Mommy.... It's my favorite name

  Today was a long day! Jimmy and I left early this morning to drive to Mercy Children’s in Kansas City, MO only to   return back home all in the same day. BUT…… Today is the first day in a long time that my favorite ten-year-old could hear ‘normal’ for the first time!   It was just Jimmy and me in the car for 10 hours and I would do it all again tomorrow to hear him say as we walked outside for the first time, “mom, I can hear you so well! Mom, I love your voice!” For anyone who has listened to my worry, my fears and my tears as I tried to work through what was the best path forward for my son, THANK YOU!!! Today was it!!! This all started 18-months ago when we received a note home from school saying that Jimmy had failed two hearing test and that we needed to see a third party audiologist. I truly thought nothing of this, ‘maybe he had an ear infection? Or likely just wasn’t paying attention because he’s an 8-year-old boy?’ But In June of 2020 (still the height of ...

 Signing my Last Baby Up for Kindergarten I just signed up my last baby for kindergarten. I was newly pregnant with her when I did this the first time with her oldest brother, and I blinked and she’s old enough to go.   She is beyond ready; I almost wish I could have sent her last year. But thankful for one more year of daycare, one more year to be insulated from the ‘real world’ Our schools are amazing, but it’s heavy on a mama’s heart to let them spread their wings a bit. The real world isn’t always kind. It can be unforgiving and ruthless. And while I continue to hope that our world evolves the obstacles that girls (and women) face is different than their male peers. The love I have for all of my children is the same, but as a woman I know the challenges that lay ahead. Addi Jo, I cannot wait to see what you do next! My prayer for you is that you maintain your powerhouse, bigger than life personality. It okay to be “too much” for some people, the right people will like yo...

Oh this little boy. A rare photo of him solo and WITH a real smile. My middle little, you’ll never know how much I have worried and worked to make sure you never felt “the middle kid syndrome”. And this is something I will continue to do for the rest of time. You have the kindest heart and purest soul, you’ll do anything for anyone without ever being prompted or asked. This is much like your dad, the two of you have a generosity that is hard to find. You have grown up so much this year, started kindergarten and (not surprising) made many new friends. To know you is to love you. You are authentically yourself in all you do and all you say. I hope you keep this trait, you do not waiver your decision based on others opinion and that makes me very proud. Whatever you say you genuinely mean, nothing is a ‘show’ with you or to be a people pleaser.   For being a six year old little boy your ability to go from wild and crazy to nurturing and paternal at the drop of a hat anyt...

I often tell the kids in a joking way to “stop growing up” or after they do something that is helpful or have good behavior I’ll say, “how did you get so grown up?” they usually just laugh and love the praise and acknowledgement, not really saying anything in return. It is no secret that Jimmy talks A LOT! (I mean he NEVER stops) Sometimes in the mists of dinner, bath, bedtime, homework, the dog, grocery shopping, trying to talk to the hubs, it can get frustrating to never have a moment of silence when that little dude is around. He often moves down on his discipline chart at school for that very reason. When I pick him up from school to ask what color he ended on and his eyes drop. “I was talking to much again.” It’s frustrating and slightly amusing, but I worry about him going to Kindergarten. He is SO much different than his big brother, and I hate when people compare the two, Jake is stereotypical first child (not that that also doesn’t have its downfalls) and aims to ...

I have been meaning to write down Addi’s birth story, mainly because I don’t want to forget it. As a little girl, and still now, I love to hear the little details about the day I was born. I realized the last blog that I wrote  was about Jimmy praying for his baby sister to be born. And it just so happened that the next day she was! Adaline Jo was born Thursday, November 3 rd , 2016 at 5:14pm. She joined us weighing 8lbs 1 oz and 19inches long. And just like it had happened the two times before, I heard those first cries and the world stopped spinning. There is nothing in my life that can top the moments in which each of my babies took their first breath, it has happened now three times and it was just as awe-inspiring and magnificent each time. I am a planner by nature (something that can annoy my husband with my lack of spontaneity and continuous list making), and with the end of pregnancy nearing I inevitably thought of when labor would start and what the “plan”...

Oh it has been far too long, and there has been a lot of change in our house! We are expecting baby #3! If you have read any of my last blogs you know that Jake prayed and prayed and prayed for a baby girl. From the second we told him mommy had a baby in her tummy he was adamant that it was a girl. Almost so sure it was a girl that I was nervous for the let-down if it was a new baby brother and considered not finding out. But alas my curiosity got the best of me and we had to find out!  Sure enough….a little bundle of pink was on the way! And when we told the boys Jake’s reaction surprised us, he was more excited when I told him we were having tacos for dinner. Mommy: Are you excited buddy? Jake: Of course! Mommy: I thought you would be a little happier. Jake: I am happy, but mom, I KNEW it was a girl. I have always known! To back up a little we found out we were pregnant in early March after moving my sister to Utah I just didn’t feel right, and those two little p...

I started this blog as a way for the boys to read stories about themselves when they got older, stories that I would inevitable forget, because life is busy and sometimes the day-to-day stories can get lost. I have not written in a while and I hope to do a little better this year. March 11, 2016 My boys are ALL boy so much of the time.... that is it utterly exhausting. (If you are not sure what "ALL Boy" translates too, please come over and babysit my children for me J .) While they love each other fiercely they are also each other’s biggest competition. Everyday someone is faster, stronger, taller, eating breakfast faster, putting on shoes sooner, getting dressed by themselves better, playing star wars better, better batter/catcher/runner, made more baskets/rebounds/points, …. The list goes on! The “friendly competition” at any time during the day can turn from friendly to ‘death-match’ in about .2 seconds. And as crazy as it sounds ends almost as quickly as it star...

From the moment that we brought Jimmy home and I realized I have TWO little dirty diaper machines, I dreamed of the day when diapers, and blowouts would be a thing of the past….This is not to say that I didn’t love their sweet tiny baby years, but I could have dealt without the poop-up-the-back incidents. Well, I can safely say it….We have TWO potty trained boys! It has now been a week accident free. I held my breath, thinking that this may just be a flute, but it’s the real deal. I have TWO “big” boys. I am so very proud and excited for my little Jimbo that he did it! And he is proud to let everyone that he knows (and doesn’t know) that he is potty trained,” JUST like Jakey!” My, how fast it goes. While in the middle of dirty diaper duty 24/7 I thought it was never ending….I am sure our garbage man did too. But it is such a short time of their life that they are in diapers. It is said that once you overcome one obstacle and you are on to the next, I find this especially t...

Last night our dinner was nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary. It was a typical ‘ghetti’ night.  It was just the little boys and me sitting down to eat, Daddy had a meeting that he was at and was not going to be home for dinner. I used to fear the nights when Jared had to be away and I was left on my own to get dinner prepared, the boys fed, baths done and get them both down for the night.  Last night over our very ordinary dinner, I realized (as I do about 100 times a month) that time has flashed forward once again. I am no longer trying to decipher my young two-year olds request for dinner while I finish nursing a newborn that won’t let me put him down. In those nights I would doubt myself, my mothering abilities and sanity. It was so hard, there were two little people dependent 100% on ME and it could be exhausting.  When daddy was at his meeting my evening seemed to consist of someone always crying, that many times included me.  I would see other mothe...

After having kids I rarely use the words, peaceful, blissful, or perfect to describe my house….before kids I would have.  Before the boys we had a coffee table that actually had items on it.  Soon after kids came all those items were quickly removed to protect their value and my sanity from keeping them out of their little hands.  My husband and I would come home from work to make whatever WE wanted or “make it easy” and go out to eat for dinner.  After children the 5 out of 7 nights of the week there is at least one of us that is not happy with the dinner option….(yes sometimes that is even me…… I don’t want to have spaghetti again tonight!) It almost makes me laugh out loud as I type this how “easy” it used to be to ‘go out for a quick bite.’ Even if it is just Jared and me, we have to have ‘systems in place’ to even go out. And if we bring the boys, there is nothing ‘easy’ about that dinner. Usually bribery is involved, bribing them to sit still and eat...

Wow, it has been far too long since I have had a minute to sit down and write.  I don’t think I really have that much time now but I am making the time.  Yesterday, I was busy scurrying around trying to get last minute items for the boys and for family along with stopping by the grocery store to get the ingredients to make the dishes I need to prepare for the family parties I am reminded how buys this time of year is.   I was not with my smiley, happy….sometimes crazy little boys and I was actually able to concentrate on what I needed, I was able to take in what was going on around me and wasn't zeroed in on the two little boys in the cart. However, surprisingly, what I realized is how much I wished the boys were with me. (For moms of little kids I know this sounds crazy) but when they are with me I don’t have time to see or realize the ugliness that this season can bring. When I have the boys with me the ugliness that can come at this time of year becomes s...