Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The LAST "firsts"

I am a mom of 4.  2 girls (Twins - almost 16; redheads). 2 boys (ages 11 and 6; noise, with dirt on it). I never planned on 4.  In fact, in high school, I never planned on ONE.  Soon after I was married (the first time) it became evident that even having ONE was going to take a miracle, and a LOT of money.  But then, TWINS! A divorce and second marriage led to my third - and what I was pretty sure was my FINAL - baby.  A few years later, and SURPRISE!  Shocker!  Bonus Baby was here.  I knew then that my family was COMPLETE.  Completely, totally, fully, COMPLETE.  It felt final.  My heart was full.  And so were my arms.

Fast Forward 17 years from that first positive pregnancy test.  I am a mom of 4.  Dealing with first boy/girl relationships, learning to drive, insane sports schedules, tween drama and crushes, and teaching the kindergartner to tie his shoes.  SAT's, entrance interviews for technical school, spelling tests we forgot to study for, and losing that first tooth.  With 9.5 years between my oldest and my youngest, there is a LOT of parenting going on at any one time.  By the time the Baby (I get to call him that, and I will for as long as he lets me) graduates from our beloved High School, I will have had a child in the local school system for TWENTY-FOUR (24) consecutive years (even though one will have completed 4 years with a neighboring district).  That's a lot of FIRSTS.  Class parties, graduations, assemblies, awards, concerts, plays, sporting events, fundraisers, and on and on and on.  But, what about the LASTS?

Somewhere in the last couple of years, I stumbled upon a blog entry on Scary Mommy  that talked about the LASTS.  You know, the last time you gave your baby a real bath.  The last time you carried them to bed.  The last time they weren't embarrassed to hug you in public. We celebrate the 'Firsts,' but what about the 'lasts'?  I am finding myself in a BIG series of lasts over the next few weeks.  For the girls, they will be 16 in the next 10 weeks.  When will be the last time I drive them to school or pick them up from a practice?  For my older son, we are planning his 5th grade graduation ceremony and party for the end of May.  That will be his last day in the elementary school we have loved so well and that has watched him grow up.  And the tiny one. I know the lasts are piling up quick for him!  Last time he crawls into our bed at night just because he wants to snuggle.  Last time I tie his shoes for him because he is now an expert.  And the one that inspired this writing.  He lost his FIRST tooth yesterday.  That's my LAST first tooth!

Hit me like a ton a bricks.  I wasn't prepared!  He had no tooth fairy pillow!  I ordered one the minute we discovered the loose tooth, but I wasn't fast enough (BIG THANKS and shout out to Big Brother for the loaner pillow).  I didn't have a crisp $5 bill on hand - my usual tooth fairy surprise for a first tooth.  (Who am I kidding here?  There have been MANY scrambles for cash over the 10+ years in our loosing teeth shenanigans!) But dad to the rescue with 5 loose one dollar bills to stuff the pillow.  So for Little Guy, it was a successful event.  One he won't really remember much about based on my experiences - even if it was super dramatic and involved a lot of tears and commotion at the time.  He was so proud to tell all his grandparents, his teacher, and his friends.  He had us send pictures to everyone we knew and posted it on our social media accounts.  He slept hard, the tooth fairy delivered, and he woke up so excited to have MONEY and no tooth.  This is what 6 year old dreams are made of.

But for me?  This time?  I will remember this LAST.  This is the LAST time I will pull that first tooth.  Terrified little child, the sound of that final "pop" as it comes out, the tears, and the BLOOD.  The fear truing to disbelief.  The disbelieving to wonder and joy.  Then, EXCITEMENT!  He was brave, and HE DID IT!  It was not as painful or scary as he imagined.  Big Brother talked him through it, held his hand, rubbed his back.  Mom had the cool, wet washcloth at the ready and was as gentle as she could be.  And even though the sight of his own blood terrified him, he finally got past it and looked in the mirror for the first time with that big gap in the middle of his lower jaw.  All smiles - a new smile!  The tiny tooth cleaned off and secured in Big Brother's OSU themed tooth fairy pillow (because the shark themed one we ordered for #4 was still in transit).  Going to bed excited for the morning.  And all my Momma heart wanted to do was capture every second.  Soak it in.  (Until I had to leave the house to go pick up a teenager from the bus returning from a baseball game she was the trainer for - it never ends).

I got a few pictures.  And a few more form Dad after I left.







This is my first is a series of LASTS.  This is the season of parenthood I am in.  No more babies.  Or toddlers.  Or even little kids.  They're all big kids and young adults now.  And they each need me less and less on a psychical level every day.  I am "Raising Older Kids."  Many hours of many days, this is harder than the days of the "newborn fog" and the relentless terrible two's - or THREENAGERS.  Maybe not physically, but mentally. Emotionally.  I never dreamed I would be a mother of 4.  But here I am.  And this moment is fleeting.  2 years, and 2 of them are off to college (or whatever adventure adult life brings their way).  Next year is Middle School for the middle child. And my baby?  He's just going to keep loosing teeth.  And tying his shoes. And preferring showers to baths.  And sleeping in his own bed.  How will I know when it is the LAST TIME?

And since I won't always know when the last time is THE LAST TIME, I will cherish every moment and every memory I can.  First and last proms.  First and last awards ceremonies.  First and last bike rides.  The #momlife sure has a lot of ups and downs.  Bittersweet moments.  Instants to cherish.  No one prepared me for these complexities, but most days I am glad they didn't. I am on a grand adventure with my tribe. All the twists and turns; all the celebrations and memorials along the way.  All the lessons we have each learned. I am a mom of 4.

The One After the Crazy Weather

February 23-26, 2018
The last week was a mess with crazy Oklahoma weather!  We had ice storms that were faster and stronger than predicted, and that were smaller and less severe than forecast.  Either way, it resulted in a crazy week, early pick up from school on Tuesday, and no school on Wednesday and Thursday.  Everything was frozen - including our basketball goal (as pictured in the lead photo.  Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond over by Pawhuska in Osage County also had a frozen goal as well, but her kids managed to stuff four balls in theirs!


Due to the weather, there were lots of postponements, cancellations, and reschedules.  Emma was supposed to play with the Lady Panthers in OSSAA Area games on Thursday night but they were moved to Friday.  Lara was supposed to go to her first Varsity Pioneer Baseball game Friday night, but it was cancelled.  So, on Friday night, Nana, Grandpa, Britt, Betsey, Lara, Jake and Finn headed to Stroud to watch Emma and the Mulhall-Orlando Panthers play their tournament to see if they could advance.  It just so happened, that since Lara's obligations were canceled, the M-O crew volun-told Lara to be the film manager for their game.  So she got a special spot in the crow's nest and helped her sister's team out by filing the game on the iPad.  The girls lost, but it was sure fun to be there!


Saturday, there was hope for Lara to get to go to a baseball game, and Jake had early basketball, so it was a divide and conquer kind of day.  I took Jake and Finn to Edmond, while Dad stayed back to get Lara where she needed to be.  Of course, it wan cancelled, too!  Saturday was a dense fog and torrential downpour kind of morning.  But the afternoon, the sun came out, but MAN!  The few days before that were brutal.

Sunday, we got up and went to LifeChurch, then Lara was at the high school most of the afternoon working on SMAC week decorations.  Everyone is looking forward to better weather this coming week and the opportunity to have a more "normal" week - whatever that is!

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

The One with a Sunday Lunch


February, 16-19, 2018)
This weekend was much the same as the last few - lots going on, lots of places to be, lots of memories to be made.  Winter sports are winding down (how can that possibly be?  Didn't they JUST start?), so we are chock full of district/region/state competitions.  This keeps the girls busy for sure!

Emma and the Mulhall-Orlando Lady Panthers were in competition starting on Thursday for the OSSAA Regional basketball tournament.  They played their final game on Saturday and came away as the winners of their consolation bracket.  Emma sent me this super fun pic:



This week, they advance to the OSSAA Area Tournament - the first game for them is on Thursday night.  We are wishing them nothing but the best of luck as they advance!

Lara spent 2 VERY long days Friday and Saturday with Pioneer Wrestling in Broken Arrow for the 6A Regional meet.  3 of her wrestlers will advance to the State competition next week.  However, she will not be travelling to OKC for that tournament, as it is time for her to switch sports!  She found out this week that her last day with Wrestling is Tuesday 2/2-0 and she starts with Varsity Baseball on Wednesday 2/21.  She could not be more excited!

She spent all of late summer and fall with the Stillwater Football team. The last 13 weeks with these awesome men of Stillwater Wrestling. And this week she reports to Stillwater Baseball. Student athletic training is not for the weak! She cares for these athletes in so many ways, and for SO MANY hours. It’s quite an undertaking, and she does it with such a big heart. All that, AND straight A’s! I could not be more proud of her. We love our “Momma Lara!” 💙🌟💙

Sunday we finally got to relax a little bit (the Weaver side of the family spent 10 hours Saturday in Piedmont and Edmond with Jake's basketball team) and even slept in.  Emma had gotten up early to go to a stock show, but it was cancelled last minute so she brought her friend April to Stillwater and they went to LifeChurch at 11:30.  Before church started, they texted Lara and invited her to lunch.  So, the girls got to spend a few hours together!  Before Lara loaded up with us and headed to Edmond for more Jake basketball games at Solid Rock!

Monday was President's day, and none of the kids had school.  Lara had some chores to do around the house, but she basically took the day to relax and recuperate from another crazy weekend.  Due to all the crazy sports schedules, we have been attending LifeChurch on Monday nights.  This week they served TACOS!  Before we know it, it will be the weekend again.  Here we go!

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

The one that was Chill

February 9-12, 2018
Looking back over the Friday-Saturday-Sunday that just passed, there was nothing too remarkable that happened.  It was ferociously cold here, and we had the usual busy-ness, but not took much else going on to report. Chill.

Lara: Friday after school she was planning to stay through the varsity boy's basketball game, but ended up coming home before it even started.  She had felt ill during wrestling practice, and continued to get worse, so she found a ride home and spent the evening on her futon watching TV and resting.  Nothing specific - just worn out teenage girl syndrome!  Saturday she got up and went to Edmond with us for Jake's games, then had a chill evening.  Sunday we all slept in, then she spent the afternoon at the High School working on decorations for the upcoming SMAC week!  She sat in paint.  I think that's her best memory of the weekend.

Emma: Friday night she had a district basketball game, but it was over 2 hours away and none of us made it to the event.  She had not been feeling well, and didn't get to play either (She was diagnosed with flu on Tuesday morning). She is contemplating getting at least one Daith piercing for migraine relief after the season is over - still lots to consider there.  She spent the rest of the weekend in Newkirk with her Grandpa Bruce working on her truck.  She got pulled over and got a speeding ticket warning while driving his Tahoe in the tiny town.  I think that's her best memory of the weekend. 

This coming weekend is regional wrestling for Lara and regional basketball for Emma.  Go Sports!

Monday, February 5, 2018

The One Where Emma was Here and Lara was There


February 2-5, 2018
This past weekend was kind of a weird one.  As usual, LOTS going on, and the logistics are never easy (I will be so glad when they can drive themselves!).  The craziest thing (to me), is that Emma was in Stillwater for the better part of the weekend, and “technically” Lara was, too, but they never actually saw each other!  That’s incredibly rare.  And strange to me…  So, since they were never in the same place at the same time this weekend, I am going to do one recap per twin!  Here we go!

EMMA:

Emma had her last home basketball game in Mulhall Friday night.  The Lady Panthers lost to Crescent, even though Emma had quite a fan club present!  Nana, Grandpa, and the 4 Weavers were all in attendance!  Due to Jake having crazy early basketball games down in Piedmont, Emma went to spend the night in Perkins with Nana and Grandpa.  Finn was on that train as well!  Instead of leaving town at 6:30am with us, they got to sleep in, and Nana took them shopping.  Emma needed a new, professional outfit to wear to an interview this week.  She has applied for the Precision Metal Fabrication program at Meridian Technology Center, and she has her application interview coming up this week.  After a morning of successful shopping, Nana, Grandpa, Emma, and Finn met the rest of the Weavers in Edmond to watch Jake play his last game of the day.  The won a TOUGH one, so the reward was ice cream for all!  Emma and Finn picked a good game to go to – they got ice cream, too!

Stone Cold for the WIN
After we got back to Stillwater for the night, Emma went out with a few of her friends to hang out with their modified pick-up trucks, and a late dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.  This girl is always up for an adventure!  Saturday morning, we headed back to Orlando about 11:45.  After a stop at her house to drop off her “gear,” she was back in Mulhall to work at the Fair Barn for the rest of the day.  We only got her for a few hours, but she did get to sleep in Lara’s bed, and somehow in the few short hours she was there she earned the nickname “Earthquake Emma” for the state she left the back of our house in! LOL!  We found a few of her belongings at our house, and Nana has a few at her house as well for the next time we see her…

LARA:

Lara spent the entire weekend with the high school girls group from Eagle Heights Baptist Church.  The retreat called “The Gathering” had them meeting together at the church, then staying in one of the group member’s homes from Friday night through the church service on Sunday morning.  There were 9 girls in their group, and they had a great time.  Worship, bible study, group activities, quiet time, fun, and contests! 

Family Portrait a la Kardashians

Sunday at church

Much Love

One of the contests on Saturday involved each group (there were several age specific gender groups) was assigned to make a music video.  I have been able to see a few of them, but of course I think my girls’ is the best!  And, THEY WON!  But, of course they won – it was about loving your mom!  A vote against them was a vote against MOMS!  Here is the video:


When we finally did get Lara back mid-day on Sunday – after Emma was already back in Logan County -- she was EXHAUSTED, and her dirty laundry was taking over her room.  So, while the rest of us went back to Edmond (again) for Jake’s jr nba 3v3 games, she rested and did laundry.  She also got to watch the Super Bowl, which we missed most of due to games, eating, and driving back.  We were able to watch the last quarter as a family, then tune in together for the CRY FEST that was NBC’s This Is Us.  We love watching this show together as a family, and last night’s did not disappoint!  We are BIG fans of the Big Three, and last night we FINALLY learned how Jack Pearson died.

The Six Dream Weavers are off on more adventures this week, as always.  Can’t wait to see what the Twisters do THIS weekend and document it on the 2020 Project blog.  Stay tuned!