Category: Family (Page 11 of 13)

Well, our tree it now up! We went to get one Thursday at Home Depot. We seem to hop back and forth between a real tree/fake tree Christmas each year. But Home Depot had the best deals it seemed. We bought a $32 real tree only to find out they charged us $41. So The Wife decides it’s enough to have to load the tree back up and go get that $9 back. Turns out they had a $41 tree mixed in w/ the $32 ones. But we got that refund either way.

But after setting it up Thursday and lighting half of it, we finished the lights and put on the ornaments last night. The girls were really excited about it all. Addison because she’s done all this before already. And Ella because she liked hanging ornaments on the tree. But her hanging consisted of poking the ornament on the limb and hoping it stuck.

We’ve been listening to a lot of “The Carpenter’s Christmas” and Harry Conick Jr’s Christmas cd. Not stuff I’d listen to just any ole day, but seems to fit the mood right now. And Thursday it went from about 70 degrees to 35 degrees in a matter of hours. So the cold is here. But it probably won’t last all the way til Christmas.

We’ll be heading out in the morning to start the Thanksgiving Tour. That’s where we load up the car with kids and dogs and go to three cities in three days to see three sets of families. So we’ll load, unload. Then load and unload. Then load and unload. Then load for the return trip home.

Along the way we’ll eat and greet and hopefully sleep. But we’ll be rushed and not really be at anyone’s house long enough for them to be satisfied. So we’ll leave someone’s house and they’ll think we didn’t stay long enough. And then we’ll get to someone’s house and they’ll think we stayed too long at the house we just left.

The joys of holidays!

To follow up on yesterday’s post, as we went to bed on November 16th, there was lots of prayer and concern. There was actually a brief point where I was almost deathly fearful. I was just outside of town, The Wife was at the Doctor, and as I was closing a business deal, the cell rang. Didn’t recognize the number and I was about to walk out of the door. So I didn’t answer.

I leave, The Wife calls and chews me out for not answering the phone (which I should have). Turns out she’s at the doctor and I can tell there’s not been good news. But she won’t tell me anything over the phone. Nothing. So I go home and wait. And wait and wait. Then I call the Dr. office, and get a hold of her in the exam room, but still won’t say anything. But I can tell she’s upset. So I have to wait still.

FINALLY she comes home. But just sits in the car, with it locked, and is crying. Now just imagine all that is flooding my mind. We’ve gotten no so good news from the doctor that the baby might not be growing as quickly as is normal. The doctor is concerned. He wants to go in and induce right now. Then The Wife comes home and is obviously upset and won’t open the Explorer door. And she’s crying.

I’d thought we’d lost the baby. That there was a dead baby in my wife right now. It was crippling. BUT…that wasn’t the case. Very thankfully. Today my daughter is TWO YEARS OLD! But here is a blog entry from 2 years ago w/ a “in the moment” story of how it all happened…

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Two years ago, this was the due date for my second child. We didn’t know if the baby was to be a boy or a girl. We were excited about the baby, and wanted to be surprised by the gender. And I had visions of walking out of the delivery room and being able to announce to my family the sex of our new baby. To walk out and see their expectant faces, just waiting on my words of proclamation.

But on this day, things were starting to look kind of scary. My wife was getting some not so encouraging news and advice from her doctor. Here’s what I posted on my blog two years ago. Just know that my entire being was being stressed out at this time.

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Today was our 2nd soccer game of the young season. There are five girls on our team, but two of them were out of town. One was watching Auburn smack Buffalo around, the other was at her mothers. So we had a team of three girls to take on five. Only three are on the field at once, but still….we had no subs. And 4 and 5 year old girls like to rest.

Anyhow, I was expecting to get drummed a little. Turns out the coach was at Auburn too, so I had the joy of filling in. Last year I filled in a time or two, but didn’t really care for it. Didn’t think I was that good and didn’t get into it.

But today, for some reason, I liked it. The three girls paid more than half attention to what was going on! That is a victory w/ this age. But I realized that getting down on their level, talking through each detail, and physically placing them where to start was a huge success. They had fun too. Give them TONS of encouragement I learned. And tons of Gatorade.

But I had fun coaching today. And I’d still say that even if we hadn’t won! (wink) But maybe I can drop this league directors stuff and just coach a team next time.

Somehow this year I got nudged into being the League Director for the U6 girls here in Clinton. Well, now it’s the U5/U6 combined. But I was figuring it would only be a few hours of work on the front end. Plug in a few volunteers w/ the teams and everything would be a smooth operation.

Only that there were not near enough coaches. I was sending emails and calling folks and kept hitting a dead end each time. This past Wednesday we had a league wide parents meeting and finally had some step up and say “YES!” and they’re put together. But getting uniforms to everyone and being the first gateway of questions and complaints….well, the pay just isn’t that good (for free).

But I looked back through some pictures from last year and my oldest playing soccer and I think it might all be worth it in the long run. She’s no soccer star by any means, but she enjoys going out there. Hopefully everything else continues to fall in place and games start as planned next weekend.

That’s mine in the pigtails.

She was screaming and having a blast.

So once everything settles in and shakes out, it should be a good season. I’ll get some photos up when taken.

It really is a great day for me when my one year old lets me lay her down without any fuss. There have been nights when I start walking her to her room and I can tell already that she’s going to make quite a night of it. But sometimes she fools me. Either she acts tired and docile only to test her abilities to peel paint from the walls with her scream. Or she’ll be restless and cranky as we go to her room only to lay motionless as soon as she touches her mattress.

Tonight was the best of both worlds. I asked her, “Are you ready for night-night?” She puts her left palm on the left side of her head for the ASL sign for bed. And then as I walk her to her room, she nuzzles into my shoulder all sweet like. And never makes a fuss! I can’t tell you how much that helps me relax when she relaxes.

Even when Big Sis came to bed a little later, she stirred, looked up at me and laid back down when I came over to rub her back again. I hope for more nights like these…

A couple of months ago I was reading Dennis Bullock‘s blog and saw where he was so happy that all of his children had mastered the bicycle and no longer needed training wheels. While happy for him I was wondering when any of mine would get the hang of it. My four year old was out in force w/ her training wheels all the time. But didn’t seem to really want to take them off.

Then towards the beginning of May she started telling me she was ready to take them off. I really didn’t think she was, but I humored her. But I could tell she was really trying to ride w/o the training wheels touching. So I took them off and she couldn’t go anywhere on her own. So I’d have to lean WAY over and hold her handlebars while I hobbled down the street with her to the stop sign and then back to the house. About two laps of this was all I could make. My back was killing me. ?

And then I figured out what the catalyst was to all this. Some of the girls in her school were asking everyone if they still used training wheels or not to ride their bike. So Addie felt the peer pressure to be able to ride without them.

So we made the trek to the stop sign and back a few times a day. And then one day she coasted down the sloped driveway w/o any help. So I told her to go to the street and pedal. And she did. And the rest is history! She was so proud that she was ONLY four and the girls who were bragging were already five. Funny little minds, these kids have. ?

She’s five now and I think we’re ready to step up to a bigger bike.