Tulips and Windmills

Yesterday I passed the exit I used to take to get Emily to The Westview School. As I drove passed, my mind traveled back to the past to the days of commuting to school, learning about autism, and all the fears I had as a mom with a child on the spectrum.

Soon after receiving our diagnosis, someone shared Emily Perl Kingsley's essay, Welcome to Holland with me and yesterday's drive gave me time to think about some of the tulips and windmills and what I would share with my younger self...

First thing I would do is put my arm around my shoulder, give a squeeze and say, 

"It really will be ok."

Yes there will be hard things, things that feel impossible and at times you will feel helpless. But these hard things are necessary things. They become the necessary tutors, the only teachers, that can equip Emily and prepare her for more independence.

You won't have to figure things out on your own. 

Don't limit your dreams by what is on the internet or what diagnosticians project. Emily is unique. Your family dynamics are not the norm. You really can't imagine what is ahead.

Hold fast to faith and allow enough naivety to take risks.

Build on her strengths and invest in her character. Don't waste a second trying to catch up or fill in gaps. Being normal is not the goal.

The photos in this post are from a recent trip Emily and I got to enjoy--her senior trip just 4 years late. We enjoyed Disney at our own pace and were grateful to get to do all the things we wanted.

And I am even more grateful "to enjoy the very special, very lovely things" about the journey we are on. 

Birthdays & Baseball

Since I have taken a social break online, I have missed sharing about my loved ones on their birthdays. So this is THE BIRTHDAY POST for my favorite people with a little bit of a baseball twist. 

Here's how it would go if we were a professional baseball team:

Top of the line up...

CF: Jeremy! There are days when this guy probably feels like he's batting .230, but from my view in the dugout, he is an all-star. One of the highlights of this year has been cheering him on and joining him (somewhat) in getting healthier. 

When Jeremy makes up his mind and sets a goal, he is undeterred. His self-discipline and dedication to losing weight and exercise has been fun, rewarding, challenging, and admirable.

I am super proud of him for making some healthy changes! But what I appreciate more, and what I too often take for granted, is how he always chooses me. We have had our share of blow-ups and disagreements, but that's not the end of the story. By God's grace, we come back together and work it out.

He's definitely the MVP on this team.

For Jeremy's last birthday, he met Wesley in Kansas City to watch the Astros beat the Royals 6 - 3. It was a quick trip for them both but they got to enjoy baseball and BBQ.

Next up...

2B: Me -- yes mom gets a spot on the team too. I am the author of this blog and manager of this team so I get to be 2nd in the line up. Often times, the 2nd batter is a good bat handler and needs to be one who can take pitches to allow the leadoff hitter to steal. 

I don't know about handling the bat, but I do know how to take some pitches. And I often sacrifice bunt so that makes me good for batting in the 2 hole.

I got to spend my last birthday at my favorite place in the whole world--THE LAKE. Being at the lake feeds my soul. It can be any lake, and fortunately, we have a few lakes within 1-3 hours from us that we can enjoy. 

3B: Marian! Marian has a birthday in April, so in 2020, we were in the middle of lockdowns and in 2021 we had a family crisis that didn't ask for permission to collide with her day.

So this year she actually got to have lunch with grandparents, dinner and dancing with friends, and then we had our family birthday dinner for her and Wesley a week after.

LF: Saimon -- this kid is our power hitter so he's 4th in the lineup to drive us home. Saimon got to spread his birthday celebration out over Spring Break with a big extended family lunch and fun with friends throughout the week. 

Saimon turned sweat 16 this year (that's not a typo). He is sweat 16 because I do not know anyone who works out more than this guy. He's in athletics at school and then he works out at home up to 3 more times a day. He is one strong dude.

1B: We have another power hitter, Omar! Omar did not get a car for his birthday, but he found a good deal on one a few months later. Omar spent the last two birthdays hanging out with friends and re-introducing the family to Golden Corral. He also has become a frequent shopper at Boot Barn so most of Christmas and Birthday money went towards his new style. 

SS: Wesley - Wes is one of two left-handed batters on the team (mom being the other). He has leadoff-type skills so he gets 6th in the lineup, and he makes a good shortstop because he takes charge on balls hit in the air as well as communication among infielders. Wesley has spent the last 2 birthdays at Pine Cove working as a counselor at the Bluffs. 

There is a lot to love and appreciate about Wesley, but what you may not know is that he is....

RF: Emily! When asked what position she wanted on the team, without hesitation Emily said, "OH, I want to be way out in right field, out where the dandelions grow."

Emily most enjoys spending her birthday with family and friends. She likes to read every birthday card...out loud. The last two birthdays she has gotten to do exactly her favorite thing--quality time with her favorite people, feeling loved and celebrated. 

Emily has also been on a journey to a healthier lifestyle and is almost half way to her goal!

Catcher: Crouched behind home plate, Savannah primarily is responsible for receiving all the pitches thrown at her, but she also has a lot of duties on defense. Preventing stolen bases, suggesting pitch selections, and framing the strike zone make for a lot on her plate. Savannah is 8th in the lineup because she is also a patient hitter.

Savannah has spent the last couple of birthdays with a small group of friends. She is beyond ready for her next birthday because she will finally get a phone!

 

And last but not least....

P: Katerin is batting 9th in the lineup because of her leadoff-type skills. And as pitcher, Katerin is a swingman because she may be used as a starter or a reliever. 

Since Katerin went to college and is now in the workforce, we have spent less birthdays with her on her actual birthday. But she has enjoyed special outings with her best friends and joined us for family dinners when possible.

 

What's a team without our own ballboys??

The best Ballboy & Ballgirl

Hiccup & Cocoa just celebrated their 2nd birthday

Birthdays give us a chance to turn our attention to each family member and give God thanks for their life, their gifts, who they are, and who they are becoming.

And I think we would make a heck of a baseball team!

You may have guessed already, but we love the Astros! 

So to end this post, I'll share some fan pics from over the years...

Let's go Astros!

Thanks MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com for helping me form my lineup!

Counting Gifts

It's been a hard season. I keep thinking I will write when I get out of this season, but it's still hard and I don't see any break soon.

So how do I cope in the unrelenting waves of hard? 

One way I keep walking forward through hard seasons is finding things to be grateful for in each day. I started a journal in 2015 after reading 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Now I have multiple journals and nearly 8000 reminders of good. Reminders that God is present. He is kind. He sees me. And He holds all things in His hands.

Here are a few things that have made the list lately...

7812. Jeremy and I getting our 2 mile walk in with the dogs.

7828. Emily starting a new job.

7892. Seeing the magnolias in bloom next to the church with the red doors.

7895. Savannah and I getting dressed up and going to dinner and shopping on a Friday night.

7898. Birthday dinner for Wes and Marian (the twins) at Sho-Gun.

7905. Saimon getting a bouquet of flowers for me Saturday morning.

7908. Escape Room with most of our kids on Mother's Day--we enjoyed it and made it out with 7 minutes to spare! (truly miraculous)

7918. Omar teaching Katerin how to rope.

I came across Jeremiah 15:19 about a year ago and one part of it stood out to me as I practice gratitude. Right in the middle of the verse, it says,

 "if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman." 

Practicing gratitude causes me to extract the precious from the worthless. It halts the rehearsal of toxic thoughts and turns my attention to the kind gifts God gives in the midst of trials.

What kind gifts did you notice today?

2021 in Review

2 - The number of times our family of 9 has been together this year. It's harder to get everyone in one place at the same time with Katerin working in Waco, Emily in BCS, and Wesley at CofO & Pine Cove.

0 - The number of things we have to complain about. God's provision and presence has been abundantly clear.

2 - Our 2 pups are quite the source of enjoyment for our whole family. Cocoa & Hiccup are well loved!

1 - True Story: Circumstances usher us into unwanted territory sometimes and it's hard to navigate in a new place. This year is full of stories that are not mine to tell, but what I can talk about is the assurance of who God is and His work in our lives that is unmistakable.

For this reason, we can enter this season with JOY and GRATEFULNESS.

Merry Christmas from all of us!

SAT is not just a test anymore

 

I'm a freshman SAT mom and I need an SAT Acronym Book for Dummies!

It started when my daughter said she wanted to tryout for SATs in the Spring of her 8th grade year. I'm asking myself, "When did the SAT start having tryouts and why already in the 8th grade?"

I soon found out she meant the Student Athletic Trainers so we attended the Zoom meeting, got all the links, read the handbook, previewed the calendar and she was ready to commit!

She was so excited to make the 1st cut and advance to the next step: Summer FB practice starting July 26. Bye-bye Summer!

I soon ran into another repeated acronym when we examined the July and August calendars.

PX

What's that? I checked the handbook, emails and even looked to see if there was an answer key on the bottom of the calendar explaining what the acronyms stood for. Nothing.

I finally mustered up the courage to email Coach Marr, which by the way, I did not know if I should address her as Coach Marr or Ms. Marr. Was she a coach? I wasn't sure but she seemed intimidating so I chose to call her Coach Marr.

In my email I tried to prove my due dilligence of searching for the answer of what PX stood for so that I could avoid wasting her time, but ultimately I just had to ask.

And I felt like a dummy...again.

PX = practice

Of course it does! It's on the calendar 6 days a week!

My sportsYou app began blowing up with posts --

About teams....VFB, JV, 9FB, FrA, V VB, VB, BBB, GBB, BSOC, GSOC

Places: FH, ATR, PNG, KF, TMHS, CFA, SA

And things like EQ, NHS, NHSSMA, TSATA, FHFT, GHATS

#noBCD--some of which I still do not undertand.

Then pops up an acronym we all know...MDA. That one shouldn't be on the app or on the calendar, but it is. Marr had 3 weeks FMLA after surgery and we all hoped for the best--praying for Coach Marr to be cancer free ASAP.

I know as the school year progresses new acronyms will continue to sprinkle the sY feed and I'll continue to use context clues to try and figure it out so I'm not the mom with the DQ.

And maybe I'll create a cheat sheet on the SAT Google Drive FYI.

To the future Freshman SAT Parents, SAT Acronyms Cheat Sheet TBA!

(Photo creds: Larry Stanteen--fellow SAT parent! TY!)