The One with All The Sports

September 22 - 25, 2017
Friday Night means FOOTBALL in the Fall, and this weekend was no different.  The only thing different was a trip down the road to Deer Creek instead of playing in our beloved Pioneer Stadium  The kids like to call it "going hunting" Since the Deer Creek "mascot" is the Antlers.  It was a GORGEOUS night for some football.  Perfect temperature, no wind, beautiful Oklahoma sunset!  And, even after some pretty bad and overly home-cooked officiating, we left 4-0!  Way to go, Pioneers!  Lara and her student trainer crew worked tirelessly - even when the players, cheerleaders, and band were celebrating the win.  They were already cleaning, loading, and making sure everything was ready to head back to Stillwater!  The buses finally rolled in to the high school a few minutes past midnight.

Saturday morning, Lara and her hard working friends were back at the high school by 8:00am to clean and get ready for the week!  No rest for the weary!

We didn't see Emma this weekend, so it's all about Lara this time...

Saturday, she went with us to Edmond to watch Little Brother (who is still measuring everyday to see if he is taller than her - he's not) squeak out a win from a terribly obnoxious team.  And again - terrible officiating.  They even switched out the refs at half time!  Lunch at PDQ, then to Nana and Grandpa's new house in Perkins to watch OSU football.  MORE bad officiating, and a LOSS, and that put a cap on our Saturday.

Sunday morning was spent doing chores and laundry until it was time for Jake to go to baseball practice.  While he was in Coyle for that, Lara and I went BACK to Nana and Grandpa's new house in Perkins to spend a few minutes with my Aunt Brona as she was shuttling her grand kids from Kansas to Oklahoma to see their dad.  After that practice and visit, we all went to church,  After church - a fun sports baseball party for Jake's friend.  Lara and I had fun wrangling Finn and his little buddies, and we played a long game of catch.  We watched the bigger boys play flag football, wiffle ball, and dodge ball - as well as eat more snacks that I ever thought possible!  In the middle of the party, Lara was called for a babysitting gig.  Cha-ching! What a crazy evening.

So after a late-ish night on Sunday, it was a good thing there was no school on Monday!  Teacher professional day.  Lara stayed home with her dad and brothers and enjoyed a nice day off.  Laying on the couch, watching, Netflix - and being lucky enough that since Deer Creek JV forfeited the JV game (the JV crew is now 5-0!), there was no football practice!  Easy day!

Back to the grind - and it is HOMECOMING week!  Good Times!

The One After School Started

August 18 - 21, 2017
The first day of school was Thursday.  Emma started her Sophomore Year at Mulhall-Orlando, and Lara started hers at Stillwater High School.  Lucky for me, it was “my” weekend, and we were able to all be together for most of it.  Emma came to town Friday night, but due to timing and transportation, she ended up at Nana and Grandpa’s house while the boys and I went to Pioneer Stadium to watch Lara do her trainer thing at the first Pioneer scrimmage of the night.  It was HOT (and since it hasn’t been hot, that was no fun), but it was a fun night and the Varsity Pioneers put on quite a show.

Everything the light touches is our kingdom.

After we got home from that, we got Emma to our house and for the first time in a long time all my chicks were in the same nest.  But it was short lived…

Saturday morning, the Weavers all had to get up early to get to Jake’s Red Dirt Baseball tryouts, but the Horinek girls got to SLEEP IN!  Well, Emma slept in.  Lara is like me – she tries to sleep in, but ends up getting up and getting things done instead.  We had a nice lunch all together after tryouts, then had a pretty lazy afternoon.  Lara had not gotten the chance to go School Supply shopping, so she and I did that while Emma napped.  LOL.

Then, it was PARTY TIME!  Our friend Sarah was celebrating her 15^th birthday as well as going back to school.  So we all headed out to the Hatfield’s for a fun time of slider sandwiches, cake, chips, cookie cake, candy and all things 15 year old girls love!  There were balloons and games and puppies and toddlers!  SO MANY TEENAGE GIRLS!  A couple of teenage boys and my 2 little boys.  A handful of adults stayed as well, so it was a good time for everybody!  We ALL had a great time! Fun to have all 4 of my kids in the same place doing the same things and having a good time.

And at the end of the night, there were balloons that no longer needed their helium….

So I mentioned how not all my chicks were back in my nest, right?  Finn had asked back in July is he could have a sleepover with Sarah’s brother, Clay.  Their mom said “someday!”  So Friday night at the scrimmage, Finn asked if he could stay after the party. She said yes.  I’m not sure WHEN, exactly, Clay found out about his overnight guest, but he made the most of it!  He’s such a great guy and I am so glad Finn had a great time!  This group of teenagers is something special and we are so glad to be a small part of it as a family.

Sunday morning, we got up and went to church at 11:30.  Jake has a new friend that attends that service, so we’ve been going in the morning to be able to see them.  Britt invited that family to have lunch with us after church as well.  We found out Emma and Jody (the mom) know a lot of the same Mulhall people and they had a GREAT conversation!  It’s fun to meet new people!  Later in the afternoon it was time to get Emma back to Orlando.  Lara was along for the ride, but we decided she needed some driving practice since Driver’s Ed ended 6 weeks ago and she hasn’t really driven any since then.  Look who drove us back to Stillwater:

And look what showed up in the yard while we were gone:

Later in the evening, Lara went up to the school to shoot hoops with Dad and Jake (our hoop took a tumble in the storms earlier this week; jury is still out on the condition of the equipment) and Dad let her drive home from the school when they were done.  She is doing a really good job!  But I’m glad we have several months of practice still!  Three more months till permit time!

Things just keep getting busier and busier as high school gets going!  I can't wait for what next weekend holds!

A Costumed Christmas

This past weekend, Britt and I got to go on a date.  On a CAR date.  That included a ROAD TRIP!  This was HUGE.  We rarely get date nights in on our busy schedule, and to actually take SIGINIFANCT time to make something like this happen is HUGE.  It talks a lot of phone calls, texts, hits and misses to get 4 kids taken care of for a weekend – especially after the Tween Twins had a school dance on Friday night that they HAD to attend! And not surprisingly, it was not without a few glitches.  But, it was SO VERY WORTH IT!

We were invited to a Costume Christmas party Saturday night in Dallas thrown by our ******** upline Diamond and Platinum distributors.  We thought just getting the invitation was a big deal, and we were ready to move mountains to make it to this party!  Once we put it on the calendar, it was game on.  We started making arrangements for our drive, where we would stay and most importantly, where the kids would all be.  I am so grateful to all the families that helped all my kids have a good weekend while we were away. And of course to Nana the Wonder Sitter for shouldering the brunt of the responsibility and helping coordinate it all!

So, through the Facebook event page, we knew we were expected REQUIRED to wear a costume (there were threats! LOL!), and to bring a gift for the dirty Santa exchange.  Time to get creative!  After several days of brainstorming and thinking, Britt ordered a costume from Walmart.com, and I went to Hobby Lobby and gathered supplies!  The end result was the Pink Bunny from the Christmas Classic “A Christmas Story” and I was a festive rendition of Dancer the Reindeer.

The party was so much fun!  We were staying with our (very pregnant) friend Megan, and we all traveled to the event together.  She was a trooper!  I know she thought her elf costume looked ridiculous, and I know she was not feeling all that festive, but she was a great sport and helped us to have a really good time!

Liz and Rob - our hosts

With our friend Megan

A lot of the couples there were dressed as a “pair” or a “couple.”  All of the winners fell into this category, so we have made that note for next year.  Alas, we did not win any contests!  The couple from “A Nightmare Before Christmas” won the overall prize – they went ALL OUT!  The costumes and make-up were amazing!  We also had 3 Cousin Eddie’s from “Christmas Vacation” – and an EXCELLENT Clark Griswald!  Also from that movie was Aunt Bethany and Uncle Lewis – PRICELESS! As well as 2 Pink Bunnies  - AND THE LEG LAMP - from “A Christmas Story,” Bill Murray and the Angel from Scrooged, a complete Nativity scene, several Santa’s, Mrs. Clauses, elves, a Christmas Tree (and skirt), presents, snowmen, Jack Frost, a kid waiting for Christmas morning, and many more! The creativity was stellar, and the costumes had us smiling all night.

Costume Contest winners

YUP!  This happened...

AdvoFamily

While everyone arrived, we were treated to some GREAT ******** friendly foods, and an endless supply of water and *****.  These people know how to party!  The food was GREAT!  I think Britt wanted to stuff some of the wraps into his pockets.  But, FWIW, Bunny costumes don’t have pockets! LOL!  So, we just ate while we were there, and thought about what all was in them so we might recreate them at home later.

Then it was time for the “Dirty Santa” style gift exchange.  I don’t know exactly how long this took, but there were over 50 people there!  It was not a QUICK game. But it was pretty fun!  One of the gifts we brought got passed around quite a bit – that always makes you feel good when you bring a “good” gift!  We left with a set of 2 beer glasses and an AMAZING king size blanket in a beautiful teal color for our bed.  It is so warm and cozy and PRETTY!  Props to my husband for sacrificing his turn for me to “steal” this blanket to “freeze” it.  That’s how he ended up with the beer glasses.  We’re not drinkers, but the glasses are pretty cool!  The kids want to use the glasses to put Santa’s ***** in for Christmas Eve!

After a nice night of sleep at our friends’ house, we got up early and headed out.  But not back to Oklahoma just yet – we went to TARGET!  Cuz we don’t have one here!  We spent a couple of hours with our carefully crafted Christmas list and got a few gifts marked off the list.  Then, we barred back home to be with our kids!  MISSED THEM so much – but very glad to get to spend that precious time together as a couple reinvesting in each other.  And, our ******* family.  We are so blessed and honored to be on this awesome journey.  While the weight loss is great, (Britt is at 72 lbs gone, I am at 45) I think the most rewarding parts of our adventure are the PEOPLE!  The people we are meeting, the people we are helping, and the people that are now our FAMILY! It’s so rewarding and fulfilling!

Ended the weekend at LifeChurch where it was Baby Dedication day.  I got the distinct honor of praying over my (2^nd) favorite preemie baby and her family as they embark on the challenging journey of raising their adorable miracle girl to being a fully devoted follower of Christ. What a humbling, yet refreshing experience!  Love this sweet face and her awesome family!  You will go far, Baby Lucy!

Baby Lucy

Once Tiny, Always… TINY?

Here we are, a couple of weeks past Finn’s 3^rd birthday, and I am reminded of this picture.  Of this season.  A season we thought had basically passed through and moved to the other side of.  All the struggles of prematurity and delayed development… The day of his first birthday party was also the day we participated in our first March of Dimes March for Babies.  Finn’s shirt won the T-shirt design contest (just like this year, too!).  His shirt said, “Once Tiny, Always Strong.”  We loved that shirt.  And as we approached and passed the milestone of his third birthday, we thought we would start being released from some of the specialized physicians we see.  But, this was not the case… 

Let’s turn back the clock 6 months.  We had seen our local pediatrician because we were concerned about Finn’s weight gain and stature. She started us on an appetite stimulant, and referred us to an endocrinologist in the City.  It took 6 weeks to get in with him, and in that 6 weeks the stimulant medication had worked WONDERS on our boy!  He was growing, eating, and  developing at amazing pace.  We did find out something new at this visit, however.  He asked if we knew that our son had been diagnosed with “SGA” after his birth.  I had no idea what that was, so I said no and asked what it meant.  He told us it meant he was “Small for his Gestational Age.” In other words, Finn was smaller than the average 26 week 5 day gestational age baby.  Once Tiny. But, based on that and the other presenting factors, especially the success we had with the recent prescription, the decision was made to stay the course, but to make a 6 month follow up “just on case.”  That appointment was scheduled for October 20.

On October 5, 2014, Sweet Mr. Finn turned 3.  Feisty, Finicky, Fearless Finn.  Funny, Fretful, Fighter Finn. Fabulous, Flirty, Fickle Finn.  We celebrated at his pre-school with cupcakes that week, and had a small gathering at home for his friends and family.  His favorite things are play-doh, Legos, and all things FLAGS – especially American flags!  It snuck up on us, and it took our breath away.  We made it!  “Early Childhood!”  THREE!  And he was doing so well!  At or just barely below all his developmental milestones for his age.  A glimmer of normal…

And as all 3 year olds do, he had a well-child check with his pediatrician the next week.  Where everything checked out well – and the only shot he had to get was for flu prevention.  Except… Except for the pesky little fact that he’s not getting any bigger.  He weighs 26 pounds (9%) and is 35 inches tall (3%). Her exact words were, “he’s not growing as we would expect.”  I guess with parents both over 6 feet tall, an uncle who stood 6’7” and a 7 year old brother pushing 5 feet and 95 pounds, being tiny definitely isn’t “expected.”  She went on to say she thinks this is something beyond just being born prematurely and we probably ought to keep the appointment with the endocrinologist.  Man!  We just knew we were going to leave there and call to cancel that appointment because we were doing so well.  No such luck.

Fortunately for us, we already had that appointment on the books, AND it was just a few days later.  Easy enough to pass the time.  With thoughts and fears and hopes and dreams.  With questions and concerns and prayers and tears. With hope and love and cuddles and kisses.  We are weary.  All of us, from the fight we have been on for these past 3+ years.  And we truly thought we might be on an upswing. Only to be brought back down by the crest of this wave.  A wave we will ride, but not without adversity, I am sure.

Monday, we spent the entire day in Oklahoma City.  After dropping all the big kids and their respective schools in Stillwater, we were off.  First stop – the pulmonologist.  Where, even with this newest round of cough and congestion from allergies that Finn is struggling with, we were given a clean bill of lung health and made a plan to be back after the first of the New Year.  Then, it was lunch at Jason’s Deli (YUM!), a jaunt to the mall to play on the indoor play equipment, then to Mercy Hospital and the OU Children’s Clinic to see Dr. George, our endocrinologist.  The lobby was busy and bustling – very different from the last time we were there.  And the wait seemed intolerable – our baby had already had a long day!  But little did we know what was to come. 

He was very thorough.  The doctor, that is. Very patient. Thoughtful; deliberate with his words.  He seemed to waver back and forth a bit about what our plan of action should be.  He asked lots of questions about the past 6 months, about his prematurity, and about family history of stature.  This was the plan of action we decided on as a team.  Even though his was diagnosed “SGA” and currently below the 10^th percentile for both height (3%) and weight (8%) and he would probably qualify for growth hormone therapies, we are going to give him until age 4 to catch up some more.  Always Tiny?  In the meantime, the physical examination yielded no evidence of hormone deficiencies, but there could always be some underlying factor only detectable by more comprehensive testing.  And there’s no time like the present.  The doctor ordered an X-ray of Finn’s left hand to determine bone age, and 2 and a half PAGES of blood labs – that needed to be collected in 4 different vials. 

The bone age test will determine if his bones indicate the same aging as his chronological birthday.  If his bone age seem to only be 2 years, then he has a lot of growing left to do and he will probably catch up.  If his bone age is 3 (or more), well, then, we probably need to help him catch up.  We went down to radiology – where the wait was long and the room was tiny.  But Finn LOVED the X-ray tech and getting his picture taken with her BIG camera!  Even if it was of his hand!  She was so sweet and kind to him.  And when she was checking to make sure she got a good image, she let Finn and I watch it render on the “pa-cuter” screen.  Finn saw his hand, then saw the images of the bones and he exclaimed, “It looks like Halloween!”

The blood work is testing for many different things – most of them over our heads.  The doctor told us that the 2 “big” tests take 14 days to get back. These tests are looking for anything else that might be causing the growth delays and any hormone deficiencies he may be experiencing.  It was off to the lab we went.  The lab wait was short, and the room more comfortable.  And the lab tech was excellent, too!  Kind, patient, caring, professional.  But getting a good stick on a squirmy, tired, coughing 3 year old proved to be a challenge.   One she could not overcome on her own.  She called in reinforcements (and THIS SONG was playing while she was gone - I knew my brother was watching over us!) in the form of an experienced nurse they called “Grandma Vickie.”  45 minutes, 3 sticks, 2 techs, and 1 teddy bear (his gift for being so brave) later, they got the 4 vials of blood needed.  And we finally got to go home.

The 2 week wait is upon us. I definitely left the clinic and hospital on Monday night feeling better.  Dr. George is in no hurry to push us into (expensive, grueling, time consuming) growth hormone therapies, but he wants to get to the root of the problem with some preliminary testing.  If these tests all come back within normal ranges, they become the “benchmark” for the tests we run next year – when he is four.  I like this plan.  I have every faith that the results will be favorable.  That the next 12 months will yield extraordinary growth for Mr. Finn. We serve a mighty God and we have prayed BOLD prayers over this situation.  We ask you to do the same.  In Jesus name!  Finn may always be tiny, but he will also always be STRONG!

As for the rest of us… Well, life keeps happening at break neck speed!  Emma and Lara both landed roles in the chorus for their middle school production of High School Musical 2 this spring and are constantly at rehearsals.  Lara is LOVING dancing at her new studio and is also helping with choreography on the musical.  Emma is working with a practice volleyball team to improve her skills and looks forward to trying out for the school team next year.  She is excelling at school and loves helping others.  Both girls got straight A’s the first 9 weeks of school – something they both worked very hard for!  Britt and I are both working, working and WORKING.  Working our jobs at OSU keep us in the know and young at heart while working on our weight loss and wellness journey (he’s lost 65 pounds, I’ve lost 45 – and both still counting!) and WORKING our ******** business so soon we can live out our dreams with our family.  In the meantime, Jake just finished up his flag football season tonight with a double header.  SILVER BULLET ended the season UNDEFEATED!  Jake looks forward to playing with this team of amazing boys and coaches again next year.  He is doing GREAT in school – his teacher calls him the Gentle Giant.  I have felt the presence of my own Gentle Giant, Big Oaf to my Little Oaf, my Big Brother, many times over the course of the last few weeks.  None greater than in that lab when I was begging for guidance from above so those ladies could get the blood they needed form my sweet boy and we could get him to stop screaming, coughing and flailing about.  God provided.  He always does.  As I know he will through this season for Finn and our family.  God is good.  Finn is proof.  All the time. Once Tiny. Always Strong.