Picture of the Week - 3/30/2017

Some weeks are harder than others.  Sometimes a week is physically hard because of schedule (travel/games/conflicts).  Some weeks are mentally hard.  This week has been both.

Bob and I have both had "heavy" work weeks.  We have also had 2 sick kids - one VERY sick...  And to top all that off, we have to do some tough parenting.  The tough love kind that you know you have to do, but don't WANT to do at all.  And it all sucks.

We all want our kids to be happy, right?  And certainly making decisions that align with what they WANT to do is easier than fighting the current.  

But at the end of the day, our JOB is not to make them HAPPY.  It's to raise them into GOOD PEOPLE.  Our job, as parents, is not to always say yes.  Not to always take the easy path.  Sometimes we have to look at a situation, from all the angles, and make the unpopular decision.  This is not done out of spite, but out of an obligation to do the RIGHT thing.  It hurts and is unpleasant all around.  

All we can do is pray that someday these boys will look back (as I have done, to be honest) and think "wow...  that sucked, but I get it and I appreciate that my parents loved me enough to push me to be the possible version of myself".

So...  yeah...  where's the wine?

Oh - and I almost forgot...  Beckett had to have one of his front teeth pulled out because it was infected.  We've been messing with this tooth (and his neighbor) for years.  He got cavities between his front teeth (parents of the year...) and we had them capped a while back.  And then one of them got infected - and now it's gone.  So...  here's his new "look" for the next couple of years.  I think at some point this would have probably bothered me, but with Beck - I just think it's cute.  And it's a baby tooth.  And in the grand scheme of things (see above) a pulled tooth is NOTHING.  

Picture of the Week - 3/23/2017

Heading back home today.  Very anxious to be back to my favorite people.  It's been a good, productive week, but I'm feeling out of sorts and missing my normal life.  Also the sun.  I'm REALLY missing the sun!!!  I'll be leaving here in about 40 minutes and should walk into my house a short 15 hours later.  

Cheers!

Picture of the Week - 3/16/2017

Have you ever stopped to think about your adult personality when it comes to making big decisions.  If you are married, is your couple personality different?

Bob and I, as I'll probably talk about many times in the next few months, are getting ready to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  That's given us lots of opportunities to figure out how we handle big decisions.  And small ones too.  And I think we're, actually, pretty bad at most of them.  :)  We tend to be of the "minimal research, get antsy and DO IT" mentality when it comes to things like making big purchases.  We have specifically tried to "slow our roll" and take more of a wait and see tactic.  We fail just about every time.  

This week is a pretty perfect example...  we have a leased minivan despite not being LEASE people.  Nothing wrong with lease people, but we aren't them...  the circumstances of the minivan are long and boring...  but the lease is up in mid-May so we needed to make a decision about what to do.  We had 3 cars, but the minivan was the only one that fit our whole family.  (6 people is kind of a haul and several of them won't stop growing.)  We could have turned in the van and kept my little car and the old pickup truck, but that meant any time we wanted to go anywhere as a family we'd have to take 2 cars.  (I actually know people who purposely always drive 2 cars just in case something catastrophic happens...  we aren't those people either.)  We considered this option for a while as it would be the most economical, obviously.  But then we got the new car itch.  And we started looking around with the idea of being SLOW and DELIBERATE and making a few dealerships aware that we were interested so they could throw many good deals at us.  Then we went to Carmax this week and drove away with a new (to us) Yukon XL Denali.  

We are very bad at this kind of thing...  but it IS a beautiful vehicle that I expect we will have for a very long time.  Also, it fits all our family and a bunch of lacrosse stuff.  :)

Here's a picture of Bob's new baby and also a fun picture of Zane from last weekend.  He's developed this ADORABLE thing where his cheeks get bright red when he's cold.  I don't remember him doing this until recently and it's SO SO SO cute.  This is from Saturday just after his first U7 lacrosse game, which is why he's all sweaty despite it being way too cold for March in ATL.  

Have a great week everyone!  I'm heading over to Edinburgh tomorrow and will be back late on Thursday.  The flight I'm on for my return doesn't have wifi (the horror...) so it's very likely that next week's POTW will either be early or late, but I'll get one out.  Due to oddly high prices for plane tickets, we are traveling on Friday night, which kinda stinks a bunch!  I hate that I'm missing a whole weekend - and 5 lacrosse games - but work is work and I have a giant SUV to pay for now.  :)  Since we will have a whole extra weekend day this trip, I may actually get to do a little sightseeing with my colleague this trip.  We're trying to decide what we can do on Sunday.  We very rarely get to do anything I'd consider "fun" while there, so I'm actually kind of looking forward to seeing a bit of Scotland.  

Picture of the Week - 3/9/2017

Last night was our crazy lacrosse night.  It involves multiple different practices - for 3 of the boys.  We start by running out of the house by 5:10 and everyone is back home around 9.  Bob has 3 teams he coaches on Wednesday nights - all of them overlap with each other.  It would be completely unwieldy if the practices weren't all at the same park.  As it is...  it's crazy!

My role in Wednesday nights is to shuttle kids around and then get the little guys to bed.  Last night we had to change up our plans a little bit because Quinn had a math test to study for today.  Normally I leave him up there at the park until Spencer's practice is over.  (FWIW - Spencer can't really even practice yet...  but he's there with his team because it's a TEAM and also because Bob's coaching.)  Last night I stuck around after Zane's practice to gather Quinn so he'd have an extra hour at home.  

I managed to keep the little guys out of the road and out of the bathrooms until we were all cold and we retreated to the car.  Once in the car, Beckett proceeded to touch every button and pull every lever and change all the settings on anything that could be changed.  Also, somehow, despite the fact that we weren't eating anything, there is crud all over all my windows from his grubby little fingers (and also various other parts of his body...)  If he weren't so cute, I'd have left him there last night!  

I did manage to get this picture of them while we were waiting.  It makes me laugh because at first glance they 1) look much older than 5 and 7 all the sudden and 2) look like they could be in a bar.  Maybe someday, when they are much much older, they can recreate this picture in an actual bar.

Have a great week everyone!  We have 4 lacrosse games this weekend - including a double-book in two places involving Spencer/Bob and Zane's first game of the season.  Oh well... 

Picture of the Week - 3/2/2017

Bob and I have returned from our week at sea on the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer.  

We. Had. A. Blast!

Seriously - such a fun vacation.  As much as I love my crazy, chaotic life and my loud, lovey boys, it's really good to be a carefree grown-up every now and then.  :)  BIG thanks to my parents for taking care of the boys while we were gone.  BIG BIG thanks!  

We are tired and need a weekend to detox and re-enter real life.  I've brought home a nasty head/chest cold, which the airplane ride home did not help, so I may start my reintroduction to reality with a visit to my doctor tomorrow morning.  Boo!

This year the cruise raised 2.5 MILLION dollars for cancer research.  Trust me when I say that we are a teeny, tiny part of that, but it's SUCH a good cause.  When the leaders of the James Cancer Research center talk about all the things they have been able to do with the support from the BC4C, it's astonishingly awesome.  I'm proud to be a small part of something doing so much good for so many people.  

Have a great week everyone!