family

i just have to say...i LOVE my family. i'm not just talking about jerry and the boys. i'm talking about the larrison family, the teipen family, extended family, etc. we had the pleasure of going to the annual teipen cookout this weekend and i was reminded in so many ways of how thankful i should be for the family i married into. it's become sort of a reunion for jerry's family with all kinds of extended family and friends coming and is always such a joy for everyone. to sit and catch up with people who you literally see once a year is something i have come to truly treasure. this year i was not let down one bit as i got to visit with such sincere, kind, thoughtful, and just plain wonderful people. one of jerry's second cousins in particular is so genuine and makes you feel so warm inside just by being in her presence. she truly listens to you when you speak and you sense her care and concern as she wants to know every detail about your children and your life. i just feel so blessed. i love my in-laws so much, especially for how they take care of my children. and of course my parents are irreplacable in every way. jerry and i are both very close to our brothers and their families. not everyone can brag about their family, but i definitely have every right too. they make me happy...happy to be around, happy to know, happy to love, and happy to see, whether it's once a week or once a year.

football? no thanks.

it's been awhile since i've written here and a lot has happened over the last month...eli started playing flag football and boy has it been an experience. let's just say his coaches seem to think they're coaching the next superbowl team rather than a bunch of 5-6 year olds that don't have a clue. it's amazing to me that grown men who volunteer to coach little boys can have such high expectations for a flag football team. they're out there yelling at the kids to block left, block right, slot left, v back, etc. when these kids need simple instructions of what exactly they're supposed to do. football is overwhelming for anyone to understand, and a 5 year old does not have the ability to learn, remember, then carry out specific positions and plays. i have actually been biting my tongue not to call the head of the football league and complain about these coaches, but i feel like since they are volunteers, they deserve a little slack. when we got the papers the first night of practice it clearly stated that this league was about having "fun" and learning the basics of football. "fun" is definitely NOT the priority of these coaches. unfortunately the first experience your child has with a sport sort of sets the tone for how they view that sport from then on and i do believe that they have essentially ruined football for eli. last night i took him to his game and as soon as he saw his coaches he started crying. not a cry baby cry, but a genuine, crocodile tear cry and he said, "mom, i don't wanna play". after a long discussion, he basically said he's not having fun, the coaches are loud and yell a lot and he just doesn't want to play. jerry and i have always said that our kids will finish what they start, but after calling jerry (he had to work so he wasn't at the game), we decided that this was the exception. eli really did try...he went to multiple practices where it was 90 degrees and they practiced for an hour or more without even getting a water break. he got pushed around into his positions and yelled at a few times for supposedly not paying attention. he gave it a shot and he truly was not having fun. at 5 years old, i give him credit for trying and i don't call him a quitter for giving up before it was over. i wasn't enjoying watching the boys get treated that way and like i said, i'm so tempted to call someone and complain. i'm sad for eli that this experience was not pleasant for him and i almost feel guilty for suggesting he try football instead of play soccer like he wanted to. i guess you just don't know until you try. we'll know better the next time i guess. some days i wish sports weren't even offered at such a young age. we've had such great coaches though in soccer and baseball that i guess i just took them for granted. they really do make or break your season, so to speak. so to all the good coaches that remember they're just kids...thank you! and to all the bad coaches that demand way too much from these little boys...quit being jerks and save it for players that are getting paid to listen to your crap.

long pause...

life somehow has gotten the best of me lately, but i will be back soon...

just can't do it

yesterday i was scheduled to work from 7a-3:30pm to get to know the new computer system on my unit. i wasn't considered part of the "staff", but i was involved a little in patient care in order to figure out how to chart with the new system, etc. well the day before, i was caring for 2 sicks boys at my own house...eli had 104.5 fever and diarrhea, caleb had 103 fever and diarrhea, both stating that their throats and "belly hurts". i took them both in to see the doctor more or less for my own peace of mind that they didn't have strep throat or something worse. just as i suspected, some kind of viral bug was all she diagnosed them with, along with plenty of fluids and rest. since the baby boy was well, i figured saturday with daddy would be okay. when i left that morning at 6am, jerry was already awake and i told him, "make sure you call me if for some reason they're too sick to handle". i didn't hear anything til 9am. i called to check on him/them and he couldn't even talk cuz the baby had horrible diarrhea and was screaming from a raw bottom. he called me back and said, "you have to come home, i can't do this". apparently the dr's office had called to check on them and said to take caleb to the ER because of this swollen eye that they were now concerned about. after 2 1/2 hours at work, i rescued my poor husband from the fevers, poops, and screaming. i called the dr. back to get an explanation of exactly why we couldn't wait til monday to get labs on caleb and she agreed that we could, so no need to rush to the ER. within one hour of being home the boys were running around crazy, acting like normal and i was left wondering where my sick children went that i was there to take care of. of course, once the tylenol and motrin wore off they were all laying on the couch, lifeless again. jerry did admit, "i just can't do what you do...not with 3 sick kids especially". thank you, jerry...for admitting that and being man enough to call for help :) i told him that he didn't get a fair chance that day, not with all 3 of them being sick. we'll try again next monday when i'm scheduled to work. maybe this time he'll have well children as he gets to try out the new school routine. good luck!

kindergarten

the 1st day of school is always so exciting, at least for me. i still can't believe that my baby boy is old enough to be in kindergarten! because eli is still going to kingsway christian school, it wasn't as big of a deal to me as if he would've gotten onto a school bus and left. i walked him in to his new class and was welcomed with a "to do" list on his new desk. this was a bit of a shock to me since i was not fore-warned about this and had 2 other children sitting in a stroller with me. thankfully, my best friend was also there with her son and was done with the list, so she helped me frantically get everything sorted out and things labeled correctly for eli to start his day. his 1st day must've went okay because when asked about it his response was "it was fine". typical boy response and something i'm very used to! as a mom, i want details. i've discovered though, at least from this boy, that details are not among the necessities in life when it comes to school. i guess if he's happy and there's no bad reports from the teacher, then school is going fine. kindergarten seems like a big step in a 5 year old's life, but maybe i'm just overrating it. he sure looked cute though!

8 years

today jerry and i celebrated our 8th anniversary! it's kind of sad that we didn't even have cards to exchange, but after a few children, you realize that it's not about sentimental cards or gifts. TIME...that's what matters. we actually got to spend quality time together, minus children, for 3 1/2 hours. we started with dinner out and kept reminding each other to eat slowly and enjoy our food since we had noone but ourselves to feed. when our waitress brought our dinners out, i said, "oh, i'm not even done with my salad yet". to not scarf down my food is so rare of an occasion that i was surprised when i had food waiting to be eaten. after we enjoyed our peaceful dinner, we chose to spend our time shopping in stores that aren't "kid-friendly". we stopped by the furniture store to look at couches that hopefully someday we can buy to match our living room that we're getting ready to re-paint. we went into various stores looking for a coat rack. we even went into hh gregg and shopped for our 50 inch plasma tv that we're hoping to get before colts season starts. after stopping in to about 5 different stores without having to strap children in and out of the truck, we decided to sit outside at the ice cream shop and eat dessert together. not exactly the most romantic anniversary evening, but it was just what we needed...to be just "us". although we did have an ageda, we were together doing what "we" wanted to do...that, in and of itself, is a celebration!

old friends

last week i finally got to go meet and visit with an old friend from high school and her 4 little boys. yes, 4, little boys...crazy that between the 2 of us there were 7 little boys running around. it's unbelievable how you can not talk to someone for almost 10 years and basically pick up where you left off. we both have changed so much, but at the same time, not at all. she even made the comment that when we talked on the phone for directions to her house, she thought it didn't sound like me and then i laughed and she said, "yep, that's tracy". we let some silly mistakes come between us, which was absolutely immature and petty, but at the time, well, i guess we were young, vulnerable, stupid, etc. now, in our 30's and both happily married, i think we both realize that life does go on and time really does heal. she was one of my best friends and i have so many great memories with her that i feel so thankful for a second chance at our friendship. now that we both have boys and are in similar life situations, i hope we can keep "growing up" together.