I Can Hear

Two weeks ago, Kyle took H to the Dr for a hearing test.  She saw a new doctor that Kyle and H really liked, and the new Dr. is located in Vancouver.  Woo Hoo!  That saves us a trip to OHSU!  Anyway, she walked out of the room where she had her hearing test done and she said to Kyle, "Dad TALK!!"  He did, and he saw a smile on H that he had never seen before.  She could hear out of both ears.  H was wearing a Baha hearing device.  Kyle made an appointment for next month so that we could go together to see about getting her this new device.  We have to see what insurance will do as well as start thinking about ear reconstruction.  Kyle and I are still really torn about that, but fortunately it isn't something that we need to decide today.  However, we have decided to further explore the hearing device.  The cool thing about this is that a tiny hearing aid is attached to a head band so it just looks like H is wearing a head band.  She has kept her ears covered for the last year or so and she will no longer let me put her hair in a pony tail.  :-(  So she was very happy that the hearing aid is covered by her hair.  Kyle said to me, "Oh you should have seen her face when she heard me talk."  So the decision has been made to see what we can do so that H can finally have bilateral hearing!  I texted one of my friends to tell her about this and her response was, "You forget that she even has an impairment because she is so amazingly confident."  That's our girl!!!

Now to only figure out a way to Bedazzle it!!!  :-)

Blessed verse Stressed

Disclaimer:  While my blogging readers are few (Hi mom!) the purpose of my blog is so I can freely write which has proven to be a stress reliever for me at times.  So this post will not contain funny quotes from H nor will it be contain pictures of my my little darlings or my dog.  :-)  Two minutes ago, I said to my husband, "I'm going to go blog."  He said, "You're not grading tests tonight?"  Me:  "Nope, blogging instead." 

If you leave now, I'll never know nor will you be bored with the random thoughts that are swirling through my head.

Teaching
I love my work.  I love what I do A. LOT!  I love working with teenagers.  On most days, it feels natural and it is just what I do.  I have one class of Seniors this year.  I look at them and marvel at where they are headed.  I feel like I am mother "Hawk" keeping them captive under my wings as these kids are ready to soar.  So many of them are so ready to leave the Hawk nest also known as HHS.  I am pretty attached to this group, and I think it is because some of these kids were my second graders oh so long ago.  They kind of remember me as their second grade teacher, but I remember them like it was yesterday, and now these kids are asking me for letters of recommendations for college applications.  So while I love these kids, this is a hard subject for me to teach.  It has been a long time since I have read Spanish literature and have used oh my goodness the pluperfect subjunctive tense.  I am once again the student.  I am having to study.

Now the rest of my day is with my darling Freshmen with a few Sophomores sprinkled into the mix.  The older I get, the more I adore Freshmen.  It could also have something to do with the fact that my own child is 3 years away from being a Freshman.  How can that be?  I digress....   I have one afternoon class in particular that is full of Freshman football players.  They are so fun, but oh so exhausting.  :-) "No Johnny (fake name) you can't tell me that Grace intercepted your assignment."  Gosh, I love them!!!  These kids make me smile, and they bring me a lot of joy, but....
the joy leaves quickly at 3:30 when I look at the piles of assignments to input, the Ipads that are in my room in which I need to get into the kids' hands and somehow become this cutting edge teacher who is facilitating this fantastic regimen of video lessons and oh gosh I don't even know. SIT, SIP, BLT, SIOP, PBIS. What???and How does this apply to my classroom?, the 100+ tests that need to be graded and the list of parent phone calls I need to make not to mention, "What the hale am I doing tomorrow with these kiddos?"  These kids sit all.day.long and I work hard to make the 50 minutes that they are with me the most engaging that I possibly can.  However, all of this comes at a sacrifice which lately has been in the form of sleep or when by staying really late on a Friday night.  I know, right?  LAME!!  However, life is full so I work when I can.  While we are so blessed to be able to do so many things, the reality is that too many good things can still be too much, and I know Kyle and I both need to find a better balance.

Our Schedule in no particular order
~football
~tennis
~piano
~chimes
~youth group
~orchestra
~bible study
~Kids for Christ
~church
~Homework (I won't even get started on this one)
~laundry, dinner, clean toilets (yeah, that's important to me too)   :-)
~work

It is hard to cut from this list because they are all important.

With this said, the kids have had an awesome fall.  They seem balanced and happy!!  I could go on about  "Kyle I need to resign from teaching because I just can't do this any longer" but I won't.  I will say though that the kids have caught on.  One Sunday night when I broke and pretty much sobbed at the kitchen table after the kids went to bed, I think the whole family realized that 1)  Mom is exhausted and 2) I need some help!  (I'm not crazy!  That's not the kind of help I need even though Kyle will tell you different.  ha ha!) but Kyle also held up the mirror and said, "You don't have to do it all...You just don't!  Let something go!!!  I am working on that...stay tuned! As far as the kids are concerned, they have learned to do their own laundry and they are pretty efficient at doing the dishes and pitching in when needed.  I pay them well!  :-) ha ha!  In al of this crazyness, there is one thing I haven't let go of...

R.I.P.P.E.D
Resistance, Interval, Pylometrics, Power, Endurance and Diet.  (I ignore the diet part.  After all, I am eating Candy Corn as I type)  I fell in love with Zumba 3 years ago and seriously thought about leaving my career and thought about dancing the rest of my life away.  Okay, I didn't really think about leaving my career but I did fantasize about dancing my life away. However, last summer I needed something new.  I needed something that would make me feel like I am woman, hear me roar I was stronger and had more endurance.  I love the challenge of over riding my pacemaker.  I'm weird like that.  I like to know that my heart can defy what the doctors originally told me 10 years ago.  I am addicted.  I am addicted to RIPPED!  Kyle is supportive and I am so thankful.  He understands my need for this.  If I didn't work out, I would be home more, but at what consequence?  I might start sobbing if I can't work out...just kidding or NOT!

My 40th
I don't feel 40. (8 days and counting)  I feel wiser than 20 for sure but I don't feel old.  H reminds me every.stinking.day. that I am getting old so does Kyle...so unfair!  I have realized that I don't have a bucket list and don't really care to have one.  I just want to love my kids and my husband and my job to the very best I can AND to be able to do a cartwheel until the day I die!  Yep, that is my definition of a bucket list!!!

Kyle is taking me to Vegas for my 40th.  While schedule wise (missing K's playoff game and coming off a week of intense conferencing) it doesn't really make sense for us to take a trip.  My husband knows that "it never is a good time" but we need this trip.  Why we don't necessarily need to go to Vegas to rejuvenate, my Australian Circus Sister did buy us Cirque Du Soleil O tickets for my birthday.  Thanks Bek!!!  I have wanted to see O since the day I heard about it over 20 years ago.  I am so excited, but I am even more excited to not have an agenda for 3 days and to walk aimlessly while holding on to my husband's hand!!! 

So here it is...11:00pm and the tests still sit and my notes on pluperfect subjunctive still haven't come into focus, but I have! There is no reason to feel stress.  The title of this blog is Blessings and tonight they poured out of my head as I wrote. 



Embracing the crazy!

PS  Exciting news for H...we think in the coming months.  It is about her ear!!  I'll post on that soon!

You Win Some, You Lose One

Today I received a text from a friend that read, "You are such a football mom now!"  This coming from a friend whose son plays on our high school team.  What makes me a football mom?  A football mom watches with great anticipation every time her son runs onto the field.  A football mom cringes every time she sees a player down that is not getting up and she quickly scans the field to look for her son's number on the back of the jerseys.  A football mom sits at the edge of her seat or is standing the last few minutes of a really close game.  A football mom prays oh at least 15 times during a game.  A football mom also feels her heart swell with pride when she hears other parents yell in delight her child's number or name after he makes his very first interception.  Yep, that is me, I'm a football mom.  Today was a tough game.  NO.DOUBT.ABOUT.IT!  The opposing team had their game faces on today and they meant business.  They were a big strong team.  While the Seahawk team is strong, fast and has awesome team unity, today they had to surrender their win to a one point lead.  It was an emotional game. 

Six weeks ago, K very hesitantly walked onto the field for his first game. His team won the first game, but I don't think K with the exception of some shoulder blocking actually touched an opposing player. Game 3 (I think it was game 3), he finally had his first tackle. Game 5, he had his first touchdown (although called back) K ran the ball. Today Game 6, K intercepted the ball, and it was so exciting. Papa was there to see it! The best part for me wasn't the interception per se but it was this...

...teammates running toward K to congratulate him and...

the high fives and all the helmet taps.

 

It is always feels good to see a coach congratulate your son

but even better when it is his dad!

 

All Kyle and I ever wanted was for him was to be a part of a team, to feel the commodore of teammates, and to be a reliable player.  This week will be intense as the players have one more chance to make it to the playoffs.  Regardless of the outcome, I am so proud of what K has accomplished by being a part of the Seahawk team. 

 

There he goes.

Way more contact than 6 weeks ago.

Not only has he learned how to play the game.  He has learned teamwork, perseverance and the value of putting forth 100% effort regardless of the outcome.

He is building his character, and

relying on his father for advice and encouragement

He is part of a team.

 

The team had been undefeated until today.  The team felt the loss today

and you can see it in his eyes.  Like the coach said, "We move forward and focus on the success this team has had."  Tonight as a family, we focused on the interception and the fact that this week, K earned the team rock (second time this season)

 

On the outside, it just looks like a rock painted blue with a decal on it, but for the kids, this rock represents so much.  It represents the heart and soul of being a CCYF Seahawk!

 

Go Seahawks!!

 





 

Tennis

This summer H went to a tennis camp, and she loved it.  I put her in a rec tennis program this fall.  She is doing really well.  I don't know how much longer she will continue due to the fact that it has been difficult to get her there and that she has been begging us to let her dance.  H also plays the piano, plays the chimes at church, is involved with Kids for Christ and is a true academic must.do.homework.every.night. type of child, we are still working on finding that healthy balance that works for her.  I know for sure that she will finish out this session of tennis, but in the next few weeks we are going to check out dance studios to see if we are comfortable to finally let her dance.  While H is a really strong athlete, it is quite obvious to us that performing arts are really her passion.  Regardless, it is so fun to watch her play tennis.  We have nicknamed her "animal" because this girlie girl is just that as she doesn't hesitate nor is she intimidated.  I am really proud of her and how she puts 100% into whatever she is doing!  She amazes me!

I love this picture!  Why?...because she is looking UP!  Regardless of her future endeavors, she knows the power of Looking UP!  :-)

 

Father and Son

Fall Photos

Every year we take family photos in October.  Usually we sit among the beautiful fall colors and try to capture the "perfect family photo."  It isn't really about having the perfect photo, but about taking a time out from the day to day to capture a moment together.  We have our beautiful fall spot that we normally go to every year, but considering what this fall has consisted of for our family, we decided on a different venue. 

The family 

Our two "everythings"

US

Of course, we had to play.

When H isn't at the field, she is usually on the court.

Run K Run!

I loved tumbling on football fields as a teenager, and I had to try it again!

So beautiful!

H joining her brother for...

the ultimate sister tackle.

She may be his biggest competition.

What a year it has been for us.

The ultimate family fumble.

That's more like it!!

Fall Football

This year K decided to give football a try. While hockey was a great sport for him, he wasn't receiving the opportunity to be on an actual team. K had some friends at school that encouraged him to give football a try. He had his first practice in early August, and there is a good chance that the team will make it to playoffs in a few weeks. K has really enjoyed football. There have been some bumps and bruises along the way, but with everything in life, it's the bumps and bruises that build strength and character. Kyle has even joined in on the action as he is an assistant coach to K's team. It is pretty cool hearing other kids come up to Kyle and say, "Hey coach!" H and I are up in the stands yelling, taking pictures and praying for our #14!

 

 

Practice!

My cute #14

First time walking onto the field for a game.

Coach Kirby

Dad and son!

I love this pic of K and Coach C.

Game #5, and he runs the ball for the first time.

Excited teammates as it looked like K had scored. 

 Unfortunately, another player got called for holding.

Wearing pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month.