Reunited and it feels so good

 Jenny, Faith and Curtis went to Haiti for a mission trip during the week of Thanksgiving.  We saw them before they left but then they left and when one goes to Haiti, there is no contact.  Jenny would post pics every evening on Facebook so that was my only connection to them while they were gone. I thank God they are all home safely and well.  Their trip was a success!  Last night they came out to our house to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Mike had a delicious pork loin and the kids enjoyed each others company in front of the fire. 

 And what's not normal about an evening with friends and having a "plank competition?"  I think Curtis won this one which is pretty good considering that boy just built a house in Haiti all week. 

                                         Nick wanted to read Jenny his report on his flashlight fish. 

                                           Sometimes there just isn't words for these two boys!

It's been a full and blessed weekend.  I was lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving day with my mom and my grandparents (and of course Mike and the boys).  It was a very relaxed and special day.  Today we headed to Uncle Mike's to celebrate the Schmidt family Christmas.  The picture above is of my 85 year old grandparents with most of their great grandchildren (four of them missing in this picture). 

Nick's first basketball game

 Nick played his first basketball game today.  His team is still learning which makes me smile because I've watched Jay and his group since they played together in fourth grade so it's fun for me to watch these boys build their skills.  Nick isn't in love with basketball but I do think if he can change his attitude a bit and give it time, he'll like it more and more.  He still says football is his first love. 

 And here's something I see Mike doing that I thought I'd never see.  Mike is helping with coaching.  He is pretty humble about it and says he's simply helping run drills during practice but Nick loves it (see picture below).  And I gotta say, I think Mike is really, really good at it.  Jay didn't have a game today so he was able to come and cheer on Nick's team. 

Are there any words?  When Nick wasn't playing he had his arm around his dad.  Love. 

A.D.H.D.

Jay and Nick have ADHD and with that diagnosis comes challenges.  However, I know my boys' ADHD is relatively mild compared to many others.  Jay's biggest issue has been and still is his impulsivity.  Nick's biggest issue is the hyperactivity associated with ADHD.  Every morning before school Nick walks/runs on the treadmill for 1/2 mile, nothing strenuous but enough to release some energy before he gets to school.  His teacher tells me it helps him tremendously.  This morning as we were driving to school Nick asks me, "So mom, why do I have to run in the morning if I take that pill that helps me?"  I told Nick he has what is called ADHD and I tell him what it stands for.  His response to me was, "I don't know what the attention problem is but the hyperactivity, well DUH!"  Even Nick knows his hyperactivity is an issue.  Mike has even noticed during basketball practice he struggles with focus.  We've made the switch to no sugar after school.  Another DUH moment but it has helped.  When I think of how I would describe having two boys with ADHD to another parent all I can think to say is get your lifejacket on, get strapped in and be ready for the wild ride.  Oh and keep lots of wine handy!

Nick's project

Nick's 3rd grade class was assigned to research a sea animal of their choice.  Nick knew immediately he wanted to research and create a flashlight fish.  In true Nick form, he knew exactly what he wanted his fish to look like and he worked really hard on his research paper.  Nick and Mike spent many hours in the workshop creating the flashlight fish, from making the plaster, making the stand, to creating the eyes very slowly with hot glue.  Yesterday was an "open house" for the parents to come in and view all the sea animals.  One girl made a turtle from foam and she stuck bright green pins in it and it was really cool.  I love to see the creativity come out in third graders!

A heavy heart

I attended a visitation tonight for a 32 year old man who lost his battle to cancer.  His widow is 36 years old and he left behind two young sons.  I live in a small community and in the weeks leading up to this young man's passing I saw God at work.  Fundraisers were organized, food was made, prayers (and I mean lots of prayers) were prayed, kind words were spoken, Christmas was organized for this family and the list goes on and on.  Although I wasn't very close to this family I was fascinated by their courage, their determination and their absolute love of the Lord.  These situations are hard to understand, in fact for our time on earth, we'll never understand why these things happen but as Christians we have great hope and that was probably the only thing that made me smile when all my thoughts were focused on the deep loss this family feels.  As I grow in my own faith I am starting to realize that in fact you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you and God is working through all of us.  It's like the song says, "God put a million doors in this world to walk through, one of those doors is you."  Amen to that. 

Jay

I just titled my blog, "Jay."  I have a lot to write about Jay.  Seventh grade is a big change from sixth grade, if you ask this momma.  But with every year Jay matures and grows and as Mike likes to remind me of, we are only moving forward, not backward.  What concerns me most right now is I worry if he'll ever figure out his communication skills.  Will he be able to have a conversation with someone without mumbling?  Will he be able to engage in a conversation with absolute eye contact?  Will he remember to thank people without being prompted?  Will he remember to ask his wife how her day was?  And will he even care to call me on Mother's Day?  Thoughtfulness does not come naturally to Jay, I'm just saying.  Yet about a week ago I had another memorable IEP meeting for Jay.  His teachers sang his praises and the common theme I heard over and over again is what a hard worker Jay is.  During the meeting one of the teachers made it a point to tell me how important it is that Jay not be deterred by his struggles in school, that despite his struggles he's been successful and with his work ethic he will be successful in college too.  I really appreciated these kind words.  Jay is an average C student and the pressure to perform these days has reached a whole new level but I still believe the old saying, "If you work hard and try, you will see results."  I do believe that with each passing year I am slowing (and sometimes painfully slowly) witnessing Jay morph into the boy/man he's destined to become.   

Conversations with Nick

I live with two right wing conservatives, Mike and Nick.  Jay is also a conservative but he's not as verbal about it.  Nick on the other hand will tell anyone who will listen.  Last week Nick tagged along with me to my book club meeting.  In November my book club sits down and plans our books for the upcoming year.  We each contribute to what books we do or don't read in the following year.  The beauty of a book club is you get exposed to books that perhaps otherwise you wouldn't have read.  I've certainly found this to be true in my case.  I appreciate all the different personalities and views within my book club.  Just as Nick and I were leaving for book club, he asked me, "Mom, why don't you pick a book about God to read."  I explained to Nick that in our book club we have two rules, no books about politics or religion.  I went on to tell Nick we stay away from those two subjects because people have different views.  Nick looked puzzled by this.  Mostly I think he was a bit appalled that possibly some people could have a different view on the world, especially when it comes to God (that boy loves God and Jesus).  He thought about it some more and then asked, "Mom, do you have a bunch of libs in your book club?"  I laughed out loud. Some day that boy may either be a politician or a pastor - the possibilities are endless! 

For the love of the game

I'm writing once again about sports.  Perhaps I'm trying to figure out where I stand and where my kids fit into all the craziness (sometimes good crazy) of sports.  When Nick wrapped up football, he loved it.  He loved everything about it.  He loved the contact, he loved the running, he loved the plays.  I've seen certain sports (not all of them) turn into cut throat, in it to win it pressure.  I like to win, my kids like to win (especially Nick) but I will admit I'm not highly competitive so this morning when I was listening to the radio, the Illinois State Redbirds football coach spoke about pressure and the "love of the game."  You see his football team is undefeated.  He said recently he noticed his players were playing for the wrong reasons (and yes this was being said by a coach whose team was undefeated).  His players were so focused on being the best, being the greatest, that they had forgotten why they were there and the coach then said something that really spoke to me, "pleasure before pressure."  In other words, don't let the pressure of the game get to you so much that you forget why you play the game.  He encouraged his players to think back to when they were eight years old and playing on their home football fields.  It made me think of Nick and his absolute enthusiasm for his beloved game.  The coach went on to say the fields haven't changed, why have the players?  Let's get back to basic, folks.  Coaches, remember why you coach, if it's just to win, then no offense you need to get out of coaching.  Players, remember why you love the game, if you can't remember then maybe it's time to stop playing.  Parents, encourage your coaches and your kids because sometimes in this wonderful world of sports, encouragement is just what one needs. 

Halloween

 We had such a fun Halloween last night.  We went over to friends who live in another small town.  The weather was freezing but despite the weather the kids were determined to get as much candy as possible.  Mission accomplished.  The pic above is Jay and his friends - left to right; Garrett, Jeremy, Ayden, Jay and Reece. 

This picture is the rest of the Douglas clan and Nick is the crazy kid in the middle who looks like a Russian Yeti.  By the weight of their candy bags I'd say our boys got a lot of candy.  Mike and I were just too tired to pilfer through it (like we usually do) when we got home last night but let's just say I'm enjoying blogging this morning with my coffee and Reeses peanut butter cup.