I want to talk about this kid for a minute...

For a long while now I have been sad because when people talk to me about my sweet Colby I often only hear "negative" things about him. Most of it was being said in what others thought was a "positive" or "helpful" tone but often it left me feeling like I have been failing him as a parent. Knowing full well what kind of energy he has and that he has a harder time expressing himself, I was getting feed back about his traits and it was hard to constantly hear others point this out to me as if it was a bad thing. However, even on his worst days this kid is one of the brightest lights in my life. He is strong both mentally and physically. He is sweet and kind. He is helpful, even if it sometimes takes some extra motivation. He is funny. And his laugh, OH his laugh!!! It changes the world!!! Today he went in for testing to see if he qualified for the Child Find program through our local school district and it was a wonderful experience to watch. This was our second time having him tested and this time all of the other families seeking testing too canceled before our test time so it was just us in the room. It gave the teachers the chance to focus 100% on him and he did a fantastic job. He had fun, he was happy, he asked questions, he was polite, all without any promoting from me. He was allowed to be 100% himself and he was brilliant. As the teachers talked to me after each test rotation they genuinely complimented him over and over and over again saying things I know about him but don't often hear from others. The comment that almost brought me to tears today was when one of the teachers told me "he is smart, SO smart!" I think that is one of the first times someone has said that to me out loud. I've known it forever because I see first hand how he processes and thinks things through and I have been proud of every single accomplishment he has ever made. However when people talk to me about my children I usually only hear that phrase in conjunction to his sisters. And even though he is quirky and stubborn and sometimes speaks as if he's trying to talk to you at a rock concert, he is my boy. My son. I love him with all my heart and I am so proud of him and how strong and bright and SMART he is. I love you Colby man. I LOVE YOU!!

IX-XI: Never Forget

This is from a trip I was able to take in middle school. I think we're sitting at the Statue of Liberty "looking back" at New York. This was my one and only experience with the Twin Towers. As it is with many of you, 9/11 is a day that that will always stay with me, however my initial experience with that day is probably a little different. I was blocked from almost all media and it wasn't until I came home from school late that afternoon that I saw what was really going on. I was in the dark at the beginning and a lot was lost on me at first because of that. I got bits and pieces of what had happened throughout the day but never really understood the magnitude of what our nation was dealing with. I never saw the events in real time, just edited reports of what had occurred. It wasn't until later that I grasped the reality of what had happened and what it really meant. It seemed unreal as I finally saw the images and listened to the reports which were no longer questions about what was going on but were the first pieces of the puzzle already coming together. It wasn't as much a question of who and why but a matter of what do we do now? It was a turning point in my life because I saw what our nation was capable of. I saw millions of people come together, those in the middle of it and those who could only help from afar, in ways that impressed me deep down to my soul. I finally saw a flag on every door step and I saw those around me finally understand what it means to be a part of this country. I watched my teachers explain with raw emotion their feelings, their anger, for what had happened and their hope for what we could all become. It was a reminder to me that we are blessed and that this nation is truly a land given to us by God. It was the first time I realized there are people who will fight to the ends of the earth to take away what we have been given. It blossomed a deep sense of pride and really made me understand what it means to be an American. I love my home. I love my country. I am proud to be apart of this nation. I am proud to be an American. 

I will never forget. 

Granny and Papa's 60th Anniversary Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

Still trying to work out the kinks

Well we ordered a new keyboard for our laptop and it worked for about a month and then we lost access to a bunch of keys and it's not working now. I've now downloaded the app on my phone and hope I can write from here and then add pictures from the computer. It's a lot of steps but hopefully that'll work better than not updating at all. We'll see how it goes. Just hope that doing it this way doesn't equal a ton of typos/autocorrects along the way. 

PS. I got my books and they turned out great!! Our last one is going to be given out tomorrow and I can't wait to see my dad's reaction. Now I just need to start prepping for next years book and get the early years of our blog switched over!!! Gotta get working!!

Excited, scared and super anxious!!

I just ordered by first book from Shutterfly and I'm SOOOO nervous. They gave me a link to the book and I thought I would try to link it here so others can see. This is our 2013 book, it was supposed to be a Christmas present but I under estimated how long it would take me to complete it. I hope they all still like it, even though it's so late. I hope the book turns out. I've loved so many that I've seen from other people and have wanted to do one of my own for a long time. I'm just too picky and have been really concerned it wouldn't turn out. If I like it I hope I'll get motivated and get my blog books set up!! I really want to get those printed soon. EEK!!! I'm excited!!

If you can view the link, let me know what you think!!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly offers exclusive layouts and designs so you can make your book just the way you want.

Update!!

Soooo we sent out our Christmas cards and asked everyone to come look at our blog because we were excited to get it updated and then we have had issues with our computer keyboard and haven't been able to update at all. I think we're slowly working out the kinks, as I'm able to do a post now, so hopefully I'll get some time today to get some new posts up and get some computer work done. Thank you for being patient with us everyone!!!

Cheris

Family Fun - Mustaches

A while back I found these mustaches before Halloween and thought I'd pick some up for us to play with. Riann is obsessed with mustaches and loves to point them out on anyone who is wearing one with in 10 feet of us. She gets so excited when she sees one on someone and is very vocal about it. We've occasionally had people think she was making fun on them as she excitedly pointed and told us what she saw but once we explained to them that she was just admiring their mustache, most often with envy, they always seemed to enjoy her excitement as much as she enjoyed their mustache. With her love for them I decided I'd pick these up and surprise her with them and she LOVED them!!! I was also surprised at how much fun the other kids had with them too. We really had a great time playing while they lasted.

Each kiddo with their 'stache.

I don't know if you can tell but Roslyn has "sideburns" on too.

So glad she enjoys participating in stuff like this. Best smile EVER!!!

A little family time. The picture on the top left kills me every time!!!

The cutest "hairy" kids in the world!!