Flashback to the 50's

We went to a SOCK HOP on October 23rd. It was a mother/son event sponsored by our church and we had so much fun! We went with Jake and Ben from Blake's class and their moms. Last year's event was formal so the boys were thrilled to wear jeans, t-shirts and converse instead of a tie. Being a mom of boys, it is rare that I am able to just let "boys be boys", but at this event they slid on the dance floor and nobody thought it was odd because in a room full of 80 boys and their moms, what can you do? Thanks boys for a wonderful date!

Where have we been?

I know that I've neglected the blog over the past month. Life is definitely as busy as it has ever been with both boys in elementary school. Gone are the days of My Gym, Moms Club, MOPS, Mom to Mom and Little Kickers. Instead, we've moved on to Little League, Teacher's PET, school projects, field trips, reading logs, spelling tests and math timed tests for two boys instead of just one. I'm not complaining, just adjusting. We're going to a Mother/Son sock hop tomorrow night so I should have some fun pictures to post!

Now Pitching for the Yankees......

How cute is he? He is at the age where he doesn't want me to call him cute, but he is! He pitched on Saturday morning at The Field of Dreams and had so much fun..... his parents (and grandparents) are very proud. Aiden called out several times, "Throw the heat!" I don't think that he realizes that Blake has one pitch and throws only one speed, but he is a very supportive little brother.

The Letter

My sister and I were finally given permission last month to begin to go though my mom's clothing and personal items nearly five years after her death. We went through the closet in mid-August and today we met at my parent's home to complete the task and go through jewelry and some paperwork. This afternoon I opened the top drawer of her desk which had not been touched since she passed away. There were a couple of pictures that I saw immediately when I opened the drawer. Underneath the pictures, turned upside down was a letter addressed to my dad, me, my sister and my brother. I read the first couple of sentences and put it down. I looked at my dad and told him what I had found and commented out of frustration that I'm sure this was meant to be found long ago. It was a "last" letter, a "goodbye" letter, a love letter......
The letter was intended for all of us to read together once she was gone and now five years later it has been discovered. I am full of emotions..... My brother is living in Texas so he has not seen it yet. I am not going to write it out word for word or anything, but so many things that she wrote can be applied in lives of so many of our friends and family so I want to share the letter in a very condensed form.
She said first and foremost that she wants us to be happy. She wants us to stay active in Church and in our Bible Study groups. She wants us to be patient with each other and listen to each other. She hopes that we will document our family history in pictures and get together often as a family. She does not want us to hold grudges. She wants us to celebrate holidays and birthdays and make videos of these events. She wants us to be patient with our dad because she knows that this will be the most difficult for him. She wants us to put in writing who our kids will live with in the event that anything should happen to us. She wants us to have high expectations of our children, but fair expectations. She said that if the Lord allows her to that she will be watching over us. She says that she is lucky because she was given the time and opportunity to write to us before she died and that many people aren't lucky enough to be able to do that before they go. She said that the letter is typewritten because her handwriting is messy and that she would attempt to leave handwritten notes.... did she? I haven't found any yet, but I sure am hoping that she left some behind.
This was one of the most difficult days I have had in a long time. I can't help but think that there is a reason I didn't find that letter until today. Maybe I needed to hear her reminding me of all the things she wrote in that letter and if I would have found it five years ago, maybe it wouldn't have the impact on me that it did today.

The summary of life with us.....

I came downstairs a couple of weeks ago before anyone else was awake to find these on one of our kitchen chairs. I smiled and even laughed quietly outloud at the sight of the baseball gloves belonging to all THREE of my boys before I found the camera to take a picture. If you look closely you can see a baseball cap squished beneath the baseball gloves and I'm certain that someone was looking for it that morning. This sums up life in our house right now and I love every minute of it!

Empty Nest

At 6:22 am this morning all children were dressed for school (We didn't have to leave until 8:00 am) By 7:00 am everyone had eaten breakfast and they were ready to go. Our baby started kindergarten this morning and Blake started 2nd grade. It's 9:45 and the house is quiet. The only sounds are the dishwaher and my fingers typing on the computer keys.
Our children were both sent off to school this morning happy and excited for what the new year will bring. Jeramie and I are excited for them, but sad that they are growing up so quickly. We both prayed that each one of our boys will have a wonderful first day at school. They have both been blessed with teachers who are the best of the best since they began school and this year is no exception. They are so lucky!
What will I do today? No need to worry about that.... I will run errands on a week day by myself for the first time in over 7 years! I will read my daily devotion without fear of interruption and fold laundry without anyone knocking over the piles with a light saber. I will smile each time I think of their darling faces and know that it won't be long until it's time to pick them up and hear all about their first day. I will post pictures soon!
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it

2 Down, 1 to go....

My first blog post was all about my SUMMER MILESTONES....
1. Turn 35 (check)
2. Celebrate our ten year anniversary (check)
3. Make an appointment for a mammogram......
Well, I did attempt to make an appointment at the very beginning of JULY. The phone began ringing, I started to think about what I needed to say, tears began to flow and I hung up. I told Jeramie, a few family members, and a couple of very close friends about the failed phone call. I even had a couple of them offer to call for me, go with me, watch the kids during my appointment, etc......still, no phone call was made to make an appointment.
Last Thursday evening we hosted our small group Bible Study and at the end everyone was given the opportunity to share prayer requests. Jeramie was out of town, but most of our group was present (including 3 men, so I was hesitant to speak up) I shared with our group that I was having an extremely difficult time making my appointment. My friend Corinne asked me what it was that I was afraid of and I did not have an answer. Am I afraid of the process or the results or is it something else entirely? I honestly do not know the answer.
The very next day I had a text from Jessica, "Did you make your appointment? I'm praying for you!" I also had an email from Stephanie telling me that she understands my fear and how it seems to be paralyzing me and that she was praying for me.... still, no phone call was made to make the appointment.
Yesterday Jessica texted me again, "Did you make an appointment yet?" NOPE, I sure had not, but I told her I would call that afternoon.... I didn't call.
TODAY I called my Dr.'s office and I ended up talking to one of the friendliest and most understanding people I have ever come across while making a Dr. appointment. There were no tears and my appointment is officially on the books for October 1st.
I called Jeramie and let him know that I had made the appointment and texted Jessica so she would STOP texting me :)
I am sure that there are some people who think I'm being dramatic about making an appointment in the first place... it's just a phone call, right? I know that making a Dr. appointment is something that millions of people do every single day. This was difficult for me though and definitely was a milestone all on it's own..... one that I was not "counting" while writing about milestones a couple of months ago.
I know that God has a plan and a dream for my life. He knew that this phone call would take me 5 weeks and He has made certain that I am surrounded by people who love and care for me. I now have to wait another 6 weeks until my appointment, however, I will not dwell on it. Next summer when I pick up the phone to make the exact same phone call, I'm sure it will be much easier!
"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13