The One with More Quarantine

April 10 - 12, 2020

This week seemed just like the last.  And the one before that.  Same 4 walls.  Same 5 people.  Same food.  Same quiet chaos.  We've been just like this for over a month now.  Technically, the kids and Britt started this before I joined in.  I was at work until March Wednesday, March 25.  The kids started being home all day on March 16.  There is no end in sight.  School ends on May 15th now.  One day after the Twisters became adults. Adults in a crazy, uncertain world.  It seems appropriately ironic that Spotify is playing Louis Armstrong "What a Wonderful World" right now for me...

Nothing really to report.  Sunday was Easter.  The Easter Bunny brought treats to those some-bunnies on Greystone STreet.  We watched church from our grey sectional couch on the big LG tv.  And we had our annual egg smash.  Finn won and got the golden bunny to eat.  There were dog walks, lots of TV, maybe a little homeschool.  Netflix. Fortnite, memes, and lots of food.  Our coping mechanisms are Netflix, blankets, and snacks.  LOL!

Easter Baskets

Kids before the Easter Smash contest

The incredible shrinking Lara

There was this Facebook thing...

And, as is customary for me during the Coronacation, I have to leave you with a meme that made me laugh this week.  Here we go!

The One With the Egg Smash

April 19 - 21, 2019

Spring just never seems to slow down!  I have to admit, I was an absentee mom this weekend as I had a HUGE semester project for one of my classes due on Monday, and I had to hide out in my office on campus to get it done.  But, things happened without me!

Stillwater High Shcool Baseball is still in full swing, so Lara was at baseball games Friday night and Saturday.  There were wins, and losses, and weather always played a factor.  Gotta love baseball season.

And Sunday was Easter!  The Stillwater Crew got up early for 8:30 church, but Emma was not able to make it.  She did come to see us around lunchtime, though!  Here are a few pictures from the day:

And, we had our annual Egg Smash contest.  Emma was not here for it, and Finn participated for the first time.  Although, I don't think he fully understood what was going on...  See for yourself:


Another weekend in the books!

The One With Cobwebs on the Chandelier

March 30 - April 1, 2018

Friday was a little, well, strange.  Lara woke up not feeling well, pushed through 1st hour, then came home for the rest of the day.  She was sad.  Sad to not feel good, sad to get behind in class, and SUPER SAD to be missing baseball.  But, she had to rest and get well!  Emma's school was out for Good Friday, so she came to Stillwater early in the evening.  Lara felt better after some meds and some rest, and we spent Friday evening as a family.  Nothing planned, nothing exciting (Chick-fil-A for dinner!), just T I ME together.  It was over due and well worth it.

Saturday, we were up and at 'em for some Jake Weaver basketball at Solid Rock in Edmond.  He had 2 games - one at noon and one later in the afternoon.  The plan was to go to his games, then high-tail it back to Stillwater to make it to the Easter service at Life.Church at 5:30.  He won both games, we drove responsibly, and we made it to church basically on time!

In the car, playing UNO

Weaver Family Easter 2018

Jake, 11 - Emma, 15 - Finn, 6 - Lara, 15

Sunday, we spent most of the day in Perkins at Nana and Grandpa's house.  We has a taco and baked potato bar for lunch with all the fixings!  Everyone LOVED it!  One of the most memorable moments at lunch was when grandpa looked up and saw cobwebs on the chandelier in their dining room.  This was instantly hilarious - and CLASSIC!  Jake, Emma and I made up a new country song called "Cobwebs on My Chandelier!"  Good Times!

We also took time to re-create a 2013 family photo!  This was our March of Dimes March for Babies Ambassador Family photo from the fall of 2013.  In the original, Finn was about 14 months old, Jake was 6 and Emma & Lara were 11.  In the re-creation, we are weeks from the girls' 16th birthday, Jake is 11, and Finn is 6.  (We need to do it again in 5 more years!)

2013

2018

We also had our annual Weaver Egg Challenge.  The kids all pick an egg from the carton without knowing if it is raw or hard boiled.  The poor soul that has a raw egg smashed on their forehead gets the PRIZE of winning a LARGE chocolate Easter bunny!  This was the first Year Finn participated.  I don't think he liked it too much!  (And we are pretty sure this was the third year Lara has "won!")

All in all, it was a nice way to spend Easter.  Emma had to get back to Orlando in the middle of the afternoon because her dad fell last week and separated his shoulder, so he has to have surgery tomorrow.  To prepare for being off from work about 3 months, he had to go to Wichita to tie up loose ends.  And she had to drive him!  So, while we missed her the rest of the day, she was where she needed to be.  The rest of us headed back to Stillwater after some relaxing time with Nana and Grandpa, and spent the rest of the day looking for news about the pending state teacher walk-out... Stay tuned!

Happy Easter from Emma and Lara (2018)

Our busiest time of the year

For a lot of people, the time surrounding the winter holidays is the busiest time of their year.  But not for the Weavers!  It always seems to be around April and May – the last 6-8 weeks of the school year.  We always have 100 things going on each week, and it is just a crazy time!  So, here we are again!  In the middle of just plain CRAZY!  But, you know we love it.  And, this is a GREAT time for a shameless plug for the most AMAZING calendar app around, Cozi.  I just love it!  Color coded, can text each family member, even had to-do lists and meal planning options.  Seriously.  Try it.  You won 't be disappointed.  I promise.  LOVE. <3

Let’s get caught up on what’s keep us elbow deep in calendar appointments these days…  There’s always work for the hubs and I.  And of course, with our new ******** biz jumping off the ground, we are always telling people about that!  I’ve got Dream Weaver Prints keeping me going as well!  So, those are the fun ways we are keeping busy and helping people out. Not to mention March of Dimes!  We got to lobby for babies and mommies at the Capitol earlier this month, and it's time to start thinking Team Finn's Fans for this fall!  Doesn’t get much better than that!

The Twisters are hurling fast towards being 12 years old.  It just donned on me today that we are a mere THREE WEEKS from their twelfth birthday.  How in the world did that happen???  They are truly my joys.  So different, but both loads of fun, considerate, smart girls.  The have their own interests, friends and activities to keep them busy.  We are right in the middle of volleyball season for Emma.  She really loves it and has signed up for a camp this summer.  Lara has added a dance class for the rest of the year and is honing her skills.  We hope to find a fun dance something for her to do this summer as well.  They are both participating in a kids’ mud run this Saturday – that should be a mess of fun!

Emma and Lara - Easter 2014 (age 11)

Jake is LOVING his baseball season.  And frankly, so are we.  Our Pirates baseball team is just awesome.  GREAT group of parents and kids.  The kids all work really well together and are having so much fun.  We had team pics recently and we are just loving the way they turned out.  Thinking I need to commission the photographer for some kid pics later in the summer…  Anyway – baseball is LOVE.  Jake is completely smitten.  His 8U team is going to go out on the field with the Oklahoma State team for a game next month, and he may not sleep before then! LOL!  He is also doing the mud run this weekend; he is on a team of first grade boys and he can’t wait.  I am sure there will be LOTS of pictures from this event!



Jake #13 - schedule card

Pirate Baseball Family March 2014

And sweet Baby Finn…  When do I have to stop calling him that? LOL!  He is just amazing us!  3 word sentences!  Noun, verb, object.  WHAT????  I know, right?!?  So proud of him.  He is still super stubborn and remarkable finicky, but such a fighter.  And winning!  Since we started the appetite meds 7 weeks ago, things have REALLY changed for him!  So much has changed!  His pre-school teachers can’t get over how much more outgoing he is.  He eats.  AND EATS!  And eats some more.  At school and at home.  He talks so much more. He imteracts with others.  He SLEEPS!  He sleeps well and consistently.  We saw the Occupational Therapist 1 weeks after we started the meds.  He basically didn’t qualify for services.  If we had gone in a week earlier, he would have.  I promise.  THAT’S how much he has progressed!  We saw the ENT a coupole weeks ago.  His ears are still great (one tube in, one tube out), and he looked at his tonsils.  We were curious if they were enlarged – perhaps contributing to the eating issues.  He is also a mouth breather and snores a bit.  The ENT wants to watch him and see.  They were a bit large last month, but it was the peak of allergy season around here, too.  I am supposed to check for apnea while he’s sleeping, but I’m scared to go in there and watch him sleep – I don’t want to wake the beast! LOL!  And this week we saw the endocrinologist.  And stumped him.  Literally.  It was fun.  And priceless.  We told him all of Finn’s medical history, then went into the story of our last 2 months.  In 7 weeks, Finn has gained 2 pounds (that’s 10% when you’re that little!  I haven’t even LOST 10% yet!), and has grown 1.5 inches.  IN 7 WEEKS!  He is now on the chart for height – still below it for weight.  He talked to us about height genetics and probabilities, and said Finn should be around 6’4” as a fully grown adult – barring any complications.  (We told him we did a height predictor for Jake and got 6’8” – 6’11” and he was shocked again.)  We told him we weren’t worried about him being 6’4” we just wanted him to not have complications.  He agreed that we just want to make sure Finn is healthy.  We continued to talk about our options and concerns, and as we told the Doctor about the developmental improvements Finn had experienced, he was truly surprised.  Had never heard of the meds making those kinds of changes.  He was really stumped.  And he’s the EXPERT!  The Doctor was completely prepared to do blood tests and get Mr. Finn qualified for growth hormones.  But, after spending time with is, thoroughly examining our boy, and listening to our story, he decided to hold off.  He told us to come back in 6 months (around Finn’s 3^rd birthday – when we will see ALL of his specialists again) and we’ll see how he’s grown.  I am ready for Finn to blow his mind again in 6 months.  Will you pray for that with us?

Finn - March 2014 (under 22 lbs)

Finn April 2014 - 24 pounds!

That’s where we are today.  While typing this post, I have had text conversations with 5 people about various topics, shared ***** with 2 customers, made plans for the 7 year old who is out of school next Friday, talked to my husband on the phone, and corralled my 4 kids as well as some neighbors & friends that have been in and out of the house 100 times in an hour.  WHEW!  #momlife never ends!  And I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Hoppy Easter

Despite ½ of the six Dream Weavers being on antibiotics this week (Emma – strep, Finn – another upper respiratory infection, me – Strep), we had a fun Easter as a family.  The week leading up to it was crazy with doctor’s appointments, missed school and work, and the business of kid’s activities.  T-ball practice has started, Emma started a new season of Volleyball this past weekend, and her Odyssey of the Mind team is 2 weeks from their State competition!  I always forget how BUSY Spring is, until it gets here!  We even squeezed in a quick family picture session on a bright Saturday afternoon!  We needed a family picture for our March of Dimes Stillwater March for Babies Ambassador Family paperwork, and we’ve put it off several times due to weather, illness, and being busy.  We were SO glad to get that taken care of!  And I can't wait to share the results!

I really love Easter.  I read through 2 different 1 week reading plans on YouVersion leading up to Easter to help remind me WHY we celebrate this holiday.  I love Good Friday – because we know Sunday’s coming!  A lot can happen in just 3 days!  I love that Christmas is the promise and Easter is the PROOF!  He bled and suffered for us.  He died for us! And he ROSE for US!  I love the newness of Spring, and the fun new clothes everyone breaks out for the occasion!  Britt wore a bow tie!  I had a fun new eyelet dress and a trendy necklace.  The girls were in new dresses and shoes, and the boys in plaid shirts – Jake with bright green skinny pants and Finn in skinny jeans.  We looked good, if I do say so myself!  There are no pictures of just us, but here are a few from our festivities.

getting ready for the egg hunt

Mom and her boys (Finn in his 2nd outfit for the day!)

Aunt Paula with Lara and Emma

 

We started the day off with the kids tearing into their Easter baskets – which were devoid of the “traditional” Weaver gift of swim suits  due to the fact that the EB was clueless on size, style and colors for the big kids, and Finn already has 4 for this season (he got a new outfit instead).  

The kids got certificates to pick out their own when the weather warms up.  Peeps, Reeses, sunglasses, headbands and flip flops rounded out the baskets.  Britt had hidden 100+ plastic candy filled eggs in our yard, so the hunt was ON!  The big kids came inside with 25, 27 and 29 eggs – so they did a pretty good job of being even without even trying!  Finn had 2.  LOL!  And, we found a few more later in the afternoon…  Then, It was off to church at LifeChurch.tv Stillwater!  We experienced and AWESOME worship set, which included this opening:

And this:

Of course, Craig Groschel’s message was amazing, too!  What an awesome experience.  We lunched at Aunt Paula’s house with all the Grandparents.  That was the smallest group we have had over there in while, but it was super fun.  The big kids played a little baseball in the front yard as it was a BEAUTIFUL day, and took a trip down to the pond as well.  It was a very nice afternoon.  That night, we went to my parents house to watch the last installment of “The Bible” on the History channel as a family.  It was truly a great way to spend this glorious holiday.  So thankful for my family, for my savior, and for the amazing blessings we have all around us.

Half a Year

Dear Finn,

In the hustle and bustle of a family of six, you turned six months old a few days ago.  Last Thursday, to be exact!  Your Daddy was home that day with you, and we were still trying to get your child care situation worked out since I went back to work.  (Not really BACK to work so much as I got a new job, but I am not home with you all the time now – I sure miss it!)  I have a silly tradition of taking my kid’s pictures on the monthly recurrence of the date they were born.  I did it with your older twin sisters, with Jake, and with you.  Those first few pictures are some of the most precious pictures I have ever taken, and I hope as a family we always remember that time and how far we have come as a family.

As for you, you are a fighter!  And still completely unpredictable!  You eat when you want to, sleep when you want to, and never do the same thing twice!  We have a better pattern going than we did for a while, and you only wake up once in the night, eat, and go right back to sleep, but the days are hit or miss!  You have good, fun, smiley days, and long, hard, crying days.  Still have colic most evenings, and still break my heart when I can’t make you feel better.  In the past few days, you have mastered grabbing at things, and my long hair seems to be the number one target.  We have gotten a few toys in your hands as well, but your muscle control isn’t the best yet, and you often end up banging yourself in the head with things!  ;)  Your doctors, SoonerStart child development specialist, and all the books say you need to do tummy time as often as possible.  That’s all fine and dandy, but you are not so much of a fan!  You still don’t lift your head up off the floor, and you don’t use your arms to help hold yourself up.  You do, however, plant your forehead firmly on the floor, and scoot (right, left, right) with your legs to move yourself forward.  While this is good, we really need you to hold your head up, buddy!  You are getting there, though.  When I hold you up over my head looking down at me, you support your head then, so we know it’s coming.  You also like to sit looking forward some.  Your head still wobbles and bobbles, but you can catch it and correct it yourself!  SUCH a strong boy!

This past weekend was Easter weekend.  You made your big public debut all over the place!  Saturday morning we took family pictures on the OSU campus, then Saturday night we went to Enid to Grandpa Jake and Grandma Mary’s church to see Grandpa sing in the Easter pageant.  You were a bit fussy, so you and I spent the first part outside, but we got to see the 2^nd half of it!  Then on Sunday you went to LifeChurch for the very first time!  You made some people cry, and our campus pastor said seeing you made his whole weekend!  LOTS of people were excited and thrilled to see you and to finally get to meet you!  Seems like we have come full circle since this was also the anniversary of Uncle Brian’s death.  That’s the event that started this whole roller coaster ride.  Seems fitting somehow…

On Monday, our SoonerStart worker came and played with you, you helped me take Stella to the vet, then we had another GREAT appointment with your pediatrician!  You weighed in at 12 pounds 4 ounces and were 24 inches long.  Good Growing, Little Man!  She also released you from all your tethers!  No more monitor – even at night!  That was the last thing we were waiting on.  Now, I am sad to tell you we still have a surgery coming up to take care of your hernia, but we’ll worry about that when the time comes.  For now, just rejoice with us that you are a FREE BABY!  I love being able to pick you up in the morning and snuggle you and catch your first smiles of the day without tripping over wires or accidentally setting off the alarms!  Such a great way to start the day!  You got 2 shots and one oral vaccine, and you woke up Tuesday morning with a bit of a fever, but one dose of fever reducer and you were good for the rest of the day - even made it to pick up Lara from dance to go to Emma's volleyball practice where we ended up talking March of Dimes with 3 other preemie parents.  Such a trooper!

Tuesday was a day of resting, because on Wednesday, you had ANOTHER big adventure!  Daddy and I both had half a day off work to take you back down to see our friends at Mercy.   

But this time, there was a camera crew there to see you, too!  We had been asked by the Oklahoma Blood Institute people to tell your story on camera to help promote the Mathis Brothers Furniture / KOCO Channel 5 blood drive that is happening this coming weekend.  You did SO GOOD!  You fell asleep while Daddy and I were talking to the camera, but you sure are sweet when you are sleeping, so the camera loved you like that!  We got to visit with a few of our favorite Mercy staff members as well, so it was a GREAT trip!  We got the word later that afternoon that the piece would air on television THAT NIGHT!  It was fun calling, texting and posting to facebook for everyone to tune in or set their DVR’s!  Unfortunately, the DVR at our house didn’t record for some reason!  We got home from t-ball practice for Jake and church/LifeGroup for the rest of us, and it wasn’t there.  We got to see it at Nana's house on Thursday, but it wasn't QUITE the same!

So, this past 6 months has definitely been the most eventful 6 months of MY life, and probably yours, too!  I have learned so much, leaned on others so much, and listened to God so much.  Thank you, Finn Ricker Weaver, for being the instrument to teach me those lessons.  I am so lucky to be your Mommy.  Here are the pictures of you on the 5^th of the last 6 months.  You have come so far!  I think we all have.  And we have you to thank for it.  We all love you so much!  Keep getting stronger and stronger and stronger! Love, Mom

Birth - October 5, 2011 - 1 lb 14 oz

1 month - November 5, 2011 - 2 lbs 2 oz

2 months - December 5, 2011 - 4 lbs 6 oz

3 months - January 5, 2012 - 7 lbs

4 months - February 5, 2012 - 9 lbs 6 oz

5 months - March 5, 2012 - 10 lbs 10 oz

6 months - April 5, 2012 - 12 lbs 4 oz

252,600 minutes

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.  In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.  How do you measure a year?  This year, we’ve measured it in about a million different ways.  This year has gone quickly, and it has dragged out longer than we could have ever imagined.  It has brought more tears than we thought we could cry, and more joy than we could even fathom.  More struggles than one family should endure, and more blessings than we can even try to count.  It’s been 12 months of 2 steps forward, one step back in many areas of our lives.  It’s hard to believe it has been a year already, but at the same time it feels like I have aged 5 in the process.  

One year ago this weekend, on a Friday night much like tonight, I took Emma and Lara on a little date to see a movie.  It was the first time we had done that – just us girls.  While across town, my mom and dad were just starting to worry that they hadn’t heard from my brother since that morning when he had called to tell our mom he wasn’t feeling too good.  Little did we know, we were one phone call from our knees.

That following Sunday morning and the events that unfolded over the next few days play back in my mind’s eye over and over again.  It still feels like a nightmare.  Like something I read or watched on TV; not the real life I live every day.  Some days, it just hits me like a ton of bricks – the loss, the grief, the anger, the weight of responsibility for the future I feel.  Other times, it’s more like a quite wave of sadness, melancholy, and sorrow for the “what could have been”s.  Either way, I am always reminded of the gift we got to experience just being part of his life.  And the legacy he has left us in the stories and favorite quotes we can still chuckle at.  I hate that my big kids’ memories of him fade every day.  And I am crushed by the notion that he won’t know our sweet little miracle Finn in this life.   But, then I remember the good times growing up – family vacations, keeping each other’s secrets, FIGHTING, seeking his advice.  And I know I am a better person for knowing him.

So, we enter this Easter weekend with heavy hearts, but so very thankful for our Risen Savior!  Because of Jesus, we know Brian is in a better place, rejoicing.  He gives us strength to face each day, and His grace is sufficient.  Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

For a Little While...

I fell like I should have something to say, but I don’t, really. The last time I wrote anything was last Thursday. Today is Monday. The day after Easter. I had a good day yesterday, but I almost feel guilty about it. The Five Dream Weavers went to LifeChurch.tv Edmond to celebrate new life with a dear friend as he got Baptized, then went to his house to celebrate his wife’s birthday and Easter. It was a nice change of pace – even if we did experience white-knuckle driving in torrential downpours and see 2 wrecks.

Easter is a time of celebration. Of recognizing the sacrifice God made for us ALL by giving up his only son. Makes me think about being a parent and especially about being a parent of a son. But what does that look like for a mother who just lost her own son way too soon? On Facebook she said “I am happy Brian is spending his first Easter in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I cry because I miss him and I want him here with us.”

When I was pregnant with my twins, I had lots of sonograms. I remember the first time the technicians and doctors tried to determine the sex of the babies. They told me Twin A (called Jenna in utero, now Emma) was definitely a girl. I was a tiny bit disappointed. I had thought I was having 2 boys. Then, they told me Twin B (Barbara in utero, now Lara) was not cooperating and her gender was still in question. A few weeks later, same outcomes. At 33 weeks, they told me Twin B was “most likely” a girl. I will confess that I held out hope until the moment she was born that Lara would be a boy. But, I got 2 precious orange headed girls, and they still light up every day of my life with their love and tenacity! Fast forward a few years and I was pregnant again. I had a precautionary sonogram at 14 weeks because the one a t10 weeks revealed something my doctor wanted to look at again (turned out to be nothing). But, during that sonogram, the technician asked if we wanted to know the gender of the baby. We were a bit shocked, as we thought it was too early, and we hadn’t really discussed it. But, we said yes. And, found out we were going to have a SON! Talk about humbling… And to reflect on what he means to me now, after the death of my mother’s son and the Easter holiday focusing on how God turned Jesus over to his haters… WOW.

My pastor, Craig Groeschel, wrote and amazing poem and showed it as a video during the sermons this weekend. I had caught parts of it on Saturday night as I volunteered as an usher for the 2 services in Stillwater, but I finally got to see it in context on Sunday morning. Here is the video:

It has inspired me again to be weird and to see things from a different angle. Reminded me that it doesn’t matter that none of my girls’ clothes came from “Justice” as much as they would like for them to have, and that my family is blessed to have 2 cars that run (even if they aren’t pretty), a roof over our head, and a pantry (mostly) full of food. We will survive this season and we will SHINE our light for others to see. I will survive feeling burdened and overwhelmed. I will learn from the obstacles set before me and the pain that seems to consume me. I will cherish that fact that my SON climbs into bed with me almost every night and needs extra love and attention at every bedtime right now. After all, he’s only my son for a little while…