School's Out!

Almost.  We're down to 3 days.  Part of me is ready for a break from the routine, but summer is so busy!  I've got the kids signed up for activities, but tried to limit it this year.  Most of their activities are a day here and a day there so hopefully it won't be too bad.

Cole is playing youth soccer.  He seems to enjoy it and I know I do.  I struggle with the whole "be a parent and not the coach" thing, but I'm trying to keep it in check.  It's a very basic league.  They focus on giving everyone playing time in all different positions.  It's been good for him.  He's signed up for 4H camp and a day of FCA camp with his chosen sport, cross country.

Tate wanted to play soccer, but he is too young yet this year.  Instead he'll be doing baseball, which is thankfully only 1 night a week for the month of June.  Shelby is signed up for T-ball which should be entertaining.

I'm trying to get everything finished up in the last week of school.  Once Cross Country is over in the fall I don't have to think about it again until the end of the school year.  Never fails the end of the year approaches and I'm not ready with summer workouts and getting captains in to visit 6th graders.  I think it all got done.  I'm also trying to use up my budget and get answers to some end of the season stuff from this fall.  It's all been very frustrating.  Dealing with the administrative part makes me wonder why I do this.  Tonight I got a little validation.  I was chatting with a former runner, who moved, and he was telling me he was going to miss running for me next year.  I like our program, but it's far from great, but whatever.  He told me I was the only coach he's ever had who would have chosen him over his brother.  I think what he was trying to convey was that I never compared him to his brother.  They are 2 very different people and I enjoyed having them both run.  His comment made me feel pretty good.  I just want to give kids a place to belong.  They don't have to be the best, or even good, to be part of our team.  Runners come from all different cliques in high school, but in cross country, they are even keel.  I guess I accomplished that for at least 1 of them.

In other news, I joined the direct marketing world.  I started selling LuLaRoe clothing.  It's been an up and down start, but I'm hoping June will level out a bit.  If you are on facebook here is my group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/969423743151626/ 

Spring!

The calendar says spring and they are forecasting a few inches of snow tonight into tomorrow.  It can't be too far away though, because baby kitties!

We have a bazillion cats, but only a handful of tame ones.  Peanut had 4 babies a couple of weeks ago.  She lost one when her box tipped over, but still has 3 healthy babies.  Our housecat, Cingrilla, also had a litter a few days later.  She had a total of 6 babies, lost 1 right away, but still has 5 babies in a box in our basement.  I am not sure how I am going to get all of these cats out of my house.  If anyone wants a kitten...I'll even throw in free replacement if it doesn't make it :)  We have a few we can spare.  

Peanut's newborns

Shelby with a Cingrilla baby

Things have been running fairly smoothly.  Pat's parents took a 10 day trip to Hawaii which left Pat and I in charge.  My sister and dad came to help get the kids ready for school so I could milk in the mornings.  Upon his parent's return, we headed to Sioux Falls for a night without kids.  Pat's dad is having knee surgery again, today, so we wanted to get away before we won't be able to for a while.  We didn't have anything specific in mind, just a little shopping.  We came home with a new car.  That was not the plan, but I'm weak and wasn't about to say "no, don't buy me that nice shiny new car!"  We traded in our Expedition for a Yukon.  I didn't realize how much Pat hated the Expedition, but he really likes the Yukon.  I really like all the fancy buttons and gadgets!  

The boys took swimming lessons and finished up last week.  They were both in the same level this year.  Tate moved up last year and Cole didn't move on.  I wasn't sure how it would go.  Tate is just generally a bit more daring and athletic than Cole is.  Cole also tends to sink like a rock.  They both managed to pass, which was exciting.  

I am so ready for warmer weather so I can send my kids outside!  Tate and Shelby have been at each other more than usual lately.  They are like oil and water most days.  The other night Shelby went to Pat's sister's with his parents.  We didn't let the boys go since it was a Sunday night and would be late getting home.  All evening Tate moped around asking when she'd be home.  Monday morning, while he was getting ready for school, and she was still sleeping (which is the norm), he kept asking when she'd be up.  They can't stand to be around each other and they can't stand to be apart.  

Cole is not the most outgoing kid.  He doesn't need a lot of friends.  He tends to be more of a loaner.  He's not and never has been very empathetic.  He made a great friend last year in second grade and they are still getting along great this year, despite different teachers.  He was invited to a slumber party this week to the house of a new student in his class.  I asked him who else was invited and he listed his best buddy, another boy, and another boy who is special needs (I think he's on the autism spectrum, but am not positive what his diagnosis is).  He explained that they were thinking that Z~ probably didn't get invited to a lot of parties, so they thought they would invite him.  I was floored.  I couldn't ask for better friends for him than that.  I hope they keep that attitude through high school.

Tonight I am heading to Mayo to get my memory tested and brain scanned over the next couple of days.  My sister and I have been participating in a research study for the last couple of years.  I hate it.  I'd love to pull the plug and say "I"m out!", but I know that's not an option.  I love spending time with my sisters without kids, but I'd rather do it on a warm beach than while getting injected with radioactive dye.  Adulting is hard.

2 years in recap

I recently headed back home for the first time in a long time.  I was informed that a few people still read this, so I will try to update once in a while here.  I'm not making any promises, but I'll try.  So the last 2 years...

 Shelby.  Our little sassy pants is almost 4.    She's got quite an attitude on her.  She makes us laugh and cry.  As another friend put it "One minute she's butterflies and rainbows, the next fireworks and hand grenades."  We are almost out of diapers.  We're just using up the last of our pullups and then I hope to never purchase diapers again for as long as I live :)

She started preschool, 2 mornings a week, this fall.  She loves school and all her friends.  Her favorite thing is coloring and after the photo on the left, we have banned all markers from her room.  She's only allowed to color in public places.  :)

Tate is now 7 1/2.  The other day I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he told me either a "football player, or maybe a soldier, probably a farmer, but I kind of do that already."  He enjoys school, first grade this year.  He's had difficulty with reading.  He's grown a lot this year, but we will be testing him for dyslexia next month.  He's a smart kid and retains information (ask him about WWII), but he can't read very well.  It's frustrating for both of us.

Cole is 9 1/2.  He's getting close to double digits and I'm a little freaked out by it.  It's going too fast!  His ear problems have been good.  He can ride a bike like a pro and his rechecks have come back clean.  He's in 3rd grade now and things are getting a bit more challenging for him.  He reads everything in sight and was in the elementary math league this year.

Both boys are in piano lessons this year.  Neither of them are Beethoven, but they seem to enjoy it.

 We did some travelling this year.  This summer we headed west and hit up some national parks and monuments.  Teddy Roosevelt, Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore, and Badlands.  It was a quick trip, but we saw a lot and added Montana and Wyoming to states the kids have been.  (Cole did a map in 2nd grade that was a bit depressing, so we needed to remedy that).  This winter we headed south for a few days, Fargo South, aka Frisco, TX, to watch the Bison win their 5th straight national championship.  We had a great time and the kids handled the car like champs (iPads and DVD players help).  We added Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to their maps with stops in Witchita and OK City.  We visited Legoland and the Fort Worth Stockyards, but their favorite, except Shelby, was watching the Bison win.

I added California to my state map.  I'd only seen the inside of LAX prior to my visit to San Diego with some NDSU friends.  We had a girls only weekend and had a great time.  It was warm, but not swim-in-the-ocean warm.

Now we are back to muddling through another winter.  I look forward to sun and snow-melting temps.

Spring has Sprung!

Spring has finally arrived!  Pat has been busy digging and planting corn.  We haven't seen much of him in the last few days.

Spring also means baby chicks!  This year we decided to add a few ducks to the flock.  It's been a few years since we've had ducks.  We don't raise a lot of birds.  We tried to sell some last year but what we have to sell them for to break even is a bit higher than most people are willing to pay.  So we'll stick to raising them for ourselves.

 We moved them out of their tub into a plastic calf hutch.  We can't let them roam, or they will become really expensive dog treats, so we have an area penned off where they can roam and 2 hutches for shelter.  It works well.

 Shelby loves the chicks.  As soon as we set foot outside she asks "chicks?"  She tries to pick them up and then squeals at them.

Tate is our chicken whisperer.  He'll just quietly stick out his hand with some feed and they'll come up to him and start pecking away.

Mother's Day

Today is hard.

I think Pat knows that.  Yesterday he spoiled me.  We took the kids and went to the Terry Redlin Museum and then to the Children's Museum.  It was a fun day.  After that we went to a sporting goods store and he bought me some UnderArmour workout gear, which I would never spend that kind of money on myself.  He even looked at ellipticals and gave me the ok to get one.  I've been looking at them for years.

Today is still hard.  Not too long ago my mom would call once a week and tell the same story over and over again.  Not just the same story she told last week, but the same story she had already told you earlier in the conversation.  Then I would call my sister and we would compare the same story she told and vent about what was wrong with her (we didn't actually know then) and how annoying it was.  What I wouldn't give for the phone to ring and to hear my mom's voice on the line.  So today is hard.  I love my children and am grateful that I am their mom, but I miss the mom that helped me become the person I am.

Last Day of Preschool

Tate had his last day of preschool on May 1st.  Yep, he was still wearing his winter coat, hat, and gloves on the last day of school!  Have I mentioned we get out ridiculously early here?

 That afternoon, they had graduation.  It was a big deal for him, and probably a bigger deal for me.  This marks the end of a 4 year stretch of having a child in preschool with the same teachers.  They are obviously fabulous for putting up with me for 4 years :)

On the last day of school, each kid takes a turn sitting in the big rocking chair and their classmates can say something nice about them.  Tate's teacher teared up trying to tell us about what some of Tate's friends said.  He's made some great friends this year and I hope they become lasting friendships.  Here's to my brand new kindergartner!

Therapy

Cole has been going to PT for a few weeks now.  It's going well.  I can see a difference.  He still hasn't mastered the bike, or the swing, but last time we tried he didn't get frustrated like he has in the past.  We'll be going down to just once a week.  I am a big believer in PT.  It's bizarre, some of the things they do, but it works.  Cole does a lot of things that make him dizzy.  He nods his head up and down, sitting still and while walking.  He does a lot of balance activities and multi-tasks, like throwing and catching 2 balls, or catching while jumping on a trampoline.  Once the weather turns nicer, we will be putting more time in on the swings and on the bike.  I finally hooked up the trail-a-bike and am hoping that helps him.  Tate and I checked it out this morning and he had a blast.