Christmas FOOD!!

The Saturday before Christmas we had Pizza and Root Beer Floats.  We were invited to Christmas Eve at someone else's house, but still wanted to stay true to the pizza and root beer float tradition.  I'll forever want pizza and root beer floats during Christmas.

We are lucky to have friends here in Omaha.  On Sunday our neighbors Paul and Pat had us over for dinner.

Pat loves Monty.  She made such a sweet spread.  

And can you believe there was more!  

It always looks so inviting.  I sat by this tray for about an hour.  It didn't disappoint!

 We had a wonderful dinner with Paul and Pat.

On Christmas Eve we went to another friends house.  They had a spread like I'd never seen.

It was food heaven!!  We took home enough food for a week.  It was such a fun evening.  We played games, ate, and went to watch Christmas lights.  It was a perfect Christmas Eve.  

How we didn't all gain 500 pounds is a Christmas miracle!

Makai turns 9

Makai has always loved his birthday!  This week was no exception!  He received a box from Mammy and Grandpop several days before his birthday and he carried it around for days.  It was pretty cute.  He knew there was a lego inside and couldn't wait to open it. 

Box he carried around for a week

See...another room, another floor!

He loves to read.  I've never seen a kid dissect a book in the way he does  This book came with his Lego from Mammy and Grandpop.

He loved putting the Lego together and 

9 years and still amazing!  

Makai loves Legos, he loves book and he loves food. He loves to play, never cleans up after himself and hates chores.  But, he also has never met someone he doesn't like.  He can play with anyone.  Has a soft heart and loves.  We love him.  He's a blessing to our family.  He's a big friendly giant. 

Fun Scout Activity for Trey

Trey is really lucky to have a great group of friends his age!  I'm glad he's got so many buddies!  They all play on the same basketball team. 

Thanksgiving already here and gone.

November went by so quickly I can hardly believe it.  Kory started basketball and is enjoying it. He tried out and was sure he was going to make A team or B team, but actually made C team.  This was a major disappointment to him and he didn't hold back his emotions.  It's was pretty hard to watch him cry and go through the emotions of disappointment., and fear of a lack of self worth.  I think so often we attach our worth to a letter, or a number, and have to be reminded that we are not a letter.  We had many talks with him and shared our advise that he should go out and do his best and his worth had nothing to do with what team he made.  We were proud that he decided to keep playing and make the best of the situation.  He's a pretty good shot and continues to improve with each game.

He is funny to watch.  While he is on the sideline he doesn't like to sit down.  He is so anxious to win.  He also gets really excited when he sees a member of his team do well.  I love that about him.  

 Kory is now 14 and therefore he is old enough for church dances.  Last weekend was his first church dance.  It was fun to send the three older boys  go off to a dance together.  Afterward, they went to a friends house and hung out and I know they enjoyed just being together.  It's time for Kory to hang with the older boys.  It's a good, necessary transition. 

Kory is not taller than Kyle, but was standing on his tip toes and Kyle was leaning, however, he is getting up there and is easily 5 inches taller than me!   

There was a cancellation at the surgery center and they were able to get Kyle in this week for Surgery.  First he had to have a pre-surgery appointment.  He doesn't ever remember getting his blood drawn as a little boy, but he was pretty brave this time. 

Kyle being brave

 We feel really blessed that someone cancelled right before Thanksgiving because that meant that Kyle would have a few days to recover before having to go back to school. 

He loved the outfit.  

Lauren, Kyle's nurse, was really sweet.  She took such good care of him and was very helpful in answering questions because a year ago she had a very similar surgery.  She has three boys so she just called him sweetie and treated him like one of her own.  

 The surgery took about 2 and 1/2 hours.  The doctor originally told us it wo,uld take 2, so of course the last half hour I was getting a little antsy.  However, Dr Conroy came out and told us all had gone well.  He made three small wholes and fixed him right up.  I guess there was not as much tissue to work with as he thought there was going to be, so that is why it had taken a little longer.  

When we went to see Kyle after surgery he so still so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open.  However, he was just kind and gentle, like always.  He did say, "Heated blankets are awesome and these cookies are amazing.  Do you want some?"  His post surgery nurse was a guy and he knew a lot about Kyle.  I could tell he'd talked to him for a while.  He knew all about Kyle's love for Taco Bell and his gold van. 

Kyle is a pretty good patient.  He tries so hard not to be a burden to anyone and is thankful for any help he receives.  His track coach came over with a goodie bag to help him feel better and Friday night a friend from school came and brought him lunch and hung out for the evening.  They played video games and talked about next football season.  It was a welcomed evening of fun. 

Thanksgiving morning Tyler stayed home with Kyle, because Kyle wasn't allowed to be alone, and Monty and I took Trey and Kory to deliver meals for the Salvation Army.  It was a perfect way to start Thanksgiving morning! 

This is such a fun act of service.  It wasn't hard, but made them feel good.  These boys had huge smiles before, during and after delivering the food.

 For Thanksgiving we went to the Huefners, a family from our ward.  They were enjoyable to be with and we all had a nice time.  Thanksgiving was relaxing and a great day to reflect on all we have been blessed with.  We have so much to be thankful for. 

Saturday I cut Trey and Makai's hair.  It was time to the blonde to be cut off.  Makai looked a little like a mushroom.  He just looks better with shorter hair.  I couldn't believe how thick his hair is.  It isn't only thick, but each strand is thick as well.  Now we just have two kids with bleached hair.  I'm giving them one more week.     

It has been a nice Thanksgiving break.  A few days off is good for the soul.  Last week was a little stressful for Trey.  School is a little hard for him and when he doesn't do as well as he could do because he doesn't try as hard as he can it causes him to melt down.  These melt downs are draining.  However, right now we are doing a 'science experiment'.  We are seeing if he has mom and dad look over all his work before he turns it in, if his grades will go up.  Often we see his work after he turns it in and it's obvious it's not his best work.  These are the growing pains of middle school.  We all have to go through the if/then growing pains.  I have no doubt he'll figure it out. 

Tyler has a disappointing Thanksgiving.  An old friend came back from college for Thanksgiving.  He was really excited to meet up and catch up with this friend.  However, this friend didn't make time for him.  This caused emotions to swell within him that he has never felt before.  We tried our best as parents to talk him through those emotions, but interestingly enough he worked through them by writing a poem/rap.  It was amazing!  I told him he should see if he can submit it somewhere.  I think it is wonderful he can express his feelings in this way.  Sometimes I worry Tyler doesn't feel very much because at home he is pretty even tempered, but this poem/rap shows that his is very in tune with his emotions.  Although the weekend was a let down, I feel like it was a growing experience. 

It's hard to watch your kids go through hard things, but it's rewarding to watch them rise above the adversity and come out stronger.  Life is a journey that I'm glad we are on together! 

Already November

It's hard to believe it's Already November, but...November is here!!

Sunday night I had to go downstairs to get something out of  the basement and was thrown into a bad mood.  With Kyle having one arm and having two teenage boys living down there it was not a happy sight.  I asked Tyler and Kyle to go clean their room.  They told me they were 90% done.  Ha!!  That was when I went down and decided they needed help.  This pile is just stuff we pulled out from between Tyler's bed and the bookshelf.  Why boys have MOM's

Thankfully, we didn't find anything living in this stuff.  

I know some people can handle dressers that look like this, but I am not one of them.  Why do you need to keep a deodorant cap?

Kyle's laundry pile!!  Being the nice mom that I am, I did it all for him the following day.  I admit, one are makes laundry NO FUN.  I can see how taking this upstairs with one arm would be a challenge.  NOTE TO KYLE'S WIFE!!  He hates doing laundry so if you marry him that will be your job!!  And he has a LOT of clothes!  But, he is helpful in everything else.  

 When the boys football team won their first playoff game Tyler had to dye his hair.  He promised his buddy on the team he'd dye his hair if they won.  So, Sunday night we dyed his hair.  And Kyle's hair and of course, then the three little boys wanted to dye their hair too.  It didn't turn out as blonde as they had wanted, but when you have dark hair it's not easy to turn it blonde in one shot.  It look a last minute trip to the store to try and make it more blonde to look presentable, but he stayed true to his promise.

His hair is so thick!!  

This is the only week my sons will ever have blonde hair.  The top is actually the exact same color as the ends of mine.  Monty says they look like Filipino gangsters. He is not a fan.  But, for this short time they are enjoying it.  

Tuesday we learned that Kyle will need surgery on his shoulder.  He was pretty upset about it Tuesday night, but by Wednesday morning he accepted the reality.  We have it scheduled for November 21st.  I guess we will be spending Thanksgiving being thankful we have doctors who can fix our bodies when we mess them up!  

Wednesday we Halloween.  Halloween is not my favorite holiday.  When the boys were younger it was more fun, but the older they get the more I don't like the holiday. Wednesday Makai woke up and we had no costume for him and I felt bad.  In about 5 minutes we decided he could go as an army guy.  He put on his camouflage hat, shirt and then reminded me Monty had dog tags he could wear.  Thankfully, he was happy. 

When I got home from school he was waiting at the corner of the house to sabotage Trey and I.   

Yikes!!

Trey was a good sport!

Instead of Trick-or-Treating we decided to just have snacks.  Makai wasn't completely happy, but we felt like this was a good thing for our family this year.  We just don't need the candy, nor do we need it in our house.  We did buy one bag of candy, but the boys didn't really like it, Kit Kats that are pumpkin pie flavor.  I think they are good, but the kids didn't love them.  We went downstairs and watched some shows together as a family and all was well!  

 Friday night was the boys second playoff game. 

Tyler, going up against Bellevue West.  

They ended up losing the game by one touchdown, but they played a good game.  I'm thankful to a friend who got these fun pictures of Tyler.  They are priceless!!  It may be Tyler's last football game ever.  He loves football and we are so glad he was able to have the chance to play.  Final score was 31-38.  Elkhorn played better the first half, but Bellevue played better the second half.  It was pretty emotional from him and Kyle at the end of they game.  I guess they were crying and hugging as they realized that was their last game together.  Bitter sweet--at least they got the chance.  A good year.  

Saturday we went to a birthday party for a friend of ours.  Makai loved the pinata.  He wore this 

unicorn the entire rest of the party.  It's moments like this that I remember he's still a kid.  I forget sometimes because he is so big that he is still just a little boy.                

Busy week!!

It was a busy week, but mostly good stuff.  Tuesday Kory turned 14!  He can now go to church dances and is in Teachers Quorum with Kyle for the next couple months.  For his birthday we had stuffed chicken with Mashed Potatoes of course.  He started basketball this week, so he didn't get home till late.  Kory is at an interesting phase.  He is getting rather big so often when he wants to end up playing with the younger boys, he thinks he is just playing and they end up complaining.  It must be hard to have to get use to your own strength changing.  I can't say I ever had to do through that, but boys do!  He's getting stronger and stronger! 

Perhaps one of the funnest parts of my job is when I get to see the boys while I am at work.  Friday Kory came in to say hi sporting a hat Miss Christie let him wear.  He's surly got a goofy side.  I would never be able to wear this hat around school, but Kory pulled it off!!  

We always give the kids an option of whether they want to buy their own gifts with money we give them, or if they want us to pick their gifts out.  This year Kory picked for us to pick his gifts.  He seemed happy with what we got him.  A new headset for his Xbox1, new headphone, golden state warriors socks, and a few sweatshirts.  He's outgrown a lot of his clothes.  He also got a new church shirt from Mammy and grandpop with a pretty nice tie.  He also got some gum from the librarian.  He was doing an experiment in class on which gum makes the best bubbles. 

He couldn't figure out how to put up 14 fingers.  Kyle was suppose to help, but was having more fun making a puppet.  

Happy Birthday Buddy!  We love you.  

 Thursday was Trey's first choir concert.  All the other boys have done band for their music elective, but Trey loves to sing, so I made him take choir.  He seems to enjoy it.  I loved his performance.  He made us proud.  During the last song Kory was trying to get him to laugh by doing the hand signals with him.  I told him to stop and look over only to see Monty doing the same thing.  BOYS!!  Kinda not very nice.  But he still did great.  I also learned he got to stand next to his 'CRUSH' the entire time, so he was in 11 yr old heaven! 

Tyler came to support his brother!

His crush is the girl with  a ponytail.

Friday night was the boys 1st football playoffs game.  They played Lincoln.  We were expected to lose, but actually won, so next week we play Bellevue West.  The boys were super excited after the game.  We almost didn't go because I was afraid it would be too cold, but wanted to watch Tyler in case it was his last game.  Well, it wasn't cold and it wasn't his last game.  We'll see how Friday's game goes.  We've played them before and lost, so we've got our work cut out for us. 

Post game excitement!!

Friday Kyle also had an MRI.  We should get the results for that on Monday and after that we'll have a better idea what to do with regards to his recovery. 

 Saturday we had to pick up all the leaves on our lawn.  The trees are almost done dropping their leaves.  Makai was having trouble working until our neighbor brought this over. 

Once Makai had a maching, he was more than happy to work.  He just needs a tool that looks enough like a gun and he can work all day.  It took many hours to get the leaves, up, but today the year looks much better.  A sign that winter is that much closer.  Yikes!!  

Today we got a new bishopric.  We were all big fans of our bishop, but we also know our new bishop is a great man.  I actually know he has such a soft heart and tender testimony, so we will be blessed by him.  

Now I need to dye Tyler and Kyle's hair because their team made it to playoffs.  I guess that is what they do.  But first I think I am going to take a nap.  Thankful to be able to relax on Sunday Afternoons.  

Tyler's famous!! Or a Senior

It's kinda fun to go to home games and see a poster of your son.  The Elkhorn South team has a poster of all the Seniors on a fence before you walk into the games.  The boys didn't want to take a picture with it, but I made them.

Football 2018-2019 season

 Tyler and Kyle love football.  We've been waiting for the year the two boys would get to play on the same team.  Tyler is a senior and Kyle a sophomore.  This picture was taken after their first game.  They won!!

Kyle and Ciaran

Kyle and Tyler

Loved watching Tyler and Kyle on the sideline talking to each other!

In the Varsity games Kyle didn't get to play much.  Tyler played, but sometimes struggled with anxiety which causes him indigestion.  However, he did really well this year.  They have enjoyed playing and had a decent season as this was their first year in class A.  Their win this week qualified them for playoffs. 

Last week Kyle had an unfortunate incident which landed him in the ER. 

Under this blue shirt is a lot of shoulder pain!!  

He won the award for the dirtiest patient of the day.

Does it look dislocated?  I took pity on him and let the nurse cut his shirt off.  Even that was painful.  I really liked that shirt though, but I love him.

While waiting for them to fix it they gave him some morphine.  It didn't do anything to dull the pain.  After about an hour he went from about a 4 pain to an 8.  He was not happy.  

However, after the x-ray they were able to get it back in place.  Looks way better and feels way better.  He let off the biggest sigh of relief when the shoulder popped back into place.  

After his shoulder felt better, he was suddenly hungry and begging to go to Taco Bell!  

I had to take a picture of his shoes for a couple reasons.  His shoes were the reason he got hurt.  The field at Millard West was horrible.  It had rained the night before and their field was dangerous as a result.  Kyle's cleats got stuck in the mud as he was going for a tackle.  He put out his arm to tackle a guy, but with his feet not moving his shoulder dislocated.  He fell onto the floor face first and didn't move.  He's never been in so much pain.  Dad went out on the field to see what was going on.  I came down a couple minutes after and went to get the car.  We knew it was an ER trip.  In the ER they questioned me as to who I was.  It always throws me off when people just don't know I am him mother, but I guess we don't really look much alike.  However, I am his MOTHER!! 

When he got to his bed I wanted to be able to take his pain away.  It's hard to watch your kid in pain and not be able to do anything about it.  In the car he'd mentioned he wanted his shoes off so I asked him if he wanted his shoes off.  He said no.  A few minutes later I asked him again, but he again responded no.  As the mud started to dry and the sheets got more and more dirty I asked him again.  After about 40 minutes he tried to cross his feet, but couldn't and I asked him one last time.  Finally, he said, "Apparently you really want my shoes off so just take them off."  I took the clue and realized he was in so much pain he just didn't want to talk or be talked to.  I understood that sometimes when you are in pain, you just want to be left alone.  I left his shoes on. 

About 5 minutes later Monty came in and said, "Hey son, do you want your shoes off?"  So funny.  Monty took his shoes off. 

Kyle was a stud through the whole thing.  He was sad and did shed a few tears.  Sad that his season was over, but after this weeks games he melted my heart when he said, "Mom, today it was kinda fun to see a kid that plays under me get to play.  He hasn't played much this season and he got to play today and did well.  I guess that is the silver lining in me getting hurt!"  I love him!!