I have the once or twice a year blog. It could be because Facebook takes care of most of what's new in our lives. Tonight, though, I have the itch to create a new blog entry. First let me start off by stating how very happy I was yesterday that a new trailer for The Hobbit was released. I know there are literary experts out there that do not like the book, but I don't care. I love the story, the humor, the setting. While I don't usually care for movies that have spawned from books - I cannot, absolutely cannot, wait for this movie. Here's the link to the trailer that was released yesterday: http://www.thehobbit.com/index.html#content=trailers
Bec is now a sophomore. Yes, a sophomore! I still struggle with being 33 in age/spirit as well as being the mother of a teenager. Bec pretty much hates school. The school work isn't the problem - apparently going to school with 4,000 other teenagers can raise anxiety. I think it would raise my anxiety levels, too. Our biggest challenge at the moment is getting her in a position where she enjoys going to school. I know there will be a point in her life where she will look back and wish she had tried to view things at school in a more positive light, but the teenage brain is a now and in the moment brain. If only we could do high school with a fully developed frontal lobe! She is finally in an art class which has made her very happy. Her district won't let freshman take Art I and I really think she would've started her high school years off on a more positive note had she been allowed to take it last year. Right now she's looking at art and business for college with aspirations on becoming a tattoo artist or a makeup artist. As long as she has goals - I'm happy! She is still obsessed with Irish dancing. Her regional competition is just a few months away. Last year she was 2 spots away from qualifying for Worlds and that was with one judge tanking her. I have no doubt she will be quite successful again this year. She will be competing with several other very talented girls from her school and it should be a fun and exciting weekend for all of them.
Caedmon. Where do I begin. I'm not sure I'll be as open about him. It's hard to find other parents who struggle with the same issues we struggle with. It's especially hard when so many people have the mentality that a kid's personality is solely shaped by the parents. With that said there are some days we truly don't have a clue how to handle him and I'm sure those moments do play a part in who he is as a person. I can't express enough though that we love him to pieces. He is very much though my emotional child. He's, let's politely say, a passionate little being. He is very verbal and can be quite articulate. He enjoys math a lot more than he does reading. He also enjoys being silly a lot more than he does sitting! He has me reading up on how to parent (not afraid to admit it). Even though he most certainly keeps us on our toes I am in love with everything about him. He asked to try Irish dancing and that lasted about a month. As a mother I knew it wasn't going to work out, but as a parent I've gotta let the kid try! He just started karate and I think it will be good for him. It's the same traditional Japanese karate his dad studied. Somewhere out there in the world there will be a place for my passionate little being.
Arwen is so much fun. She enjoys going to school, loves to sleep at night, likes to try and be funny. She's also exerting her will a lot more these days. She's turning 3 next month! She just started dance class at her daycare and she was so excited to wear her "ballerina" outfit. Her favorite show right now is Kipper. She is quite a bit different than her older brother and sis. She is definitely a daddy's girl! Raad takes such good care of her. Many times he is a better parent that I am! It's funny because when I see the promos for that show "The Day the Women Went" I just laugh because my husband wouldn't make for example of how men can't handle life without their wives. Raad cooks, cleans, takes great care of the kids, etc. If I left for a week this house wouldn't miss a beat in terms of getting through the week successfully.
(In case I didn't make it known: I'M SO EXCITED FOR THE HOBBIT!)
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Time Marches On
It's been 6 months since my last post. We've been super busy and a lot has happened since. In July Rebecca competed in her first Nationals for Irish dance and did remarkably well. She finished 25th out of over 100 dancers. It was a great road trip as Raad and I got to spend time with just her. We missed the little ones a ton but we made the right decision leaving them behind. Rebecca started high school this year and joined the cross country team. She ran a great season and had to be at school by 6 am everyday for 2 1/2 months. We have found all Pre-AP is too much for such an active person so we will be making schedule adjustments next year.
Caedmon is now in Kindergarten and while he is giving his teacher a run for her money he is learning so much. He is thinking about words and sounds and how they work together. He is constantly making observations and asking questions. He is still on the short, skinny side but still very healthy. He just finished a second soccer season and loved every minute of it. He pushes buttons a lot but has a charm about him that makes it hard to stay upset with him.
Arwen is an active 2 year old now. We celebrated her birthday on the weekend we moved most of our stuff out of our house. We just had a few family members over to quickly celebrate. Pretty much all the furniture was gone so we sat on the floor, the very messy floor. Thankfully my family didn't seem to mind. While most people can't understand Arwen, she is talking all the time now. She loves to sing, run and squirm. At daycare they say she's always the happiest one there so that makes me feel good.
On November 7th we handed over the keys to our house to the bank. When we bought our house we never dreamed we'd face foreclosure and many people treat it as a dirty thing, something that only happens to lazy people. The process happened so quickly (5 months start to finish) we didn't know what hit us. Looking back we might have done a few things differently but this whole mess has been so unpredictable. We still have haters - people, including coworkers, have blocked me from Facebook, stopped calling us altogether, etc but we know in our hearts what reality is. We have also learned how downright manipulative the media can be and we have learned now how foolishly judgmental people can be. BUT we have also learned how supportive and rational people can be as well. We love all the support from family and friends. We will be feeling the effects from this for a long time seeing as there is still a long road ahead of us to getting this all behind us. Some days are better than others but most days are really good days. Raad works his tail off just as he always has in our 7 1/2 years of marriage. I miss the house but we are thankful we found a decent apartment still in the general area and Rebecca didn't have to change schools. The kids seem to have adjusted well to the change. Caedmon's excited to decorate it for Christmas. I have no clue where our decorations are so we will probably hand-make most of them. Pinterest has given me so many ideas.
This coming weekend we will be in Florida for Rebecca's regional competition. Fortunately things have fallen into place at the right times for all of us to be able to go. We also scored on ridiculously low airfare and Raad was able to get his days off to coincide with the trip. The kids have saved enough money for us to take them to the Magic Kingdom on Friday. We are SO excited for that experience.
Other happy things: my brother and his wife are pregnant and expecting another boy so I will have a new nephew in April. Also my UH Cougars have kicked tail this season and we were fortunate to get free tickets to last week's game. We have always loved our Coogs and have been so happy they've done so well.
So what's good about today? We are alive, healthy and loved.
Caedmon is now in Kindergarten and while he is giving his teacher a run for her money he is learning so much. He is thinking about words and sounds and how they work together. He is constantly making observations and asking questions. He is still on the short, skinny side but still very healthy. He just finished a second soccer season and loved every minute of it. He pushes buttons a lot but has a charm about him that makes it hard to stay upset with him.
Arwen is an active 2 year old now. We celebrated her birthday on the weekend we moved most of our stuff out of our house. We just had a few family members over to quickly celebrate. Pretty much all the furniture was gone so we sat on the floor, the very messy floor. Thankfully my family didn't seem to mind. While most people can't understand Arwen, she is talking all the time now. She loves to sing, run and squirm. At daycare they say she's always the happiest one there so that makes me feel good.
On November 7th we handed over the keys to our house to the bank. When we bought our house we never dreamed we'd face foreclosure and many people treat it as a dirty thing, something that only happens to lazy people. The process happened so quickly (5 months start to finish) we didn't know what hit us. Looking back we might have done a few things differently but this whole mess has been so unpredictable. We still have haters - people, including coworkers, have blocked me from Facebook, stopped calling us altogether, etc but we know in our hearts what reality is. We have also learned how downright manipulative the media can be and we have learned now how foolishly judgmental people can be. BUT we have also learned how supportive and rational people can be as well. We love all the support from family and friends. We will be feeling the effects from this for a long time seeing as there is still a long road ahead of us to getting this all behind us. Some days are better than others but most days are really good days. Raad works his tail off just as he always has in our 7 1/2 years of marriage. I miss the house but we are thankful we found a decent apartment still in the general area and Rebecca didn't have to change schools. The kids seem to have adjusted well to the change. Caedmon's excited to decorate it for Christmas. I have no clue where our decorations are so we will probably hand-make most of them. Pinterest has given me so many ideas.
This coming weekend we will be in Florida for Rebecca's regional competition. Fortunately things have fallen into place at the right times for all of us to be able to go. We also scored on ridiculously low airfare and Raad was able to get his days off to coincide with the trip. The kids have saved enough money for us to take them to the Magic Kingdom on Friday. We are SO excited for that experience.
Other happy things: my brother and his wife are pregnant and expecting another boy so I will have a new nephew in April. Also my UH Cougars have kicked tail this season and we were fortunate to get free tickets to last week's game. We have always loved our Coogs and have been so happy they've done so well.
So what's good about today? We are alive, healthy and loved.
Monday, June 13, 2011
It's been a while . . .
Caedmon just finished up his very first soccer season and he was a pro! He finished the season with at least 20 goals - 6 in one game and 4 in his very last game. I haven't spent a whole lot of time with him in terms of teaching him how to play so this all came naturally to him. It would be nice to have one soccer player in the family but I won't push it. In his last game he actually made smart attempts to pass the ball to his teammates and helped assist in his teammates scoring. What was cool about this was it was all very deliberate and thought out. I caught a glimpse of him yesterday and for the first time saw a five year old boy's face when looking at him. I was sad for a split second. Fortunately the look didn't last and fortunately he doesn't turn 5 until August.
Yesterday in the car he turned and looked at Arwen and told her they were going to be friends forever. It was very sweet.
Also since the last post Rebecca graduated from middle school. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. She won an end of year art award, made high honor roll, and participated on the track team as a hurdler this year. She took on the challenge of going from a school of 128 middle school students to one with over 1700 in her last year of middle school. She wanted to test the waters of a large school before high school and she passed with flying colors. She made many new friends and learned how to negotiate challenging social situations.
Her art work is truly phenomenal and the talent does NOT come from me. It is definitely a natural talent and one passed down to her from her biological father, her grandfather and great-grandmother. Her art teacher really wants her to pursue art. This was the first year she ever received art instruction in a formal class. He told her if she really focused on it in high school she'd probably end up with a hefty art scholarship to a really nice art school. I asked her if that's what she'd like to do and she said she was actually thinking about becoming a farmer. So who knows what she'll end up doing. I see her as the highly skilled jack of all trades. I can see her living out in the country growing crops, maintaining livestock while selling her art and teaching dance on the side. In a few weeks we'll be traveling to Nashville so she can compete in her first Irish dance Nationals competition. We are super excited mainly because Raad and I will get to spend time with just Rebecca on this trip. We are very thankful for my mother's support because without it we wouldn't be going.
And at last - Arwen. I don't really have too many updated pictures of her because she's in constant motion! Since she's been home everyday she is a tornado. She knows how to get into EVERYTHING and destroy it all in her path. She does it all with a smile on her face. She's starting to put two words together in short phrases and just in the past 2 weeks her vocabulary has rapidly expanded. She has us laughing every day. She refuses to wear anything in her hair which means it is always in her face. I'm debating on getting it cut but at the same time I want to grow the front part out so she can tuck it behind her ears. I was able to find one picture off my phone of her with a headband on. It didn't last very long.
Raad and I are doing ok. Busy handling personal stuff but we have our health, our family and our friends so it makes that all so much easier!
Yesterday in the car he turned and looked at Arwen and told her they were going to be friends forever. It was very sweet.
Also since the last post Rebecca graduated from middle school. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. She won an end of year art award, made high honor roll, and participated on the track team as a hurdler this year. She took on the challenge of going from a school of 128 middle school students to one with over 1700 in her last year of middle school. She wanted to test the waters of a large school before high school and she passed with flying colors. She made many new friends and learned how to negotiate challenging social situations.
And at last - Arwen. I don't really have too many updated pictures of her because she's in constant motion! Since she's been home everyday she is a tornado. She knows how to get into EVERYTHING and destroy it all in her path. She does it all with a smile on her face. She's starting to put two words together in short phrases and just in the past 2 weeks her vocabulary has rapidly expanded. She has us laughing every day. She refuses to wear anything in her hair which means it is always in her face. I'm debating on getting it cut but at the same time I want to grow the front part out so she can tuck it behind her ears. I was able to find one picture off my phone of her with a headband on. It didn't last very long.
Raad and I are doing ok. Busy handling personal stuff but we have our health, our family and our friends so it makes that all so much easier!
Monday, March 7, 2011
First Win as an Open Champion and The Boy who Beats His Own Drum!
This past weekend we went to the Texas State Championship Feis in Dallas, Texas. We've been going for a few years and this year Rebecca won her first first as an Open champ! All the girls in her competition are fantastic and on any given day any of them could take first but on Saturday it was her day! It was particularly sweet because one of the judges has been hard on Rebecca the past few years. Well, Saturday that judge placed her first in both rounds. While we were there we got to visit with my brother, my sister-in-law and their son. I'd post pictures of them but they don't want their son viral which I completely respect and understand. I wish I could share his picture because he is a cutie! Unfortunately I didn't get to hold him because a pretty nasty stomach virus was ailing me and fully unleashed itself that evening. Even being sick I'm glad I went. I got to see Bec's first win. I don't want to miss too many of those moments because life is short and can change in an instant. These days we spend much of our time trying to figure out Caedmon. He is a strange, strange child. I love him to pieces and wouldn't change a darn thing about him but I will not deny his strangeness. I need to video him more so he can look back on these years when he is older. He says the funniest things and he's so serious when he says them. Last week he got sent to his room a few times for not being safe or for disobeying. Well, he wanted to share his mind with me on that one. He told me, "Parents who are mean to their children destroy the whole town." He said punishing him for being four was mean. He blames being four for being the reason he has trouble listening or following directions. Where he came up with that one I have no idea. He told me that he is often misunderstood in life and wishes we could try and understand him - he's only four after all, he says. When he talks he's so emphatic - he has hand motions and everything. All I have to say is God bless his current teacher and all the ones to follow. My son is going to be that kid. I wish I could post his class PreK picture but for privacy reasons I won't. It pretty much sums up my kid in a nutshell. It sums up what his whole life will probably be like. He's different and beats to his own drum and for that I'm thankful.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Angels Among Us
I know it's a little cheesy and probably cliche for this time of year but today I was reminded of an Alabama song called Angels Among Us. Christmas is such an exciting time for kids and Raad and I have been struggling with trying to figure out how to make Christmas a magical one for them, especially Caedmon. Four is a great age - he is full of imagination, gets excited over the smallest things, and just loves life. There is nothing like the face of a child his age light up when they see what Santa brought them on Christmas morning. Seeing as we have just missed our first mortgage payment we've been sadden by the thought of not being able to make that magic happen for him or the girls. Arwen is so young she doesn't know the difference. Rebecca has tried to be as understanding as she can be but I remember being her age and I remember that while I tried to act all grown up, I still very much wanted to stay a little kid. While she knows in reality Santa does not "exist" she still "believes" and wants to hold on. Most people who know Caedmon know that he is obsessed with trains. He has been since about 18 months old and knows more about trains than I think I ever will. He has been trying to tell Raad and me since the age of 2 that he's old enough for an electric train. This year that was the first thing out of his mouth when I asked him what he wanted Santa to bring. I tried to use the "you're not old enough" bit to avoid the let down because it was way out of the question financially. I've been spending the past week pumping him up for other ideas - much cheaper, like dollar store cheap. This morning we talked about it again in the car on the way to school. I reminded him that no matter what the most important thing was the he was loved. Well, this afternoon during my 5th period class the front desk buzzes my room and asks if I know anyone with the last name Holliday. Of course I have school on my brain and I'm thinking it's someone from the district or a bill collector possibly so I said that I did not. Well, a minute later the phone rings again and they want to know if I know anybody named April Patrick (a dear friend from high school who didn't disown me when I was a pregnant teenager) and then the light bulb went off - of course I knew the Hollidays (April's grandparents). I was then completely thrown off-guard because I couldn't figure out what they'd be doing at my school. Lunch was just a few minutes away and so my principal walked them back to see me. They had come to deliver an electric train for Caedmon. Can you believe it? I was/am shocked and humbled. I still haven't gotten over it. It's more than we could ever ask for. He is just going to go nuts on Christmas morning and I can't wait!
Another family recently sent us a gift in the mail which was such a generous thought - and we are so humbled that we would even be thought about. Arwen has had multiple ear infections recently and this gift is going to help us help her.
Saying thanks doesn't seem like enough and we struggle with showing our gratitude because so many people have offered amazing support and we don't know how to express how truly grateful we really are. When I say thank you or write a thank you note I can't seem to capture the depths of our gratitude. It's something I struggle with - how to say thanks in a way that someone understands what it truly means to us. I do know that whenever we are back on our feet, if that day ever comes, we hope to do the same for others as friends and family have done for us. I could write a whole blog on our recent trip to Washington for Oireachtas but I've littered my facebook page with pictures and status updates so I won't say too much - my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law and the incredible O'Maoileidigh family were able to make that magic happen and that's a moment in our life that no one can take from us - not even from Caedmon - he loved the plane ride and the fact that the hotel had a train he could ride in the atrium!
Days like today make life much easier to take in - and as cheesy as it sounds there are angels among us!
Please enjoy the cheesiness with me! It's blurry but the picture doesn't matter as much as the words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPgtSVXi63I
Another family recently sent us a gift in the mail which was such a generous thought - and we are so humbled that we would even be thought about. Arwen has had multiple ear infections recently and this gift is going to help us help her.
Saying thanks doesn't seem like enough and we struggle with showing our gratitude because so many people have offered amazing support and we don't know how to express how truly grateful we really are. When I say thank you or write a thank you note I can't seem to capture the depths of our gratitude. It's something I struggle with - how to say thanks in a way that someone understands what it truly means to us. I do know that whenever we are back on our feet, if that day ever comes, we hope to do the same for others as friends and family have done for us. I could write a whole blog on our recent trip to Washington for Oireachtas but I've littered my facebook page with pictures and status updates so I won't say too much - my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law and the incredible O'Maoileidigh family were able to make that magic happen and that's a moment in our life that no one can take from us - not even from Caedmon - he loved the plane ride and the fact that the hotel had a train he could ride in the atrium!
Days like today make life much easier to take in - and as cheesy as it sounds there are angels among us!
Please enjoy the cheesiness with me! It's blurry but the picture doesn't matter as much as the words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPgtSVXi63I
Thursday, October 21, 2010
It's been a long time . . .
I've been meaning to post for a while. School started and time has seemed to disappear on me. With that said, time also couldn't be going any slower. I spend many days putting on a face especially when people try and say things like "It will be ok" and I know that eventually it may but we are truly terrified of the unknown. How do we know for sure that it will be ok? I know people say to trust in God. It's not that I don't trust Him, but we are earthly beings and well, when you are being sued for $10 million dollars it's hard to forsee a peaceful time in our kids near future. I find myself at times losing it and it takes everything I can to get myself back together again and smile. Lately we've really been tried. We have constant reminders of our situation from our bank account, to bill collectors, to the media, to emails from lawyers, etc. This past week I've been telling myself that I need to refocus, and try and refocus in a big way so I decided to turn here. Writing can serve as a release and well I need to recognize the good!
There are things that do keep me/us going: family and friends. Without the support from others my husband and I would probably be hermits somewhere. Well maybe not, but getting to see our kids faces everyday keeps us going. Hearing from family keeps us going. The unbelievable support from my coworkers at school keeps us going and while most of my students at school don't know what's going on, they keep me going.
So, what's good about today? Just under 2 years ago I started getting a strange feeling. I didn't think I was sick but something was off. After a few days of feeling this way I decided to stop and get a pregnancy test. I thought I'd just check even though it would have been a little early. Raad and I had decided months before that that Caedmon was going to be our last child. With Rebecca not far from high school and college and Caedmon entering elementary school soon, we wanted to focus on them. Getting pregnant and being pregnant was not in the plan. Well that day I bought the test (February 9th to be exact) I came home, took the test and in a minute I discovered it was positive. I'll be honest - my first reaction was to go sit in the closet and cry. I was SO not prepared (kinda like another time in my life). My tears had nothing to do with not wanting the child but I just had to take a moment because life was now going in a completely different direction. It didn't take me long that day to be overcome with joy. I had a sense from the get-go that it was going to be a girl. We were struggling with names for a while. Rebecca, as many of you know, is obssessed with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. She's read all the books, analyzed the movies, and honestly makes reference to the series just about on a weekly basis, if not more. She kept insisting we name her after the elf, Arwen (Elrond's daughter). It means noble maiden. Although we are also fans of the trilogy we ignored Rebecca's suggestion for a couple of months. Rebecca, however, was persistent. It began to grow on us and we reached a point where we couldn't imagine calling her anything else. Her middle name is Eileen. I have always loved the name and my mom has a good friend named Eileen that I use to know well. I wanted Amelia because my grandmother is an amazing woman but I decided I wanted to leave that name for my brothers to possibly use if and when they had kids. Rebecca has her middle name, Abigail, so at least she's represented in one of my kids! Tomorrow Arwen turns a year old. She is such a breath of fresh air in our lives. She makes us laugh everyday and we could not imagine life without her. So, again, what's good about today? This time last year I spent the night super excited about the 22nd, the next day. This day last year was the last day Arwen spent inside the womb. It was a great day - a day we will never forget.
Another thing that's GREAT about today? This afternoon I got a text from Rebecca that was sent right after she got out of school. This is what it said: "I'm really glad I am who I am and not what others want me to be." This was in reference to some kids who got in some serious trouble today at her school and they come from the "popular" crowd. But to get a text like that from your 8th grader is just awesome! Now I need to get her to pray for the ones who she saw struggling today.
So the obvious, what's good about tomorrow? Arwen's birthday!
There are things that do keep me/us going: family and friends. Without the support from others my husband and I would probably be hermits somewhere. Well maybe not, but getting to see our kids faces everyday keeps us going. Hearing from family keeps us going. The unbelievable support from my coworkers at school keeps us going and while most of my students at school don't know what's going on, they keep me going.
So, what's good about today? Just under 2 years ago I started getting a strange feeling. I didn't think I was sick but something was off. After a few days of feeling this way I decided to stop and get a pregnancy test. I thought I'd just check even though it would have been a little early. Raad and I had decided months before that that Caedmon was going to be our last child. With Rebecca not far from high school and college and Caedmon entering elementary school soon, we wanted to focus on them. Getting pregnant and being pregnant was not in the plan. Well that day I bought the test (February 9th to be exact) I came home, took the test and in a minute I discovered it was positive. I'll be honest - my first reaction was to go sit in the closet and cry. I was SO not prepared (kinda like another time in my life). My tears had nothing to do with not wanting the child but I just had to take a moment because life was now going in a completely different direction. It didn't take me long that day to be overcome with joy. I had a sense from the get-go that it was going to be a girl. We were struggling with names for a while. Rebecca, as many of you know, is obssessed with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. She's read all the books, analyzed the movies, and honestly makes reference to the series just about on a weekly basis, if not more. She kept insisting we name her after the elf, Arwen (Elrond's daughter). It means noble maiden. Although we are also fans of the trilogy we ignored Rebecca's suggestion for a couple of months. Rebecca, however, was persistent. It began to grow on us and we reached a point where we couldn't imagine calling her anything else. Her middle name is Eileen. I have always loved the name and my mom has a good friend named Eileen that I use to know well. I wanted Amelia because my grandmother is an amazing woman but I decided I wanted to leave that name for my brothers to possibly use if and when they had kids. Rebecca has her middle name, Abigail, so at least she's represented in one of my kids! Tomorrow Arwen turns a year old. She is such a breath of fresh air in our lives. She makes us laugh everyday and we could not imagine life without her. So, again, what's good about today? This time last year I spent the night super excited about the 22nd, the next day. This day last year was the last day Arwen spent inside the womb. It was a great day - a day we will never forget.
Another thing that's GREAT about today? This afternoon I got a text from Rebecca that was sent right after she got out of school. This is what it said: "I'm really glad I am who I am and not what others want me to be." This was in reference to some kids who got in some serious trouble today at her school and they come from the "popular" crowd. But to get a text like that from your 8th grader is just awesome! Now I need to get her to pray for the ones who she saw struggling today.
So the obvious, what's good about tomorrow? Arwen's birthday!
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