The boys ask a lot of questions. I guess that is their way of learning more about the world and the many topics that interest them.
Most of the questions they ask I can answer, however there are many I have no idea how to.
Take for example Gabriel's question this morning as I was getting ready for work and he was getting dressed for school, "Mom, where do dreams come from? pause And how come you dream what you dream?" Still in a complete stage of grogginess I answered, "I have no idea Gabriel." which thankfully he accepted, before walking over to his sleeping dad and whispered, "Dad, where do dreams come from?"
And then there are Michael's questions, "Mom, does God live above the North Pole?" "Yes Michael he does." "Well, mom if the North Pole is the top of the Earth, then how can God live above that?" Again I use my standard response, "Michael that is a good question."
And then tonight as the boys and I were folding the towels from the laundry, I asked them to help me put the kitchen towels away. As Gabriel picked up the dishtowels I noticed there was a bath washcloth in his pile. I said, "Gabriel you have a washcloth for our faces when we shower, can you please put that in the hall closet?" At which point Michael looked at Gabriel to see what cloth I was talking about, and then looked at me and asked, "Mom, can I call it a buttcloth since I wash my butt with it?" I smiled, sighed (good to know he's washing all his "parts" like I've asked) and replied, "Michael, that is a good question, I suppose you can call it that if you'd like. As as he strolled on to put the bath towels away, I made a mental note to keep the boy's washcloths separate from all the others.
Oh the questions they ask.
Until next time,
Angie
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
6 months...
With everything going on this last week, (the start of school, Michael’s first day at kindergarten, our anniversary), we actually had another milestone in our home that didn't get the same amount of attention but is still important. Little Isabelle turned 6 months!
As with every month before, I’ll repeat myself in saying, where has the time gone? It is hard to believe our little baby can already be 6 months, ½ a year, 182 days old. But 6 month she is, and even though it makes me a bit sad to see with my own eyes that she’s growing so quickly, I do have to admit with each milestone there are so many changes, so many new things, that in a way, it is a lot of fun too.
Isabelle now weighs 14 lbs 10 oz and is 27 1/2 inches long. According to the doctors office, she is in the 20th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. Growing 7 1/2 inches in 6 months, I have a feeling she'll pass her mom's height at a very young age. She continues to be very healthy and the doctors says she is on track developmentally. So that is always reassuring (you know two people who've never cared for a baby and often times feel like they are clueless).
Now that Isabelle is six months she’s so interactive and communicative, of course in her own way. She LOVES to talk. From the moment she wakes up in the morning until the moment she rubs her eyes for the last time of the day falling asleep, the girl is making noises of one kind or another. From yelling when she’d like someone to pay attention to her, to babbling on and on to her toys. One of her favorites is a singing yellow bee that for some reason plays Christmas songs. It has joined our nightly family dinners now for several weeks now. As she sits in her high chair she talks to the bee, smiles at him while he sings “What Child is This” and giggles when he makes the “buzzing” sound. It really is quite an interesting toy but she loves it so we listen to Christmas songs in August. It is pretty funny to watch because I really think she thinks the bee is alive.
Another one of Isabelle’s greatest toys is no other than Jack. Jack the dog, (as Michael calls him) has attracted a fan, and he’s not so sure of her complete infatuation yet. Isabelle LOVES Jack. When we walk in the door every night after school and work, Jack races to greet us. The minute Isabelle hears the ringing of Jack’s two collars, she turns her head around and looks for him. When she spots him, jumping around, wiggling his body, she lets out the most joyous sound I’ve ever heard. It is the biggest belly laugh and giggle as she plain out thinks Jack is hilarious. With every move he makes, she follows him and giggles continuously. It is so cute and completely precious, I look forward to it every day. The boys love hearing it too as they always ask me, “Mom, can you do that thing with Jack to make Isabelle laugh?” If only they realized, I don’t do a thing, but walk around carrying Isabelle which makes Jack follow me. When I hear her laugh, it makes every worry, every stressor disappear. To me hearing my baby laugh is one of life’s greatest gifts.
Isabelle has also in the last month started eating oatmeal cereal. We started just after she turned 5 months and it has been going really well. She actually LOVES her oatmeal and has figured out that when she’s put in her high chair not only will she get the bee but also some yummy dinner. Actually from the first time we tried she did a pretty good job figuring out the spoon but by now has mastered it. She’s now figured out she can make noises, her favorite MMMMMM, in between bites as a signal that mom needs to shovel it in faster. When we started the cereal eating I figured I’ve pictures of her with food all over the place. So far she’s been pretty good at just keeping it in her mouth and on her cheeks. We’ll be moving onto vegetable soon, so we shall see how that goes.
As I mentioned in Isabelle’s five month update, her desire to stand has grown even more. Although she doesn’t have a lot of interest in sitting up, she has put all of her interest into standing. The girl can’t stand enough. If you are holding her, she wants to stand, if you put her on her play mat, she wants to stand. I have a feeling, if it is possible, she’ll just go from rolling over to walking. Thankfully we have also acquired a bouncer activity center which keeps her entertained many times throughout the day. In fact, the bouncer is almost a continuous noise in our home.... if Isabelle's awake plan to hear banging, banging banging as she bounces continuously. Oh and while she bounces she likes to scream, yell and talk louder than the activity center. Sometimes she so loud the boys cover their ears and she just keeps on.
Since she was born there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that I’ve thought to myself, “Man time is going so fast, I wish it could just slow down a bit.” And that is true more than ever now that I'm working full time. Each day I feel like she changes, learns something new, and grows in a different way. I feel guilty for missing out on so many critical hours and think about her constantly when I'm at work. Selfishly I wish I could be there to spend every minute with her, as I know she will be our only baby experience. And even though it is tiring and challenging at times, having a baby is honestly the best experience ever. When I feel guilty and wish I was there with her during every day, I remind myself I'm also doing my duty to help my family and by working, we are able to better make ends meet.
So off to work I go.
Thankfully we've have a great neighbor who is a stay at home mom and has agreed to watch Isabelle while we are at work. We are still trying to figure out a new schedule with her and I think it has been a more challenging transition than we originally thought it would be. But we'll get there and hopefully soon we'll all feel into a new schedule so baby, mom/dad, and care giver all in sync.
In other news Isabelle has decided to go from her normal 7 hours of sleeping a night to waking up at least once but regularly a few times during a night. Some nights it is just plain comical the amount of hours we spend awake. If it isn't the dog, barking or wanting to go out, it is Isabelle fussing because she wants her pacifier, a bottle or to make sure someone is there to care for her. As the alarm bellows each morning, Jarrett and I pour ourselves out of bed, complain about how tired we are and don't believe we could be any more tired, and then get ready for work. We repeat our days, have another sleepless night and wake up the next morning to complain how yesterday we were wrong.. it is possible to be more tired.
A friend, and mom of three, said her babies have done this too around 6 months when they start cutting teeth and when she first went back to work. Her hypothesis is that the baby misses the mom/parent and wakes up to find reassurance that the mom is still there. I'm not sure what Isabelle's reason is for waking up several times throughout the night, but we are brainstorming, and implementing any suggestions for how to go back to the 7 plus hours of sleep. Until then we walk around half awake and try to function. Some days, I honestly don't think I could even tell you my name.
I'm excited to see what her 6 month mark will bring as she is about ready to crawl and embarks on the journey of eating vegetables. As I sit here tonight writing this, about ready to crash, I reflect back and think about just how wonderful, (tiring but wonderful) the last six months have been. We've grown together, all of us, to be one happy family, complete with our arguments, our stressful times but in the end, we all truly love one another and wouldn't want anything different.
Two and a half years ago I would have never imagined my life to be the dream I always wanted. There were many times, I worries, I'd never get to experience the joys of motherhood. But God answered our prayers, and not only did we get to become parents to two wonderful boys, he also answered our prayers with our baby girl Isabelle. Life is stressful, tiring, exhausting and sometimes plain out overwhelming but it is truly the best life I could have asked for. And Isabelle Grace is the perfect addition to our family.
We love her very much and look forward to the next month's adventure.
Until next time,
Angie
As with every month before, I’ll repeat myself in saying, where has the time gone? It is hard to believe our little baby can already be 6 months, ½ a year, 182 days old. But 6 month she is, and even though it makes me a bit sad to see with my own eyes that she’s growing so quickly, I do have to admit with each milestone there are so many changes, so many new things, that in a way, it is a lot of fun too.
Isabelle now weighs 14 lbs 10 oz and is 27 1/2 inches long. According to the doctors office, she is in the 20th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. Growing 7 1/2 inches in 6 months, I have a feeling she'll pass her mom's height at a very young age. She continues to be very healthy and the doctors says she is on track developmentally. So that is always reassuring (you know two people who've never cared for a baby and often times feel like they are clueless).
Now that Isabelle is six months she’s so interactive and communicative, of course in her own way. She LOVES to talk. From the moment she wakes up in the morning until the moment she rubs her eyes for the last time of the day falling asleep, the girl is making noises of one kind or another. From yelling when she’d like someone to pay attention to her, to babbling on and on to her toys. One of her favorites is a singing yellow bee that for some reason plays Christmas songs. It has joined our nightly family dinners now for several weeks now. As she sits in her high chair she talks to the bee, smiles at him while he sings “What Child is This” and giggles when he makes the “buzzing” sound. It really is quite an interesting toy but she loves it so we listen to Christmas songs in August. It is pretty funny to watch because I really think she thinks the bee is alive.
Another one of Isabelle’s greatest toys is no other than Jack. Jack the dog, (as Michael calls him) has attracted a fan, and he’s not so sure of her complete infatuation yet. Isabelle LOVES Jack. When we walk in the door every night after school and work, Jack races to greet us. The minute Isabelle hears the ringing of Jack’s two collars, she turns her head around and looks for him. When she spots him, jumping around, wiggling his body, she lets out the most joyous sound I’ve ever heard. It is the biggest belly laugh and giggle as she plain out thinks Jack is hilarious. With every move he makes, she follows him and giggles continuously. It is so cute and completely precious, I look forward to it every day. The boys love hearing it too as they always ask me, “Mom, can you do that thing with Jack to make Isabelle laugh?” If only they realized, I don’t do a thing, but walk around carrying Isabelle which makes Jack follow me. When I hear her laugh, it makes every worry, every stressor disappear. To me hearing my baby laugh is one of life’s greatest gifts.
Isabelle has also in the last month started eating oatmeal cereal. We started just after she turned 5 months and it has been going really well. She actually LOVES her oatmeal and has figured out that when she’s put in her high chair not only will she get the bee but also some yummy dinner. Actually from the first time we tried she did a pretty good job figuring out the spoon but by now has mastered it. She’s now figured out she can make noises, her favorite MMMMMM, in between bites as a signal that mom needs to shovel it in faster. When we started the cereal eating I figured I’ve pictures of her with food all over the place. So far she’s been pretty good at just keeping it in her mouth and on her cheeks. We’ll be moving onto vegetable soon, so we shall see how that goes.
As I mentioned in Isabelle’s five month update, her desire to stand has grown even more. Although she doesn’t have a lot of interest in sitting up, she has put all of her interest into standing. The girl can’t stand enough. If you are holding her, she wants to stand, if you put her on her play mat, she wants to stand. I have a feeling, if it is possible, she’ll just go from rolling over to walking. Thankfully we have also acquired a bouncer activity center which keeps her entertained many times throughout the day. In fact, the bouncer is almost a continuous noise in our home.... if Isabelle's awake plan to hear banging, banging banging as she bounces continuously. Oh and while she bounces she likes to scream, yell and talk louder than the activity center. Sometimes she so loud the boys cover their ears and she just keeps on.
Since she was born there hasn’t been a day that’s gone by that I’ve thought to myself, “Man time is going so fast, I wish it could just slow down a bit.” And that is true more than ever now that I'm working full time. Each day I feel like she changes, learns something new, and grows in a different way. I feel guilty for missing out on so many critical hours and think about her constantly when I'm at work. Selfishly I wish I could be there to spend every minute with her, as I know she will be our only baby experience. And even though it is tiring and challenging at times, having a baby is honestly the best experience ever. When I feel guilty and wish I was there with her during every day, I remind myself I'm also doing my duty to help my family and by working, we are able to better make ends meet.
So off to work I go.
Thankfully we've have a great neighbor who is a stay at home mom and has agreed to watch Isabelle while we are at work. We are still trying to figure out a new schedule with her and I think it has been a more challenging transition than we originally thought it would be. But we'll get there and hopefully soon we'll all feel into a new schedule so baby, mom/dad, and care giver all in sync.
In other news Isabelle has decided to go from her normal 7 hours of sleeping a night to waking up at least once but regularly a few times during a night. Some nights it is just plain comical the amount of hours we spend awake. If it isn't the dog, barking or wanting to go out, it is Isabelle fussing because she wants her pacifier, a bottle or to make sure someone is there to care for her. As the alarm bellows each morning, Jarrett and I pour ourselves out of bed, complain about how tired we are and don't believe we could be any more tired, and then get ready for work. We repeat our days, have another sleepless night and wake up the next morning to complain how yesterday we were wrong.. it is possible to be more tired.
A friend, and mom of three, said her babies have done this too around 6 months when they start cutting teeth and when she first went back to work. Her hypothesis is that the baby misses the mom/parent and wakes up to find reassurance that the mom is still there. I'm not sure what Isabelle's reason is for waking up several times throughout the night, but we are brainstorming, and implementing any suggestions for how to go back to the 7 plus hours of sleep. Until then we walk around half awake and try to function. Some days, I honestly don't think I could even tell you my name.
I'm excited to see what her 6 month mark will bring as she is about ready to crawl and embarks on the journey of eating vegetables. As I sit here tonight writing this, about ready to crash, I reflect back and think about just how wonderful, (tiring but wonderful) the last six months have been. We've grown together, all of us, to be one happy family, complete with our arguments, our stressful times but in the end, we all truly love one another and wouldn't want anything different.
Two and a half years ago I would have never imagined my life to be the dream I always wanted. There were many times, I worries, I'd never get to experience the joys of motherhood. But God answered our prayers, and not only did we get to become parents to two wonderful boys, he also answered our prayers with our baby girl Isabelle. Life is stressful, tiring, exhausting and sometimes plain out overwhelming but it is truly the best life I could have asked for. And Isabelle Grace is the perfect addition to our family.
We love her very much and look forward to the next month's adventure.
Until next time,
Angie
He's at it again...
I've blogged before about Michael's talent of balancing multiple things on his body parts. Well, it turns out Michael's been practicing his skills again.
Here's a photo of his recent balancing test...
He's working on adding more containers of play dough so stay tuned... America's Got Talent here we come (in a few years).
Until next time,
Angie
Here's a photo of his recent balancing test...
He's working on adding more containers of play dough so stay tuned... America's Got Talent here we come (in a few years).
Until next time,
Angie
Thursday, August 9, 2012
9 years...
9 years ago on August 9 I married my best friend.
It was a beautiful day, full of love, laughter and happiness shared by many family and friends.
There are so many memories from that day that I cherish.
I think often about the commitment Jarrett and I made to each other.
I think about the loved ones who were there that day with us,
so many we still have in our lives and others who've left this world and we miss.
Our wedding was a very special day and something I will always cherish,
but I've come to love another day.
And that day is today. And tomorrow if you'd ask me, I'd tell you that that is my favorite day. See although our wedding was special, and it serves to be a great reminder of our love, what is more important to me is the person I share my life with. I've been blessed to get to share my life with a wonderful partner, someone who loves me unconditionally, who supports me in every way and someone who can even drive me crazy when he makes me realize, I'm not always right.
I've learned that in this life, things often don't go as one has planned. In fact it seems in our life, most things haven't gone as he or I planned. But looking back, I'm thankful the plan wasn't what we expected, nor exactly what we hoped for. For in the past 9 years together Jarrett and I have learned to conquer uncomfortable situations, to be strong for each other when the other cannot be, how to look fear and the unknown in the eye and to not be afraid and to always, always believe tomorrow will be a better day.
In the last 9 years I have learned that we are never promised a tomorrow. We are never guaranteed another anniversary, another date night, another dinner. When Jarrett was sick, there were many nights I spent praying, hoping we'd get to celebrate our 5 years together, let alone 9 years. And here we are, blessed to have each other, grateful to be healthy and overjoyed at the three children we've been chosen to be parents to.
How lucky can one person get? It hasn't always been an easy road getting here but there is one thing that has always been constant. And that constant, that rock in my life is Jarrett. How lucky can one girl get.
Happy Anniversary, I love you.
Until next time,
Angie
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Jeremy and Natalie's wedding.
Jeremy & Natalie
August 4, 2012
This past weekend we attended Jarrett's brother, Jeremy's wedding. Jeremy and his fiance Natalie were married on Saturday at their home together with their children and immediate families. It was a beautiful day; the ceremony was very touching and the reception following was wonderful!
And here's the "I know pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride part." This is the part of the wedding the boys were obsessed with.
Jarrett and I volunteered to sit at the kids table, not becuase of the need to watch the kids, we just wanted to be closer to the food so we could easily go back for more!
After lunch the kids enjoyed watching a movie.
Which was soon abandonded becuase it was more fun to crawl around on each other.
I believe there was even an impromptu wrestling match... which is what i'm sure we would have seen from Jarrett and his brothers when they were this age.
And then came the cake cutting...
Bennett stayed dressed up for most of the day... doesn't he look super cute?
Proud Mom and Dad, taking a picture after the ceremony...
Thank you Jeremy and Natalie for letting us be a part of your special day. We wish you a lifetime of happiness and love! Congratulations!
Until next time,
Angie
Monday, August 6, 2012
Meet the Teacher...
With summer quickly coming to an end, here in the Valley of the Sun it means the time for school has arrived. Last Thursday night we loaded up the crew and headed to school to meet Gabriel and Michael's teachers.
It is still hard for me to believe Gabriel is in first grade and Michael will be in Kindergarten. How can it be that my two small boys, (who weren't actually even that small when we became a family) have grown into kids. No descriptive text before it, kids. Not little kids, not small boys, just kids.
So here we are, watching our two boys transition from preschool into both being in elementary. In a way we are proud to watch them accomplish things on their own and grow more and more independent, but on the other hand, it is sure enjoyable having them be young too. I think mom is handling it better than she normally would because she still knows there's one more "little one" at home.
As we arrived at the school, the boys were very determined to carry all of their school supplies themselves. They had meticulously packed and repacked, loaded, unloaded and loaded their backpacks so they had everything in the perfect place. Now they were getting to take it to school to their new classroom.
In the cafeteria, where we go to get the names of the boys teachers, Michael stayed cautiously by my side, while Gabriel was on the hunt for something more important.... Hannah. Yep, that's right, Hannah's back in the picture now that schools back in session and with every blond haired little girl that walked by, Gabriel dragged Dad along to scoop it out and see if indeed it was her.
Michael asked that I go with him to wait in line for the Kindergarten teacher assignment and when we got to the front of the line, we found Mrs. Garcia at the table. Mrs. Garcia attends our church and was the co-teacher in Gabriel's room last year. Having got to know Gabriel very well, she immediately greeted Michael with a huge welcoming hug and a "Wow Michael, aren't you handsome!" Michael soaked it all up and as Mrs. Garcia told him the name of his teacher, she added that her Granddaughter was going to be in the same kindergarten class. I guess that means Michael will get to see Mrs. Garcia frequently too. I find comfort knowing someone is there with the warm caring touch, like we've had for the past in the boy's preschool teachers, i.e. Ms. Stacey.
So after getting the boy's teachers names we headed off in search of the classroom. On the way Gabriel continued his Hannah hunt stopping outside every classroom to read the names of the kids in the class. Before getting to his class he spotted a classroom, and even though it was for a 5th grade class, he insisted Hannah was in that classroom because there was a Hannah on the roster. Jarrett and I just looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.
Arriving in Gabriel's classroom, we introduced ourselves to Mrs. Ang and he went to find his seat. Turns out he and Trinity, a friend from pre-school, and his kindergarten class is also in his new classroom and they are seated right next to each other. Gabriel situated in his new desk and started unloading his belongings. He was set.
Next we moved onto to Michael's classroom where we found out he is in a classroom with 27 children. Yikes! That is 8 more kids than Gabriel had last year, so we shall see how it works out. Michael's teacher is an expert at the school, having been there since it opened 25 years ago. Michael went proudly into the classroom, introduced himself to the teacher and tried to follow the many step instructions as best he could. As he made his name tag he said hi to the boy, Andrew next to him. They decided to sit next to one another. In that moment I felt so proud knowing that my little boy, whose not so little anymore, was ready for school.
Gabriel helped Michael and showed him all around the classroom, as if he was an expert at Kindergarten. Michael willingly followed along.
We spent time looking around the classroom, gathered up the piles of paperwork (parent homework) and left meet the teacher night with the boys feeling excited and ready. Although its sometimes hard for me to welcomingly accept change, I know it is a must and the boys are excited. For them, I'm happy.
Until next time,
Angie
It is still hard for me to believe Gabriel is in first grade and Michael will be in Kindergarten. How can it be that my two small boys, (who weren't actually even that small when we became a family) have grown into kids. No descriptive text before it, kids. Not little kids, not small boys, just kids.
So here we are, watching our two boys transition from preschool into both being in elementary. In a way we are proud to watch them accomplish things on their own and grow more and more independent, but on the other hand, it is sure enjoyable having them be young too. I think mom is handling it better than she normally would because she still knows there's one more "little one" at home.
As we arrived at the school, the boys were very determined to carry all of their school supplies themselves. They had meticulously packed and repacked, loaded, unloaded and loaded their backpacks so they had everything in the perfect place. Now they were getting to take it to school to their new classroom.
In the cafeteria, where we go to get the names of the boys teachers, Michael stayed cautiously by my side, while Gabriel was on the hunt for something more important.... Hannah. Yep, that's right, Hannah's back in the picture now that schools back in session and with every blond haired little girl that walked by, Gabriel dragged Dad along to scoop it out and see if indeed it was her.
Michael asked that I go with him to wait in line for the Kindergarten teacher assignment and when we got to the front of the line, we found Mrs. Garcia at the table. Mrs. Garcia attends our church and was the co-teacher in Gabriel's room last year. Having got to know Gabriel very well, she immediately greeted Michael with a huge welcoming hug and a "Wow Michael, aren't you handsome!" Michael soaked it all up and as Mrs. Garcia told him the name of his teacher, she added that her Granddaughter was going to be in the same kindergarten class. I guess that means Michael will get to see Mrs. Garcia frequently too. I find comfort knowing someone is there with the warm caring touch, like we've had for the past in the boy's preschool teachers, i.e. Ms. Stacey.
So after getting the boy's teachers names we headed off in search of the classroom. On the way Gabriel continued his Hannah hunt stopping outside every classroom to read the names of the kids in the class. Before getting to his class he spotted a classroom, and even though it was for a 5th grade class, he insisted Hannah was in that classroom because there was a Hannah on the roster. Jarrett and I just looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.
Arriving in Gabriel's classroom, we introduced ourselves to Mrs. Ang and he went to find his seat. Turns out he and Trinity, a friend from pre-school, and his kindergarten class is also in his new classroom and they are seated right next to each other. Gabriel situated in his new desk and started unloading his belongings. He was set.
Next we moved onto to Michael's classroom where we found out he is in a classroom with 27 children. Yikes! That is 8 more kids than Gabriel had last year, so we shall see how it works out. Michael's teacher is an expert at the school, having been there since it opened 25 years ago. Michael went proudly into the classroom, introduced himself to the teacher and tried to follow the many step instructions as best he could. As he made his name tag he said hi to the boy, Andrew next to him. They decided to sit next to one another. In that moment I felt so proud knowing that my little boy, whose not so little anymore, was ready for school.
We spent time looking around the classroom, gathered up the piles of paperwork (parent homework) and left meet the teacher night with the boys feeling excited and ready. Although its sometimes hard for me to welcomingly accept change, I know it is a must and the boys are excited. For them, I'm happy.
Until next time,
Angie
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The end of summer...
Back in May I could have never guessed the summer was going to go so fast. In some ways I still feel like we should be looking forward to Memorial Day weekend, not the fast approaching labor day. Instead, the beginning of August is only days away and we are preparing to go back to school. Along with this we are also preparing, actually dreading, having to say good bye to MaeLyn and Aaron’s time in Arizona.
My sister MaeLyn and her, other half, Aaron came out this summer to spend time bonding with our children. In real terms they were our babysitters. We joked all summer about how they were our Nannies and they should start a business called Nanny and Manny Incorporated. I think it has a nice ring to it and we even tried to do some networking for them as we talked to some friends who actually needed a nanny. But Iowa has been their home and they feel called to return to their lives back there, so we prepare to send them back to friends and family who are excited for their return.
There’s that saying it takes a village to raise a child and this summer has taught me just how true it is. While this summer brought my return to full time work, I can’t help but be extremely thankful for having my sister and Aaron here. The stress, emotional toll and overwhelming feeling of balancing full time work, family obligations, home responsibilities and everything else on our plate was made so much easier because of their help. Having them available to assist in anything and everything from changing diapers to helping the boys with school work, to running errands and even cleaning the house. The gifts they gave us, I don’t ever think I’ll be able to repay.
The greatest gift though did not come though from all the chores they did or the errands they ran, the greatest gift they gave us this summer was their time. The bond they built with our boys and little girl will be something Gabriel, Michael and Isabelle (even at 5 months old) will remember for their entire lives. Heck, I’ll remember it and be forever thankful. And although MaeLyn and Aaron had to provide discipline and consequences when bad choices were made, they established a level of respect that the boys have for them and that too is a gift.
This summer has also given Jarrett and I a chance to reconnect with MaeLyn and get to know Aaron better. MaeLyn and I are 10 years apart and we had only met Aaron a couple of times before having him come out. Being so much older than MaeLyn, I’ve always in some ways felt like a second mom to her and this summer I’ve seen her mature and grow in ways that I’ve realized, she doesn’t need a second mom, just being best friends and close sisters is perfect enough. And Aaron, we’ve grown to know and love him after watching him go through a situation more difficult that most people ever have to face in their life, we’ve develop a true sense of honor and respect for his determination and spirit to keep going. Even though he’s witty and able to dish out crap, he’s truly one of the most caring, sincere and thoughtful guys, I’ve ever met. Together they make a great couple.
This summer after almost practically living together, we’ve learned things about one another that will forever unite us. After observing them spend days and weeks perusing through homes for sale on their laptops, research top ranked food places in the valley, introducing me to Pintrest and watching hours and hours of reality TV together, there is no going back. In fact, after Aaron felt comfortable enough to bash my singing skills, we decided he’d love it if I sing Peter Catera’s The Glory of Love at their wedding. Watch out Aaron, don’t doubt me, I’ve been known to make a fool out of myself a time or two before. It just may happen if you dare me. In case you care to get a preview, here’s Peter …http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWHOF_0-6Hg
Living in Phoenix for the past 7 years and living away from my family for that time has without fault of anyone, resulted in relationships with my family not being as close as they could be. We are not there for the weekend gatherings, the during the week dinners or the casual drop in visits. All of our interactions are over the phone with multiple time changes in between. That is the reality and we realized that unfortunately could happen when we decided to move to Phoenix to begin our careers.
Now that we have children and I realize just how difficult it is to be away from my family, I think back to my childhood and am thankful my parents lived close to my grandparents and extended family. I guess in some ways, being completely honest with myself, those are the days when I wish we could live in both places. But you take what you can get and this summer, I got a taste of what life with my immediate family close by was like. Iit tasted good. And now I wish it was a permanent piece of my life, of our life I too would like to give my children the same gifts I was given (to be close to both grandparents and both sides of the family). But if having those 10 weeks together is all the treat I get, I’m still glad we had it for it was a great summer and I’m forever thankful for them putting their life on hold to help us.
The summer of 2012 will be remembered for many reasons. It was the summer we went to Iowa, to Lake Tahoe and to San Diego all within 5 weeks. It was also the first summer with our baby girl and it was a summer full of many fun and lots of great memories, all thanks to MaeLyn and Aaron.
We love you guys and will miss you terribly.
Remember our house is always open for you and we can’t wait til you come back.
Until next time,
Angie
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