Laughed Til I Cried

Want a good laugh? Go to http://www.yearbookyourself.com/.

Here is Grace in 1988


and Nate in 1976.

Friends Come and Go but Family is Forever

How many times in your life have you heard that saying? I myself say it to my own kids. My heart breaks when my kids struggle. I'm a "fixer" and I want to make everything ok for them but I'm quickly learning that I simply can't. They have to fight their own battles, stand on their own two feet, learn and grow. I can cry with them, give them advice and hope they take it but when it comes right down to it, they have to face it alone.

Nate doesn't like preschool. He wants to go back to Terri's. He has been doing things at school that I know he wouldn't normally do. I feel like he is screaming to me, "Mom - this doesn't feel right!" But I don't know what to do. If I pull him out - how am I preparing him for Kindergarten? If I pull him out - aren't I just teaching him to quit?

Grace too is going through a rough time at school. Girls can be brutal and full of drama. I am surprised at the way they treat each other and the horrible things that they say to one another. I'm not pretending Grace doesn't do it too - sadly I know she does. All we can do as parents is show them where they went wrong, set them back on the right path and hope they learned a thing or two along the way.

I keep thinking - they don't need school, they don't need friends, they don't need all these outside negative influences - they have us. They have Aaron and I who love them more than words can possibly describe. Isn't that enough? Isn't our family enough? I know the answer - you don't have to tell me.

Mudder Duck

Nate's new favorite song. He sings it ALL THE TIME. I just love how he says, "Mudder Duck".