The "Official" Weaver First Day of School 2018 was Thursday, August 16, 2018. But, because we are "that" family and cannot every do anything the simple way, it looked a little different in a few ways. 4 kids. 5 schools. 3 different “First Days!” Looks like this! Emma - 16: Meridian for Metal Fabrication (first day 8/15), Mulhall-Orlando HS for Junior Year (first day 8/17); Lara - 16: Stillwater High for Junior Year; Jake - 11: Stillwater Middle School for 6th Grade; Finn - 6: First Grade at Westwood. WHEW! Because of all the craziness, there were traditions we missed, pictures that didn't get taken, and general chaos! BUT! I did get Emma to come see us for a few hours after her first day of Meridian to (try and) get a few back to school pictures. I wanted one of all 4 kids, and then some of the girls. Can you believe we FORGOT twiTO TAKE THE HANDS UP PICTURE?!??!?!?!?!?!? GUYS! I am truly remorseful. I may have them re-enact it next time they are both in the same place. I am kicking myself for that one!
Time just marches on. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that I have 2 drivers, a middle schooler, and my BABY is at the elementary school all by himself! These last 7 years have flown by. A BIG FAMILY with lots of activities keeps us busy, so time flies. We all got together on Wednesday after Emma was finished with her Meridian Tech classes and had a little photo shoot. Here are some of my favorites:
MY BABIES! 11th, 6th, 1st
Class of 2020
"IT WAS HIM"
(Trying to hide the brace) SO HANDSOME!
Sassy
And of course, it would noy be the first day of school without the Dream Weaver Prints First Day of School signature signs! The girls took thiers early, but the boys were on the actual first day of school! I got a couple fun pics of the biys as well.
Wait, WHAT?!?
They all had great first days. Finn was slow to warm up, but his teacher said he is doing great! Jake loves middle school! Even on crutches! Maybe it is all the special treatment... Lara is already super busy and super involved and super social. Trying to learn time management again. Emma is doing the 2 school thing and also needs to set extra alarms. Here is to an amazing year!
AND THEY’RE OFF! One fiery red head off to move mountains. One gentle giant conquering school on crutches. One tiny miracle struggling with being “alone” at the big school. Here’s to a GREAT day!
Mom and Dad had a breakfast date at Braum's after we got them all off for the day. First time it's just been the 2 of us all summer! ;)
December 22-25, 2017
Sandwiched between finals, end of semester parties and school getting out, then basketball and wrestling practices, spending gift money, and family time (or dates) while on break, there was Christmas. There are only 2 more of those with the girls "officially" at home. Two More. Two more Christmas mornings being the best big sisters watching little brothers tear into gifts - especially the little one. Two more crazy Christmas Eve's of shuffling from home to home getting everyone to the places they want to be and celebrating with a big family. 2 more late Christmas Eves where I get to stuff stockings KNOWING they will be there the next morning to see what Santa brought.
We spent as much time as possible with the girls this holiday weekend. These girls are supremely lucky and immensely blessed. While a big family can be hard to manage, and communication failures are abundant, there are perks, too! They have SO MUCH FAMILY that loves them, cares for them, and spoils them rotten. My family. Britt's family. Their Dad's family. His wife's family. They had more Christmas Celebrations and presents to open than they could possibly count. I hope they treasure that. They have new clothes, new gadgets, pocket money, and a true momentum heading in to the new year.
Christmas Eve night was spent with Nana and Grandpa - the first Christmas in their new house in Perkins. Nana brought Gigi over from her home at Brookdale in Stillwater, Grandpa picked up the girls from their dad at a meeting spot in Guthrie, while Britt and I brought the boys over from Stillwater. We had chili (or chicken nuggets for the picky eaters), ate a plethora of desserts, and then opened presents. We even stayed a little late after Gigi went back to Stillwater and played with new toys and gadgets.
After making it home to Stillwater, we read the annual "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and donned "Christmas" PJ's. Jake took over the duty of reading the story this year, He's such a big guy these days. Then it was off to bed so Santa could come. There are practically no pictures of Christmas. We were too busy enjoying it! We stayed home, as a family of six, all day. We opened stockings, and presents, and then played with new toys, enjoyed each other's company, (one of us took a nap), and generally chilled until we got hungry for lunch.
For lunch, I chose our family's favorite and easy meal. Keeping it simple. Lara helped me make Sticky Chicken, and EVERYONE ate it. No arguing, no begging for people to taste new things. No worries about insulting the host or the person who made a certain dish. We ate what we liked and we enjoyed it. After the kitchen was clean, it was back to fun activities and playing with new toys. Nana and Grandpa stopped over to play our new board game - Ticket to Ride. Fun, relaxed, family day.
Merry Christmas, indeed!
Sticky Chicken:
Prepare a package of frozen popcorn chicken.
While it cooks, mix over low heat: 6 Tbsp honey 4 Tbsp ketchup 4 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp white vinegar 2 Tbsp soy sauce Salt/pepper
Bring to boil, simmer 3-5 minutes (to thicken slightly) Toss with cooked chicken, garnish with sesame seeds and green onions
My son, Jake, is 8 years old. His football team is 7-0 and hopes to be
playoff bound next week. He made a 103%
on his last spelling test. His biggest
concerns are figuring out how to get us to agree to let him wear shorts even
when it’s 45 degrees outside and who is bringing the football to recess. Saturday, October 24, 2015 will be a day
etched in his memory for the rest of his life.
He is at the age where he will remember.
He will recall where he was when he heard. The weather, the time of day, the
circumstances. The emotions, the words,
the cries and anguish. The news reports,
the tears of his parents, the stories from friends. ALL OF IT.
Seared on his young, impressionable memory. This day,
his life, as well as the lives of HUNDREDS of others, has forever been altered.
Jake - age 8. 10.24.15
The first national tragedy of epic proportions that I
remember was the Challenger Shuttle launch explosion from January 28,
1986. I was in 5th
grade. Mrs. White’s class at Wilkinson
Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida (this was during the Ricker family’s “4
year vacation” away from Stillwater). A
friend and I had been sent from our classroom at the front
of the school, around back to the art room to return some supplies. It was a BRIGHT, cloudless January morning. My friend and I took the “long” route –
outside – to accomplish this chore, as fifth grade girls will do! We were talking about the launch on the way
back, and looked to the sky to see if we could see anything. We saw what we thought was the smoke trails
from the booster engines. It wasn’t
until we wandered our way back to the classroom that we discovered what had dreadfully
happened! The rest of the day was spent
watching news coverage, crying, wondering why.
Our innocence was shattered. I
will never forget.
My family has been a part of Stillwater and Payne Country
history since the very start. My
ancestors had the first general store, the first gas station, and an early mayor
is among my esteemed relatives. I was
born just a few miles up the highway in Perry, but my parents were Stillwater
residents at the time. I attended Skyline
Elementary, Sangre Ridge Elementary, Stillwater Junior High School (where my
twins are now) and Stillwater High School.
My 4 children will be 4th
generation graduates of C.E. Donart/Stillwater High School. Aside from a short time in Florida when I was
a pre-teen, the 8 years in Dallas after college, and a year in Tulsa, I have spent
the majority of my 40+ years living in this town. Even when my address wasn’t in Stillwater, it
was still my HOME and I visited often. I have been to more Homecoming Walkaround and Sea
of Orange Parade events than most of these current college kids have even been alive
for! I’ve been a participant, a
coordinator, and a spectator of that parade more times than I can actually
remember. Homecoming is SACRED to my family
and the parade was often the one time a year we could all get together and be a
family as we all grew up and scattered across the nation. Stillwater will always be HOME. This is MY town! “Where I was born, where I was raised. Where
I keep all my yesterdays. Where I ran off 'cos I got mad, An' it came to blows
with my old man. Where I came back to settle down, It's where they'll put me in
the ground: This is my town.” (Thank you Montgomery Gentry for summing that up
for me! And no, I never came to blows
with my old man, but I can recall a few times he would have liked to string me
up…)
But for some reason, God has chosen this place I call sacred
ground for some true tests of resiliency.
We’ve been here before. This town
has been brought to their knees many times.
Natural disasters. A school
shooting at the Junior High that we leaned was a horrific suicide. And in the last dozen or so years, the OSU community has been shaken especially hard. We were stunned by a plane crash
in 2001 that killed 10 members of the Men’s Basketball family. (I personally knew 2 members of that tragedy.) Then, 10 years later, we were shocked again when 2
coaches and 2 others were killed in a plane crash while on a Women’s Basketball
recruiting trip (I knew both of those coaches as well from my days in
Athletics). And now. This. Rocked to the core, AGAIN. Our beloved Homecoming parade marred by disaster. Changed forever. In a split second. This
unfathomable, inconceivable, horrible event.
I can’t call it an accident, I’m not sure it was. But I do know what IS NOT an accident. That it happened here. In MY TOWN.
God said he would lead us beside StillWater(s). And here we are. Pulling together. Holding each other up. Praying.
Supporting – financially, physically, and emotionally. Because that’s what MY TOWN does. Better than most. It’s the Oklahoma Standard. And God showed us He did not forsake us in the
midst of this heartbreak. Even when it
hurts, He is with us. Even when we don’t
understand WHY, He shows up in big ways.
He loves our souls, He heals our scars.
And to show that promise, He blanketed our whole state (and those that
border us as well) with the most SPECTACULAR orange sunset I have ever
seen. He is BESIDE us.
Orange sky over Stillwater, OK 10.24.15
We knew several of the victims of this crash. Some who died, some who are still in
hospitals in critical condition, some who were treated and released, and some
who just needed a bandage. And a
hug. But most of all, we know STILLWATER. We know this town from its roots. And we know, we are ALL
#StillwaterStrong. The coming days,
weeks, months will be hard. My 8 year
old will grow up a lot and learn some of life’s toughest lessons in the coming
days. And every year, when we go to the
Sea of Orange Parade, we will be reminded.
Even though we won’t really need to be.
Because, we will REMEMBER. That’s
what we do. In MY TOWN.
Some people call it the middle of nowhere; we call it the CENTER of our Universe.
Well, another school year has started with a bang!It’s always crazy getting back into the
routine, getting all the school supplies purchased, getting everyone to bed on
time, coaxing everyone out of bed on time.But we are 4 days in.And we made
it! 2 7th graders, a 2nd
grader, and Year 2 of preschool for the little guy! He is going 3 days a week
this year instead of the 2 he went last year.Trying to get him caught up to his peers with language and social
skills!
I will let the pictures do most of the talking.I am in just in SHOCK that these are my
babies.The time has flown.When we went to meet the teacher for 2nd
grade last week, Britt remarked how it felt like we were just in Jake’s 1st
grade classroom last week!So true.And funny that we found his last report card
of the year from 1st grade still in his backpack after the first day
of 2nd grade!OOPS!Emma and Lara are ruling the Middle School as
7th graders.They are such wonderful
young ladies.Level headed, low drama,
smart, dedicated, organized.So
proud.And Jake!MAN!He is just a joy.Somewhat shockingly,
NOT the tallest kid in his class this year, too!;)He
loves his teachers and Westwood – such a great fit for him.Sweet little baby Finn is almost 3.And talking up a STORM!I am so proud of how far he has come.He’s still a nervous nelly, and has his funny
quirks, but he is much more social this year and people can converse with him
which truly helps.He is going to have a
great year in the Rainbow Room at FUMC ECC.
It’s strange to stop and think during the day that the 6
Dream Weavers are spread out all over Stillwater.But it sure is nice to come home at night and
we’re all cozy under one roof. God id good.
OH! And they first Middle School Dance was Friday Night as well...
It is August. The middle of August in fact. Around here, that means a busy time. Back to School. BID DAY! Last Monday, the Alpha Omicron chapter of Alpha Delta Pi at Oklahoma State University welcomed almost 60 new Alpha members. It was not as hot outside as it has been in recent years, but it was HOT inside! ;) Lots of hugs and excitement for these young ladies - and I am honored just to be a part of it!
For the Weavers, it also means volunteering our time to work Welcome Week registration in the ballroom of the Student Union for a few hours. It's a family tradition! Britt and I have done it every year for the past several years. It's super fun, and great people watching. We had out their first ORANGE T-short for orange Fridays, a map of campus to help them get around, and a booklet showing the week's events. These are Freshmen who have just arrived on the OSU campus for the first time as students, and it is SO MUCH FUN! (Great people watching, too!) We worked out shift late Tuesday afternoon, and it did NOT disappoint!
This morning as I was trolling my apps on my iPhone waiting for the rest of the house to get going, TimeHop Abe reminded me of this post from exactly one year ago today. Remember this, readers? I was so excited about how this story turned out. Well, revisiting that reminded me that there is a Part 2 - and I'm going to tell you about it today!
While my (skinny) husband and I were greeting new students Tuesday night, I was (as always) on the lookout for ADPi lavalieres, headbands, bags, T-shirts and any other identifying apparel. In the 2 hours we were in the ballroom. I saw 2 girls with my letters. JUST TWO! That's crazy - I normally see at least a handful. The first one was not in my line - in fact she was CLEAR DOWN at the other end of the giant room. I didn't feel like being too obnoxious and flagging her down. But the second one? She was in MY LINE!
Here she comes, right up to us to get her registration taken care of and most importantly to get a brand new orange T-shirt. She had on a necklace with the Greek letters Alpha Delta Pi on a sweet little charm. So, of course, I had to engage her. She was so excited to talk about her new sisterhood! (We got a GREAT group this year - can't wait to see what they do in the future!). She said she remembered seeing me at the house on Monday and was glad to meet me. As part of the conversation, I asked who her "Bid Day Buddy" (older Delta member who helps the new Alpha members navigate the craziness that is Bid Dy) was. YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO HER BUDDY WAS!!!!
Ok, you probably already guessed. You're right! It was the young lady from last year's post. I can't make this stuff up. I was floored - and so was my husband. ADPI just keeps surprising me over and over. Renewed my love for Stillwater, Oklahoma State University and Alpha Delta Pi. What a GREAT week I had. I always love a fresh, new fall semester, and this was just icing on the cake!
Welcome to campus, #OKState18. Here's to a wonderful year!
I know you are DYING to know what color theme the shirts are going to be. And, I know you're DESPERATE to know who won the fun prize. (Almost as much as our kids want to know WHERE we are going on our Road Trip, WHAT we are going to be doing and seeing, and most importantly HOW LONG are we going to be in the car - but the have some more waiting to do...) But you are in luck, the winner is being revealed RIGHT NOW!
I would like to thank all of you for playing along! It's fun for us to do this, and it's a fun way to keep you all involved in the process. We truly believe in the Mission of the March of Dimes, and are so incredibly blessed to have been chosen as the Ambassador Family this year for Stillwater. The votes are all in, they have been tallied and re-tallied, and even though my husband negotiated VETO POWER from the contest marshal (me), it didn't have to be used!
Number 4 and Number 6 would like to bow out graceful with their one vote each...
Number 1 is out - didn't even come close...
Three way tie with SEVEN votes each for 3, 5 and 8...
Number 7 was a real *crowd pleaser,* led the race most of the way, but was TAKEN OUT right at the end of the voting period! Too bad Number 7...
AND THE WINNER IS...
YAY! This was my fave!
Shirt Number 2! Teal with bright yellow print!
15 people voted for that color combo, so I used random.org to generate a winning number from the 15 participants. Our winner is: Tyanna B!
CONGRATS!
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! (Click for larger version)
When the Dream Weavers get back from vacation, we will start the sign up process for purchasing T-shirts! We are so excited to see everyone in these shirts come September! We also have a few other fundraising plans up our sleeves! Maybe another Fuzzy's night, a thirty-one party, and Bunco for Babies! Keep watching the blog and Facebook to find out more!
