Catching my breath...

Oh what a whirlwind my life has been the past few months. I seriously do not know how I managed to do it all without landing myself in the hospital. I guess it's because I am slowly learning how to manage my time and just concentrate on what needs to be done next. If I think too much about ALL of the things, then I just get overwhelmed, crawl into bed, put the covers over my head and fall asleep in the fetal position. It's not a very good coping strategy.

I really don't like writing "catch up" posts, but I feel like if I don't do it I will forget the fun times. So here goes:

I'll start with Alex's birthday. He turned 18 and I have to admit I felt a little sad. Life just goes by too fast. Soon he will be off on his own, doing his own thing and I will no longer play a leading role in his life. Ah well....I am excited for him too, though. That kid has a lot going for him; talent, intelligence, humor and not to mention my devastatingly good looks. :)

I love this picture. I can't tell who is more excited about the cake--Alex or Abby?

I can't let October go by without a shout out to one of my favorite holidays. Halloween! This marked the first year in which Abby wanted to be something other than a princess (or a variation of one.) Yay! She picked something scary. Doesn't she look terrifying? Ha!

I think this might be the last year that I get Seth to dress up. Of course he chose David Tennant's Dr. Who, complete with his sonic screwdriver.

Abby turned 7 this year! I swear the time has just flown by. Here she is blowing out her candles and losing her first tooth all on the same day.

This is self-explanatory. I went to school. Got good grades. Decided not to go back. The end. Well...not really "the end" because I plan on writing about the details of that later, but this is just to prove to myself that this actually happened.

Random Mommy and Me pic

Our New Year Celebration at Uncle Fraig's.

This doesn't even come close to being all the things I want to talk about, but it has literally taken every ounce of my energy just to write this post. Ahhhhh! More on that later too. Stay tuned! Part 2 is up next!

Putting on my big-girl pants

It's interesting how historic milestones in my life often sneak up on me quickly and quietly. I'm so busy speeding through my days that by the time I look around and see what's outside my window, I nearly speed right pass the scenery without having a moment to apply my brakes and enjoy the view. Or better yet, pull over and take a few pictures.

Tomorrow is one of those days, for it is my eldest's 18th birthday.

I can't believe it. I knew it was coming; this moment when I would be the mother of an adult. I have thought about it from time to time over the past two decades, but it always seemed to feel so far away. Now it's here and I am left feeling a little bewildered. Shouldn't I be getting an award of some sort?

"Congratulations, you kept him alive."

I guess that's something. In fact, that's downright unbelievable considering what I know now about that brand new, 21 year-old Mom I was back in 1996. Thank heaven for that user manual I got when he was born. Oh? You didn't get one? I still have my copy. It's called "Go Ask Your Parents". It's well-used and will hopefully remain in circulation for a long time to come because I still don't have the directions straight.

Is this milestone the one that marks the place in time when I finally start acting and feeling like a grown-up? No kidding around this time. It's the real deal. Tomorrow I will feel like a genuine adult, not just a kid who is pretending to be an adult. No more training pants for me. I successfully bred and raised a human. Bring on the wisdom. And give it to me quickly, please, because I still have three more to go.

Growing up is optional

My eldest child turned 17 last week.  I have mixed feelings about this birthday.  On one hand, I am excited for him;  he is just starting his life and has so many opportunities ahead of him.  Yet I am scared for him too.  He has so much to learn and I know he will have trials that I can no longer shield him from.  It's a weird feeling.  This birthday has also been a unwelcome reminder of my advancing age.  Here is my official list entitled "20 signs that you are approaching middle age":

1.  You realize you have known your spouse for more than half your life.
2.  When you get together with your friends, you realize that you enjoy discussing your various physical ailments.
3.  Your idea of a good time is staying at home watching Netflix in your pajamas.
4.  "Dressing up" means putting on a bra.
5.  You stop telling people that you are going to "grow old gracefully".
6.  You dye your hair because you have to, not because you want to.
7.  You actually have a strategic plan for how you are going to someday grow out your gray hair and stop coloring it.  I'm serious.
8.  You are happy to be done having kids, but start to realize you are going to miss some things about having babies.
9.  You realize that you are never again going to plan a first-birthday party.
10.  You begin to dream about future grandchildren and start saving toys "just in case". (see number 8).
11.  You wake up from that dream in a cold sweat.
12.  You try to go back to sleep, grateful that you are finally at a time in your life when you get a chance to sleep through the night, but your traitorous body doesn't let you.
13.  The reasons your body doesn't let you sleep at night are sometimes the same reasons why it won't move the next morning.
14.  You understood the previous statement without having to think about it.
15.  Your youngest child is a brat, but you really couldn't care less.
16.  People start to think you are learning to be patient, but...(see number 15).
17.  Sitting on the floor is NEVER a good idea.
18.  In fact, even getting up from the floor after sitting for longer than, oh, ten minutes usually results in cramped leg muscles, sore hips and an arthritic hobble across the room.  This is usually followed by one of your teenagers mocking you.
19.  Speaking of teenagers, you don't understand half of what they are talking about and you have had conversations where they explain to you what "hashtag" means.
20.  The fact that you even HAVE teenagers is proof enough.

Happy birthday Alex!  :)

Gummy bears and teenagers and happily ever after.

This is Alex.  He turned 16 the other day.  It's a big deal, apparently.  Driving, dating, working and all that junk;  basically being a miniature grown-up.  It's a right of passage--a milestone, right?  Parties must be planned, presents must be carefully purchased and memories must be made.  And let me tell you...did we ever party!  Three parties, actually.  One smallish family dinner with shrimp kebobs on his birthday, a ginormous extended family dinner a few days later and then a huge friend party the next weekend.

Which brings me to the gummy bears.  Let me just add this as a word of warning to those who are contemplating the food menu for a "teenage" party.  If you value your sanity, do NOT under any circumstance purchase any item that has the word "gummy" in the title.  If there is one thing I have learned from the past few weeks it is that gummy bears are never a good idea.  Especially if they end up not in the bellies of those lovely brats you have invited, but thrown around your yard in an all-out food fight.  And might I also add that anything gummy does not melt with the rain or get picked up by the birds.  It gets sticky, glues itself to whatever surface it is lying on and will likely still be there after the zombie apocalypse.

So what was I talking about?  Oh yes...memories!  That is what we are making folks!  Truthfully, I remember exactly two details about my 16th birthday.  First, I had a party of some sort in which people I think I liked came and invaded my house.  Second, the boy I had sat and stared at in health class all year asked me to be his girlfriend.  And I said no.  You wanna know why?  Well, besides the fact that my parents had told me I wasn't allowed to date exclusively and I was SUCH (insert sarcasm here) an obedient child?  Because I had just met another boy.  The boy of my dreams, actually.  Funny, sweet, and devilishly handsome...I was a goner.  I was in teenage love and any part of life that did not directly relate to my new-found love became unimportant.

I guess my point is that it's not the parties or the food or the cute decorations that your mom spent hours making that will imprint in our memories.  It's the people you love.

So where is this boy of my dreams now?

Well...actually, he's upstairs in the kitchen fixing breakfast for our four-year-old.  ;)

How's that for a happily ever after?

Seth's turns 10...double digits! Yay!

Seth turned double digits in June and we pretty much told him a backyard party with all of our family was the only activity that would be happening.  With Shawn working full-time doing long haul driving and the serious lack of funding in our household, a home based brouhaha was the only solution.  But having a big dinner with our crazy families is so. much. fun.  It also served as a reminder of why we bought this house.  The yard is very party friendly!  Here's the highlights from the night:

My kids love this cake we lovingly term, the cookie cake.  It's made from buying ridiculously expensive chocolate wafer cookies and then sticking them together with whip cream.  Yup.  That's it.

This is the first NEW bike this kid has ever owned!  I guess that hand-me-downs just come with the territory of being a middle child, right?  Poor guy....I totally sympathize.

I can't believe it has really been 10 YEARS!  I swear I just got home from the hospital with this beautiful little boy, like, I don't know...last week?  He gave us the scare of our lives when he was born, deciding not to eat or keep anything he ate in his little stomach, so off to Primary Children's Hospital he went after a mere 12 hours into his life.  I was a mess, Shawn was a mess and we needed a miracle.  After much fasting and prayer from our supportive family, our little miracle occurred and Seth was home with his family after only 2 days in the NICU.  He has been nothing short of miraculous ever since!  Smart, sweet, sensitive, and affectionate, he steals the hearts of everyone around him.  Our family would be incomplete without him and we love him more than he will ever know.  Happy Birthday Seffers!

It's official

Oh brother.  Another birthday post that is months late, but at least it's only 4 months this time, right?  See...I'm getting better!

This birthday shout out is for Nate, who officially became a teenager in March.  It's hard to believe I have TWO of them now.  I am so screwed..er..I mean...lucky. ;)

We had a fun little birthday party with the grandparents on the night of his birthday.  I can't believe how big this kid is.  He is now taller than Shawn (which I admit isn't too difficult), but considering he still has many years of growing ahead of him...I think it's safe to say he will be the tallest in our "little" family.  Ha ha.

Nate has had his own unique struggles in the past few years.  Life isn't always easy for him, but he tries hard and is one of the most dedicated, talented, and loving kids I know.  He takes after Shawn in many ways with his ability to work with his hands, his dedication to the people he loves and even some of his weird hobbies (unicycles, yo-yo's, puzzle games, plants vs. zombies, etc.).  He loves to play the bari saxophone and is pretty darn amazing at it.  The bottom line is, we love this kid!  He is one of my greatest blessings.

It's like they made this shirt especially for him.

Seth...in a bag...?

His favorite present:  headphones to completely block out the noise of his siblings and parents. :)

Nice pj's

Love ya Nate!

My baby boy turns 15

So what if I'm six months late posting these pictures?  Go ahead and judge me!  I dare you!  Lol!  Oh well.  I found this post still labeled as a "draft" and thought, "What the heck? Better late than never."

Alex...age 15!  :)  And what else does a teenage boy want to do on his birthday?  (well..besides hang out with cute girls)  The arcade, of course.

This picture is my fave.  I guess he got to hang out with a cute girl after all, right?

Happy birthday Nate the Great!

Well, he's ten years old now and I can hardly believe it! He has grown about 3 inches in one year and is turning into a little Shawn. He is even learning to ride a unicyle and got his very own from Grandpa.

We took Nate and the cousins to Classic Skating for his party. The kids all had a great time, of course, while the adults all went home with migraines. I must be getting old because, MAN that music was loud! :)

When we got home, we had his new bike sitting in the family room downstairs. I think he was pretty surprised since we acted like he had already opened all his presents at the skating rink. Out of all my kids, Nate is the most active. He is always outside and always asks for something sporty for his birthday. He is such an important part of our family and we LOVE him!!!