Wrestling

Ethan's first wrestling season was short and sweet... He won half his matches, and took the silver in his tournament. Good job EDog!

Here are some pics.

Three of the four coaches (LeRoy had to work) with some of the kids at the end of season awards dinner.

Here is a picture of the gifts I gave the coaches as a thank you and below is the card we put together.

It was a great season and we all had fun. Ethan met some great friends and learned a little bit more about himself. It was so fun to see this side of him, and I loved watching the fire in my Brother again. Can't wait for next year!

Stinky!

This is a conversation between the kids, I overheard while driving down the road.

"What is that smell?"

"That's a skunk"

"That's what a skunk smells like?"

"Ya, its gross hu!"

"Smells better than your farts."

Sure makes a mother proud!

Time to move forward

The loss of my Uncle Pete has been heartbreaking to me. I love him dearly and will miss him every day. I have pushed off planning our Spring Break trip because it usually included a visit with him and that makes it too real. I know he is happy, healthy, and no longer in pain and I know he’s with his Parents, enjoying them. What hurts is knowing my kids won’t get the full knowledge of how wonderful he is. They do have their own memories of him, and I’ll try to remind them of him whenever possible. But I can’t possibly convey to them how wonderful he is, share all of his stories, or teach them all the lessons life taught him and that is a horrible feeling. I made this for his memorial service, please enjoy.

(Coming soon)

Losing someone so important makes you want to savor every minute you have, and I’m trying. I appreciate the sunrise every morning knowing each day brings amazing opportunities. I am appreciative for my job, knowing I am able to help provide for this family, and my husband doesn’t have to carry that responsibility alone. I watch our children everyday knowing although I’ll be their Mom forever; they will only be my “kids” for so long, before they spread their wings and leave our nest. I enjoy the little things, snuggle time with each of them, the relentless begging for “just one more game”, the constant drawing with papers and pencils strewn across the counters, all while marking each achievement for me to reflect upon when they have left to make their own mark on this crazy world. I appreciate my husband more with each passing day, realizing how lucky I am to have such a wonderful man in my life. He treats me better than I deserve most of the time and doesn’t ask for much in return. Whenever the pessimist in me rears its ugly head, he is full of optimism and is happy to share. He truly is my soul mate, the yang to my yin. I often think of him as the glass half full to my glass half empty.
So I guess it’s time to plan that Spring vacation and make some more wonderful memories with the ones I love. And even though Uncle Pete won’t be there for us to visit, he’ll be with us.