Harper is 16!

 

It’s good that we celebrated Harper over the weekend.  Today we had a wrestling tournament and a band concert.  I drove the bus to Saige’s wrestling tournament.  She had a pretty good night. She didn’t win any matches but she is learning and she came close to pinning her first opponent.  Short season girls wrestling is literally 12 practices and 4 meets.  If you haven’t wrestled before, it is hard to learn the sport in that amount of time.  She is sort of wanting to join the club wrestling team that Colin was a part of.   I would never discourage a kid from wrestling.  It’s a tough sport.  It is tough mentally. It is tough strategically and it truly teaches kids discipline and handling pressure.  I absolutely love the relationships that you build there and, even though I didn’t know a thing about it when Colin got started, it is now my favorite.  

We dropped off the girls and coach with 20 minutes until Harper’s concert started.  Saige’s coach happens to be my bus boss.  He gave me permission to park the bus and watch her concert in my way home.  So Saige and I were able to squeak in and see her performance. 

If you know Harper you already know that a concert is not what she would have chosen to do on her birthday, but it also a price you pay for having a December birthday.   This is not the first time she had to go to a concert on her birthday! 

My Harper is growing up way too fast.  She is smart, a little snarky, and hilarious.  She makes life a lot more entertaining for sure.  She is also a home body who prefers hanging out in her pj’s (my spirit animal). I couldn’t be prouder of her.  

Love you Harper.  

And a hodge podge of photos from this day. In no particular order - sort of like the way my brain works.  I am thankful today for good timing and seeing both my girls doing their thing   

Harper is 16. (Birthday weekend recap)

 

The weekend got away from us in a fury of  birthday activities, helping a friend, babysitting the girls and doing a birthday dinner/Christmas craft night. 

It was fun celebrating our Harper girl.  

Before I get into that, a few other things because I have gotten so far behind.  

First, my niece, Emma-Kate- is a KSU agriculture scholar!  She spent a bunch of time on a project with bull genetics and genomes and other things that aunt Hope doesn’t understand.  She is kicking butt and I just couldn’t be prouder of her.  She also landed an amazing internship that she really wanted.  She is going to have to tell me more about it though because I am not sure what she will be doing.   I feel bad, she spent last summer in Cincinnati working at an internship at the zoo there with a big cat breeding program.  I wanted to go there for a visit and intended to go for a long weekend.  Life happened instead.  Anyway….EK we are so proud of you!  

This isn’t really a secret but Mallory LOVES Christmas. And Christmas lights.    She also likes dragging people to look at Christmas lights.  She took Madison and the girls this weekend to the zoo lights followed by the drive through winter wonderland display.  She’s crazy, but I love that she took such cute photos! 

Wrenley still HATES Santa! 

The ornery grin, the crooked hat, the insane aunt.  There is so much to say about this I could write an essay.  It made me smile - and I’m tired. No essays will be written today.  

Saturday evening, I took Harper and her friend Alaya shopping and out for dinner.  We hit the new Chinese place again. I am starting to really like that place, although Saturday night might not be the best time to go unless you love seafood - they have an all you can eat seafood bar added to the regular Chinese buffet, sushi buffet, hibachi grill and salad bar. Oh and desserts.  It is a really good place to eat.  Major difference between Harper and Saige. When I took Saige and her friends shopping it cost me.  Big time.  The only store Harper wanted anything from was Bath and Body, and they were having such a sale that it hardly cost anything at all!  She’s a cheap shopper!

I did get the rest of the Christmas candy, candy making supplies and most importantly- Carlos’ new Christmas Grinch Jammie’s. 

When I got home. I put his new pj’s on and we practiced rocking a baby- you know- fo polish up my skills before Easton arrives!  

Sunday was Andrew’s company Christmas party. We had the girls here and made Harper’s birthday dinner, complete with cake. I asked Harper if she wanted a sweet 16 party and she told me hard pass.  She did consent to cake with the girls though. 

Mallory and Cameron went to see Wicked with GG and then came out.  We painted ornaments, painted some wall hanging Santa’s and gingerbread men, made gingerbread houses and Christmas bracelets.  Then we had to give Wren a bath because she may have gotten more paint on herself than on her ornaments. It was messy and fun. And I will take that as a win - memories made.  

After her bath, we combed her hair.  She decided poopy needed his hair done as well.  Poppy said her comb felt sort of like a saw.  

We also had to play just dance in order to wear ourselves completely out before they went home for the night.  

No more

When I started kindergarten, I met this adorable red headed girl who I instantly loved.  My bestie - still to this day.  The one I call when I do something stupid and know I need to tell someone who absolutely won't judge me.  The one who makes my sides split with her insane stories.  The one who will show up 2 hours late, but will always be there....with snacks and drinks and will stay until well after any event to help you clean up and then continue to make you laugh until you wet your pants.  My Dusty.  And she has a little brother who was my brother's age.  They were also fast friends, who so often got into trouble together it was mind blowing.  Eric and Stony - two peas in a pod.  The stories those 2 could tell, and the crap they got into - insane.  Our moms used to "trade" kids - one would take the girls, one would take the boys.  Both would trade back exhausted because having any Eagle child mixed with any Lang child is just a recipe for insanity.  I love them.  I spent about as much time at their house as I did my own.  Their mom is like a second mom to me.  Their family is my family.  And this week, we lost Stony.  He got sick, and that somehow then morphed into multi-organ failure.  There was nothing more to do or to try.  It was heartbreaking.  I cannot believe that we lost them both within 3 months.  I am saddened beyond belief, mad at them both for leaving us here without them, and just sick to my stomach.  It is unreal, unfair, unbelievably depressing and sad.  As I sat in their house last night, swapping stories and swallowing down sadness like some sort of horrible tasting cough syrup, I couldn't help but be a little bit curious to as if God knew what he was doing - I bet there was one hell of a reunion yesterday.  I went to bed last night and had this weird dream where those two boys, and their friend Donny who also passed away this year were standing in what looked like an office.  I heard a loud voice saying "you guys are fairly immature" and my brother responded with "I know you are, but what am I?" and they all busted up laughing. I think God might have his hands full.  

Anyway, this year seemed to take more than it gave, and I am feeling like we don't need any more sadness or loss.  

And through my sadness, I am still trying to be thankful every day.  Today, I am thankful for grandkids, and for the fact that our family continues to grow and stick together.  My family is my why.

I am also trying to approach this season with at list a bit of the joy that I know it deserves, which has been increasingly difficult due to circumstances beyond my control.  One thing I seem to keep seeing are these amazingly brilliant sun rises and sunsets.  Proof that God loves pink.  They seem to hit me at all the times I need them to, and I draw some comfort in knowing that there is still beauty in the world, you just sometimes have to look for it a little harder.

I have also been thinking a lot about those who have gone before us.  I was setting up this nativity that Grandma Nellie made, and was laughing about her little nuances.  Things you cannot explain if you didn't know her.  And about her husband, grandpa Carl.  It always made me feel happy at how much they loved each other.  Like a good example of what marriage could be.  And my father in law.  He and I didn't always see eye to eye on things, but I was always fond of how when you would talk to him, he would listen. He would then look up information about whatever you talked about so that he knew more about it the next time you visited with him.  I miss his emails telling me about goat people, and goat business opportunities.  And my grandparents Robert and Shirley, who helped raise us....teaching us to work but somehow not making it seem like work.  Always cooking or doing a project.  I hope wherever they are, they had an opportunity to sit down and rest for a while. My life has been a series of blessings and I know that.  I just hope we can keep the losses out of things for a long time.   

 

Late but not forgotten

Monday was Cameron’s 26th birthday.  We of course celebrated over the weekend.  Which was good because Monday was insane like the rest of this week.  We had mass for the holy day, a wrestling meet for Saige and a concert for Evelyn.  

I did text him, and I did take him awesome cupcakes that I totally baked all by myself (or plucked  out at Sam’s club. Whatever).  I do have to still give him his amazing gift but we will just have to catch him on Saturday.  I guess he is now old enough to understand.  

I am very proud of Cameron.  He is self sufficient and capable of doing anything he sets his mind to.  He is rocking adulthood and I think he is awesome.  Happy birthday Cameron.  I love you!  

Harper and I went to mass.  The only reason we made it on time was because I end my bus route not far from my parent’s house. So Harper and I parked at their place and rode with them.  After mass, we rode with them to Conway Evelyn’s concert.  She did an amazing job.  She even had a speaking part, which I recorded and think I have posted below (we shall see I guess). Great job kiddo!  

While Harper and I were running around with GG and papa Larry

, Jim went to watch Saige wrestle.  It was her first time ever competing on a mat!  She did good, it takes a certain amount of guts to just get out there.  She didn’t win any of her matches, but we are very proud of her.  Jim sent me a couple videos.  One is too long to upload here.  

The entire week is flying by.