Dear Jack on Your 12th Birthday

 Dear Jack,

Happy birthday!  I can't believe you are already 12.  A young man.  And an outstanding young man at that.  You are smart, wickedly funny, empathetic, hard-working, and handsome as all get out.  I just think you are pretty terrific and I am so excited to celebrate the day you joined our family.

Before I had you, I had a miscarriage.  So, you can imagine how thrilled we were when we found out I was pregnant with you.  You were so, so wanted.  After you were born, I felt connected to you right away.  It was like I could sense exactly how you were feeling and what you needed.  I absolutely loved holding you and cuddling you every chance I got.  Finally, I understood what people meant by a mother's instinct.  I have always loved our special bond. As you are growing and maturing, it has been difficult for me to let go.  I so badly want to hold you close and keep you my sweet little boy forever.  I know that sounds creepy, but there it is.  

Now you are growing up and pulling away, as is expected.  You spend more time holed up in your room.  You no longer tell me everything and I no longer am able to sense exactly what you need.  But I hope you know that I see you.  I know you.  You are such an incredible person and I couldn't be prouder of the man you are becoming.  If I could have one birthday wish for you, it would be that you could find joy daily.  Life is brutiful...always try to see the beauty amidst the brutal.

So, what's going on with you right now?  You started middle school, you are in theatre, you recently started taking guitar lessons, you like to skateboard (sometimes), you still love to read, you and your sister Ellie are as thick as thieves, and you are killing it in school.  Oh, and you became our official lawn mower this past year.  I may be resisting you getting older, but I sure am happy you are old enough to mow (and at a discounted rate)!  

Sweet boy, I know I am not surprising you with a trip to Disney like I did last year, but I hope that you still have a wonderful birthday and that you feel how very loved you are.

Happy birthday, Jack-Jack.

Love you forever,

Mom

Dear Ellie on your 15th birthday

Dear Ellie, 

Today you are 15! You did not want a fuss being made out of your birthday this year.  In fact, you didn't even want to celebrate it.  But, as I tell you every year, your birthday is so special to me because it is the day I became a mom.  I will always want to celebrate this day and you!

I am checking you out of school early today and taking you to get your learner's permit. I can't believe it is time for you to learn how to drive! Being your father's daughter, you are a little wary about driving a vehicle, but this just reassures me that you will be a cautious and safe driver.

This year was your first year of high school. You are at the same school your dad teaches at and you meet up with him each day to walk him to class. I love that you are both at the same school.  I am so proud of how seriously you take school.  You are so good at keeping up with your assignments and deadlines even though you are taking a challenging courseload.  

You also do swim and water polo.  It is so fun to watch you play water polo because you get so competitive.  It reminds me of when you used to play soccer.  I love watching you in action.

Sometimes as parents we think of our kids as extensions of ourselves, but you excel at so many things that I do not.  For example, you can draw, sing, and do your hair and makeup much better than me.  People say you can do anything if you try hard enough.  I always kind of roll my eyes at that saying, but in your case I think it is actually true.  Basically, I think you are amazing.

Ellie-belly, I like the person you are growing into.  I hope your 15th year is your best year so far. 

I love you forever.

Mom

It's Great to Be 8! Sam gets baptized

 Sam's baptism was last Saturday.  Due to COVID, baptisms are a smaller, much simpler affair and I am all for it!  Sam was so excited for his special day.  

Easter 2021

We had a pretty low-key Easter. The Easter Bunny, with the help of the local real estate group, egged our yard the night before. So, all I really had to do was fill Easter baskets. Easy-peasy. 

 What I didn't count on, was that Ellie and Jack would refuse to do an Easter Egg hunt in the front yard. I guess that is embarrasing? Sam was thrilled to have all 30 of the candy-filled eggs to himself.

Tom smoked a brisket for dinner and we invited my parents over to join us. 

 My mom brought her traditional Easter bunny cake.

 My dad gave Sam his birthday present, a gorgous bulldozer that he built himself. It goes with the excavator he built Sam for Christmas. Such a beautiful gift that can be passed down for generations.

Sam's Big Birthday Surprise

Sam has been asking to go swim at our neighborhood pool that has a waterslide. Well, the pool isn't open yet, but for his birthday, I thought I would surprise him with a stay at the Woodlands Resort - a hotel that has water slides AND a lazy river. Sam LOVES hotels so it was a win-win. Sam knew that I was taking his birthday off from work, but he had no idea what we were doing. Tom had the district track meet that evening, but we were able to spend the morning with Tom and go to lunch at 5 Guys together.

Then, Sam and I went and checked Jack out of school early. Sam still had no idea where we were going. When we checked in at the hotel, he was so excited. We quickly changed into suits and the boys played for several hours...stopping only to order dinner and ice cream poolside.

A little after 7, they were ready to go back to our room to shower and unwind. I had forgotten to bring Sam's tablet so he attempted to watch TV, but he could not deal with live TV and commercials and chose to read his new book instead.

The next morning, Sam was up early and ready to swim again. We were at the gates right as they opened at 9am and had the whole pool areal, including the hot tub and water slides, all to ourselves. The boys played, mostly throwing a small basketball back and forth over a volleyball net, until 11 when it was time to check out and go home.

Sam kept thanking me the whole time we were there and he declared it to be the best birthday ever. :)

Dear Sam on your 8th Birthday

Dear Sam, Happy birthday! Today you are 8, but as I like to remind you frequently, you are still my baby. You want so much to be big and to have permission to do and watch all the things your older siblings do and watch. It is always a negotiation with you about which age you can do certain things. I am afraid that 8 was an age I gave you permission for lots of things that I don't exactly remember, but which you no doubt will. You are an expert negotiator. When you want permission for something, you don't just ask. You ask and then make me wait while you list a minimum of three solid, well-researched reasons why I should say yes.

You are such a funny kid. You informed me a few weeks ago that you were the 2nd funniest kid in your class. I'd like to meet the kid who is more funny than you because he must be hysterical. You do well in school. It is mostly easy for you. You are very, very social at school. Your teachers tell me that you will talk to anyone and everyone...all the time.

You like to go for bike rides, ask questions, play soccer/baseball, swim, watch TV, play video games, and read. Graphic novels are your favorite...especially Dog Man. You frequently use your money to buy more books to add to your collection. You like to take your books to school and loan them out for friends to read that day.

The older you get, the more open you are to snuggling with me. I love this! I hope I keep getting snuggles from you for may years to come (or forever!) Sam, my sweet April Fools baby, our bookend, you complete our family. I hope you always feel how very much we love you. Happy birthday, Sam!

Love you forever,

Mom

March 2021 Highlights

{IN PPROGRESS} March! Tom and I finally go our COVID vaccines! Jack and Sam had more baseball games.

Ellie started scoring at her water polo games and realizes she loves the physical/competitive aspect of the game.

Even though we'd just had a week off for the freeze, we were more than ready for Spring Break. I rented an AirBnb in Spring Branch, Texas based solely off their pet policies. We took Watson with us on his first road trip/vacation. The two older kids weren't keen on sharing a car with Watson for 3.5 hours, but he did great.

The casita we rented on a 90 acre ranch had prenty of room for the kids and dog to explore.

The following day, we went to Guadalupe River State Park.

It was so pretty and the kids had fun skipping rocks, wading in the river, and hiking the easy trails.

We stopped in Gruene on the way home to explore the cute downtown and get some ice cream.

Our family trip was Saturday thru Monday. I left Tuesday for Raleigh, NC to meet up with my sisters.

Normally I would feel guilty about leaving Tom and the kids over Spring Break, but 2020 taught me all about the importance of self-care. :) We stayed at Dianna's house in Raleigh one night and then drove the 5 hours to Charleston the next day. A road trip with my 3 sisters is exactly what you would imagine...a lot of talking, a lot of laughter, a lot of games, and a lot of photo opportunities.

The trip was a blast and I stayed right up until Sunday evening when I had to fly home and face reality once again. We finished up the month with a visit from our New Jersey family! Tom's sister, husband, and 2 of their boys came for a quick visit.

It was such a busy weekend with baseball games, water polo games, and a birthday party, but we were happy to be able to squeeze in a little bit of time with them.