Home

In life, we are presented with choices: forks in the road.  Sometimes that fork looks more like a dead end; sometimes it's clear choice--left or right; sometimes that fork looks like it slipped into the garbage disposal and we wonder what the heck piece-of-junk options we have from which to choose.

At our current juncture in Life, Riah & I are at a fork.  However, our fork is more like a trailhead with multiple signs, and lots of trails...some clearly marked, some barely visible through the underbrush.  The variables boil down to schooling, income and residence.  Psshht!  Trifles.  How to get from Point A to Point B.  The B resources would easily allow us to start on that path, but we don't have the B resources while sitting at A.  Ugh.

The other night we were up late--really late--discussing options, punching numbers and talking of the grown-up stuff that I didn't know was part of the bargain way back in high school when I longed to be a grown-up.  (It's a bit overrated at times.)  I had interviewed for a job that sounded like it would be a great situation...in a few years.  But the main problem is that the hours would have me leaving before the kids were up for school, then off work after my new kindergartener is out.  (Due to schooling eccentricities, the older 3 are at one 1-8 school we love, but Cora would be on her own at a different elementary school--no kindergarten.)  I'm just not ready to miss out on my last few years of Wes, as well as the contact with Cora before & after her fun entry into the world of the Big Kids.  Going back to work full time would break my heart and create some serious logistic issues.

So that night I sobbed cried to my Heavenly Father, "Where's the solution?  I just don't see it."

The next morning I woke up Wes by sitting on the side of the bed.  (He had climbed into ours overnight, which is par for the course.  He's a major snugglebug.)  His first words were, "Oh, there you are."  (With the exact tone and voice of the Lost Boy in Hook.)  My sweet boy who's getting so big so fast crawled into my lap, snuggled himself into my arms and said contentedly, "I'm home."

I'm home.  Probably the most perfect way to summarize the feeling of a child wrapped in his mother's arms.

I cried.

"Yes, baby.  Yes you are."

I still cry.

Riah, who was right there to witness this little miracle, said quietly, "You can't work full time."

And so for now my main job will continue to be at Home with my sweet boy wrapped in my arms.  Right where I belong.

 

PS--this morning Riah started down one of those overgrown paths that we hadn't really seen at first glance.  The next couple of weeks will be a little crazy as he walks two paths at the same time (I'll be stocking up on 5-Hour Energy bottles), but it's what we need right now.  The Lord does provide in His way and in His time.

The non-swimmers

Lest you think that swim season only included the older three...



We routinely had a bag at practices containing his trucks to share, water, and breakfast.
And yes, Wes really is that big nowadays.

Finding things to do during one of the meets...

  

The girl's just cute!

Love that the toys are so close to the pool at another of the meets.
Super love how my new camera caught the light.
Extra super love that this photo has nearly everyone, including Riah, who had to leave the meet early for work.

A time to brag

I am not one to brag.  I will share in things that are exciting to me; I will shout from the rooftops things that are worth celebrating, but I am really not one to brag.

However.

Do you see these three children?

These three lovely children that were happy on their last day of school?  Yes.  Well, these three lovely happy children were NOT happy when their father and I announced that they would be joining a swim team this summer.  Their responses went something like this:

"But I'm not very good at swimming."
"I don't even know how to do all the different kinds of things that they do."
"I've never done that before."
"I don't know anyone on the team."
"I'm really not comfortable with this."
And my favorite..."Why are you forcing us to do something that we don't want to do?"

Our answers were varied, but boiled down to, "You'll get better; it's an important life skill; you'll learn to like it."

And so it started, much to their chagrin.

After the first week, I heard exactly zero complaints.  They made friends, and guess what?  They got better and they learned to like it!!!

I can't even begin to explain how proud I am of these three swimmers.  (See that?  They have a new label now.  One that they can wear proudly.)  Well, actually I can begin.  And I will.

Abby was a decent backyard-pool swimmer, but strokes & stuff?  What on earth is that?  By the end of the 8-week season (which was really shorter than that because the last meet was cancelled for weather, the one before was called right before the IM for lightning & the one before THAT was called because all of a sudden the wind was blowing things away.  Like trees.) she was shaving time off of her freestyle & breaststroke, and had just added backstroke.  What gets me is that Riah noticed that her dolphin kick is better than his is now.  And during butterfly drills sometimes she actually gets her arms & shoulders all the way out of the water!  Not too shabby, Abby!

Her first event, ever!

Of all three, I think that Alex worked the hardest.  They all worked hard, but this kid leaves it all out on the field--er, pool?  Whatever.  Sadly, it just wasn't producing the desired outcome.

Definite 'A' for effort.

His first meets involved a very splashy freestyle & a breaststroke that I just don't understand.  He was almost going backward.  I don't get it.  But in a moment of calm I asked him just the right questions: "Are you satisfied with what you're doing now?"  "Would you like to improve?"  "Do you want to find some youtube videos that might help?"  After 2 instructional videos, 1 Olympic video & a little coaching from zero-experience me, he went to bed.  His next meet he cut his breaststroke by 52 seconds.  Then another 6 seconds 2 days later!  Every meet after that was faster & faster.  AND after some coaching from Dad (who has LOADS of experience), his freestyle form is more smooth & efficient than many of his teammates.

I'm so glad that the braces didn't take away ALL of that crooked smile I love.

And then there's Lee.  Lee is one of the 30 (!!!) new swimmers who Coach is fairly certain that "If I had dropped them in the deep end on the first day of practice, you'd never see your child again."  Lee started in the younger group, who was learning the strokes in the kiddie pool.  His first meet he went the length of the pool using a combination of freestyle, doggie paddle and holding onto the side of the pool for dear life.  He was disqualified, but he did it!  He went all 40 meters!  The next day at practice he announced that he was ready to move to the middle class in the deeper pool.  I didn't think he could hack it, but left it to the kid & the coach--guess what?  He stayed.

Note the gasping for air & the assistant coach walking with him the whole way.

Two meets later he went the 25m distance without touching the side, but always needing to be in either lane 1 or 8 so he could reach the wall if needed.  The next time he was in lane 5!  Like the middle of the pool!  Another mom who we also know from soccer was nearly in tears as she watched him swim.  And 2 days later (meets were T/Th evenings) he placed 1st in his heat.  !!!  (Though he didn't place.)

This tan line has now moved south.  Way, way south.

Also at that meet, Lee was awarded the Sportsmanship Award.  Every meet has one award for each team.  He had no idea what he did to win it, so I asked Coach.  He told me that he & the other coaches have noticed that he listens, doesn't goof off, obeys, stays on task, is respectful, keeps his hands to himself, follows instructions, doesn't complain & is just a good kid overall.  (At this point I have to confess that I actually thought that maybe Coach was a little mixed up with the names & really meant Alex.  That might make me a bad mom.)  He's so proud of that medal!  And I'm so proud of him for doing the things out of our home that I'm wrangling teaching him here at home.  A couple of weeks later, Abby was also awarded the Sportsmanship Award.  I've chatted with the coach a couple of times & he's commented that he's really impressed with my 3 swimmers & that I have a really nice family. 

Uh-oh...this looks like it's turning to bragging about ME! 

And to top it all off, tonight at the end-of-season team potluck, Lee was awarded the Boys 8 & under Most Improved Award for the improvements he's made with no complaining or wanting to sit out.  That kid is so proud of his award & I'm so proud of him.  I'm proud of them all.  They've all done so well.  And my favorite part?

"Mom, I'm really glad that you & Dad put us on swim team.  I really like it."
"Mom, now that I'm on swim team I can go in the deep end with Alex & Ty.  I always had to stay in the shallow end before.  When we get to our cousins' house, the first thing I'm going to do is go off the diving board."
And this.  That beautiful happy face really says it all.

Hanging out with new friends makes any sport better.

It's a SIGN!!!

Sometimes I drive down the road and just laugh out loud at the signs that I see.  Other times I simply shake my head and wonder what the heck happened.

I've shared this before, but it's one of my favorites.
The best thing is that it was pointed at a 'T' intersection.

I think I hear my mom calling...every Wednesday morning.

Maybe you can help me out with this one from the bottom of a girly Sunday shoe.

I don't even want to know.

Thanksgiving feast--er, smoothie?

Seriously?

Another one?  What kid has FOUR missing teeth at once???

Oh.  Right.  This one.  And he looks pretty happy about it, too.

The Whole Tooth and Nothing But the Tooth...or, How Alex Saved the Day

I know what's on his Christmas list!

 I was hoping that the second one would come out soon.  Love it.  He looks like a jack o'lantern, and he even has a wispy, lispy 's' when he talks.  Super cute.  He pulled the last one out at the beginning of a potluck at church, of all places.  So we folded it in a napkin & put it in my purse so it wouldn't get lost.

I love this boy.

And this boy--THIS boy, with teeth issues of his own (pardon the terrible photo, I just wanted a before photo of his wicked crossbite)--he saved my bacon.  Big time.

You see, after Lee's first top front tooth came out (about a week before the 2nd), the Tooth Fairy sort of totally forgot to come.  She was doing other things, got distracted and forgot.  

Oops.

So when Lee woke up, he was disappointed.  But Alex--sweet, thoughtful Alex--told Lee about his own experience with that same sort of thing.  He had awoken to find his tooth still under his pillow, but returned later that morning to find that the Tooth Fairy had come while he was eating breakfast.  Amazing!

Lee came downstairs, and Alex put on his own glittery fairy wings.  He opened his piggy bank and pulled out two Canadian quarters.  (Whichever apprentice fairy is assigned to us is a little mixed up; she always leaves a quarter plus a coin from another country.  Sometimes as close as Canada, sometimes so far away it has a hole in it!)  Then he replaced the ziplocked tooth with his own money.

Absolutely, completely saved the day.  Mine...  Lee's...everyone's.

I love this boy.

TWO!!!

I love this boy.

In his defense, he did come to tell me.  "Mom, ay.  Mom, ay." (ay = egg)

He did this himself, by the way.

His first attempts at 'smiling' for the camera.

It's a package!!!

This boy loves to play with his "Daddat."

You see the incoming kiss?

He can do this forever.

Happiness.  Pure happiness.

 

We've come a long way.
Happy Birthday, sweet boy.