I do have to brag for a moment though. My oldest daughter Chelsey received a scholarship! Not just any scholarship though, it's the FIRST EVER Greg Sellnow Memorial Scholarship! For those of you who do not know who Greg Sellnow is, here is a great article about him and his unfortunate untimely death. Greg's wife, daughter and Father were there to present it to her, along with several Post Bulletin journalists. I was presented with a challenge when Chelsey called the night before her award ceremony, to tell me that it was tomorrow and there would be a dinner to follow. It was Brody's first night of soccer (more on that later), and I had to be in two places at one time. However, I felt it was more important to be there to support my first born than it was to be at soccer. After arranging our schedule and putting it in Ben's hands to deal with Brody's soccer practice, I was there. It was quite the ritzy dinner afterwards. Lots of schmoozing. But, it was an experience I will never forget. I am very proud of this girl! I am so honored to be her Mother. I remember the confusing time, at just 17 years old, not knowing what I was going to do with my life now that I was going to be a young mom. I was scared, confused, sad and felt very alone. It was one of the most down times in my life. I wondered what this child would grow up to be like, how I would make sure that she would do whatever she wanted with her life and that I would support her. Life presents us with many challenges. But, this girl knows what she wants and knows how to get it. When she started school, she listened to what I, and everyone else told her to do and be. She started off going for RN. She called me one day and told me her heart wasn't in it and that she wanted to be a journalist. I supported that, and told her to do whatever she felt her heart was leading her to do. I have seen her blossom since that day. No regrets. I feel such pride for her, my first born. I hope to have more moments like these with the rest of my children. What a great example she is for her younger siblings.
So-Brody started soccer. I'm the parent on the sidelines yelling "Help out your team! Get up! Run! Be aggressive!" Yep, that's me, while the other parents stare. Meanwhile, Brody is out there on the ground, looking for four leaf clovers. Bless his sweet little heart. This boy would rather find a flower or "pretty rock" to give to me or save for his collection. I'm not sure when you just know that a kid isn't cut out for a sport or certain activity. He will be six in July. Do we give it more time? Is it different because he's our first boy? Would it be different if he was a girl? I'm not sure. Last week he said he hated it. This week, even after barely participating in their mock game, he says he likes it and wants to go back. I want to say "WHY?!" But, we have three practices left and then we'll see what he prefers after that. He does very well in swimming, so we'll stick with that for sure. Everybody is different. I think this son of ours will enjoy non-aggressive activities and that's okay. He enjoys flowers and rocks and building things. That's my boy ;-) The photo below is from Tuesday, May 7th at Kindergarten round-up. He'll go to Kindergarten at St. Francis Catholic school this fall. He has had a full year of Preschool there and loves it. Many of his Preschool friends will be joining him there.
Big things and little things. They are all things and when it comes to little things, sometimes they are actually BIG. Let me explain. Alexa struggles in school. She always has and she probably always will. When I see four (YES-FOUR) F's on her report card followed by two D's and a B, I'm not surprised. I don't push her anymore. She knows there are natural consequences in life, and those consequences will be obstacles she will have to overcome. Do I see her posting from Twitter all day every day while she should be listening in class? Yep! However, last week she came home with a Geometry test that she got an 18.5 out of 19 on. To some parents, this is a little thing. To me, it's HUGE!!! This is one of her "F" classes. It is proudly displayed on the refrigerator. Baby steps. Little things. Pride is pride. I'm proud of my girl. Hopefully, that pride can be carried onto the next thing and the next. I'm not sure if college will be her thing. She has a few "other" ideas as well. She will maybe do Cosmetology school. She's great with hair and make-up. College isn't for everyone. I will be proud no matter what. She has talked about the military also. She has a gift with special needs kids as well. She's kind and sweet. She will be okay. She just has to find her groove and not let anyone tell her who she is or what she should be. As long as she is okay with it, it is good. I just worry about her sometimes because she is tall and blonde and beautiful with that bright smile. I don't want anyone to take her for granted or use her or make her feel anything less than the amazing girl she is. She's pretty silly, too. Hence, the picture below. We're always in the mood to goof off!
Brookie is accomplishing things, too. Aside from doing well in school (A's and B's), she has moved onto the next level in Gymnastics. I do not know one darn thing about gymnastics, but I know she is now doing an hour and a half instead of an hour, and that since she has been in Gymnastics, her grades have gotten even better. I think it helps keep her brain moving and also boosts her self confidence and esteem. I'll take it. She's doing well and that's a great thing. The best thing about Brooke is her ability to be Brooke. She doesn't care what others think of her and I think this will serve her well in life. Most girls would be pretty opposed to shaving their hair off. Not Brooke. She knows who she is and wears it well. Nothing but pride!
Summer lives a life I do not know much about or understand. I only hear bits and pieces. Since I don't participate in FB or Twitter, I am in the dark for the most part. What I do hear and see isn't usually what a parent would be proud of. In November, we came to the tough decision of asking her to leave. There were disruptions occasionally late at night, evidence of drugs or alcohol and seemingly constant fighting with me or her siblings over petty things. This has been probably one of the most stressful things our family has ever been through. I have always just assumed this girl would excel in life. She got near perfect grades in high school and is very intelligent. She was always the daughter who struggled the most with her own Father's drug problem. Yet, she has turned to drugs and alcohol. It doesn't make any sense. Maybe it makes sense to her. I am trying really hard not to judge. I won't go into detail. However, we have never been invited to her home, I'm not sure what kind of car she drives, what kind of grades she gets and I have no idea who any of her friends are. She was always very private with her friends and her life even as a child though, so, this doesn't surprise me. I do believe that one day she will mature enough to deal with her problems in a more healthy way. I know what kind of life her Dad has had because of drugs and I hope she doesn't follow in his footsteps. Well, I at least hope she can see that there are other options in her life. For now, I think she is holding down her full time job at Best Buy and I think she is doing "decent" in school, but I can't be sure. She doesn't tell me these things. She's a pretty girl, she's intelligent and she's troubled. I think her intelligence will win when all is said and done. Sometimes things like these add character. Until she gets her act straightened up, we are being very careful with when we will allow her around her siblings. We never know what she's going to talk about with her younger sisters especially. She brings up drugs and sometimes even talks about how fun they are. Not good when you're trying to raise them to rise above that kind of peer pressure. Even worse when it comes from a big sister-someone they are supposed to look up to. Unfortunately, I don't even have a recent picture of her. So, I'll insert one that I love of the girls and I about a year and a half ago. Summer is the second one on the left with her head tilted. These girls are just beautiful!
Last but not least, Owen!!! This little guy is a spitfire! Funny but fitting name for him. Funny, because that was my nickname as a child. He bounces off the walls most of the time. He's 3 1/2 but I still see him as a baby. He will forever be "The Baby". What a title to have. Maybe we need to stop referring to him as our baby. I'm not ready to give that up yet. He will join Brody in swimming this fall. He's looking forward to "training for the Olympics!", just like Brody is doing. Don't tell them otherwise!
Ben and I are doing well. Aside from some tummy troubles that seem to have gotten better for me (unsure of the cause), and Ben with shingles that have now healed, we are doing great. We don't have a whole lot of time for each other, but we try to get out maybe once a month to unwind. Last month we took in a play. It was a surprise date. My supervisor at work couldn't get to it, so gave us her tickets. It was a musical and was hilarious. We needed that laughter!! Plays are great. We don't do the bar scene anymore, so this activity fits our needs well. There will be more plays! In between our date nights, we are working and planning our move to Hawaii. Yes, seriously. No, really. Especially after this last winter, we are ready. We are working hard to get our school loans paid off and then we will get more serious. Right now, we're calling it the "Five year plan". How long will we call it that? Will it be "Four year plan" next year? Maybe it will always be the "Five year plan". Five years seems do-able. I have questions though. Like, will be be able to afford housing? Will any of the girls come with us? Where will the boys go to school? What will we do for work? I suppose if we are even half serious, we better start getting business worked out. We need short and long term goals. Until then, we dream BIG. I hope to have a few more Hawaii trips before that. Maybe we will change our minds. Maybe it's all just a dream that will never become reality. BUT-I will NEVER STOP DREAMING. I will also never stop longing for Hawaii.
PS-Ben's getting really good at perfecting his duck face. Haha!
I was in love with Hawaii before I even knew what it was. Grandma loved it and brought back view master slides, stories, towels, and a tan. With those stories came expressions that I didn't see on her unless it was when she was talking about Hawaii. She'd close her eyes when she'd tell them, and she'd smile. We'd lay out in the sun on top of the roof and "pretend we are in Hawaii". Her love of Hawaii became my love of Hawaii. Now that I've been there three times, I understand. Thank you, Grandma!! Someday, I need a post just about her. She's the most amazing person I have ever known. She's my soul mate.
One last thing. Here are some random pictures. I love sunrises and sunsets. I love cool views of this little city. I love seeing moments that I want to remember forever. I did not love the snow exactly a week ago that dumped 15 inches on us, but it did provide for some great photographic moments. A week later, aside from some trees that have been snapped off due to the weight of the snow, you can't even really tell there was a major winter storm on May 2nd!! The tree photograph was from the Cystic Fibrosis walk we did on Saturday, May 4th. I looked up and saw beauty. The walk was for our little neighbor guy Braeden. He's 4 and has CF. It was cold and wet and muddy but Braeden is worth it! I hope one day a cure is found for CF! If you are interested, here is Braeden's CF page. The walk is over, but you can still click to donate!
Tuesday, April 30th-Building art.
Thursday, May 2nd-BURR!
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