Crazy Ride
I’m not sure if it is writer’s block, busy schedules, or not slowing down to reflect but it took me three months to write this post. Either way, here it is.
The month of February was filled with birthdays. Max turned 9 and I turned 41. My number does not scare me but the number 9 is surreal. This is the last year where we have single digits in this house. Oh how the years have gone by so fast. Max enjoyed a party with friends at a trampoline park followed by a sleepover with more boys than I could count. They played football in the street way past dark and stayed up way past my eyes could stay open. To say how blessed I feel that my boys have so many friends they can hang out with is an understatement. Some of these boys will be friends for years to come as they have bonded on the football field and we have so many football years ahead of us.
We celebrated Valentine’s Day in true fashion and completed our taxes. This became a tradition when Roman was born and babysitters were hard to come by. We have stuck with it 13 years later and it has always paid off. I did make breakfast for the boys with heart shaped pancakes.
The boys are in full swing with sports. The beautiful Texas weather allows for year round sports and we love it. Max and Roman both played flag in a local league and they did great. Roman was QB and his team did amazing. I love his passion and heart for the game and his hard work is definitely showing. They are both now in a 7 vs. 7 two hand tough league. Max is excited as Rick is the assistant coach for his team. Roman is also playing basketball for a private league so to say our nights are filled with all things practice and games is an understatement. We have learned to eat fast, have water bottles ready at all times, and be flexible and just go with the flow…or rain which has been the case around here lately. Roman also finished up track for school. He got to attend two track meets where he ran the 400 m and the 200 m. He did not win but did not come in last either. To see him step out of his comfort zone was fun to watch.
As the school year is coming to an end, we can’t believe we have made it. It has been the longest school year and we are so looking forward to summer. I think one of the biggest things we are looking forward to is not wearing a mask. Max has not been required to wear one at all through all of this but myself and Roman wear them all day. It has not been fun and to see the direction Texas is going, we could not be happier.
The highlight of these past couple months has to be the ‘snow storm’ that hit Texas. We actually had the ground covered in that nasty white stuff and it brought bone chilling degrees. It caused us to have an extra week of school off and although we knew how to handle it, many people were not as lucky. Stories of broken pipes, ceilings caving in, loss of electricity for days, and no running water, the state was a disaster. Thankfully, we had none of these problems and we just hunkered down. All the kids were playing outside and mine wanted nothing to do with it. We moved here to never see it but Mother Nature had different plans. At least I can say I have now built a Texas snowman. However, not all things are bigger in Texas…smallest snowman ever!
We celebrated Easter with dying of eggs, home Easter egg hunt, Easter egg baskets, a fun table scape put on by mom, petting zoo at church, and a great Easter service. No matter how old my boys get, some traditions will always remain…that is as long as they live under my roof.
Over spring break, my brother Stephen and his wife Michele came for a visit. This was the first we have seen family since moving here. I went with them over night to Tyler to visit cousins and my aunt. We had a fun trip seeing new places and visiting the best brewery in the country-Truevine. My cousin is the head brew master. It was great to catch up and we had many laughs.
The boys have had some outings with friends. Max has been roller skating and went on a two day trip to the beach with one of his football buddies. They went fishing and he was the only one who caught a fish, but don’t let that fool you…his friends little sister had to hook the worm:) Roman has been hanging out at the YMCA with friends playing basketball and just ‘hanging out’ doing whatever thirteen year olds do. One of those things are video games. But thankfully my kids do a great job of limiting themselves without us having to say much. Roman received money at Christmas to purchase the new PS5 but for 4 long months they were impossible to get…for most people they still are. Well, me being the amazing mom I am (haha), I learned some tricks and discovered how to score one. I was able to surprise him with it one day after school. Let’s just say, there are some adults who are jealous that I got one. It was actually fun as it was a super hard challenge.
Rick has finally purchased his handgun so we have all been shooting a few times. If it wasn’t for the fact that ammo is so expensive these days, we all would be going more. More fun times will be had by us all as we are finally done with most house projects (for now) that took up any extra time that we had. We did a big backyard makeover this past month and for now I am pleased but there are always projects to be had and I am already planning the next one…on paper anyway.
Last month was crawfish season here so it was our first experience. They are delicious but oh so spicy. Luckily we have friends who are experts and taught us the ropes.
Summer is almost here so these next few weeks will be finishing up school and then all things summer and sports camps can begin. I just love how active my boys are and are always looking to keep busy. Roman has taken on a project of building a BMX bike. We will see how that goes. Max continues to tire us all out with constant energy and a drive to always have some kind of ball in his hand. Thankfully one of those balls is a golf ball which is a nice change of pace for us all.
As this school year comes to an end and the world (at least here) seems to be back to ‘normal’ for the most part I reflect on how we have all been changed. This last year was the first time Rick and I have not seen eye to eye on different topics and it was eye opening to see. What we have all experienced has truly made all our colors, values, morals, faith, and independent thinking show. I am more sure of who I am and what I want to be now more than ever. I hope we can all get to that point at some point in our lives and just enjoy this crazy ride we are on as we never know when it will stop.
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