeremy had hockey practice on Sunday afternoon from 1-3, and Riley had indoor soccer from 11-12. So Phil took Riley, and I took Jeremy. It just so happened that it was a Packer playoff game day. And because of this, Jeremy and I took the long way home after practice, stopped for some food and arrived home at a leisurely time. I had texted Phil beforehand to let him know that I would be a little late.

So the boy and I arrive home, and Riley was practically in tears! She was worried about us! And why? Because Phil had been acting crazy during the game. She said he was throwing his hat, getting angry and punching the pillows on the couch.

She said she told him it was just a game, to which he replied, "NO IT'S NOT!"

Nice, huh?

---------------------

On a lighter note, the other night the kids were playing this game called Hulabaloo. Basically there are these different felt-shaped colorful pieces that you scatter on the floor, and then there's a disk that you push. The disk gives commands, such as step on a yellow or find a square. 

One of the commands was to take baby steps to a piece. Next thing I know I hear both kids walking normally but saying, "Wah, wah" like a baby. Guess that's their way of taking baby steps!

Family Picture

Every year I ask both parents what they want for Christmas. Usually it's practical stuff, such as items for the kitchen, clothes or even books. This year all Dad wanted was a picture of all of us wearing hockey jerseys. And since C+D are now in Chicago, we could wait until the fall to take the picture. And all Mom really wanted was for me to make Christmas cards out of the picture.

For those of you lucky enough to receive one of these cards, I hope you enjoyed it. We took the pictures the day that Phil and I left for vacation. We set the camera on a timer and took the picture. I ended up cropping off the table in the bottom of the pictures. For those who didn't get a chance to see it, here are the two pictures from the shoot:

Our family.

The "fighting" picture.

We all had such a good time, and I forget whose idea it was to do a "fighting" picture. The one on Derek's camera came out better, but I have it saved on the other computer.

I love that my Dad had enough jerseys that none of us were wearing the same team. Jeremy is actually wearing his own jersey, and I was able to snag a Jeremy Roenick jersey. Dad has on the Penguins, Phil's kicking it old school with the Nordiques, Mom has the Devils, Derek is in the Senators, Riley has the Sabres and Casey has the Oiler's third jersey.


If this doesn't represent our family, I don't know what does!

Where Does the Time Go?

The days seem to go by faster and faster. Some days I relish the idea and cannot wait for what's in store for the next. Other days I want to hold on to that moment, willing it to stay for awhile.

This morning, after taking the kids to the bus stop, I walked back with our neighbor's father and our neighbor's kid (the parents were both at work), The little girl is 3, and she has literally grown up before our eyes. I asked her if I could stick her in my pocket, to which she replied, "I'm too big." 

And then yesterday marked the 1-year anniversary since a friend of mine from high school's sister's 2-year old. suddenly died (did you follow that?). The dad of the little boy has been blogging for most of the year, trying to wrestle with his grief. All his posts bring me to tears, so be forewarned if you want to check it out here.

Anyway, I oftentimes find that I wrestle with feelings of longing. Longing to hold on to my kids a little tighter. Longing for the days when the kids were littler. Listen to me--my kids are only 8 and 5, but to me, I fell like those toddler years were so long ago. As kids grow up, they gain more independence, which, in the end is all we can ask for as parents. But with that independence comes needing me a little less.

I have a hard time accepting change. I don't know if I've always been that way (those who have known me longer may know the answer), but I think it's become even more prevalent since having kids. You are basically watching your children grow up right before your eyes.

And I don't know if it was kismet, but I received an email this morning from a website I wasn't familiar with. The company asked me to click a link to let it know if I still wanted to keep my videos on its site.

Videos?


I was intrigued. And I viewed the video, which I honestly have no memory of ever making, and I cried. Gosh, 2.5 years ago isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things, but look how young the kids look! The flood gates opened. You can tell how much Riley adores her brother. You can see how much Jeremy loves food and how we dressed him up like a girl. You can see how happy Casey makes my brother. And you can see just how much my parents love being grandparents.

Yes, I do believe I'll keep that video around for a bit. If only to remind me that life flies by in an instant.

Check it out here.