Brothers

Sometimes during the fighting, tattling, squabbling. bickering mess I wonder if my boys like each other. At. All. I know it's normal, I had 2 brothers. But THREE boys makes for a very intersting dynamic. Someone is always left out. Sometimes by choice, sometimes by default & sometimes because the other 2 are being not so nice. There's no rhyme or reason. So I love when I get absolute proof that they do love each other. It make me so very happy. Like last night when they had a "Brother" meeting. The 3 Musketeers they cried out as they all marched towards Reid's room. Of course they argued over who got to be Porthos but that's normal. It was a very small thing but it made my heart happy.

October

October has been a busy month! Learning new things at school, losing first teeth, field trips, band concerts & of course, Halloween. November usually begins a countdown for me. It's when my internal clock starts letting me know my favorite time of year is here. The Holiday Season has begun!!

Back to school

School is back in session. Which means I'm using my professional juggling skills. (NOT) The year has started off well..so far. Here are a few pics from the first week:

Reagan

Dearest Reagan,

It' been almost 8 years since we got to bring you home from the hospital. I had to fight to keep you safe, in my tummy. Little did I know, I was getting a glimpse of your personality. But you were worth every moment on bed rest, every moment of medication that made me jumpy. You entered the world curious & ready to go. You are the middle son & brother & you are perfect for that role in life. God did well putting you in that spot. Here are just a few things that I love about you:

1. You are the first person up & always happy in the mornings.

2. You were born to run & play. Your body is lean & your athletic ability is awesome to watch.

3. As much as it scares me, your quiet strength & fearlessness is one of my favorite things about you.

4. You are the child that always reminds your brothers to pray before they eat.

5. I love the way you NEVER give up. On anything. You will fall 50 times & get up again & again.   And try just as hard. It is AMAZING to see!!

6. Your sensitivity is a gift. Sometimes I do worry that you get taken advantage of. I take comfort in knowing the Meek shall inherit the earth.

7. I LOVE your SPIRIT. Your heart is full of love for everyone you meet.  You hug everyone & tell them you love them all the time.

8. You are brave. You will try anything at least once.

9. Your fashion sense is so FUN! You care about how you look, what you wear & have fun with it. I love shopping w/ you!!

10. You are so very smart!

11. I love that you love to READ. You always have a book. Trust me, this will serve you well!!

12. You have the coolest hair. It's thick, full & blond. Makes for awesome Mohawks.

13. You put others needs ahead of yours a lot. To be honest, sometimes I wish you would be a little selfish. But that isn't you.

You are the perfect mix of so many things. I will never forget earlier this year when your baseball coaches spoke about you. At first I didn't understand where they were going w/ this speech, but then I understood. "This kid never gave up. In the dugout he was encouraging & always had nice things to say to everyone. He surprised both of us & we weren't prepared at how attached we grew to him. We will miss him.I personally will never forget how he would run off the field win or lose & give me the biggest hug. It doesn't matter how good he is at baseball because he has a big heart." This IS YOU!!!!

35 years

Today I thought about all my blessings. In no particular order: My wonderful, awesome patient hubby that perfectly balances my hyper self, my 3 BOYS that are answers to prayers I never thought to ask for, my cousins that grew up w/ me & know me like no one else, my best friend that is more like the sister I never had, my awesome brothers & their families, my nieces & nephews that are so smart & gorgeous, my awesome Father & Mother-in-law that took me to lunch & made me Birthday pies, friends that left me notes, cards & other funny Birthday greetings. My sister-in-law that took me to lunch today, my Dad,  my Mom, my Aunt that saved the day. Thank you a million times for making my day. And mostly thank God for each one of these gifts.

Boys!

I'm a boy Mom & I had 2 brothers. I've realized lately that to me, this means certain things. I say fart, not toot, poot or gas. As much as you spend on cute, girly clothes & accesories, I spend on food. Seriously. Boys are bottomless pits of energy. This energy comes from the massive amounts of food they consume every hour. I'm also a referee. I have learned that to establish dominance boys will fight to death over a hot wheel, football or pretty much whatever. Luckily it never comes to that.

Boys can learn manners if you start early & often. My boys are not perfect but they know basic manners & use them under threat of the Mom stare. They are always on the hunt. For fun, trouble, food..whatever. Just always on the lookout. A fort will give me exactly 35 minutes of peace. 37 if I can find a flashlight & cookies.  

All boys are tough in their own way. I have a typical tough guy w/ an athletic frame & no fear. I also have a closet tough guy. He seems scared or hesitant until you push him & then you see he's bigger than he seems & tougher than you thought. I have been blessed & sometimes cursed to have the third type. Life has thrown him so many curve balls that he's tougher than any grown man. He's stronger than he thinks & braver than anyone I know.  Together they make the perfect team. Separately they are my one that likes to shop, one that will still cuddle & one that will open up when we drive to get an icee.

Yes, they are messy, crazy, loud, silly, gross & smelly. But they are also sweet, funny, strong, good friends, good brothers & wonderful sons. Sometimes I do envy my friends that have girls & I imagine shopping together, getting pedicures, eating one dinner without a burp or fart. Then I get a HUGE hug that smells like sunshine, sweat, food & boy. I love that smell. I am a boy Mom. I get to build forts, have epic water balloon fights, slap hats on & leave the house in 30 seconds if needed. I'm pretty lucky.

Summer

Over 1 week ago on Saturday on the way to a party our Suburban slowed to a snail's pace, jerked & sputtered violently. It also stared telling me via the electronic computer on the dash to pretty much service everything. We were soon rescued by Norman Frede Roadside Assistance & my friend Kerri. (Thanks Kerri!) On Monday we received a call  that the car would be fixed "soon". Soon was comforting to me since my family of 5 was being forced to commute in a lovely Hyundai Elantra. While grateful to have transportation, in my head I was cursing whoever made this teeny clown car. As the week continued we were we told several things about the car. As soon as they would fix one thing, another would show up. They would fix it, take it for a test drive & it would do the same thing it did the first day. It was frustrating for all of us. We get another car during the 1st week. A Chevy HHR. You would think this had more room right?Nope. Anyway, this whole time we've all been praying the car can be saved. I love my Suburban. Everyone fits, I can haul anything I want, it's a cool color & it's payed off! Most importantly I've learned this week, I feel safe in it. Driving these tiny cars around I can't tell you how many times I was almost hit. Seriously. This crazy lady at Schlitterbahn was driving her HUGE Chevy truck right down the middle of the road, going the wrong way...because she could. She actually looked at me like I was crazy when she almost plowed into us. I did the right thing & walked away since the kids were with me. Plus. She had a wicked long mullet. Never mess with chicks that have mullets. Anyway, the Suburban has been almost completely rebuilt & is ready for pick up "soon". My friend calls it the $6 million Suburban because we bet that's what it costs to repair. The kids are all expecting it to come back looking like Megatron. I think they'll be so happy not to sit on top of each other they won't care.

Reid turns 12

Dear Reid,

Happy Birthday! You're 12 & the time has gone so fast it's scary. I admire the young man you are & the glimpses I get of the man you'll be one day. In your short life you've dealt with so many things. Things I thought would alter your spirit. They did not. Your ability to let events mold you yet not change you is a gift from God. So here are just a few things I love about you.

I love that you donate things & say nothing.

I love that you pray for your bullies because you know that they're hurting.

I love that despite being bullied  you are not one.

I love that you never use Asperger as an excuse. In fact you prefer people not know, so they don't treat you differently.

I love that you've learned to joke about Tourrettes & have named your tics. My favorite is the hungry baby polar bear.

I love that you look at your burn scars & praise God because it could've been your whole arm. Not just your hand & wrist.

I love that you are deeply patriotic.

I love that you love Jesus.

I love that you still hug the people you love no matter who is around.

I love that you have to order a burger from every place we go.

I love that you know random weather facts about Russia & Germany from the 18th century.

I love that you love History.

I love that you love baseball. The history of it, the facts, the players & teams.

I love that you prayed for Uncle Keith everyday he was in Iraq. And how you studied his location on a globe so you could see where he was.

I love that you know the name of a gun, where it came from, the date it was made & what war it may have been used in at the Gun Show.

I love that you want to be trilingual by highschool. I think you will.

I love that you want to be in the FBI & study now what you need to do.

I love that you forgive your real Dad for not being around & thank God for sending you Greg.

I love that you save your money for what you really want.

I love that you are a good friend.

I love that you take being a big brother very serious.

I love that you wanted to vote for the President in Kindergarten & tried to.

I love that you watch the weather channel for fun.

I love that you love to cook. You're meatballs are the best!!

I love that you have to apologize if you've made a mistake before you go to sleep.

I love that you treat girls so well & speak up when someone else is not.

I love that you open doors & pull out seats for ladies of all ages.

I love that you still have your great grandma's sweater because you can smell her perfume.

I love that you collect small, silly things.

I love that you appreciate your teachers & tell them so.

I love that you care about the world & our country.

I love that you know your medical history.

Mostly though, I love that I get to be your Mom. You are a blessing & one of my favorite people. I love you.