Thirteen

Jacob Alan Weaver is FINALLY Thirteen!  And, in true Jake Weaver fashion, he seemed to figure out a way to make the celebration last weeks!  We happened to be in OKC a few days before his birthday (I am sure it was basketball related), and he ended up getting a birthday dinner from us at Red Robin.  And I know he got a couple more in the two weeks that followed.  He loves celebrations - and to be celebrated - and it is contagious!

He is kind, funny, a wonderful friend, son, and brother.  I wrote this post for social media on his actual birthday: "6’1” of joy, wit, fun, and smarts. All around great kid. The consummate middle child; loves to hang with his older sisters and be an example for his little brother. And he teases them all relentlessly. When he was a little guy, I used to tell people that everyone needed a little Jake Weaver in their lives. Nothing has changed. Dream Big. Change the World."  He has a big body and even bigger dreams, but biggest of all is his tender heart.  He is a joy to be around and lights up a room with his presence.

So, because it took so long to get from this birthday on January 25th to his party on February 1, there is a lot to pack into this birthday post.  This is his last photo as a 12-year-old - cuddling our puppy who celebrated her 1 year Gotcha Day on the 27th:

On his birthday, we balled.  All day.  Little Brother Finn had a game early, then we were off to Norman to play with his new team, Buddy Buckets 2025.  We had a lot of game success, Jake played a lot of minutes, and go this first 3 in a game!  He was a defensive force, and the Buckets won their division on Sunday:

At Finn's Game

CHAMPION!

Buddy Buckets 2025

Also on Sunday, we lost a basketball HERO and his 13-year-old daughter.  This one hit hard.  Moments before the tip-off of the championship game on Sunday, everyone's phones started alerting with the news from TMZ that LA Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash.  The memories we shared as a family and as a basketball family helped heal the shock that filled our hearts.  Kobe's daughter, Giana (Gigi) was also on that flight and died.  These boys are 13.  And just doing what they love.  Heartbreaking!

On Monday, Jake had a 7th Grade Stillwater Pioneers game in Edmond.  (It was also Everest Pearl (Evie)'s Gotcha day!)  Jake played against Edmond Central - a team filled with old teammates from Solid Rock and AET.  We caught this fun picture with his recent AET teammate, Brady Hancuff.  We miss playing WITH him, and playing against him is tough!  To know what they were saying to each other in this moment...

At the end of the week, as we inched towards Jake's party with his friends, we had to find him his first suit.  He is playing Mr. Salt in the 7th-grade musical production of Willy Wonka later this semester.  He is not a shopper, and it is hard to find the right fit, but we did it!  Mr. Salt will look good up on that stage!

ignore the tags and wrinkles - this was a trial run!

Ready to go backstage!

Saturday.  FINALLY.  PARTY DAY!  Jake had a group of his friends join him for a bowling party at the local bowling alley.  We think this was his third party there!  It's hard to find a good place in January, and he (we) is (are) leery of trampoline parks and gymnastics gyms since he seems to get injured so easily...  Kobe cupcakes, a Thunder Jersey, a commemorative bowling pin and gift cards to all his favorite spots were the theme of the day.  It was a great party with a great group of young men.

brotherly love

And to cap it all off, he got braces on Tuesday the 4th.  Somehow, he makes it all look so effortless and easy!  I think he is rocking thirteen!

Early Morning braces appointment!

Last picture without / First picture with

Looking forward to his teen years!  Parenting 3 teenagers is a challenge, but a fun one!  His sisters are 17.5 and graduating high school this year; off to college in 6 months.  I love the relationships he has with each Emma and Lara, and I love that they take him on "teenager" adventures.  Plus, he is a great role model for his 8-year-old brother, Finn.  Always a middle child, but the best middle child I could ask for!

The one with Tears and Giggles

September 15 - 18, 2017
Here's to another Friday-Saturday-Sunday in the books.  Each weekend the same, yet oh so different! This was a "Betsey" weekend - as in, my weekend to have Emma and Lara here at my house in Stillwater.  Nothing much was planned, and we only had a few places to be on a schedule, so it was looking to be a relaxing weekend.  In most regards, it really was.  Nice weather, some down time, and time with the family.  Just what we all needed.

Friday Night Lights was the first big event on the agenda.  Our awesome student trainers even got a shout out on the Facebook page as they were advertising the upcoming game!

Emma came to Stillwater earlier in the evening, and the whole family made it to the stadium about 6:15 pm. It was a BEAUTIFUL night, and we were looking forward to the little girls from the pom and cheer clinic performing at the pre-game, some awesome Pioneer (undefeated) football, and a great "God Save the Queen" halftime show from our amazing marching band - all while celebrating "Pink Out Week" and raising awareness and money for Breast Cancer Research!  Lara on the field, Emma with her friends, Jake with his, and Finn sitting with mom and dad.  It was a great night.  Pioneers beat Mustang and moved to 3-0 on the season.

Lara is so lucky to have a sister.  A TWIN sister.  A built in best friend, confidant, and someone to see you through to the other side.  They may not live together, and they may not have the same interests and talents, but they will always be sisters.  And Friday night, after the game, after the lights went off, emotions of the win died down, and the stress of LIFE as a teenage girl came crashing down, Lara needed her sister.  There were tears, sobs, and cries for comfort. She needed me, too.  I did my thing - I was her soft place to land.  A shoulder to cry on, ears to listen, the gentle reminder of Whose she is and that He is always on control, some motherly advice and counsel, and she felt better. Maybe just a little.  But then the lights go out and the door closes.  And the soft words of sisters deep in conversation float out and can still be heard.  Not what they're saying, but the tone and timbre of the words being spoken.  Thankful for that bond.  And that God knew.  He knows we all need grace, and we all need a sister - by blood or by love - whichever he has blessed you with.  Thank you, Lord, for the sisters I get to raise and nurture, and thank you for the "sisters" you have put in my life to help me, too.

Saturday morning, everyone was up earlier than they probably wanted to be (except Jake; I think he had his uniform on by 7:00 am).  We left relatively early for a quick jaunt to Edmond for Jake's first game with his new team.  It was a fun and exciting game, ended with a big win, and then we had to find some lunch to eat for the hungry crowd.  We tried a new place we'd never tried called PDQ.  We were excited to eat there as we had tried a couple of times in the past but since it was new it was always too busy.  Luckily, the new has worn off a bit and we got right in!  Great food, fun family time, and a promise to go back soon! Thank you Lord, for a family that loves to do life together.

The rest of Saturday was spent relaxing and recuperating.  No one had any pressing plans, so there was lots of YouTube, Netflix, DVR, and a few books were opened.  Finn keeps both girls pretty busy as he loves them SO MUCH and just wants them to play with him!  I love watching the girls (and the boys) when they have "down time."  Unscheduled, uninterrupted, free time.  You see what they treasure, can get them to chat about what they love, and thoughts come out that during the usual hustle and bustle might be missed.  The last hour before I left for a commitment that night, we all 3 just hung out in the girls' room and talked and laughed.  There was a discussion about future baby names (Emma's not having kids!) and an assessment of the joke that ends in the punch line "Because Seven Eight (ate) Nine" that left us all in a mess of giggles!  So fun! Thank you Lord, for relaxing weekend days.

Sunday was a bit cloudy, and some refreshing rain came down, but again, a wonderful and relaxing day.  Mid-morning Emma was a bit bored, and she knew Nana and Grandpa were moving some boxes to their new house today, so she went over to help them for the rest of the day.  The rest of us went out for an "out of the hat" lunch where everyone puts a suggestion on a slip of paper and the one drawn out wins.  We even got our weekly family meeting out of the way at lunch (there is NOTHING on the calendar for Thursday - HOW???), which is a weekend must!  A fun way to spend the early afternoon.  It was back to family board games for the afternoon.  Another fit of giggles came from our 2nd round of Apple to Apples when Lara couldn't say "Swedish Massage" with out a strange accent and/or misplaced S sounds.  We all got a good chuckle out of that!  I have to say, I love the giggles a lot more than the tears... After Nana and Grandpa finished wearing Emma out, they took her home to Orlando.  We are so grateful for her servant's heart and her willingness to help her grandparents out.  The rest of us went to Life Church for Sunday night to hear more about "My Big Fat Mouth" and being critical.  We got home in time for showers, homework and bedtime.  Thank you Lord, for your Word to guide our feet and a pastor who tells it like it is.

We all really seem to finally be in the routine of this school year.  Grades are being recorded, clubs are meeting, teams are practicing.  The girls are here one weekend and in Orlando the next.  This past weekend was a reminder that life ebbs and flows.  There are highs and lows, but He supplies us the tools we need to learn and grow.  We are reminded that GRACE wins, every time.  And being a teenage girl is fun, challenging, educational in so many ways, and on some days - just plain hard.  Here's to a better week and weekend coming up.  Thank you Lord, for the time to recharge our batteries on the weekends.

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!

Stretching and Growing

Where have the last 4 months gone?  This family of six has been moving along at break neck speed – as usual.  And while some days it is all a bit of a blur, we wouldn’t have it any other way!  We love it! We are blessed to have the life we live, and each of our children is a gift.  We love being able to do things for them and with them.  We are all learning and growing every day!  The main point of today’s entry is to update Finn’s health status.  But I would be remiss if I didn’t recap the big events in the last few months…

JAKE:  Jake turned 8 at the end of January.  In the chaos, we weren’t able to have his birthday party until a few weeks after the actual day, but he had a GREAT time with his buddies at Stillwater SpaceWalk – an indoor inflatables facility.  He played basketball with Upward (Go Commodores!) in the early part of the year, then we transitioned in spring to SASA baseball (I Ride With the Stampede!).  His baseball team just won the silver bracket of their first tournament of the year last weekend – what a trip!  We head out to another tournament this coming weekend, and have league games every week. He is loving second grade and is an excellent student!  He recently became a patient with our favorite orthodontist! We’ve got a bad habit to break… He can finally ride his 2 wheeled bike! At 8 years old, he stands 5 feet tall and weighs 100 pounds – definitely the biggest of all his friends.  He is our gentle giant.

Lara: Since that last ER visit, we have worked very hard to manage her asthma and allergies.  Her braces have really started to move her teeth and change the look of her face.  We are excited for the next year for her!  She has dance classes 2 nights a week, and truly loves it.  Her studio is awesome, she has great teachers, and wonderful dance friends.  Recital is coming up in a couple of weeks, so she is working extra hard to polish her dances!  We had pictures a couple of weeks ago and can’t wait to see it all up on stage soon!  Lara also spread her wings and tried out for junior high cheerleader.  Even though she didn’t make the team, we are so proud of her for stretching outside her comfort zone!  She is a very good student and she is sad to see middle school coming to an end.  You can find her either dancing through life or reading a book.

Emma: Emma is our studious student.  She has maintained straight A’s all year, and hates to miss school for any reason.  She also tried out for the track team this spring, but missed it by just a bit.  Even while she was sick, she jumped almost 11 feet in the long jump!  She also spent some time with the orthodontist, but we aren’t putting her braces on just yet.  Her newest hobby is rodeo.  Yes, we’ve got a cowgirl on our hands!  She has joined a Junior Ranch Rodeo Association team and is competing in their circuit this year.  She has had 2 events so far and is learning so much each time – even how to fall gracefully.  She loves her horses and everything cowgirl.

Twisters: They will be teenagers in 11 days. Both girls are adapting to their father living in town near us.  They definitely get to see him more, but sometimes it is a challenge to meet everyone’s expectations.  It’s definitely an adjustment!  After struggling with mono in February and March, both girls were in their middle school production of High School Musical Jr 2 in March.  They had a great time, and it was a WONDERFUL show.  It is an experience they won’t ever forget!  Just this past Friday night, we celebrated their 13^th birthday (early since this is such a busy time of year) with a formal dinner and charm school event at their Aunt Paula’s house.  It was an EXCELLENT event and while they learned some etiquette, they made amazing memories.  Be looking for more on that soon… I can't believe they are off to the junior high school soon!

Britt & Betsey: Busy as ever!  Britt recently got a new “office” and new responsibilities at his day job with student health services.  He still does all his original tasks, but now has some new ones, too.  And he no longer has to sit at the front window.  Betsey is still working ¾ time with dining services, doing all things digital.  Getting home at 2:30 in the afternoons sure is good for the soul when meeting all the kids as the come home!  But the best part of both our days is ********!  Not only have the products helped us lose over 130 pounds between us, given us more energy, and helped us feel GREAT, but working the business side has afforded us more financial freedom.  Orthodontists are expensive!  But the best part of our job is helping others!  We are so lucky that we get to help other people get healthy, and improve their finances, too.  Lives are being changed.  Ours, but most importantly our friend’s and family’s lives.  Since January we have earned the Silver leadership level, been invited to attend and were trained at the first ever Leadership U class, and attended Leadership School for the up and coming leaders in the company.  We are looking forward to Success School in August – and earning another pin level before we go!  There are so many people out there still looking for what we have.  We want to share it with them!

And sweet Finn.  He is so cute.  We hear it all the time.  But he is also stubborn, strong willed, defiant, a bit on the aggressive side, and needs anger management lessons.  He is the epitome of a “threenager.”  And while almost all of his “Preemie Problems” have been dealt with, we’re now dealing with a genetic issue – more on that in a bit.  So, over the last 4 months, we’ve seen his pediatrician several times, his lung doctor 3x, his eye doctor, the dentist (still not a fan, but we did better this time and she got to observe his severe under bite), his ENT, and his endocrinologist.  Next week we see the audiologist, his new specialist the gastroenterology doctor, and the endo doctor again.  WHEW!  Over all, he is very healthy.  We are still monitoring the ear tubes he got last year, and due to his ear issues he has still not completely passed the hearing panel yet.  Hopefully this week!  He is talking up a storm and has a huge vocabulary, so we’re not really worried about his hearing but want to keep his ears healthy! 

But his issues lie in his height and weight.  He is still way too tiny for his age, and especially his genetics.  Remember the 5 foot tall 8 year old I mentioned earlier?  His doctor thinks this is not preemie related.  So, after a year of observation from the endocrinologist, he has recommended growth hormones for Finn.  Based on his diagnosis of “Small for Gestational Age” (SGA) at birth – meaning even for a 26 week gestation micro preemie – he was smaller than average, his slow progress over the last 12 months, and his current location on the growth and weight charts, it is time for intervention.  This revelation has been a hard pill to swallow.  While there is no “medical” ramifications of small stature, the social and emotional consequences can take a toll.  And if we can help him avoid some of that, we feel we should.  But, that also brings us to another specialist.  While he grew 2 inches in 6 months, he lost 2 pounds.  The hormone therapy will help his bones and muscles grow, but he needs body fat.  So, the GI will run tests to make sure he is absorbing nutrients properly, and we will meet with a nutritionist as well.  He is a very picky eater, and he is a grazer. He eats small amounts of food – all day long! 

All that to say, we have lots to learn.  And my stubborn boy has lots of obstacles to overcome.  We go to the pediatric gastrointestinal doctor first thing Wednesday morning at OU Children’s Hospital.  This is our first visit with him, and we hope to get some answers and a plan of action from him.  Immediately following that appointment, we go back to his pediatric endocrinologist at OU Children’s to learn how to inject the growth hormone.  Fed Ex delivered it Friday.  So, here we go….. It’s all happening so fast…

Please pray for us.  For Finn – I have to hold him down to inject the meds; it takes 6 seconds to deliver the medication.  That’s a long time for a 3 year old getting a shot.  For Britt and I – it’s never easy to make the decisions, let alone carry out the treatments to get desired results.  For his siblings.  It seems there have been so many time over the last 4 years where the focus was so much on Finn.  I don’t want them to get lost in all this.  And for our business.  This treatment is not cheap.  God gave us this vehicle so we could care for our children.  It is now our job to steward it, and grow it, so we can keep our babies healthy and provided for.  And as always, for discernment.  God’s will be done.