Ivan and I spent a little time last night hashing out a birthday gift list for Ethan. His birthday is coming up in just a couple weeks, so we need to get going. Especially with any shipping delays, I feel like we probably should have had any important/ bigger items ordered by now!
I have been uber aware of the passage of time lately in many ways, regarding the boys. Ethan will be 12 in July. I can’t even wrap my head around that. 12!!! That sounds so…big! This is his last birthday that won’t have “-teen” after it!! OMG. This is not possible.
Speaking of teenagers, I started reading this book yesterday morning:
I’ve only read a short bit, but so far I really like it! It was a Christmas gift from my Mom. I read some reviews online and it seems to be very well regarded. The author was actually a foster kid who got himself into plenty of trouble as a teen, getting kicked out of home after home, constant run ins with the police, etc. Finally one foster family refused to give up on him and after a long, long, LONG time, they were able to turn him around.
His introduction is called “Every kid needs a Rodney” (the name of his foster father) because he feels that a supportive, committed relationship with at least one trusted adult is absolutely the most key factor in a child’s (or teenager’s) success in life. He now devotes his life’s work to helping teens and helping adults learn to deal better with and support teens as speaker, author and youth advocate, and his organization is called “One Caring Adult”.
The book is super easy and fun to read- right up my alley. His writing style is very relaxed and funny.
Anyway, I’m hoping to get ahead of the curve on figuring out teenagers. Haha! I will report back! 😉
I feel like my boys are in that sweet spot right now, where they aren’t too moody or crabby or difficult, they still love spending time with us (for the most part) and I can typically still make them do whatever I want (again, for the most part). 😊 They still have a very youthful, childish innocence about them that is so sweet, but at the same time they have a maturity that is very enjoyable, allowing for deeper, more interesting conversations and activities. They are becoming more and more independent every day, which makes life much easier as well. Can’t we just freeze time???? Please????
A few random tidbits from yesterday:
The shrimp tacos turned out really tasty. I squeezed plenty of lime on the shrimp as I cooked it and they were delicious. I made some Mexican rice on the side and we had black beans too. Ivan chopped up some pico de gallo to top the tacos.
I pulled my first little “harvest” from garden…just 2 types of lettuce and some cilantro. Lots of other things seem to be growing! I can see some peppers forming and so far it’s all looking pretty decent. With the rain this week some weeds sprouted too, so I need to get out there and clean it up today or tomorrow.
Finally, these flowers in the bed off of my deck finally opened up. I always like these because I can see them from my kitchen window. I forget what these are called….I know I have a couple readers that know about flowers, so help me out! These things are pretty but also kind of crazy- I find them sprouting up all over the place!! They can be a little obnoxious!
Enjoy your day! I saw this quote online yesterday and liked it a lot. It is referring to music practice, but I think it applies to anything. Whatever you want to be awesome at, get after it today! 😊
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for humor. From funny memes to online video clips to just a simple one liner in my book, I always appreciate humor. It just feels so good to laugh and smile. I’ve always loved a good comedy movie too. There are people I know that just crack me up too whenever I have a conversation with them and I always find that so joyful and refreshing.
GRATEFUL KAE 
Oh man – teens! I have watched a couple of my nephews grow into teens and so far they are are kind of different. One is more quiet and withdrawn (but he's shyer in general) and the other is still his goofy, chatty self. I do miss the younger years when they were more open to talking to their aunt but I think it's a passing phase of life… hopefully? I will have to seek out this book when Paul is older – that's so far off for us, though! Sounds like a really great read, though!
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They are called Orange Day Lilies, and I'd be happy to take some off your hands if you thought you had too many and felt like digging them up! My daisies are dying and now I have to redo the gardens. -Colleen W.
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Hahaha that's what you think, Lisa!!! 😉 I swear it was yesterday when my oldest was a baby and I remember thinking it would be strange to have a TODDLER sitting in the back seat talking to me as I drove. Now he's turning 12! It's just crazy. I'm mostly joking- fortunately you do have a lot of time left. Especially with #2!
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For sure! I have a million. We have them all down the side of our house on one side too- and there are way too many. I'll text you! You can certainly have a bunch!
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I feel my girls are growing so fast too, and can't imagine when they are teenagers, drama years!!! I hope i continue to be close to them, to be their back stone. But.. it's so hard to let it go. I know i want them to be independent and have their own mind… but you know.. it's quite convenient that they still listen to me and do whatever I say 🙂
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Oh gosh I know what you mean! I am really aware of the sense of time flying these days too. Hopefully things won’t change too much until he changes schools but then – gulp – high school, oh man…..Those orange lilies are gorgeous! They grow wild down our lane here and start to bloom in another few weeks Irish time. The harbinger of autumn here, but so so pretty in contrast to all the green. I love that comic! It’s right up my alley. Might print it out for the fridge 🙂
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