Memorial Day is for Memories

I, once again, find myself reflecting on this past year.  1 year ago YESTERDAY, I was totally flabbergasted and stunned when I had a nagging suspicion, snuck out to Walgreens, hid in a bathroom stall, and found out I was pregnant.  A secret I kept for a couple of days so I could shock a few years off my husband’s life as we left for our “Mystery Honeymoon”  a couple of days later.  Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined the journey this year would take me on.  The prayers we have prayed, people we have met, the lessons we have learned, the lives that have been touched and changed forever.  It is simply MIND BOGGLING to look back on it, and I think at this point I can say this was a “once in a lifetime” season of my life.  There may not be another time in my life that will bring about so much change and growth in a 12 (or 14) month period of time.  I won’t say it can never happen; it’s just not very likely!

I also find myself remembering my tenacious brother.  Did he send us this angel baby to help soften the blow of missing him?  Did he know we all needed something to focus on to not get stuck in the darkness of missing his light?  Did he want us to stretch and grow and learn to be able to help others on a similar path?  I may never know all of the answers to these questions (and about 1,000 others I can’t wait to talk to Jesus about!), but I do know having Finn in my life makes me miss Brian a little less.  It’s like I have a tiny piece of him here with me to love and hold every day.  I still cringe at the thought that Finn will never know his Uncle Brian (and vice versa), but I take comfort in the fact that ONE DAY they will be reunited.

In the meantime, things are starting to slow down a tiny bit around here.  Life with ten year old twin girls has been pretty fun so far!  We have finished up volleyball season for Emma, dance recital for both girls is next week, school is out for summer (I now have 2 5^th graders and a Kindergartner!), and we are about 2/3 of the way through T-ball season for Jake.  We have had a tour of the new school the kids will be going to next year, Jake got to go to Texas with Nana and Grandpa for his cousin’s dance recital, Emma and Lara hosted a birthday sleepover for a few girlfriends, Finn got to be “show and tell” for 2 of the 4^th grade classrooms, Emma and Lara learned about the new room and programming they are promoting to at church, and we had the last day of school.   

We are much closer to being unpacked at our new house, and I have moved furniture at work, too and have a desk, credenza and hutch that fit my space MUCH better now.  I hope to decorate it this weekend!  Nothing like cramming it ALL IN in a 2 week time period!  But, now things slow down a bit.  We got to experience a little bit of summer fun on Wednesday when the big kids got out of school.  I did not have a babysitter that day, so I took the day off work to be with Finn, then after the kids got out of school (at 1:00 – they only had a half day) we went bowling, and for ice cream.  SUCH a fun way to start the summer off!  I am a little sad that the girls leave today for a few days with their other dad, but it is always refreshing to have the boys by themselves to see how that relationship is growing. And speaking of Finn – At 7 months, 2 weeks and 6 days old (4 months, 2 weeks and 5 days adjusted)  he has passed 14 pounds, can roll over front to back (when he feels like it), drinks 6 oz bottles, sleeps through the night, loves to “talk” and sing, likes to stand up and take steps, and his favorite song is still “Moves Like Jagger.”  His Child Development Specialist from SoonerStart is very impressed!  He has progressed in leaps and bounds since his surgery!  We are so proud of him and SO in love!

Today is the day!

Just a few more hours! I am so excited to get going on this trip! So excited, I woke up 45 minutes before my alarm, and couldn’t go back to sleep! I don’t even have any trip details to take care of (besides packing the kids for their destinations, which is mostly done), and I can’t turn my mind off! I have some laundry to fold, and I need to get ready for work, but really, that’s about it! I am going to work a full day, and then we are off to Dallas for the night! Let the adventure begin!

In the meantime, we had a fun little adventure last night, too. Since Sunday evening, the Oklahoma news channels and weather men had been forecasting that Tuesday would be a severe tornado outbreak across the state. Monday, they reports got even more blown up, and a timeline we saw late Monday night indicated that the I-35 corridor (including our town) would be hit between 3 and 5 pm. So, we woke up Tuesday morning planning how to stay safe. My mom was picking the girls up from school, and my dad had been assigned to get Jake from daycare. At lunch, we put one of our cars in our garage, and carpooled back to campus for the afternoon. About 3, my boss told me to leave whenever I needed to do to gather kids and be safe – but at that point the storm wasn’t moving as fast as they first said, any everything was still west of us by a long way. I left my office about 4 and went to Britt’s. About 4:30, they closed campus and sent everyone home. So, we stopped by our house to put our dog in, gathered a few things, then went out to my parents’ house where our kids were. Felt there was safety in numbers, I guess.

The first hour was pretty uneventful. I had the most fun switching from news station to news station and comparing the panic level of the different weather men! They did not disappoint! But, as the rain started, and the skies got darker, and the sirens right outside my parents’ house went off, we decided it was time to duck and cover. In my parents’ neighborhood, there is a common area in the middle of the main circle. There is a building on the land that has a HUGE concrete storm cellar on one side. We, after putting my mom’s dogs in their cages, headed that way. We were some of the last neighbors to get there. There were at least 30 people and about 12 pets down there! And we still had room for more! Some folks came very prepared: flashlights, camp chairs, radios, blankets, snacks, video games… We just came with ourselves. We hoped not to stay long…

Luckily, the radios came in handy. We never heard an all clear from the sirens, but after about 30 minutes or so, the radio informed us that is was all east of where we were, so a few of the men ventured out the door at the top of the stairs. BLUE SKIES! So, we went back across the street to Nana’s house. Where the electricity (light-tricity according to my 4 year old @JakeWeaverSays) was out. We bared that for a bit, even lit all the candles we could find, decided we were hungry, and headed for town – with the rest of the population. We beat the crown to Mexico Joe’s by a few minutes, but it was still crazy busy! We did hear that there were some with significant damage in our town, but thankfully as a whole we fared very well here. Some areas of the state and region were not so fortunate.

When I last texted my mom about 9:30, they still did not have power. I am anxious to hear from them this morning to see when/if it ever came back on. That was a fun adventure, but I am hoping the next few days are full of much better surprises!

Over a week?

First of all, I’m a little shocked I haven’t blogged in over a week.  And really, have no excuse.  And second, LOOK AT MY TICKER ------->  Over there – on the right.  THREE DAYS!  3 days until my hubby whisks me away on our 5 year delayed mystery honeymoon!  I absolutely cannot wait!  I am ready for the change, the trip, the time with my hubby, and of course, the SURPRISE DESTINATION!  I was told this week there is snow in the forecast for our destination, but I’m not sure whether or not to believe it…

So, Saturday, the girls turned 9.  We had a baseball game, dinner with my parents, and presents at the house.  Sunday, we went to church, then got some special treatment at lunch because we knew the manager of the restaurant, then got a HUGE surprise when the girls got to meet a real, live MOVIE STAR:

LUCKY!  And she was so nice.  They are in the area filming a movie called “Cowgirls and Angels.”  After winding down from the exciting lunch, the girls’ birthday party at Swick’s took place.  The girls and their friends enjoyed making pizza, opening gifts, eating pizza, then playing glow in the dark mini-golf.  I think the Twisters had a GREAT birthday weekend!

The past week was filled with the usual – gymnastics, baseball, t-ball, dance, and it was the 2^nd to last week of school for the girls.  Thursday, Britt and I got the opportunity to go to LifeChurch.tv Oklahoma City campus to attend the All-Staff meeting, and then to get a tour of the Central Offices in Edmond.  It was a real treat – and we got to know some of our local volunteers better in the meantime.  We were very impressed with the Digirati Den – which brings you youversion.com.  What an AMAZING team of people and what they do boggles my mind!  Friday morning, I attended a 2 hour long variety and talent show at the girls’ elementary school, then on Saturday I spent HOURS at my sorority house cleaning and organizing.  It all just goes by so FAST!

Today was a special treat for Emma and Britt.  They got the opportunity to go to Pawnee and be in the crowd scenes for the “Cowgirls and Angels” movie!  They said it was HOT, and fun, and entertaining, and sunny, and HOT!  And they are glad they did it, but I am just excited to see the final product!  We are big Bailee Madison fans here!  LOVE Wizards of Waverly Place and the movie Letters to God.

So, my bed time is approaching fast and furious.  I have to get some good rest while I can!  I know I am going to be TOO EXCITED to sleep in the next few nights as my trip approaches and the anticipation mounts!  Oh – and the stress of farming my kids out all over to relatives in our absence – that always stresses me out!  I am off to bed, but promise to check in before I leave on my trip!

A season of busy-ness

Today is Wednesday. We are barreling at light speed towards the end of another school year. Which means activities are ending and winding down (unless it’s baseball – that that’s another story!) and our schedule is changing. Emma’s 2 reading tutoring after school classes ended last week. The Wednesday night children’s programming at our church ended last week, too. Lara’s dance recital is in a few weeks, and her current gym class ends about the same time. End of school means field trips, end of year parties, school carnival, camp outs, testing, graduation (on so many levels), good-byes and looking towards the long summer. The kids are reacting to the change in schedule as most kids do – just a bit “off.” And bedtimes are a mess – trying to squeeze in all the things we have to do… This time of year always makes me tried, and stressed out. This year is no different, except the reasons are different, more somber.

In our house, it also means illness. Allergies are running rampant. Strep throat, hacking coughs, runny noses, itchy eyes. I have become the queen of medicine dispensing the last few days! Triaminic (day or night?), Zyrtec, antibiotics, cough syrup, inhaler, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and the list goes on. I am lucky that my kids are all “good” medicine takers – never really fight it. And the girls are old enough to swallow pills now, so that makes life so much easier. But, it’s a lot to keep track of! And they all take different doses of everything, so it’s like a crazy math puzzle with no right answer – just a best guess!

So, I’m tired. I’m stressed out. I’m probably over-medicating my children. And I’m sad. I miss him. So many things I want to share, but can’t. Graduation at my office is Friday night – which means I am party planner extraordinaire for 50 people in 2 days (which reminds me – I need to call the caterer…). 3 more weeks of dance class before recital. Baseball for Emma and Jake is in full swing. The events on my Cozi calendar keep popping up one right after another. And here I am, just trying to keep my head above water. I love my family, and I thrive on being busy, but I’m ready for the end of this season to come.

One thing I am DESPARATELY looking forward to? My “Honeymoon!” My husband is taking me on a trip to a destination unknown (by me) for our honeymoon. We got married 28 days after he proposed in the middle of football recruiting (when I was the assistant to the recruiting coordinator in the Oklahoma State University Cowboy Football office), and there was no time for a trip, then we got pregnant, had an infant had a toddler, had a preschooler or had no money. Here we are five years later, and my hubby has planned this secret trip for me. We leave in 3 weeks. It’s a break we are BOTH looking forward to, for so many reasons!