Monday, February 16, 2015

Living life


Not posting much.  Just trying to enjoy life.  Stopping to take pictures and write either causes me to lose memories or sleep.  I don't like losing either, however, my memory itself is so bad, I get afraid that if I don't write things down I'll forget things.

Jaemin has been great.  I sent to his Valentines party and he really does act like most of the other kids, most of the time.  I love that he will still hug and kiss me goodbye in front of his classmates when I left to go to Chelsi's for a bit.  He's still struggling with writing.  We work hard, at night, to get a handle on this, literally.  I love that he comes to me and tells me that if dad doesn't want to snuggle, he will.  I love how much he loves to take care of me and know it won't last forever, but he's such a sweetheart.  He's getting to be so smart.  He has great comebacks now.  He's beginning to think so fast.

Chelsi is beginning the moody phase of pre-teens.  She's still doing well in school, but for the first time ever she's struggling in science.  Not struggling the way most parents think. I mean she brought her grade right back up to an A, she just had trouble on the state of masses.  She cracks me up at how much she wants everyone to feel loved and never left out.  She had written me a thank you note around Thanksgiving as part of an assignment.   It was a sweet note to thank us for adopting her saying she didn't know where she would be without us.  Last week, she wrote me another letter telling me how great of a mom I am and thanking me again for adopting her.  She said it wasn't an assignment, they just had to write anything and that's what she chose.  I explained to her she never owes us anything for adopting her, but that it was sweet of her to say.  Brian felt left out that she always wrote "I love you mom" for everything.  So when I was at her party, she gave me something she decorated that said "I love dad", but you could see the outlined MO behind it.  She had begun to write "mom" and partially erased it.  I told her her dad would be able to see it, so she grabbed it and erased it the best she could.  It was too funny.  That day, she brought home a construction paper, pink heart, that said the they all loved us both "equally" and we "should never forget it".  She signed everyone's names.  I asked her if she was sure about that and she said "well me and Jaemin anyways".  She's so funny AND sweet.

Kaelin is still on the easily erased side.  Meaning she easily erases the details of what she should do and does some of them, some of the time.  But, if you want someone to take care of the family, it's her..  I got up this morning and she was getting ready to warm up Jaemin's biscuits and gravy.  She would have had him eat, got him down and cleaned up the mess if I never came in.  She's Chase's buddy.  When he went out to clean snow, she was out there with him, working hard, right behind  him.  She struggles in school and math is not her subject, but if I gently remind her as she gets out fo the van to "bring your grades up", she will.  She wanted signed up for parks and rec volleyball again this spring and when I contacted last year's coach she said she could be on the team because she didn't play club, even though it's just parks and rec and she's just a 6th grader.  She said she would just play with kids from other schools.  Secretly, I hope when they try out for 7th grade at school, she kicks some butt, because I think it was a jealous mom thing more than a club thing and it was pretty mean to only exclude 2 girls from our school.

Chase is trying to take football a little more seriously.  He's working out 3-5 times/week.  Whenever the weight room is open anyways.  The bad parents we are, we give him ice cream as an incentive.  Hey, he could use the weight gain, so it's okay right now.  He must be growing.  For the last 3-4 weeks he's been eating a crazy amount of food and is constantly still hungry.  I haven't seen him do this in years.  Jaemin's following big brother in the eating area.  We have a lot of concrete and Chase wants lure materials so bad that he pretty much cleaned 4-5 inches of snow off the whole thing (upper and lower driveway). He's out of money after he cleaned himself out (not his bank savings) to buy the rifle and he just loves to make his lures so much.  We paid him for the driveway by buying some supplies he badly needed.  I don't mind spending a little more than we would have paid in cash for something that's a really good, creative hobby for him.  I think he's trying to go into manhood right now as his voice is finally starting to crack just a little.  Off and on....mostly off, but it has been doing it from time-to-time.  But, heck Cole still cracks on occasion.  Hoping he'll focus a little more on his grades now.  His grades are good, but his potential is better.

Cole is trying to grow up, but at the same time is not ready for the responsibility of a person with no school life.  Meaning if he doesn't go to college, the reality of working fulltime and paying his bills might be hard.  He needs to earn enough for his junk food stomach.  I think he's got more in mind than he lets on.  I think he may be scared, just a little, about real life and doesn't want to talk about it often and I get that.  I just hope come August, he'll either be in the union or going off to college.  He's smart and he can do it all.  He just has to want it.  Whatever it is, I hope he tries hard.

I finally did get my camera out today.  And don't mistake Jaemin and Chase's faces for unhappiness.....it was COLD!






Monday, January 12, 2015

Wrestling


It was Jaemin's first and only wrestling tournament Saturday.  He had fun  but he hasn't asked to do more, so we're not going to overdo it so he can continue to just enjoy it.  Besides, there's still like 6 more weeks of practice.  Still great therapy!






annual trip


Or it seems like an annual trip because all the boys have gift cards after Christmas.  Onwards to Bass Pro and CiCis Pizza after.  It's the only sit down we can afford.  Not bad at $35 for 7 including drinks.  This is how we frugal.  Would I like a nicer restaurant.  Sure.  But there are other things to spend that kind of money on.  And since we were finally in the area, we hit up the Asian store so we can make chapjae again.  Tomorrow it is.










Friday, December 26, 2014

Christmas 2014


They all had a good Christmas.  Jaemin got a little more out of sorts as the days went on, but I think it was just too much stimulation for his system.  It was definitely not like him.  Today will be a settling day for him for sure.  The kids got pretty much everything on their lists, plus some since most of the kids ask for very little.  Cole got the stuff for his truck, or some of it, that he wanted.  Chase has pretty much gotten a full camo outfit for hunting; from head to toe.  Kaelin got her volleyball shoes, but we do have to take them back since they were too small and her volleyball and some other small items.  Chelsi got a tablet; which she didn't ask for because she said it was too much.  Lucky her  momma is a really thrifty shopper and got one for hardly anything.  She also got Frozen dolls which she didn't ask for was really excited to see Anna and Elsa as every other little girl was over the week.  Jaemin got a ninja turtle doll to sleep with and a tablet which he really wanted....same as Chelsi's.

Brian and I had already spent the money we got from grandma and my dad on a toolbox for him (which he really needed) a splurge of shoes I would never have bought myself and a tv because the one in the bedroom was so small I was starting to have trouble reading the menu.  Yes, I'm getting old.

The food was awesome, everywhere we went, as usual.  That's my favorite part.  Sitting around, talking to family, laughing and snacking on some great food!

  


Thursday, December 11, 2014

Easy to joke


When our kids are little, it's so easy to joke about how are kids will be as teenagers.  I think most of us are guilty of saying things like "until they're a teenager and don't listen to me at all".  The brutal truth is; those teenage years do come.  All of the little things we previously joked about are suddenly coming true, and more, for most of us.  However, it's not funny.  It's so easy to get hurt by your teenager.  It's all to easy to cry at the actions of your teenager; your once sweet baby that you swore was destined for greatness. 

To hear moms of young children complain about not sleeping because of a baby or terrible twos becomes the new joke to the parents of teenagers except down deep we're actually envious of the lost, simple, years we didn't enjoy enough.  We wonder if we're simply repeating that mistake with our big kids (young adults).  The problem with teenagers is the worries are so much bigger.   The mistakes they make are consequential to the rest of their lives unlike toddler grievances.  Little kids can make you feel bad, but no one can make you feel like a more of a failure of a parent than your young, very independent, adult.

Our jobs now, and its a tough one, is to try really hard not to let it get to you.  That's my biggest failure or weakness.  Your call.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Getting out.


I stayed home with a sick little boy yesterday.  Monday night Chelsi had come home and said her stomach and head hurt....or at least I think it was Monday.  It may have been last week.  I'm losing track of everything anymore.  That evening, she tossed her supper and felt better and was ready for school the next day.  Jaemin came home Thursday from school and Chelsi said he, very quickly, fell asleep on the bus that afternoon, so we suspected.  He said he wasn't sick, but he really, really wanted to go to wrestling practice.  We told him that if he was sick he wouldn't want to get his teammates sick.  He decided he needed to stay home because he had a headache and as the night went on the fever set in.  It was just low grade, but his head was hurting.  By morning, it was inching to 103-104.  We just kept giving him some tylenol.  He was eating a little, so that was good.  He stayed in my room all day and we watched tv, held him and he drank a ton of water.  He was really good, but definitely a momma's boy when he's not feeling well.  I decided I needed to get out today.  Kaelin ended up feeling bad last night, so Chelsi and I went grocery shopping and ran errands today.  I took her to Chik Fil A for her character award she'd earned.  She got the award for being Polite in October.  She enjoyed her first trip there.  We went to the mall to pick up an order.  Only her second time being in a mall in her life (9 years).  Crazy, I know, but we don't mall shop.

She and I were working on teacher's gifts.  I don't have much in my budget, Christmas just isn't a big budget, so we have to be super creative.  She was great.  We went to the $1 store and found buckets, some pretty filling, topped cups, their teacher's favorite candies, gum and pens.  We filled up the green bins with the filling, tissue paper, green/white (school colors) topped cups, gum, pens and candy and they looked so nice when we were done.  Luckily, Chelsi is a very detailed girl and knew her teacher's favorite candy, so we got it.  One got laffy taffy and the other got some Russell Stover chocolates and they both got snickers.  We had to put the buckets in the car for the weekend and they're giving them to them early because we're afraid someone will eat the candy if we put it under the tree.  :)  We got home after all of our trips and Jaemin was feeling quite a bit better.  Not eating as much as he was before, but definitely energetic now.

All I have left of Christmas shopping is one thing for Cole that I don't want to order until the last minute and something that needs to get to Walmart for Chase for his grandma to give to him.  All is wrapped and under the tree.  Cards are written out and ready to mail.  We're doing good with it and ready to relax for Christmas, hopefully.

Artist


Chase is a budding artist.  I think he has actually budded already.....is that a word?  Anyways, someone gave us a used saw blade to see what he could do with it.  WOW!  And his lures are amazing.  Totally designed and tested by him.  He carves them, makes their eyes, makes their spoons and builds everything himself before he artistically paints each one of them.

He's amazing!