"A sunbeam to warm you. A moonbeam to charm you. A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you."
Last week of school! Summer is coming! Brandon is celebrating the end of 8th grade at Six Flags today with his class.
Where is the wind now that I want it? It is so hot outside! And our children had me stay outside all weekend. Our yard looked like a water park yesterday. We had sprinklers, pools, water guns, and water toys all over. It was nice to just hang out. We had plans that we canceled - a couple of questionable tummy aches - it's nice to be able to just let everyone run around outside together. After we put our children to bed, (And watched Bret Michael's win Celebrity Apprentice!!!) Tom and I sat outside and had a drink. It was nice. Relaxing. We just sat and looked at the stars. Tried to pretend like we knew what we were looking at :o) Dippers, Orion's Belt, and other Constellations,...No clue.
Last week was Carter's wake and funeral. I was blessed to be a part of it. Bible Girls took care of the food and drink at the wake. Over 1000 people came. People (including my husband and our son Ethan) waited for over 2 hours outside. It was touching to see all the people. It got cold as the day went on, but thankfully the rain stayed away. My friend and BG, Betsy came up with the idea of taking coffee outside to the people in line. I immediately thought - what a great idea! - so she and I went out. I brought out the coffee and Betsy brought the cookies. We were pretty popular out there. Soon our friend and BG, Ana joined us too. People really appreciated a hot cup of coffee and I honestly thought - Carter would want this.
My friend and neighbor came to my house the next day and watched our 2 little ones that aren't in school so Tom and I could go to the funeral together. I cried, I even laughed a few times. The eulogy was amazing. The gentleman that did it, did it so well! He spoke as if Carter was saying it. What a wonderful little boy! Very sweet, very caring, lots of fun. At the cemetary they passed out cards that had the song from "Greatest American Hero" on it. (Believe it or not I'm walking on air. I never thought I could feel so free. Flying away on a wing and a prayer. Who could it be? Believe it or not it's just me.) They also played a song a lady wrote about Carter. I had it in my head for the next couple days. Beautiful. Then we all let go of blue balloons. My friend and neighbor said she could picture Carter with his arms open, catching all the balloons.
On Friday, Ethan tried out for his first Musical. He made it! Woo Hoo! So proud of him. It takes courage to try out. He had to go in and read a few lines then sing a short solo. He is going to be in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. One of my favorites! I saw it with Tommy a few years ago. Donny Osmond! He signed my playbill after the show. It was awesome :o) Ethan then went to his first dance that night. He had fun. Great day for Eepy!
Today is the last Monday of the school year! I have one home with a tummy ache. Noah just didn't feel well this morning. He has a fun day planned at school tomorrow, so I told him to stay home and rest today.
He's upstairs watching a movie while Sarah and I watch Dora and Jacob naps.
Jacob is 9 months old! He is still "army" crawling. He can sit up on his own and can stand up while holding on to something. He waves hello and good-bye and claps his hands. I love this age! It's all about being cute. And he does it well.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Carter
"While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about."
Today I woke up to the news that 6 year old Carter Kettner had gone to be in the arms of God. My day stopped. I tried to write something to his mother, but couldn't find the right words. I woke up my children and got them ready for school. I hugged each of them a little tighter, a little longer. They noticed.
The first time I saw Carter's mother was when she drove by my house in a truck and stopped to chat with my neighbor. She seemed like a lot of fun. I remember thinking "I would like to get to know her." But the next time I heard her name was when news of her son came out. I prayed for their family, sent a small gift to their home, and tied blue ribbons around my 2 trees. (Blue - Carter's favorite color. Ribbons - to show hope.) I have gotten to know Carter's momma through church and a Mother's Bible Study. I have been able to do a few things for their family through our group. For this, I am thankful.
I am so honored to know this family. God knew the right parents for Carter. They show so much love, care, and faith. I know God must be very proud of them. They have shared Carter with so many people. They have so many people praying and spreading hope. They have kept their faith strong. May God continue to give them strength.
Today I woke up to the news that 6 year old Carter Kettner had gone to be in the arms of God. My day stopped. I tried to write something to his mother, but couldn't find the right words. I woke up my children and got them ready for school. I hugged each of them a little tighter, a little longer. They noticed.
The first time I saw Carter's mother was when she drove by my house in a truck and stopped to chat with my neighbor. She seemed like a lot of fun. I remember thinking "I would like to get to know her." But the next time I heard her name was when news of her son came out. I prayed for their family, sent a small gift to their home, and tied blue ribbons around my 2 trees. (Blue - Carter's favorite color. Ribbons - to show hope.) I have gotten to know Carter's momma through church and a Mother's Bible Study. I have been able to do a few things for their family through our group. For this, I am thankful.
I am so honored to know this family. God knew the right parents for Carter. They show so much love, care, and faith. I know God must be very proud of them. They have shared Carter with so many people. They have so many people praying and spreading hope. They have kept their faith strong. May God continue to give them strength.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Our Boys
"The spirit is there in every boy; it has to be discovered and brought to light."
Jakey is really getting around these days. He "army" crawls everywhere and picks up everything along the way. I am constantly vacuuming and grabbing toys and paper off the floor. He sits up and plays with his toys. He is a very happy little boy. Always smiling and waving to people. I love when we're out in public and someone says "hi" to him. He'll be sitting there sucking his 2 fingers and when someone says "hi" he'll take his fingers out, smile, and wave - a big wave! His hand open and his arm swaying back and forth. Very cute. I think it kind of surprises people - makes them smile and laugh.
My parents were here to visit and to help us celebrate our 3rd son's First Communion. Noah looked very handsome and proud in his shirt and tie. We had a nice little get together with family at our home after the blessed event. Now Noah just has to remember to receive the Body of Christ at mass. He keeps forgetting to put his hands out - he keeps them folded and he gets a blessing then I need to whisper that he receives.
Brandon our oldest has gone to Tourettes Camp the last 2 summers. This year we are selling chocolate bars to raise money to send him. Chocolates sell very fast around here. I sold 90+ the first day. I'm now waiting for another shipment so we can try to raise more money. If we sell enough we might send our 2nd son to camp too. He used to have an eye tic, but it went away. Now, he is showing signs of OCD. We talked to his doctor about it. Right now it's pretty mild. Ethan just comes to me and we talk about it. OCD can be part of TS - so can ADD.
ADD is something Noah shows signs of. He also has some tics that come and go. Right now his tic is to "slap" himself when he does something "wrong" or just makes a mistake. He told his Neurologist that when he is sent to his room for a time out, he has to slap himself hard. That breaks my heart. His doctor has diagnosed him with a tic disorder. Tom and I are pretty sure he has / will have TS like Brandon. At least Noah has the best role model for having TS in Brandon. Brandon is very positive and doesn't let it stop him from doing anything. He likes to explain it to people and even says he is happy he has it.
Brandon is also raising money to go on our Church's Youth Group Mission Trip this summer. He'll be going to Michigan to help people who need it. I don't know how I'm going to handle Brandon being gone for 2 weeks, but I think it is going to be a great experience for him.
Today Ethan went to school dressed like Elvis. They are doing a Wax Museum at his school later this week and today he had to give a speech as the person he picked. Sarah (2 yrs old) asked Ethan why he looked so cute today :o) I blowed dried his hair with gel. I wonder if he'll want to continue styling his hair this way. On Friday he'll be going to the Jr. High School to have lunch. He is excited to go to Jr. High next year. I think Brandon is excited to go to High School. I'm a little sad that they won't be in the same school. They will be in a few years when they're a Freshman and Senior. That should be fun / interesting.
Jakey is really getting around these days. He "army" crawls everywhere and picks up everything along the way. I am constantly vacuuming and grabbing toys and paper off the floor. He sits up and plays with his toys. He is a very happy little boy. Always smiling and waving to people. I love when we're out in public and someone says "hi" to him. He'll be sitting there sucking his 2 fingers and when someone says "hi" he'll take his fingers out, smile, and wave - a big wave! His hand open and his arm swaying back and forth. Very cute. I think it kind of surprises people - makes them smile and laugh.
My parents were here to visit and to help us celebrate our 3rd son's First Communion. Noah looked very handsome and proud in his shirt and tie. We had a nice little get together with family at our home after the blessed event. Now Noah just has to remember to receive the Body of Christ at mass. He keeps forgetting to put his hands out - he keeps them folded and he gets a blessing then I need to whisper that he receives.
Brandon our oldest has gone to Tourettes Camp the last 2 summers. This year we are selling chocolate bars to raise money to send him. Chocolates sell very fast around here. I sold 90+ the first day. I'm now waiting for another shipment so we can try to raise more money. If we sell enough we might send our 2nd son to camp too. He used to have an eye tic, but it went away. Now, he is showing signs of OCD. We talked to his doctor about it. Right now it's pretty mild. Ethan just comes to me and we talk about it. OCD can be part of TS - so can ADD.
ADD is something Noah shows signs of. He also has some tics that come and go. Right now his tic is to "slap" himself when he does something "wrong" or just makes a mistake. He told his Neurologist that when he is sent to his room for a time out, he has to slap himself hard. That breaks my heart. His doctor has diagnosed him with a tic disorder. Tom and I are pretty sure he has / will have TS like Brandon. At least Noah has the best role model for having TS in Brandon. Brandon is very positive and doesn't let it stop him from doing anything. He likes to explain it to people and even says he is happy he has it.
Brandon is also raising money to go on our Church's Youth Group Mission Trip this summer. He'll be going to Michigan to help people who need it. I don't know how I'm going to handle Brandon being gone for 2 weeks, but I think it is going to be a great experience for him.
Today Ethan went to school dressed like Elvis. They are doing a Wax Museum at his school later this week and today he had to give a speech as the person he picked. Sarah (2 yrs old) asked Ethan why he looked so cute today :o) I blowed dried his hair with gel. I wonder if he'll want to continue styling his hair this way. On Friday he'll be going to the Jr. High School to have lunch. He is excited to go to Jr. High next year. I think Brandon is excited to go to High School. I'm a little sad that they won't be in the same school. They will be in a few years when they're a Freshman and Senior. That should be fun / interesting.
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