Year in Review

Most people take the New Year as an opportunity to capitalize on those goals they need to set for the next year, the bad habits they’re going to finally break, and the dreaded resolutions.  Instead I’m going to take a minute to look back on 2012, this photo represents a collage of moments from the past year that stick out in my mind.

 

First, 2012 marks the year that I officially graduated from college, while it will likely stick in my mind long beyond this year-it marked a changing of the guard for Jason and I.  Once I completed school, Jason picked up shortly thereafter, and has also somewhat taken on the role of Mister Mom while I went back to the working world.  I will clarify though, not only is Jason a fulltime student, but he also works part-time.  I wasn’t sure how this transition would play out, as Jason describes it:  Teri is very organized at work, but very disorganized at home; and I am just the opposite.  The statement couldn’t be more true, Jason likes a certain level of organization with shoes and jackets, toys, etc.; he will do dishes by hand, he has a stronger relationship with the vacuum than I do; but he couldn’t keep a schedule to save his life.  I’m not a messy person, but my outlook on a clean house is much different now that I have work, and kids extra-curricular activities to tend to as well.  It brings new meaning to compromise within our marriage, but one that we seem to be adjusting pretty well to thanks to calendar sharing via email, and a chore chart with items for each family member.   Our lives are crazy, but a good kind of crazy in that we share the burden of normal ‘life’ things, and most of the time neither of us feels too overwhelmed-and if we do, we work together or confide in each other.  You know, we’ve kind of grown up from the parents/people we were a few years ago. 

2012 also changed my outlook on life in general, it made me realize the impact that others around me have made on my life, negative and positive.  This clip really sums it up for me.  I have a greater understanding of who I am, who I want to be, and what others see me to be.  I have a saying on my desk at work that I reflect on daily, and when I was a stay at home mom it sat on the kitchen sink (what I would have considered my office at the time):  trust god that you are exactly where you are meant to be.  Many people could look at this and get some sort of meaning, for me it means-continue to be the best person you can be with the tools God has given you, regardless of your circumstances.  

Lastly, this year I finally took some time to ‘fix’ what I would consider to be a lifelong nuisance, that nuisance being my right ear.  The issues that lead to my surgery this past year are a result of a childhood filled of ear infections, and a young adulthood where I probably didn't tend to the infections the way I should have.  I've had a lot of people ask me about the surgery, so in layman’s terms I had a small tumor which consisted of dead skin and ear ‘excess’ removed from my ear, the need to remove the tumor is because there is keratin within the skin cells that comprise the tumor which break down the bones surrounding the area.  This puts my middle ear bones, and mastoid at risk.  Luckily it is a slowly progressing disease, so the cholesteatoma was what they consider ‘superficial’ in that it was just into my middle ear area and hadn't affected any of my bones.  Once in there the doctor removed the tumor, and grinded down my mastoid bone to clean the area surrounding the tumor.  He then reconstructed my ear drum, placing a cartilage graft taken from my ear canal, in the area where the tumor was removed, and a skin graft from behind my ear and place it over my entire ear drum to thicken the drum.  Years of infections had left the drum thinned out, and it basically ‘floated’ to the point where I could feel it when I breathed.  I am about 5-6 weeks post-op and feeling pretty good, I have some minor irritation with the incision which spans from the top to the bottom, just behind my ear.  The inside of my ear feels so much better, before the surgery I had constant pressure, ringing of the ear, always feeling the need to pop my ear, and when I had a cold I could have probably been rendered borderline hearing impaired.  While my hearing hasn't technically changed, I think with the pressure and ringing being gone it seems that much better.  In hindsight, I kick myself for waiting so long to fix this; I've dealt with it for 20+ years, so I look forward to many years of having two ‘normal’ ears.  There is a chance of recurrence of the cholesteatoma; however, I’ll cross that bring when and if I ever have to get to that point. 

What did your 2012 reveal to you?  Mine revealed all of the amazing moments above, complete with the beautiful smiles of my children, milestone moments, and time spent with family and friends.  I'm wishing each and every one of you a wonderful holiday season to reflect on what 2012 meant to you, embrace 2013 and the enlightening experiences it will bring to your life.   

Fall Update

Wow, it's been quite some time since I've last written on here, life has been pretty crazy.  A mix of everyday life, traveling, and kid's activities. 

In October we all went down to Chicago for a weekend, Jason's work had planned the outing so we thought it would be a good excuse to let the kids see some different scenery than good ol' Eldorado.  We took the Amtrak down from Milwaukee, and that in itself was a treat to the kids.  The girls went to the American Girl store, shopped and had a tea party.  While we were partying it up, Alex and Jason went to the Museum of Science and Industry they too had a blast.  Before returning home on Sunday we went to the Shedd Aquarium.  I was hesitant to take Ainslee down there thinking it might be too much for a 3 year old, but she really hung in there for the most part.  They enjoyed their down time in the pool, and then riding the taxi and seeing all the skyscrappers.  Here's a photo from us at the Shedd:

At the end of October, the kids and I trekked out to Colorado to visit my sister and her family.  It had been way too long since we had seen each other, so while it was just a long weekend visit it was just enough to catch up, and let the kids get together and play.  I hadn't been up in the mountains in years, so that too was a lot of fun-it boggles my mind how some pictures remain in your mind forever, as we drove through Estes Park it was as if time stood still and I had remembered some scenes like it was just yesterday.

Next came Halloween, with all the commotion of October it seems like the holiday just came and went:

And here we are on Thanksgiving Day!  November was relatively quiet compared to October, but the kids manage to keep themselves busy, Alex with boy scouts and homework; and the girls with swimming lessons.  Jason and I went to our first fundraising dinner for the kids school which was interesting, and then to the Packer game the Sunday following it. 

Today I'm at home recooperating from ear surgery while Jason and the kids are out and about doing the Thanksgiving thing.  The details of my surgery are boring, it was a success and the doctor was able to go in and do want he set out to do, with no surprises.  I've battled ear problems what seems my entire life, so while I won't regain any hearing, if I can have a certain level of comfort within my right ear, that will be good enough for me. 

I'm looking forward to the holidays, this year we're going to focus on helping others in need rather than spending tons of money on pointless gifts for the kids.  So the kids have all acquired gifting ideas between church, school, and adopt-a-family opportunities at work so I've given the them an opportunity to participate in this first hand: giving them a set amount of money and letting them decide what to gift, with some guidance along the way.  Santa will still come to our house, but we're going to focus on opportunities to spend time with the kids and doing things out of the ordinary rather than buying gifts. 

I hope to get back in the habit of monthly posts, provided life 'slows' just a tad. 

Content

As you can see I am officially done with school.  This lovely diploma arrived in the mail a few weeks ago, it's just a piece of paper but it represents a small piece of my life for which I am extremely proud. 

Life continues to evolve, the kids have adjusted to their school schedule very well.  Laura absolutely loves school, and everything it entails.  She loves the work, lunch with friends, afterschool with Emmy, and getting to wear skirts on a regular basis.  And she is never camera shy:

School also agrees with Laura, the following is an email we received from her teacher recently:  "Laura is doing a great job in Kindergarten!  She loves telling us stories about her and her sister!  She is a kind friend to her classmates."  This gave me a little chuckle, don't get me wrong, I am very proud of Laura.  However, kind and Ainslee are really not the first thing that come to my mind when I think of Laura.  She's started a low key dance class at the Y that she's really enjoying. 

Alex is also doing well with school.  I think both he and my dad are going thru withdrawals of not spending as much time with each other.  Dad tries to catch up with Alex after school most days, and Alex spends most of his journaling and home projects writing about Dad or his time spent with his grandpa this summer.  He is in outdoor soccer at the Y and he's also started in cub scouts which I think he is really going to enjoy.   

Ainslee is enjoying her days with her dad, and having the house back to herself.  I've had to supply her wardrobe with plenty of skirts because if Laura wears one, then Ainslee has to as well.  She's started swimming lessons at the Y on Sundays, and really seems to enjoy it.  It fun to see her in a more structured environment alongside other kids her age.  She is tiny compared to the other kids-but she manages pretty well once she gets into the water. 

Jason has started back to school, he has class two nights a week, meetings one day, and he works two days a week.  Between homework and the usual daytime things he's adjusting better than I thought.  I now call him Mr. Mom, honestly that title suits him better than it did me when it comes to certain things around the house.  

And how has my life changed since I no longer have to juggle my own school?  It's really just been replaced by some other juggling, whether it's school stuff for the kids, afterschool activities, etc.  But life overall is a little more lowkey for me, and I like to spend my Saturdays doing laundry and cooking.  Some think I'm crazy that that would be what I look forward to, but it's the one day I don't have to fly out of the house showered, dressed decent, and can typically do as I please.  Work continues to go well for me, I enjoy what I'm doing and due to staff changes have taken on more responsibility.  Cesa has been a good fit for me, the environment is pretty laid back and it allows me the flexibility to have a good balance of work and home life. 

My Baby Turned 3

Hard to believe, but Ainslee turned 3 yesterday. . . . Seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home and adjusting to life as a family of 5-who am I kidding, we're still adjusting! She is quite the little girl, she can be dangerously quiet with a little bit of sassy flare. Her personality continues to emerge, and she has found her place in this family. She loves her 'milky', her blankie, and telling her dad "I not talking to you, I talkin to my mama". That would be the sassy flare. Her unique personality includes a pretty laid back little girl if you let her be, she's perfectly content watching a movie, sitting and playing by herself, likes her back tickled, and she is my snuggler. However, you mix her and her siblings together and the personality changes-we'll refer to them as Laura the instigator and Alex the aggravator. Someone once told me that some level of dysfunction in a family is perfectly normal, this would be ours ;).

That family of five requires some coordinating in order for life to move peacefully, those of you with two or more kids can probably relate. This summer is a perfect example of that. It was a new routine this summer for us as I had been home the last 3 summers with the kids. Laura busied herself with summer school for the first half, Alex participated in the Y program 3 days a week, and Ainslee did her usual routine plus add Laura to the mix. End result: Ainslee struggled with Laura at daycare which completely took me off guard, I swore it would be the other way around. The Y was at best a close comparison to after school, which didn't do much for all the progress Alex had made last year behavior-wise at school. But then again, maybe he's just like any other smart-mouthed seven year old? These would be our growing pains of the summer.

The more important portion of the summer: I got to spend almost every Friday with the kids doing something out of the ordinary. We got to spend an entire week together as a family up north over the 4th of July. Alex and my dad's relationship grew even more with their fishing excursions, yardwork, etc. Laura matured to the point where she can hardly wait for school to start next week, to meet her new teacher, eat in the gym, and not take a nap. Ainslee enjoyed swimming, riding her bike w/ training wheels, and learning how to negotiate and stand up to her siblings. We completed almost everything on my summer bucket list, and those things we didn't accomplish are slated within the next month. So while I was working, I feel like this summer was so much more meaningful because the quality of our time together was amazing.

Hard to believe the kids are starting school next week, as bittersweet as it might be, a return to structure is always needed at some point. I don't feel the remorse sending Laura to kindergarten like most mom's, but I think it's because she is so determined. I couldn't possibly imagine her not having something to focus on, I can't wait to see how/where she excels. I'm excited for Alex, school tends to bring out the best in him so I'm ready to see him also have 'something' to do. And I'm excited for Ainslee's life to return back to her 'normal', which is for her to fly solo whether it be at home or daycare. She is most comfortable in this element, so I'm happy her life will settle a little and she can enjoy some one-on-one time with those who love her most.

Life continues to evolve for us, tonight marks the end of my journey towards my bachelors. I completed a day after Ainslee turned 3, I remember thinking about this day and it's hard to believe it is here. Next week Jason begins his journey back to school fulltime as part of his mentoring plan. He'll continue to work, and will be able to spend some time at home with Ainslee as well. Another chapter in our lives is beginning!

Kindergarten, here she comes!

As you can see, it hasn't taken us long to mull over the idea of letting Laura do 4k another year, or push her along to Kindergarten. I had my reservations given her late birthday, and her 'sometimes' lack of maturity. But I've watched her march onto that summer school bus into a school among kids she really doesn't know, and she absolutely loves it. I anticipated issues of meshing her into daycare with Ainslee for the summer, and surprisingly Ainslee had more issues with it than she did. She continues to delightfully surprise me;). My mom simply put it best: I don't think you can hold that girl back.

She's grown quite a bit, but it's her determination that makes me want to send her moving forward. I have tons of resources here at work that can give me educated insight, but a lot of it boils down to what her expectations of the next year are going to be-and she will flat out tell you, she's going to eat lunch in the gym, and does not have to take a nap. That paired with my own instinct.

Her birthday invite says it all. I'm just trying to figure out how I will break it to her that she has to follow dress code. We're going to have to come up with some creative accessories, because collared shirts and solids are going to be a struggle for this girl.

It is hard to believe she is going to be 5, when putting her birthday movie together I was amazed at how much she has grown in this past year-not only in looks, but developmental milestones. She loves to swim, is enjoying gymnastics, and really has no transition issues whatsoever this summer. Watching her over the past few months truly has been a joy to me, I can't wait to see what the upcoming year will bring for her.

Light at the end of the tunnel

For certain I am getting there. I can literally count on one hand, the amount of classes I have left. Two of which are for a training and development course I am in, and it has been such a breath of fresh air to take this class: the content is interesting, and the instructor is one of my favorites. It's certainly the way I would have wanted to go out, I've already completed my workload (can you say anticipation motivation ;))-it's a matter of that last day of class getting here, and presenting. After this course, I have a 1 credit portfolio class which is basically a recap of about 10 courses that I have taken, and reflecting on them-as well as my education at Marian as a whole. It meets twice, and the content is basically opinion based. It is safe to say that I am getting near the light at the end of the tunnel.

In reflecting on this past year and half it's taken me to get to this point I am filled with so many emotions. Pride and relief rank among the top. There is so much more that goes into an education when you have a family in tow: people who go out of their way to babysit when 1) you have class, 2) you need to work on homework or 3) you just need a break from it all. People who offer a supportive word, kind advice, or just the push that you need rather than "how much longer til your done", "whose watching the kids", and "now what will you do with this degree". Seeming as though I've put my family through capital punishment in a quest for my own education, rather than developing myself and setting an example for my children.

I like to think what I've accomplished will set an example for my kids: 1) to set a goal, and follow through with it. 2) You will go to college after high school, not because I said so, but because life will be so much easier that way:). 3) Education at any age or wherever you might be in your life is beneficial. At the very least, you get to interact with a variety of individuals who give you a different viewpoint from work, school, and life in general.

I have met some wonderful people along this journey, initially school served as a social outing for me when I was at home with the kids. It was essentially my job, because I am one of those people who feel like being at home 'wasn't enough'. And now that I am back to work, it's given me the opportunity to apply that knowledge back into the working world rather than a hypothetical. Did we struggle, yes; was it hard, yes; do I regret one moment of it, NO. These struggles mark the closing of another chapter in my life, and I am so proud of myself and looking forward to a little more 'free' time, if there is such a thing.

Heartfelt thanks to all of my biggest supporters, and you all know who you are; I could not have done this without you!

Time Marches On

You know the country music song, Time Marches On by Tracey Lawrence? The past few weeks/months just seem to be marching on, and some days I rarely have a recollection of what exactly happened, I just know I made it through to live onto another day!


School: two weeks ago I wrapped up a strategy and policy course that was bar none one of my most challenging courses. It was very workload heavy with small busy work, and then a few really large assignments (as in a 79 page stockholders report), paired along with an online simulation. The professor had a very strong Indian accent, so I spent a large portion of my time just trying to listen to him, let alone comprehend anything. I ended up with a B in the class, the lowest I have scored in all my classes-and I can honestly say I applied myself more to this course than any I have ever taken. It was heartbreaking, but in a sense I'm just glad to have it over and done with. I piggy backed that class with a two week course: Stephen King Master of the Horror Genre, it was extremely laid back which was just the breath of fresh air I needed after the strategy course. 2 1/2 classes left, and I sit here thinking to myself, it was just yesterday I decided to work towards my bachelors-I figured I'd be done by the time Ains was 3 and the timing would be perfect. And while I find myself in denial that Ains is already going to be 3 in August, the realization that there is a light at the end of this school tunnel has finally set it.


Life: Jason and I just celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary on Friday. It was fairly anti-climactic. We don't exchange gifts, we never have, let alone a card. We went to a wedding and celebrated with a night off from the kids. The picture above is our second grade class photo, it's funny thumbing through old photo albums what you will find. I only went to Brandon for 3 years, but somehow we managed to be right next to each other in one of our school photos. When people see that they probably assume Jason and I were high school sweethearts, or have spent our entire lives together. We've been acquantances almost our entire lives, but it wasn't until close to our high school graduation that we started dating. Here's a little more irony, my grandma always put together a graduation album, including a folder with compilations of little things I had done throughout the school years. Among this folder I found a paper I wrote my sophomore year of high school, it was a biography of a classmate I had been paired up with, guess who that classmate was? Of all of the works to hold onto, maybe my grandma had an insight I wasn't aware of;). This past year has seemed to be a blur, and while we don't take time to shower each other with gifts, I certainly take time to count the blessings Jason has given to me. Among my children, he has also been a key source of support and sanity. He is my voice of reason, reassurance, and devils advocate. Jason is a genuinely good man, and father we are all blessed to have him in our life.


Kids: Hard to believe we'll be wrapping up the school year on June 4th?! Where has the time gone. . . . We are still up in the air whether Laura will move onto Kindegarten or do another year of 4k. I know the right decision will come to us as we get closer to next school year. She will no doubt excel on the academic side of things; however, she's a July birthday in a classroom filled with 15 girls! The social aspect of always having to keep up with the other older girls in the class makes me nervous. Alex continues to do really well, he had his first baseball game this past weekend. He's looking forward to his summer when he'll be able to go to the Y for daycare and spend a few days of the week with Papa Jim. Ainslee's officially become an early riser, sniff, sniff; thanks to our new schedule. Her little personality continues to emerge and make us all laugh every day.


Work: A few weeks back I was officially offered a fulltime contract with my job. Which basically means I'll become a fulltime benefited employee come July 1. Since our line of work is education based, positions are contracted on a yearly basis-but as long as I'm doing my job, and the money doesn't run out, then I should expect a job renewal. I really enjoy work, the atmosphere is very similar to my position at Ripon-which I'm guessing is a theme in the academic sector. The environment is laid back and flexible, and my position is something that is a really good fit for me at this point in my career.

Alex turns 7!

Just like riding a bike

I can officially say that I survived my first week back into the working world. Of course it didn't come without its hiccups, it figures that Ainslee would come down with strep the week before, which means Laura conveniently spiked her fever the day before my first day of work. Hey it could have been worse, it could have been on Tuesday right about the time they were going through my orientation of sick and vacation use days.

We survived, and I managed to come down with something viral or bacterial my entire first week which basically rendered me useless as soon as the kids hit their pillows. I finally went to urgent care today with two kids in tow, and the look on the doctor's face was priceless when I said "you don't necessarily have to be treated if you have strep do you?" His response was that I was much more likely a carrier, and suffering from something else. Needless to say our health insurance deductibles for the year were probably met in the past 3 weeks.

The good news: Claritin D works wonders. Alex loves afterschool, and Ainslee loves daycare and her day alone with Grandma Bonnie. Apparently technology knowledge is like riding a bike, I was amazed at the knowledge I retained after being out of the workforce for two years, which amounted to two operating system upgrades in computer lingo and the invention of a million other gadgets. I feel very comfortable in my new position. I had a lot of anxiety going in wondering how out of touch I would be, and praying to God that the working environment was 'normal' for me which means nobody hates one another, and everyone can stomach going to work everyday with minimal bitching (also known as not working for the the State of Wisconsin). I only hope I can retain half of the knowledge I obtained going to college these past few years;)!

The bad news: Laura's struggling the most with the transition, but just coming off strep I'm hoping next week won't be as hard. Also she's gaining lots of friends in afterschool, and the ladies think 'she is such a doll'. Her anxiety tends to come in the form of 'I have a stomach ache, and I really need my mom to pick me up.' I know it will get better for her. Jason and I can probably count on one hand the hours we've actually seen and conversed. He's working long hours this week and weekend, which has been hard when you throw in a night of classes for me and a whole new routine. All I can say to that is it will get better with time, hopefully.

We're only a week in, but this is my report so far: me and the three cheeseballs above are surviving so far!

Work, with compensation

I recently accepted a job offer, I'm set to begin this new journey March 13th. This marks the end of an era for me: moving back into the working world after a 2 year hiatus. The hiatus was part desire and part necessity: I wanted to spend more time with my kids, so it seemed like a natural break that would also allow me to work towards my degree fulltime. Knowing my class load would lighten right about now, I have been scanning jobs and weighing my options for the past couple of months. Little did I know that within a matter of weeks, and a few jobs that interested me, would I have been offered a position.

I will precursor this, my new job will offer work with financial compensation which will be a new concept to me. The past few years I have worked the hardest job of my career in being a stay at home mom, measured not in salary or benefits; but in the smiles, hugs, cuddles, fights, tears, and growth of my children and myself. Most nights you're faced with the sober 'review' of was today a good day, or a bad day from a parenting aspect. What is considered 'good' is largely an individual expectation. Was it that the laundry was done, the house was spotless, and every tumultuous child rearing experience was handled with grace and beauty? Maybe in the perfect world, I guess my life is more reality. The house has never been spotless: my windows are filthy, my bathroom showers are more than desired, my laundry gets done when I have time, and some altercations between my children and I have been nothing close to grace or beauty. My days are measured more in the balance of harmony I can find in my house between my kids, myself, my homework, the normal life errands, etc. And some days I fail miserably; however, I get up the next day knowing it's a new start and the to-do list will still be there. It's time management and multitasking at its best, financial accounting and budgeting 'for dummies', and psychology no professional could ever fathom. Nothing a college education could ever teach you. . . .

I'm ready for this next exciting step in my life, a chance to utilize my education and past skills. The ability to provide for myself, and my family again. Of all the challenges, I think this has been my toughest. Every purchase is scrutinized and I feel this awful guilt when I look at things that are purely entertainment or unnecessary. Like a camera lens I purchased a few years back before Christmas, I felt so guilty over how much it cost that I returned it. Jason has never made me feel this way, it's just inbred in me I think. Prior to having kids I've always had a job, and a sense of pride in my ability to support myself physically, mentally, and financially. Staying at home certainly lays all of this out on the table, I'm thankful Jason has been a tremendous support in so many ways.

I am so grateful for the time I've had with my children, it has taught me so much about them, myself, and it has helped me to appreciate others around me, past and present. I often think to myself, how in the hell was my grandma so patient?! Or, now I know why my mom waited eight years to have me after my sister. I've faced criticism for my parenting skills, for wanting to obtain my education while my kids are little, and who knows what else. While it's been the hardest two years of my life, I can easily say it has been the best.

The time is right for all of us, Alex literally cheered when he found out he gets to go to afterschool. Laura is so ready for school every day neither of us can stand it, lol. And Ainslee enjoys going to the lady who will be babysitting her. It's not as if I'm sitting at home watching a cooing baby smile back at me anymore, we're all ready for a little more independence and a new normal.

Here's to our new 'normal', whatever that might be!

Yet another update. . .

So here we are the middle of February, hardly any snow on the ground and temps seem to be hanging around 30-40 steadily. Is this the new sign of winter, thanks to global warming? If so, I am certainly not complaining.

We've been busy:

Laura and Jason went to their very first father/daughter dance at our church and she had an absolute ball. I made an appointment for her to go get her hair washed and braided by Robyn, and that alone sent her over cloud 9. Then she got to put on a 'new dress' and have her dad all to herself for a few hours while running around and dancing under the dim lights. And they received a memorable photo for the evening and her smile says it all. . . . such a beautiful little girl. She's also surpassed the milestone of tying her shoes in the past week, she's a busy girl! I found her the perfect pair of tennies complete with multi-color laces. She also sailed through swimming lessons these past 6 weeks, and graduated to a Ray. She is such an overachiever;)!

Miss Ainslee is officially potty trained, with the exception of her night time pull up. It only took a few consistent days, a handful of Skittles, and lots of tutorials by me and Laura but she's got the hang of it. As I pack our stuff to head up north this weekend, I'm amazed how much lighter my bag is getting-no longer do I need to tote along a baby monitor, diapers, and wipes. It's sad and happy all at the same time. She's also developing that 2 year old personality, she can be quite sassy at times, particularly when her sister is around. On more than one occasion people have told me how different they are when they are alone vs. with each other, um trust me people-you don't have to sugar coat it, I know! We've been enjoying our days alone, now that my school load is lightening, I usually rest my eyes along with her at naptime or take in more snuggle time.

Alex had his mid-term report card, and he continues to do really well. It's amazing what positive reinforcement, and a more closely monitored school system can do for a kids academic, and personal ability. There isn't a day I pick him up that I regret my decision of changing schools, he is like a completely different kid. He's a little disgruntled about the winter and lack of snow, but he's been keeping busy with what small hills we have around the house on his snowboard. He too advanced to the next level in swim lessons, and really loves to just go to the Y and hang out. We're patiently waiting for his two front teeth to emerge, and we're growing his hair out just for shits and grins to see what the texture of it is really like. Alex approves of having a longer 'twirler', I'm not sure what I think about all the horn like pieces that protrude out at the end of the school day.

Jason's been busy working. . . . and that's about it.

I've decided I am not going to participate in the graduation ceremony in May. While I would love to, our life just is so damn busy right now that I really don't want to throw another deadline, or day of planning into the mix. I will patiently wait for my diploma come August.

Next week Jason and I are going on a quick get away to Mexico to watch one of our closest friends from high school get married. It was the perfect excuse for us to get away for a few days, enjoy some sun, and precooperate for the next month to come of work/school madness. Not that we needed a reason, but we're calling it our 10 year wedding anniversary gift to one another.

Til next time!

Two peas in a pod

Two peas in a pod, that's what I commonly refer to my dad and Alex. Sometimes I think grandparents were put on Earth to fill the void that parents often create when life is filled with work, school, and the everyday hussle and bussle.

I certainly know that my own Grandma very much served as that person to fill the voids in my life. I watch Alex throw his clothes on and trek through the field and down to my parents on his own and it brings back such fond memories for myself. It was only 20 some years ago I was doing the exact same thing, but trekking up the hill. Alex could spend endless days with my dad whether it is purpose-filled with wood cutting, getting minnows, fishing, hunting, creating burn piles, or just sitting down to have a sandwich, and look through old photos.

Alex often asks me questions after he spends the day with my dad, like "did you get to do all kinds of fun stuff with Papa when you were little?" Which is funny, I'm honest and tell him that we didn't spend a whole lot of time together. Dad was still working, and when he was around his hobbies didn't exactly match mine. But I tell Alex that it doesn't matter, all that matters is that he gets to spend quality time with my dad.

When I was younger I'd hear people say "she spends too much time with her Grandma, or Ruth always has that kid". What they don't know is that I appreciated every damn day I got to spend with her, and my parents are probably just as grateful. We'd play cards, look at old photo albums, the same photos Alex and my dad look at because ironically they used to be stored in my maternal grandparents house even though they were my dad's photos.

This photo is Alex's dresser, and on it Alex has compiled lots of nick nacks that my dad has put together for him, meaningful gifts, along with a photo dad took of him while fishing last summer. All that kid talks about is how he can't wait til next summer when him and Papa can go fishing on Lake Abago every day.

I reflect on this often, especially since my grandma passed away. I see myself so much in Alex when he spends a day with my dad, the things he talks about, and just the overall admiration for someone. I certainly won't hesitate to send him to tag along with Papa, life is too short to worry about overstepping your boundaries because some day you'll wish you had just one more day to spend with that person!