New Year, New Update

It is well past the new year but I think it time for a little recap on what my little kids have been up to and how their big personalities are changing. Both kids are still head strong as ever and ready to conquer the world, but Robert and I are still trying to figure out how to get them to walk out of the house wearing an f'ing pair of shoes without being asked. Both kids have excellent manners, but they will talk about poop like it's the most fascinating thing on the planet. Needless to say, there are many areas that still need tweaking but overall I am so excited to see the progress that they are making as kids. They are awesome little people.

I will start with Harrison and what he has been up to lately. He remains an outgoing, fun loving kid. But lately, and I think it has a lot to do with the passing of Pa, he has become more reserved from friends and more attached to family. He does not enjoy riding his bike to school anymore and prefers that Robert or I take him. He is such a happy person but I can still see a lot of sadness in him. We are working through this and I hope he bounces back to his usual, optimistic self. He is very funny and I have noticed that he is picking up on sarcasm, which of course, I find humorous. He loves it when people catch onto his witty comments. He certainly loves the attention of other people and I want this to be something that he turns in his favor by getting people to notice him for doing great things rather than just crave the attention of others for no reason. He already has the potential to do great things. Harrison is sensitive, loving, and well mannered. I constantly hear from other adults that he uses great manners and I can't tell you how proud that makes Robert and me. He is always considerate of other people's feelings. Although he does try to run the show and tell his friends how things should be done, he also understands when he has hurt someone's feelings, and he tries to correct it. He is very smart and imaginative yet stubborn and strong willed. All of these combined are amazing traits for a successful future but Robert and I are on the hunt for the best way to direct such a strong personality without going crazy. It can be maddening! He is easily upset when we try to move him along and when we tell him to focus. And we are looking for ways to get him to manage his time. Harrison can get consumed with what he loves and give it 100 percent attention but give him something he is uninterested in...forget it. Moving him through something that does not interest him could take an eternity... Luckily, we have recently found that piano is something he is very interested in and he has made amazing progress in the last month that he has been taking lessons. So these are some things we are working on right now.

I know that many of the things I mentioned don't sound exactly positive but I am actually very happy that he has these personality traits. If we can help guide him in the right direction, these things will benefit him greatly in the future. We just have to be sure not to lose our minds in the mean time. Most importantly, Harrison is an awesome kid who loves adventure, loves his family and friends, is super smart, and has a great sense of humor. We love him more than words can say.

And then there's the badger. Talk about losing your mind. That girl is ready to sass her way through life and never look back. She seriously has zero regrets and I doubt she ever will. Brooks is quick to make a decision and even faster to voice it. Sometimes she talks so fast and so constant that I start to lose my own focus and drift off to space. But she brings me right back in by screaming at me to let me know that I am not responding to her every comment. At that point, I nod and say yes only to realize I have agreed to something that is completely ridiculous and unattainable, like "sure we can get a unicorn when you're 6". I have to say, I am impressed with her powers of persuasion and she does know how to channel her energy into getting what she wants, not to mention, so does Harrison. They are master manipulators, and I think I say that with pride. Brooks is still dancing and performing in plays, although she does not need anymore practice at drama. That was mastered long ago. And coloring and drawing is something she loves to do, along with talking to herself and singing. She is her own unique force of nature and we love her for it.

Brooks has a sensitive side as well and, at this point in time, I think she is trying to get the respect of her brother (even if he thinks she is only out to get him). She watches Harrison and wants to do all the things that he is doing and she is upset when he does not pay attention to her, which is often. I am really hoping that they become very good friends in the near future. Right now they are like oil and water when they are together and it is sending me over the edge. They try to compete with everything!!! But I guess that is sort of normal and I'll keep telling myself that until I can convince them that they better be friends or I'm shipping them off to brother/sister boot camp. So anyway, they keep us on our toes and on the verge of having a drinking problem but we still love the life and adventure with our crazy rascals.

December Madness 2016

December came and went like a whirlwind and like my life right now, none of these pictures have any order. But I feel like they capture the experience of Christmas for us. December was a month filled with family, friends on golf cart rides to see the Christmas lights, laughter, school parties and Christmas programs, Christmas dinners, holiday dance recitals, traveling to Athens for post Christmas, driveway fire pits, and a sense of togetherness. There's always so much going on at Christmas that sometimes it is hard to feel like you can cram it all in. But this year was really special and even though I didn't try to fit every single thing in, it all fell into place and I know it was good month for all of us.

Oh yeah, and Santa delivered, big time, for Brooks and Harrison. Santa may need to scale back next year.