December 2011

I haven’t written about my kids in a while, so I thought now would be a great time to catch up on all their activities.

ISABELLE

She’s ever growing!  If I got a dollar for every time I’m told I don’t look old enough to have a daughter her age I have to laugh.  She is frequently told she doesn’t look 13.  Scary?  You bet your bottom dollar.  She’s well behaved and very polite, which apparently equates to being a 16 year old.  Call me crazy, but good behavior doesn’t mean you’re older.  It just means you’re well behaved.  Anyway.  She’s funny.  She loves the attention when folks say that to her, what teenager doesn’t want to be perceived older?  I’m sort of glad I’ve revoked her make-up privileges for that very reason.  However, I’m giving them back to her for Christmas, to my own demise I’m sure.

She finished up another soccer season recently.  She loves to get out there and be active, but the teams she’s placed on are just awful.  I don’t think they won more than one game the whole season.  Makes it sort of difficult to find enjoyment in constantly losing, but she’s got a positive perspective and for that it was not a waste of time or money.  She is really anxious to start softball again.  She’s got a few months yet, but she’s literally counting the days.

Her academics remain incredible.  She’s a straight A-B student and she works hard to maintain those grades.  Since she finished her last softball season, she’s set her goal to playing softball for U of A.  Explaining to her the work she’s going to have to put into obtaining that goal didn’t even put a pause to her plan.  I’m excited to see how well she stays focused once she hits high school.  It’s amazing how high school can really screw up priorities.

We told her what scouts look for in their athletes they give scholarships to.  We told her they don’t just want good players.  They want good students in their players.  Girls that can prioritize their school work and still perform during a game are the ones that get the scholarships.  Since she’s picked one of the top schools in the country for softball, they work is going to be significant.  But she talks about it all the time.  She’s determined to play for the Lady Cats.  I am going to do my job in keeping her focused!

Her hobbies are getting more specific lately.  She’s developed quite a knack for poetry.  She gets really inspired when Cowboy Poetry season comes around.  Reading/listening to her work over the past five years is so much fun.  Her diversity in word use has grown so much and I can tell she’s thinking about things far deeper.  When she’s just doing her own thing in her room, she’s writing.  To be honest, I LOVE it.  It’s a direct reflection of myself shining through in her.  

She’s also drawing a lot.  Mostly with pencil, but she’s becoming very creative with what she’s doodling.  A while back she was telling me about a very vivid dream she’d had.  Instead of trying to explain the imagery, she drew it and then told me about it.  I had to hand it her for doing that.  Once she finished her drawing, she decided to write the dream down and it gave her a spark of interest in writing short stories.  Of course I encouraged her to do that as often as possible.  She asked me if I wrote stories when I was her age.  What parent doesn’t want the opportunity to share some of their memories?

I happen to have kept a significant amount of writings from my high school days.  I took them out for her and let her read them.  At some point I realized how important dating my work was.  So, it was really neat to read her poems I’d written when I was 14.  She got a kick out of it.  It was a bonding moment that was pretty cool.

She’s getting more and more excited about starting high school.  Josh and I are getting more and more terrified.  Only 9 more months and she’s going to be a freshman.  Argh.  Just hideous.  But these coming months I’m going to do my best to embrace the finality of her little girl.  Even now that person is becoming a shadow.  They do grow up so fast.

ALEX

He’s such a fun little person.  I spend my days literally watching him grow right in front of me.  His hair is getting so long.  I’ve finally conceded to cutting it.  I want to have Christmas morning pictures with his hair the length it is.  Then the next day we’ll get it cut.  I’ve grown quite tired of people calling him a her.  Apparently no amount of boy clothes can make up for lovely flowing locks.  So, I’m caving.  It makes me sad, but what are ya gonna do?

He’s signing all the time.  He’s starting to try to say more words, while he signs.  He tries to say almost every sign.  There’s only a few signs he makes no attempt at saying.  He’s learned to say ‘no’ and sign it at the same time.  It’s hilarious to hear his tiny voice say it.  We’re working on learning the word yes.  He signs it, but he doesn’t use it very often.  It’s totally the age of ‘no’ and I accept that, but I want him to learn the difference between the two.  If we ask him if he wants crackers, I want him to say yes instead of signing/saying cracker.  That sort of thing.  But for now, hearing his voice form articulate words is adorable.

He colors.  On everything.  My walls have gotten a work out over the past few months.  It’s funny at first, but not when I’m on my knees scrubbing.  He prefers using the normal size crayons instead of his age appropriate ones.  I guess that’s alright, but I sort of like seeing those fat crayons laying around.  As if I need a reminder there’s a toddler in my house again.  Silly little things I crave.

He adores being read to.  He’s also reached the level of creativity that he’ll sit in his little chair and babble to himself as he flips through the pages.  So cute.  He is sneaky when it comes to all things electronic.  If he sees a cell phone unattended, he’s on it like white on rice.  Remote controls of all variations are of extreme interest.  Keeping him away from them is darn near impossible.  We give in occasionally and sit him on the sofa with my iPad and let him play with the apps I’ve downloaded for him.  He’ll sit there for a very long time.  It’s kinda cool to see what captivates his attention.  Basically anything that responds to a button he pushes.  And of course the more expensive the button, the better.

JOSH

He’s doing the same thing.  Not much has changed in his world.  He’s loving the age Alex is coming to and is reveling in the similarities between he and his daughter.  It’s cute to see them bond.  Seeing first hand what daddy’s little girl really means has its reverence.  I do my best to not interfere.  Besides, Alex is clearly mommy’s little man.

He has yet to do as much hunting as he usually does by this time of the year.  Not for lack of desire, but more lack of time.  He works a lot and his free time is rare.  He just finished playing a season of soccer and I think he had fun playing.  He suffered a couple injuries, but I’m sure he’s not spending any time regretting the activity that caused them.  But man can he be a baby about it sometimes.  It’s just a broken rib.  LOL!

He continues to receive praise from his superiors at work and I’m not sure there’s anything more validating than that.  Overall, I believe he’s got job satisfaction.

EMMA

This has been a whirlwind year.  I cannot believe it’s December.  This year has literally flown.  But in the past few weeks, I’ve made some personal health choices that are going to present struggle, but my intention is to succeed.  I have doctors appointments lining up in hopes of helping me on my quest.  Taking away vices is never easy.  But, I know the removal is going to make me feel excellent!

I’m still reveling in being a stay at home mother and I’m so happy things have lined up for me to be home.  It has had it’s struggles, but ultimately worth it.  I can’t imagine being away from Alex for more than a few moments a day.  Eventually that’ll fade, but until then, I’m loving every second.

I’m writing more and more and it’s giving me such a fulfillment it’s hard to describe.  There’s even been this hint of a desire to go to school so I can become an even stronger writer.  We’ll see.  That’s a big decision that will effect a lot of things, so I still have to mull it over.

Overall, things are great still.  I’m excited for Christmas and the close of another eventful year.  Next year I’m turning 32, Isabelle will be 14, Alex will turn 2, Josh will be (haha) 34.  With all these ages, I highly doubt maturity will reveal itself.  Here’s to another year of refusing to truly grow up!

Isabelle:
She is doing great so far in her last year of junior high.  She's playing on the volleyball team for the first time and she's doing great!  It seems our daughter got all the athletic ability I missed out on as a youth.  She's just natural at anything she pursues and it's making her all the more excited about playing all the sports offered.  The school is playing softball as soon as the volleyball season is over, but I don't think we're going to let her play.  The coaching, to put it mildly, is horrendous.  I don't want her to unlearn all the wonderful techniques she worked so hard on during the regular season.  Nevertheless, she'll have to sit that one out.  All for the better.  I don't want her working so much on sports and losing focus on what's really important, which is maintaining her straight A's.
For the first time the other day, I saw me looking back at me.  She was walking towards me with a pair of my sunglasses on and for a very quick split second, I saw me!  Nuts.  Truly nuts.  I'm constantly being told how much she looks like me and I've refused to see it, until it was literally staring me in the face!  She's just plain growing up too fast.

Alex:
He's growing equally as fast.  He's trying harder and harder to make words and it's adorable.  He's resurrected his ability to blow raspberries and that never loses it's humor with me.  Even when he's got drool dripping down his chin and soaking everything he touches.
He's also forming more signs.  So far he's signing:  all done, more, please, drink, thank you (sometimes), shoes (when prompted), wash hands, and we're currently working on teaching him 'potty' in hopes of him actually needing to sign it!
I picked up his own potty today.  I'm a little nervous as to how to approach this whole thing, seeing as how he's a boy and I've never potty trained a boy.  Either way, the time has come to start at least introducing him to the concept.  He sure had fun playing with it last night though!

All in all life is pretty good and full of interesting developments!  The kids continue to be the apple of my eye and I can't get enough of them!  :)

Full House

Monday morning I started out on the road towards Phoenix. It was already getting very warm. My good friend was generous enough to loan me her Suburban to accommodate the quantity of people waiting for me in Phoenix. The ride was very pleasant and I didn't care too much as to the severely expensive nature of its gas tank.

After nearly 3 hours of driving, my phone was blowing up with calls from Dad wondering what my status was and when I'd be getting to the airport. Then, the phone rang with the call I was super excited about. "We're in baggage claim." My two youngest brothers and my baby sister were waiting for us! I was only a couple minutes away from picking them up!

Isabelle and I pulled up to the curb and leapt out of the Suburban to clench tightly to my siblings and Isabelle's uncles and aunt! I nearly got teary eyed when I looked at the two youngest finally in my presence. They were no longer an image being projected back to me from my laptop! They were physically in front of me! I could touch them!

We all loaded into the Suburban and sought food. We decided on an In 'N Out Burger and pulled in! Instead of picking up the food via drive-through, we went inside so we could stare at each other while we ate! It was fantastic.

In mere minutes it felt like no time had passed since we'd been around each other. Giggles came from the way back of the Suburban and Rachel and Isabelle played cards. Sam, Joel, and I chatted about YouTube videos we'd watched and found to be funny. I pulled up the Bad Ass Honey Badger video on my phone and laughed at they watched it. My whole being tingled with joy as I basked in the sounds of my family being reunited.

We got stuck in stand still traffic between Tucson and Benson right after a torrential downpour. One of the bridges had overflown with rain water and traffic was being directed down to one lane. It took over 30 minutes to get out of it. No matter, we were enjoying each other's company and listening to a mix of music delivered by the radio. Sublime, Korn, Godsmack, then the Black Eyed Peas, Taio Cruz, and Ne-Yo. Eclectic as the folks listening. It was a great drive back home. Back to the place the kids hadn't been in more than 5 years. Their anticipation was palpable. The sounds of excitement increased as we crested the last big hill before seeing Sierra Vista's cityscape. It was fun to listen to them as they looked at new construction and developments that have gone up since they left.

We pulled up to the house and they were beside themselves! Not much has changed since they were in the neighborhood, but the interior of the house is significantly different. Flooring has been changed. Wall color has changed. Carpet has been replaced. Cupboard fixtures are different. Lots of different aesthetics since they lived in this house.

I got them all situated and introduced them to their respective sleeping areas. Laid down some rules about cleanliness. Then we sat down and hung out. Then went to the city park to take part in the city's festivities (minus fireworks) for the 4th of July. Live bands played as we all chased Alex around and played. We went home around 9:30 and resumed staring at each other. No one went to sleep until well after 1 in the morning.

The morning after, we had a fabulous breakfast and I was overjoyed to the new sounds of my house. The sounds built throughout the day as energy was restored to a very sleepy group of people. We didn't do a whole lot. We went to the skate park in the afternoon until we were rained home. Yesterday I too them to the pool and today is Isabelle's first game in the All-Star tournament. We'll all be driving over to Douglas to support her. I'm excited for her and Isabelle is losing sleep with anticipation.

The tone of the house right now is wonderful. I'm very happy to finally have them in my house and I look forward to the several days ahead of their visit.

Still On Fire

Still On Fire

Today was remarkably quieter than yesterday. The fire seems to be losing speed and fuel, which is excellent. Last night, firefighters were able to successfully conduct controlled burns to buffer residential areas should the fire change direction. The weather forecasted throughout the remainder of the week makes things a little sketchy. Thursday and Friday we are expecting more high winds. The past two days have been considerably milder than Sunday’s. Not only is that fantastic for those fighting this fire, it’s kind of nice to be outside and not feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

As of tonight the containment has finally gotten higher. We are now 40% contained! I was so excited to read that since we’d been holding onto 27% or less for days. So far, the acreage destroyed is just a couple thousand acres short of 30,000. Comparatively speaking, not too bad when you look at the over half million acres burned in the Wallow fire and over 220,000 in the Horseshoe Fire II. But, unfortunately the Monument Fire has destroyed more homes than both of those fires combined. Not bragging, it’s just been a bigger threat to residencies in this area.

Tonight they will be continuing efforts in controlled burning. This time, however, they are evacuating a large neighborhood while they burn. They are doing it as a precautionary action. The smoke will be significant and then there’s of course the potential of losing control of the fire. I shudder to think of how awful that would be. They are leaving it up to the people who live in that area to leave or not. But if they do leave, they probably won’t be permitted to return without good reason. Your guess is as good as mine as to what a “good reason” is.

The smoke on the mountain has settled and the past two days we’ve actually been able to see our fair mountain. There are smoldering hot spots all over the peaks and canyons and it’s still sad to think of what it looks like up close. Experts are saying it will take a minimum of 20 years to regain the level of vegetation the mountain just lost. We as a community are hopeful for a heavy rainy season...despite the cost it will be.

At a press conference this morning our sheriff, Larry Dever (you might have seen him on Fox News a few times) spoke of the devastation being far from over. While the fire is obviously still burning and the potential of it threatening communities again, there’s the added concern of how this new terrain will handle our typically torrid monsoon season. Flash flooding is always an issue during the season and now with the mountain being bare naked, there’s nowhere for that rain to run but towards housing. It was sad to realize how correct he was. I hand’t thought of it. Here we’ve all been praying for rain to open up the torrential downpour. Little do we know how bad that pour could be. It’s a sucky situation at all points.

Predictions being made show the estimated date for containing this fire are somewhere around July 15th. That’s a long ways away. And that’s just containment. Who knows when this thing will be completely snuffed out. I wonder what science is involved in making those kind of guesses.

People are slowly reporting their returns to their homes in the canyons. Police escorts took residents to their properties today to see and assess. Last night folks were permitted to see their homes off of Ramsay Road after the fire jumped the highway and blazed through densely populated Hereford/Southern Sierra Vista. As I previously wrote in another blog, that particular jump on Sunday took 14 homes down. I was heartbroken when I read one of my friends growing up lost her home. My heart sank when I saw the picture posted of what was left of her home. I can’t even imagine the feeling. It begs the question, why her house and not someone else’s?

This fight isn’t yet over. I am a little nervous about the fire’s proximity to the mountain’s base dwellers over the next couple of days. Hearing the high winds on the forecast doesn’t give me a good feeling. It has seemed every day that has been significantly windy, the fire has picked up speed and strength. It only makes sense. But there’s only so much we tiny humans can do against such ferocity. The silver lining: they expect the wind direction to push the fire backwards into the path of destruction its already left. That could be very, very good. There’s nothing left to burn. Here’s to hoping.

People of this community continue to offer their hands wherever they’re called for. Mountains of clothes have been donated to those who have lost their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. I’m hearing a lot about the bare shelves of the stores around here. People are buying up all the Gatorade, tube socks, chap stick, bottled water, and survival type items in droves. It’s amazing to see this unfold. I don’t think I’ll ever be unaffected by the way my fellow Sierra Vistans have rallied. It’s commendable.

***

On an entirely different subject; Alex has finally found his love of the pool! A few rounds of hating it and being just generally afraid, he has grown to LOVE it. It makes me so happy! Today we waded around in a buddy’s pool for a couple hours and he literally kicked his feet up, rested his head on my shoulder, and floated around until I made him get out. It was awesomely cute to see this change in his demeanor. I have a sneaky suspicion we’ll be spending a lot more time in the pool. Plus it’s good for wide ass!

Isabelle has not been playing any softball since the fire became the focus of most of our community’s attention. It’s sort of weird to abruptly stop doing something. Her coach is one of the thousands of people who have been evacuated, so it only makes sense things have stopped. I’m not sure, nor is anyone else, as to when things will resume some level of normalcy around here. But, call me nuts, I think they should get out there and play just for the sake of distraction from all this disruption. But, I also have no idea if anyone on the teams were one of the families who have lost everything. So, maybe it is a good thing to cease and desist until further notice. This thing has phenomenally sucked!

Josh is working the later shift, which sucks too. Perspective. I know, I could be dealing with much larger issues. But it has really put a damper on a routine I’ve been on for over a year. Adjustment...roll with it I guess. Petty in the grand scheme of things. But hey, I can gripe too...even if it’s just on a piddley little blog.

I’m trudging forth on my book. I put a huge dent in the process today and I’m feeling fantastic about it. I plan to finish this book before the end of the year. After that, finding a publisher and an agent. I think this book is going to change lives and I can’t wait to share it. But pulling the reigns back just a little, I’ve got to finish the darn thing first. It’s been hard tackling the subject matter, but the amount of increased mental health is immeasurable. I know what finishing this book is going to do for my heart and that in itself is enough to keep me from shirking. I’m getting to a really good place. It feels good.

Unfortunately

Unfortunately

Today was epic. Words used by those fighting this fire today were: war zone, apocalyptic, powerful, wild.

I have never dedicated much time to listening to a police scanner or anything resembling monitoring of law enforcement air waves. However, the past couple of days I literally feel comforted hearing the squelches, pops, tones, and chatter. Today has been an even more intense need.

This fire scorching the mountain and the surrounding areas reached new heights today. A landmark restaurant burned to the ground. A yard ornament familiar to all who have lived here is now rubble. The church that seared the side of Ash Canyon looks like ruins you’d find in Ireland or Scotland.

Amid the familiar sites the mountain offered, are the homes still we as a community are unaware of their condition. We have been told for certainty 47 homes, thus far, have been lost. After today, I fear the new total the Monument Fire has consumed.

Listening to the scanner today, sweat formed along my hairline as I heard fighters scramble to prevent this torrid fire from crossing the highway, away from the mountain, and rip through the thousands of homes on the other side. My skin crawled as I heard one say, “We can’t keep it anymore. We have to let it go. The wind gust are over 50 mph. We can’t fight it.” Time stood still as I listened to what they were going to next.

I pulled up maps as street names were used as rallying points. I gained my bearings as to where all the units were fighting. All this week we’ve been scared of this exact event. Earlier this week they were unable to contain the beast and it jumped the highway. That day, black smoke filled the air. Those of us in town were left to assume the black smoke was the evidence of another home casualty. At the end of that day, the town was awestruck to learn no homes were lost. I find it difficult to believe we will be given such relief tomorrow.

At tonight’s town meeting and update, the information officers were equally frustrated as the citizens. Hundreds of people gathered to find out if they had a home to return to. People wanted to know where the fire was exactly. There were so many questions and whether it be political ass-covering or genuine ignorance, no one was granted the satisfaction of knowing anything more than what they’d been reading and hearing all day long.

I’m certain the officers at that meeting wished they had more to say. They rattled through the facts of the day, gave out the redundant information about evacuation stations, phones numbers and the typical rhetoric you’d expect to hear. At no point were they able to say, “The fire is right here. We expect it to do this tonight. You’re home is gone. You’re home is fine.” It was an unfortunate attempt at public pandering. But it had to be done. If they didn’t show up and act as if they had any news, they’d be crucified.

Here’s what I find to be odd. There wasn’t a single shred of information they delivered I didn’t already know because of my absurd addiction to the scanner feed. I knew what structures had burned. I knew where the fire was and what was being done. There were a few gaps, but not enough to make me afraid. Incidentally I became somewhat of a hub for information. I get that a lot of people don’t want to sit around all day glued to a stupid computer. So, they’ll wait a bit, call/text me, and find out what they want to know in a few minutes. Easy enough.

Having worked in broadcasting for what I would consider to be a significant amount of time (six years), I know a little bit about getting information to the public. Radio is the EASIEST way to get information to the masses quickly and efficiently. Today I heard some frustrating things specifically regarding that. “Why isn’t the radio covering this better? Why aren’t the news channels in Tucson getting their facts straight before reporting?” So on and so on. I thinks it’s a sad, sad day when a social networking site becomes the best source for up to date information. The general public has been the reporters all week. Some of the information...wait...most of the information is unsubstantiated rumor. But when the information was valid and true, it was golden.

I have been asked so many times when I plan on returning to the radio station. I don’t. I haven’t heard a word from them indicating I’m even wanted. This isn’t a pity party. It’s fact. But, there’s been the journalist in me that has yearned to stomp back in their and do the work. Anyone can read off a press release form from the sheriff’s office. It takes a person with a little more dedication to dig and get the information themselves. Phone calls have been moot. Emails, hit and miss. Listening to that scanner? News.

We all think we can do things better than someone else. It’s the ego in us all. But there are undoubtedly things I’d be doing better if I were the one operating the dissemination of information as this fire has grown into the vicious monster it has become in the last 24 hours.

*Steps off soap box. Exits stage left.

Tonight, I hope with all my heart the calmer winds will give the fighters the chance to really get some of this contained. Looking out the back of my house, I see the glowing red flames and pink smoke looming over my city with intent. No air attacks at night. Just boots on the ground, in the war zone that used to be the Huachuca Mountains. Tomorrow I will reposition myself in front of my computer and listen to the scanner. Hopefully tomorrow night will bring a brighter optimism. Over 2000 people are away from their homes and unable to return. Over 2000 people are anxious to know the fate of their future entails.

Tomorrow I hope the information is more easily obtained. If not, I know how to get it and I will. In the meantime, we wait.

Pictures Speaking Thousands of Words

World's On Fire

Sunday afternoon my husband and I were headed back to Sierra Vista from Palominas after picking up Alex. We saw smoke on the rear side of the Huachuca Mountains. I posted what I saw on my Facebook page and it wasn’t long before the news traveled. Today, Wednesday, the news is horrifying. The fire is only at 10% containment with high winds forecasted throughout the week. Yesterday the fire reached epic levels. Rumors have surged as to the level of residential devastation ranging from 25 homes to somewhere in the 60s.

I have been watching this event like a hawk. The outpouring of community support has been nothing short of inspiring. Watching the news online this morning, I got a lump in my throat as I watched an interview with a man I knew talking about the loss of his home in Ash Canyon. Having been in his home, some time ago, I can only imagine the feelings of loss he and his family is experiencing.

Businesses around town have rallied. Free boarding for livestock has been established and offered to those ordered to evacuate. Donation sites popped up all over town to help fill the voids of those who have lost their homes. Support for the firefighters has been equally met. With a town filled with panic, there’s a calming support being offered by all of the citizens of our small community.

The pictures all over the internet covering the smoke, flames, and structures are nothing short of gut wrenching. In the nearly 20 years I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen fire of this magnitude. In 2003 a fire swept the mountain range. However, it never threatened homes. Due to the extreme dryness here, the fire is roaming freely. It’s so sad to see our beautiful mountains engulfed in flames covering now more than a quarter of the range. Smoke is billowing and flowing east over the Hereford and Palominas valley areas.

Today new canyons are being evacuated. Yesterday’s losses were unpredictable. The local officials are claiming they are more prepared for such unpredictability. We’ll see if that’s in fact the case. Looking out my back window the smoke has changed colors several times. Gray smoke has turned black and then back to gray. I’m not an expert in fires by any stretch of the imagination, but black smoke I believe indicates fuel. I hope it’s just clusters of trees as it delves into the canyon and not homes that are tucked away beautifully into picturesque Miller Canyon.

There’s not much that can be done right now. I feel completely helpless. I’ve offered my assistance to those I know who get evacuated. But, I have to admit, I wish there was something more I could do than just drop off a case of water or a gift card to Wal-Mart.

Knowing the containment is so low three days into this fire doesn’t give me much hope. I fear the powers charging this fire are short on equipment and expertise. The terrain of the Huachucas is very difficult to access. Having driven all roads of our mountains, I know it is nearly impossible to maneuver large fire rigs on those dirt roads to gain leverage on the fire.

This past month and a half, Arizona has been struck with such intense fires. The Wallow Fire in Northern Arizona has now reached historical records, becoming the largest fire in Arizona history. The Wallow Fire has been burning since May 29 and has now burned 478,452 acres. Currently it is only 20% contained. The Horseshoe Fire II is at 60% containment and as of 1:26 this morning it has burned 184,198 acres. That fire isn’t far east of Sierra Vista and has swallowed homes and structures in towns near Portal, AZ. This is the fire that has been contributing to New Mexico’s air quality. Just in Southern Arizona, we’ve seen several fires that have covered our city in heavy brown smoke for days. It’s so sad.

If you’re a prayer...pray for rain. We don’t have any hint of rain in the time we need it.

What the Babies Are Doing

Alex

One day last week Alex and I were playing in the living room. All of a sudden he just started twirling. I laughed as he spun around and giggled at himself. He kept spinning until his eyes got the look of dizziness and then he collapsed on the floor laughing hysterically. It was so funny! Now, whenever he starts to turn, I’ll say ‘turn, turn, turn’ and he laughs even harder as he spins around in circles. When he starts to get off balance he switches direction and keeps going until he falls down laughing. It’s so stinking cute!

He’s not saying too many things that make any sense. But he sure babbles all the time. He is clearly saying: Hi and Ball. He’ll point to things and say, what sounds like, ‘what’s that?’ Of course, I answer all the questions he asks until he stops asking. His curiosity is unbounded. Given the chance, he’s into everything. He’s getting better at listening to the word NO. But it really depends on his mood as to whether or not he’ll stop going for the object of his desire. Mostly he’s interested in my laptop, our phones, and anything that has buttons and lights up. He’s fascinated with all things technological. I don’t want to snuff that fire. I’m hoping these are the early indicators of a man who will invent marvelous things! Specifically, teleportation. Dream big or go home!

We’re still working with him on using sign language to communicate. Sometimes he’ll randomly use a sign, but he’s not at all consistent. Josh sat with him on the couch recently, pleading with Alex to sign ‘dad.’ Instead of using the sign, Alex would just say “dadadada” and laugh as Josh used the sign. Honestly, it’s a funny sign. I laugh at it. But, after nearly 30 minutes of persistence on Josh’s part, Alex decided to do the sign on Josh’s forehead. He smacked Josh’s forehead with an open palm and announced, “Da Da Da.” Josh lost it. He laughed so hard, tears streamed down his face. Alex in turn laughed equally as hard at Josh. It was too cute to listen to and watch. He’s grasping the concept, but isn’t quite executing it yet. He’s 14 months old now, so I anticipate he’ll start doing things soon.

Alex loves to be read to. He’ll grab a book, walk over to you, turn around, and plop into your lap and wait. Adorable. He’s got the patience of a fly. So the book better have very few words on it or he’ll just flip through the pages. There’s one particular book he’s fond of and fortunately I have it memorized. He can flip all through it and I know what the pages say. He loves it!

He has one random molar coming in. It’s literally all alone in the top of his mouth. It’s quite funny to look in his mouth and see the lone tooth. I don’t remember how Isabelle’s teeth came in, so this might be unique...not sure. He’s still holding onto the 8 teeth he’s had for months. The efficiency of those teeth is incredible. He’ll eat anything. Some meats take him a while to chew, but he’ll work it out. Or else he’ll take it out of his mouth and leave it somewhere special for me to find later.

Isabelle

There is massive denial when admitting how grown up this little girl is getting. She’s 13 years old now and in her summer before 8th grade. During the final months of school, she played ponytail softball. The season was the first she’d ever played. She has done so remarkably for her first go and Josh and I are so proud of her determination. A good friend of ours has taken her under her wing to teach her the basics of the game. Kelly, our friend, played college softball on a scholarship, so her expertise is awesome. Since Kelly pitched, Isabelle has developed the desire to do the same. Because she’s so passionate about being the best, she was able to pitch a few games over the season. It was awesome!

She was selected to try-out for the All Star team, which was also fantastic! Her position is 1st base and she’s very efficient. The girl’s got a cannon on her and she’s superb at catching the ball. Very important to play 1st base. Obviously she did so well, she was selected to play as an All Star. Her first game was last night. They lost, but that’s a whole other story. The league is a disaster. But at least she’s playing and continuing to learn and hone her craft. The natural ability she has with this sport is uncanny. Coaches and other adults who have watched her play, assume she’s been playing a while. Pretty cool compliment! She’s come a long way from playing catch in the back yard with her dad.

She’s growing up so fast, I swear I wake up to a new person every day. She’s getting very close to being as tall as I am, which bugs me. I can only imagine how irritating it was for my mom to watch me shoot past her height. Fortunately Isabelle has a little ways yet before she passes me. But it’s going to happen. She’s already wearing the same size shoe as me. It’s nuts.

She’s so excited about the summer vacation. She has a lot going on right now and it’s only going to get busier. Rachel, Joel, and Sam will all be here in less than a month and they’ll be staying for 6 weeks. She’s beside herself with anticipation for their arrival. We all are! Then, when August gets here, she’ll be flying to Alaska to visit her cousin, aunt Jodie, and Uncle Roy. She loves going to Alaska. It’s a ton of fun for her. It’s going to be a very packed summer!

Josh and Emma

Nothing too new going on for the two of us. Josh works his rear-end off so I can be at home with the kiddies. He’s been encouraging me to do more writing and things that stimulate my noggin. I’m trying to do that more frequently. He’s found a new obsession and it’s sort of funny. His buddy picked up a bow fishing reel. Josh already had one, so having someone to go out with makes it all the more fun. So the past couple of Sundays he’s gone down to the San Pedro River and bow fished and bow frogged. He loves it! I’m not interested in it at all...so I leave it to him. I’m sure he’ll go out on the boat soon to try bow fishing on a lake. Then I’ll be a widow to fishing. I guess there are worse things.

Little babbles are what good stuff is made of. He can’t say anything in any real language yet, but he talks all day long about the ideas he has in head. Every parent will talk about the joy of rediscovering the world through the eyes of their children. Whether the parent of one or twelve children, the amazement never loses its luster.

He cracks me up all day long as he realizes new potential in the toys he’s been playing with every day. Right now, as I write, he’s playing with a toy that blows air through a tube where little plastic balls shoot out. Instead of putting the balls in the tube, he’s standing over the opening and laughing at the air blowing across his face. Even though the force of the air is causing him to catch his breath, he insists on remaining in the gust. Laughing all the while.

I look at my little person every day and wonder who he is going to become. His personality is constantly shaping. The things he finds interest in change almost minute to minute. His curiosity is endless. One second he’s cuddling his stuffed elephant and sucking his middle and index fingers. The next second he’s walking with a purpose towards his toy box simply to empty its contents. I have to snicker as he pauses with each toy, contemplating whether or not that is the toy in which he’s seeking. Alas, he gets to the bottom and decides to play with his Mega Blocks already strewn all over the living room floor.

Every mom thinks their child is the cutest baby in the world. I’m no exception. But, let me say this: my baby boy is the cutest baby in the world. I can’t get comfortable with the idea of cutting his hair. Its beginning to look slightly girlish. However, I can’t picture him without those darling curls flipping up like a duck’s tail at the nape of his neck. I’ve trimmed his bangs recently only to avoid visual conflicts. He’s short and seemingly squatty. Weighing only about 23 pounds and only about 30 inches tall, he’s not chubby. His toes are the most perfect toes to play Piggy with. They’re all the same size and plump. Simply the kind of toes you just want to nibble on.

He’s got eyes that are so precious is physically hurts me. Bright blue like a mid-morning sky. As if to frame a masterpiece, his eyelashes are long and medium blond. Slightly darker blond than his hair. They’re huge and quite frankly, adorable. One look at those little peepers and you instantly feel the innocence.

It’s funny to me how often I hear, “He looks so much like Josh.” These days I here how much Isabelle looks a lot like me. I look at her and still see so much Josh, I question the presence of my DNA. Alex looks like a lot like I did as a baby. I don’t hesitate to show the proof when I’m told he looks like Josh. For effect:

Needless to say, he looks like me.

The sick sea of joy I’m currently floating in, is amazing. I am having so much fun having two children drastically different. Just as I’m moving into the terrible teens, I’m moving ever closer towards the terrible twos! I am going to have my kids testing the very core of my patience on a daily basis.

As long as I keep these rose colored focused and comfortably placed, I’m going to be just fine.

April 2011

April 2011

Alex’s birthday party was awesome! He had a bunch of friends and family there to celebrate his first birthday and I couldn’t have been a happier mommy. Two days later, I poked him with some shots at the doctor’s office. The following Friday I took him on an airplane and jetted off to Tampa, Florida. What an amazing two weeks. The weather was amazing and the surplus of things to do was awesome!

I took him to Disney World and the beach. He played with my best friend’s daughter like they were best friends themselves and it was a joy to watch. He hated the beach with a screaming tense passion, but loved to eat every grain of sand he could get his hands on. Unfortunately, there was an endless amount to go after. I gave up after a few times of trying to keep his hands out of his mouth. It wasn’t going to kill him!

He got his very first ear infection while we were there, which truth be told, wasn’t as bad as it could have been. He was definitely miserable, but not terribly. It made it a lot easier on me to cope with. Threw him some antibiotics and he was on his way to recovery quickly. Thank goodness it didn’t become an allergic reaction. I was nervous for a second because he’d never been on antibiotics before. Phew!

Disney World was a spectacular amount of amazing. He was an absolute gem and couldn’t get over the fact he only slept a combined amount of roughly 45 minutes the entire day. The day started at 8 am and didn’t end until nearly 1 am. That’s insane! He was on serious sensory overload and I loved it!

Isabelle is doing incredibly with softball. She’s so dedicated to getting good at it and it’s impressive. She’s sought after becoming a pitcher and you’ll find her frequently in the back yard practicing and it’s awesome. She’s come such a long way so quickly the coach is giving her a chance to pitch in a game tomorrow. She’s totally nervous, but in the good way. I’m so proud of her enthusiasm and her sticktoitiveness. It’s remarkable how much she can accomplish when she puts her whole heard and soul into something. Her grades reflect that kind of mentality as well. Basically she’s a near perfect child. If only we could somehow deflect from the fact she’s a bona fide teenager now.

She turned the big 13 yesterday and I’m still coping poorly. Over this past weekend to celebrate both hers and my birthday we went to Parker Canyon lake for some camping. The boat shop guy guess she was 17 or 18 years old, which of course made her beam and me cry. When I confessed she was my daughter, I’m fairly certain the poor man suffered from a brief arrhythmia. Don’t worry, he’s still alive.

Needless to say, she’s a lot more mature looking than her extremely innocent years. I might be a little obnoxious in my efforts to shield her from growing up, but dang it, I won’t allow her to. I wonder if there were times my mother would shut me in a little bubble occasionally for the same reasons. It’s just insane to acknowledge my baby girl is really no longer a baby. She’s speaking to me as though we are friends and quite frankly, it terrifies me.

Things are good, but I cringe at the pending shelf life. I know exactly what I was doing at 13. Even worse, I know what Josh was doing at 13 and that’s just enough to make me send her to a convent in the Swiss Alps until she’s 30.

Life is good in the Mayne house. Things continue to move forward and honestly there isn’t much going on to complain about. Sure, being a stay at home mother, I could find endless things to find wrong. But, the stuff that truly matters is right as rain.

April 2011

April 2011

Alex’s birthday party was awesome! He had a bunch of friends and family there to celebrate his first birthday and I couldn’t have been a happier mommy. Two days later, I poked him with some shots at the doctor’s office. The following Friday I took him on an airplane and jetted off to Tampa, Florida. What an amazing two weeks. The weather was amazing and the surplus of things to do was awesome!

I took him to Disney World and the beach. He played with my best friend’s daughter like they were best friends themselves and it was a joy to watch. He hated the beach with a screaming tense passion, but loved to eat every grain of sand he could get his hands on. Unfortunately, there was an endless amount to go after. I gave up after a few times of trying to keep his hands out of his mouth. It wasn’t going to kill him!

He got his very first ear infection while we were there, which truth be told, wasn’t as bad as it could have been. He was definitely miserable, but not terribly. It made it a lot easier on me to cope with. Threw him some antibiotics and he was on his way to recovery quickly. Thank goodness it didn’t become an allergic reaction. I was nervous for a second because he’d never been on antibiotics before. Phew!

Disney World was a spectacular amount of amazing. He was an absolute gem and couldn’t get over the fact he only slept a combined amount of roughly 45 minutes the entire day. The day started at 8 am and didn’t end until nearly 1 am. That’s insane! He was on serious sensory overload and I loved it!

Isabelle is doing incredibly with softball. She’s so dedicated to getting good at it and it’s impressive. She’s sought after becoming a pitcher and you’ll find her frequently in the back yard practicing and it’s awesome. She’s come such a long way so quickly the coach is giving her a chance to pitch in a game tomorrow. She’s totally nervous, but in the good way. I’m so proud of her enthusiasm and her sticktoitiveness. It’s remarkable how much she can accomplish when she puts her whole heard and soul into something. Her grades reflect that kind of mentality as well. Basically she’s a near perfect child. If only we could somehow deflect from the fact she’s a bona fide teenager now.

She turned the big 13 yesterday and I’m still coping poorly. Over this past weekend to celebrate both hers and my birthday we went to Parker Canyon lake for some camping. The boat shop guy guess she was 17 or 18 years old, which of course made her beam and me cry. When I confessed she was my daughter, I’m fairly certain the poor man suffered from a brief arrhythmia. Don’t worry, he’s still alive.

Needless to say, she’s a lot more mature looking than her extremely innocent years. I might be a little obnoxious in my efforts to shield her from growing up, but dang it, I won’t allow her to. I wonder if there were times my mother would shut me in a little bubble occasionally for the same reasons. It’s just insane to acknowledge my baby girl is really no longer a baby. She’s speaking to me as though we are friends and quite frankly, it terrifies me.

Things are good, but I cringe at the pending shelf life. I know exactly what I was doing at 13. Even worse, I know what Josh was doing at 13 and that’s just enough to make me send her to a convent in the Swiss Alps until she’s 30.

Life is good in the Mayne house. Things continue to move forward and honestly there isn’t much going on to complain about. Sure, being a stay at home mother, I could find endless things to find wrong. But, the stuff that truly matters is right as rain.

The Year That Went Too Fast

THE YEAR THAT WENT TOO FAST

I went into labor for real at around 12:00 midnight on the 3rd of April 2010. I sat in my bed for about 45 minutes coping with the ever closer contractions playing Text Twist and argued with myself as to when I should concede this was actually the “time.” Three hours later, I heard the cries of Alexander Rolla Mayne. The joy I was feeling in those moments is immeasurable. My whole life felt as close to complete as it has ever felt.

This past Monday my little Alexander Rolla turned a year old. I look at this little person in total awe. He’s walking, babbling, eating everything we put in his mouth, and figuring things out at a rapid pace.

I went into his baby journal and wrote about his first birthday party and recapped the little moments that were worth noting. I went back to the beginning of the journal and found myself laughing, again. I’m never going to stop finding it funny the impatience I had during my pregnancy with him. Every moment of the entire 10 months and 1 week was ETERNAL! I was so anxious to hold him that I complained about how long it was taking to get to.

Now, I’m looking at the insane speed this past year has traveled and feel pretty silly for being so impatient. It’s true that when we want time to hurry, it slows. And vice versa. This has never been more true than right now.

While the evidence of warp speed is in Alex, whatever is faster than warp speed is evident in Isabelle. She’ll be turning 13 in less than a month and she lets me know as often as the thought crosses her mind.

She’s finally playing softball for a city league and I don’t think she’s been this consistently excited about anything in her life. We debated for a long time when the right time would be to put her in softball, and I believe now was the best time for her. She’s learning how to play so fast and she wants to be the best. After only a little over a month of practices and games, she’s focusing her goals. She wants to play softball through high school and get a scholarship to play for the U of A. Not a bad idea.

She recently received a letter from the National Honors Society (yearbook selling) congratulating her on her grades and dedication. I explained to her how grades and sports work in high school. I told her if she stays on the NHS and plays softball as well as we think she’ll be able to when she gets to that level, she’ll definitely get a scholarship.

Twelve/thirteen years old is an interesting age. I vividly remember what my priorities were at her age. It started with the intentions to do the same kind of thing...not sports per se, but getting picked up to go to school was something I really wanted to do. Boys, friends, and social life completely took over my priorities and essentially threw me off course. I hope with all my heart she’s able to stay as focused as she is right now. I hope I’ve instilled in her the proper mind set. So far it seems to be that I have, but like I said, this age is interesting.

My kids are funny. I’m floored I’m closing in on 31. I made fun of Josh for being 32. Yuck. We’re not babies at all anymore. If someone can show me how to slow this time thing down a smidge, I’d be eternally grateful.

Recovery

Recovery

We are getting things back to whatever one would consider normal. The dry wall has been replaced and we are ever so close to priming the walls and getting fresh paint up. The absolute worst thing right now is the illness cloud that has set on our house like a dense fog. It started with Isabelle. Then Alex. And without further ado...me. I, of course have had all of their sicknesses combined to create this super germ of awesome that is truly something to be investigated by the CDC. If I could go just one day without spiking a fever, I might actually get the energy to put some paint on the naked walls. Alas, they remain bare and cold. Sorry walls.

Carpet is being installed on the 10th and the splendor this pending project inspires is nothing short of poetry. The carpet we pulled out of the house over 2 years ago was the kind of gross you read about in science books. It was a blessing to remove, but expensive to replace. Thanks to the almighty IRS, we can afford to put that in the past and improve the quality of life in that space. I can’t wait!

The kids are alright. HA! Isabelle is apparently on a mission to drive me as crazy as humanly possible. She’s succeeding. The grey hair on my head is contentious to that of a 90 year old woman. It’s ridiculous. Slowly, but surely I’m embracing this flare of white as badges of honor. Truthfully, it’ll get colored next month. Nevertheless, this girl is proving to me the old cliche’ of “Your kids will be to you what you were to your parents.” Though, I don’t recall such aggravation being expressed by my parents. *snicker*

Alex has a whopping 6 teeth! Two on the top and four on the bottom. Because he was sick, I took him to the doctor and the doctor pointed out two other teeth that will be soon making their grand entrance. Super! He’s chewing on everything like a puppy. The other day, I was in his room cleaning up and discovered teeth marks on the inside of his crib rail. Go figure. Like a caged animal, he’s chewing on his bars. Hilarious. Still not walking yet, but he’ll do it when he’s good and ready to. In the meantime, I go out of my way to make him laugh. It’s the sunshine of my entire life.

Josh is now working the swing shift, which means I hardly ever see him. I loathe this shift, but the job pays the bills and permits me to be a stay-at-home mommy, so I complain as little as possible. He’s working a little more at the gun store while they’re in a transition of sorts right now. In addition to that, he still picks up as many interested students as possible to teach on the weekend. Needless to say, he’s a very busy person. Somewhere in between all that, he manages to keep me from losing my noggin!

Last summer sucked on a level immeasurable. This summer is shaping to be the exact opposite. I’ve written already about pending trips and visits and it pleases me to say the tickets have been purchased! There’s something so final about tickets being paid for that makes it all a reality! My sister and brothers will be here in July and I am beside myself with excitement! Alex and I will be flying to Tampa, FL for a couple of weeks in April, right after his FIRST birthday. Gross....I can’t believe that’s only a month away.

All in all things are going very well in the land of Mayne.

I find myself missing my family a little more every day. Distance has not been difficult to deal with over the past several years, but since Mom’s passing, I feel a sometimes neurotic need to have them all in my lap. Knowing that I’ll get to do that, if they’ll let me put them in my lap, this summer makes it all a little easier to bear.

Water Everywhere

WATER EVERYWHERE

A few weeks ago now we discovered an extremely blown water line in the house. I haven’t seen that much water inside a house outside of a bath tub ever. It took a few days, but we are now in a house with missing dry wall on walls and ceilings. Because I’ve never built a house, I’ve never seen frame work of my own home either. The search is currently on for a contractor to give us a fair price to fix everything. The company that initially came and cleaned the mess and eliminated the damaged portions of the house have blown me off. This is the second time I’ve dealt with being blown off by a contractor. Frustrating.

Today the second attempt at a quote will be made. Fortunately, Josh is coming home to handle it for me. Honestly, I’m exhausted with the whole thing. I’m looking forward to the house being put back together. All of our stuff is everywhere right now and being at home all day its super irritating to have such disorder.

There have been a few silver linings with this catastrophe. The first is we were days away from installing new carpet where the water ended up being. Phew on that! The damaged stuff from the water was all in need of replacing anyway. So instead of us having to pay for it to be done, the insurance is taking care of it for us. I’m pretty anxious to have it all finished.

The guys who removed the damaged stuff were gracious enough to avoid pulling apart the wall in Alex’s room. I literally had just painted his room before the water struck. All they pulled out were the base boards, so that’s a relief.

Aside from the house drama, things have been fairly normal around the Mayne house.

Isabelle had her first Valentine’s Day with a “boyfriend.” I still laugh at the notion of her having a boyfriend. She’s terrified of telling me anything because she knows I’ll tell her dad. Which was entertaining for me on Monday. She came home from school with gifts from her Valentine. She thought she’d be able to keep them from her dad, but alas, I’m her mom. There’s a certain level of joy I gain from her discomfort! Is that awful? If it is I don’t care.

She’s still maintaining straight A’s and doing her best in school. I’m constantly proud of her assertion in making good grades. I think she’s got a sound concept of the importance of academic focus. Her teachers all adore her and I believe that contributes to her assertiveness.

Alex is now the proud owner of 6 teeth. Four on the bottom and at long last, the two front teeth have made their way through. He’s chewing on everything. It makes me laugh because it’s just like having a puppy, minus the shoes being destroyed. However, I have to keep them from him when he’s cruising around.

He’s still not walking, but his confidence is constantly improving. He’s standing for a few seconds at a time unsupported and it’s cool. The other night he was playing with a softball. The ball was too big for him to hold with one hand, yet he wanted to stand up. So, he went from sitting to standing without any help. He stood there for a second or two before realizing what he was doing, then dropped the ball and held onto the coffee table. Getting excited about it was fun!

I can’t believe he’s almost a year old and I won’t acknowledge my daughter is nearly 13 years old. The notion is lost on my comprehension. I simply won’t accept it.

Overall things are good. Not too much to complain about. Being in this space of peace is wonderful. Despite the slight upset with the water, plans are still moving in the same direction I saw for us this year. The house is getting better and better. I’m so excited to see what this house will look like once we get the carpet done and the walls/ceilings fixed. The mission to hate my house less is still in full swing! The biggest goal is to have it all accomplished by Alex’s birthday. I don’t see any reason that won’t happen. *knock on wood.

2011

2011

Alex isn’t walking yet, and I really expected him to be by now. The cool thing is he’s keeping me on my toes! He’s climbing like a spelunker though! He doesn’t waste any time getting as far up on top os something as he can. I try really hard to not laugh at him, but he makes it so difficult because he’s hilarious. The new thing he’s trying to do is spit (raspberries) while eating. That’s is extremely hard to not laugh. Keeping Josh from laughing is like asking him not to breathe. I can’t help it either. But he’s so funny.

Isabelle turns in her science fair project tomorrow. I have to admit, I’m pretty proud of her this go around. Last year’s project, was in a word: awful. It was insane trying to work with her. This year, she’s shown a phenomenal amount of independence. Sometimes I had to coax her to make some choices on her own, but ultimately I let her make the final choices on the layout. Last night she put some of the finishing touches on her board and she’s very pleased with her results.

Every year I avoid making any resolutions at the new year. One thing I can only hope for things going smoothly and somewhat close to plan. Plans are typically a sure fire way to hear God laugh. This year I’m hoping we can get to a place we hate our house less. So far, we’ve made some significant advances towards that ideal. It’s going to be a slow process, but some progress is better than none.

I’m still a stay-at-home mommy and for a brief moment I thought that would change, but I’m sort of glad it didn’t. I got a little bit excited about the possibility of going back to work. However, taking a step back I think I’m being given a gift. It’s one of those things where you make plans and they aren’t what you’re supposed to plan. Dodging a bullet? We’ll see.

I’m anxious to see where this year is going to take us. Right now I’m looking forward to two specific events on the docket. April I’m taking Alex to Tampa, FL to visit my best friend and introduce Alex to what I’m hoping will be his future wife! It’s funny, but sort of true. My best friend’s daughter is 9 months older than Alex and we’re just simply infatuated with the idea of them marrying each other and tying us as best friends to family...legitimately.

Then July my brothers and sister are planning on coming to stay with us for the month! I’m beyond excited to see them in my house. We have big plans to execute and I’m super happy they’re coming! So, 2011 has some plans...wonder what’s coming that isn’t.

Mayne Family 2010-2011

Mayne Family 2010-2011

The year was wrapped up with a bang! Christmas was wonderful and quiet! It was a lot of fun to watch Alex and Isabelle open their presents and then play like kids. There’s not much in family holiday activity more fun than watching kids play with their new toys. Isabelle got her very own XBox a week or so before Christmas,and didn’t expect anything else considering the expense. However, we fully intended on getting her at least one game to go with her new console. I ordered Band Hero for her a week before Christmas and anxiously waited for the arrival.

The coolest part was wrapping it right in front of her. I told her it was Alex’s “big gift.” She totally bought into my fib. Humility at its finest. I told her it can be fun to watch even a baby open a gift you don’t know about. Since she’d been a part of all aspects of Alex’s gift checklist. It was fun to lie to her...even just a little innocent lie to a kid is alright.

On Christmas morning I waited for all the gifts to get opened before Alex’s final “big gift.” I put it in front of Alex and asked her to help him open it up. It was funny to watch because the box in the box was upside down. I helped her flip it over and the moment came! She lit up like the Christmas tree we were sitting under. It was so much fun for her to get excited and then of course a family game of Band Hero. That is something Josh is extremely happy we don’t have any footage of. It was great!

Alex had no shortage of spoilage either. He was very loved by family and friends and he hans’t stopped playing with his new toys. It is great to have some developmental toys for him. He’s been scaling for the past month or so, but isn’t quite confident enough to stand on his own. Every once in a while he’ll get brave, but it only last seconds. A couple of toys he got encourage him to walk a little bit. I’ve been playing with the toys with him and he’s getting excited about it. Though I’ve been trying to predict when he’ll walk, he seems to be on a mission to prove me wrong. He’s still pretty young to start walking, but I’m anxious for him to start!

I was pretty spoiled myself. I don’t ever expect to be blown away, but this year I was more than blown away. I was given an iPad from Josh and I’m still in a little state of shock! It’s beautiful.

New Year’s Eve was a ton of fun too! Josh and I sent the kids to Josh’s mom’s house for the weekend and we went to a friend’s house and rang in the new year with flare and fireworks! Hands down, this was one of the best new year’s eves I’ve had a long time! It was wonderful to spend time with some amazing friends and close the door on a year full of intense amounts of bittersweet!

This year I hope will be full of wonder and joy. I look forward to the new chapters yet to be written! I wish you and your family the same optimism! Happy new year and cheers!