We're having a baby!

Okay...fine...so, I am not actually  the one having the baby...but its as close as I'm ever going to get again! And the we I refer to is me and my best friend, Emily. And fine!...She and Jared are having a baby (but I can call it mine if I wanna!) and I am so excited I can barely sleep! She is due in January and has just started to show and - oh be still my heart - it is the most beautiful sight ever! And as if seeing her little bump of a belly wasn't enough to send me reeling, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Miraculous.

I love the relationship that Emily has with my kiddos and although I know mine with hers will be different, it will be just as special! Emily is the cool auntie with cool ideas, fun gifts, and who has a light-hearted way of making me a less neurotic momma (sometimes). I cannot wait to meet and love and spoil her baby!

We have been best friends since second grade, know each other inside out, and have seen each other through every aspect of our lives, and I am so excited for this new chapter in hers! She will be such an amazing momma. I can already see the changes...and they look beautiful on her.

All-Star Super Stars!




Jordan's team won districts! Hooray! They are such a talented group of girls! Now we are getting ready to head to the state tournament. It is in Swanton Vt which is about two hours from us and she has to be there first thing in the morning...soooo...we get to make a little road trip weekend out of it :) I LOVE packing this little family up for adventures away from home. And I love that this particular trip revolves around Jo! She has been toted around to Kyles tournaments and games for EVERY sport for YEARS...and now its her turn! Celebrating her is so easy to do :) And even though Ky's team is all done (didn't win districts...doesn't move on to states), he is super excited for his sister! He's such a good brother!

I am so excited that she gets to experience all-stars and be a part of a winning team, but at the same time I am nervous for her. She is one of the youngest girls on the team and although she excelled in the regular season, she is not quite as confident or experienced as the older girls on her team, and all-stars is extremely competitive...but she handles it well, and I don't let her see that I'm nervous.

We are all packed up and ready to go, just waiting for Daddy to get home from work and then we are off :) Good luck Lyndon 9/10 year old all-stars!

Heart

Heart. My boy played his out tonight. There is a quote that says "pitchers, like poets,are born not made." and it is so very true. My boy is an athlete through and through. We were up by 3 and switched pitchers, the new pitcher wasn't on and the other team scored 7 runs in that one inning. The next inning Kyle was brought in and faced the tough job of holding the other team...and he excelled. I have never seen anything like it. Ever. He got his zen on. For real. Before every pitch he would close his eyes, take a breath and face the batter with a focus that was confident, intimidating and exhilarating to witness. He "one, two, three'd" them all night! And we came back for an astounding win. To say that I am a proud mamma is an enormous understatement. It's not just baseball that the kid faces with this kind of peaceful focus, it's every aspect of life. Yes, he gets frazzled at times (like his mamma) but when it comes down to it, he meets challenges and pressure head on and comes out on top. What a game. What a boy!

Some favorites...

So many posts brewing in my mind! Kyle's final regular season little league game (EVER), which resulted in a championship (second in his career as a Dodger!), the start of summer vacation, my girl and her incredible swimming abilities (the girl is absolutely excelling at swim lessons), Kyle being an usher at the 8th grade graduation, our 9th wedding anniversary, and the selection of BOTH Kyle and Jordan to LYNDON ALL-STAR teams!! So much is happening and I am having a hard time keeping up with blogging, and with two all-star schedules I will fall even further behind I'm sure. But that's okay because we are so enjoying the crazy hecticness that comes with raising a family!

So until I have time to sit down and actually put words to all that has gone on lately, I will just have to post some recent favorite pics...

Cracking up!!

Reason # 123 for loving him...wool socks. all. the. time.



She found this alien bug shedding...



and it wasn't enough to just hold it on her finger, nope, she had to further gross me out by putting on her nose and chasing me. Lovely child...

PERFECT

Jordan had to write something to her next year's teacher that would describe her. This is what she wrote.

JORDAN

Who is energetic, very athletic, caring and funny.

Who is sister to Kyle, my brother.

Who loves cheese and the color green.

Who feels happy all of the time.

Who needs my best friend.

Who gives respect to other people.

Who fears what other people think about me.

Who would like to see New Zealand.

Who shares laughs with people.

Who is a hard working athlete.

ADAMS

Oh baby girl. I love you so much.

...Who fears what other people think about me. That line hit me hard. Gonna work on that one.

The focus of my senior thesis is on sexual objectification and the impact it has on us, especially girls. Media, advertising, barbies, bratz dolls, beauty magazines etc....are all evil vehicles for our society's impossible ideal. Girls are being pushed to reach perfection instead of encouraged to accept themselves as perfect just the way they are. I am on a mission to save our girls. For my girl. Which is why this song makes me cry every. single. time. 

PERFECT

-P!nk



Made a wrong turn
once or twice.
Dug my way out,
blood and fire.
Bad decisions,
that's alright.
Welcome to my silly life.
Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood!
Miss "No wait, It's all good", it didn't slow me down
Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated
Look, I'm still around...

Pretty pretty please
Don't you ever ever feel
Like you're less than,
Less then Perfect
Pretty pretty please
If you ever ever feel like you're nothing
You are Perfect to me!

You're so mean
When you talk about yourself, you were wrong
Change the voices in your head
Make them like you instead
So complicated, look how how we all make it
Filled with so much hatred...such a tired game
It's enough! I've done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons, let's see you do the same.

Oh, pretty pretty please
Don't you ever ever feel
Like you're less than
Less then Perfect
Pretty pretty please
If you ever ever feel like you're nothing
You are Perfect to me

The whole world's scared so I swallow the fear
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer
So cool in line, and we try try try,
But we try too hard and it's a waste of my time
Done looking for the critics, cause they're everywhere
They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair
Exchange ourselves, and we do it all the time
Why do we do that? Why do I do that?

Why do I do that?

Yeah, oh, oh baby, pretty please
Pretty pretty please,
Don't you ever ever feel
Like you're less than
Less then perfect
Pretty pretty please
If you ever ever feel
Like you're nothing, you are Perfect to me Yeaaahhh...
You are Perfect, you're Perfect!
Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel like you're nothing
You are Perfect to me.

You, Jordan Alexis, are perfect just the way you are. You make the world a better place simply by being you. So "pretty pretty please" don't ever change because you fear what other people think of you. You're Perfect.

Growth

I so love this time of year! Baseball and softball, the anticipation of: summer vacation, swimming lessons, lazy beach days, all-star baseball season, the kiddos athletic camps at XIP, and weekends spent swimming and relaxing at camp! We are crazy busy but we are loving every moment of it :)
We know that these are the days we will miss when Kyle and Jordan are all grown up and moved out (if I had it my way they would live with us forever...seriously).



Kyle is growing and maturing faster than ever. I blink and he's bigger, stronger, faster, smarter...its incredible. The greatest part is that (so far) his sweet, sensitive, compassionate, loving personality has not turned "teenage" yet. He is such a sweet boy. And he knows just how to make his momma smile. Our relationship is strong, and I hope that that doesn't change. I have this irrational fear that the moment he turns into a teenager (less than two months!) he is going to slip into "that" place...the snarky, my parents know nothing, I would rather be with my friends than my family, teenage place. UHG! One more year of middle school and my baby will be heading to highschool...I'm not ready and I'm pretty sure I never will be.



Jordan has also been growing faster than ever! And she is gaining skills like crazy! Last year during softball season she barely knew she was on the field let alone what she was supposed to be doing there! This year I expected a slight improvement just because she was older and had a year of softball under her belt. She wowed us. Girl can play some serious softball! She is amazing! She knows the rules, where the play is, who is supposed to do what, and she hits like crazy! Its super fun to watch her. She is so confident. I love to see that confidence that comes with mastery of a new skill. I love the pride that spills across her face in the form of a tiny grin that she always tries to hide. That modest little grin is one of my favorite things.


And now for some pictures that belong in older posts but oh well they are going in this one...

DANCE RECITAL! Jordan looking beautiful
& me still sweaty from running to and from the
 parking lot 4 times because we left out tickets at home!!

This is her "be serious for a second" face...after 700 intentionally goofy pictures

Signing dance yearbooks

The Adams Family

My girl on her perch watching her brother play ball

"enough with the pictures momma!"

I love that guy...

When he's not dominating on the pitchers mound,
the kid is a phenominal short stop!

Silly girl

Go K-man

We are looking forward to a weekend filled with ballgames and family. Both kiddos have games tonight and tomorrow, and Sunday will be spent at camp celebrating my cousin Desirae's graduation from highschool. Yay Des :) 

On with the show this is it!

My girl lit up the stage at her dance recital tonight! She loves to dance. She looks forward to her lessons every Monday. But she especially loves to dance on stage. In front of an audience. Boy does she love an audience. She never gets nervous. NEVER! She gets those nerves of steel from her Daddy, for sure.

I am so proud to be affiliated with such an amazing dance company. Sonia and Kay are such incredible dance instructors and the show was absolutely perfect! They put a lot of work and passion into what they do and it shows!

I am always so moved by watching Jordan and all of my other girls up on that stage. They are growing up so fast. I remember the feeling of having a "dance family" and I am so grateful that my girl gets to experience that too. Its a different experience than school friendships...they are sharing their passion and love of dance with each other...developing their art form...wishing each other luck...encouraging one another and congratulating each other on a job well done. They are learning so much more, in that dance studio every week, than simply how to dance. Sonia and Kay will instill values in them that they will carry for the rest of their lives.

I absolutely love the preparation that goes into the show, and even though I may have huffed a little bit when Jordan let the door close in my face while I was carrying her costumes and dance bag in one hand and my bag, camera, water bottles and every other thing we might need in the other (while all she carried was her pretty little self)...I loved every minute of it. I cherished every moment of it and when I watched the graduating seniors up on stage, I cried. I always do. I cried because I know what it feels like to leave that dance family. I cried because I was so very proud of them and moved by their passion. But most of all, I cried for their families...for their moms. Because someday that will be my girl getting ready to dance into a new chapter of her life, one where I won't be needed as much; one where she will carry her own stuff.

So, for now, I am soaking up every second of her littleness and cherishing every single moment!


P.S. Thank you, Mom, for all your years of "dance service" (13 years to be exact!). You were surely underappreciated ;) I have so many wonderful memories of the two of us during my dancing years and am so very grateful to get to share similar experiences with my own little girl. You are a wonderful mother...and I appreciate all of the times you "carried my stuff".

Take me out to the ball game...

My mom gently reminded me that I have not posted, for what has apparently been, far too long. We have had so much going on that I have a ton to write about but little time to do it. Thanks for the push mama ;)

Baseball season is finally here :) We love this time of year. Spring always fills me to the brim with energy and hope. I love this season for so many reasons; everything is so alive, growth is everywhere whether it be in my kiddos (who, by the way, had to get new wardrobes because they are growing so much so fast), Jordan's garden, friendships (old and new), or our own personal growth and accomplishments (I finished another semester of college 4.0 intact! Now I have two summer classes and a fall internship and I will be DONE!)

Kyle is playing his last year of little league for the Dodgers and Jo is playing minor league softball for the Cardinals. Kurt is coaching both teams :) We have been reunited with our baseball families and it is wonderful. I love cheering for the kiddos of this community, I love the camaraderie that they have with each other and that we parents share as well. It is beautiful and warms my heart.

Being a mama is so very rewarding.




My heart nearly bursts with pride watching my boy on the pitchers mound, all confident and almost thirteen. He is turning into a man right before my eyes and, although I miss his baby self so much, I LOVE, ADMIRE, RESPECT, and take so much PRIDE in the man he is becoming. He is an athlete through and through...and an amazing ball player. He is an incredible pitcher and shortstop...actually, he excels wherever he is put on the field and in life. He handles pressure like no one I've ever known. He smiles, takes a breath and when he makes a mistake he stays positive and shakes it off. He learned this from his coach, his dad. This little man of mine is well equipped for life, of this I am certain.





My heart is so happy and proud watching Jordan play softball. She is such a little dynamo...she is still learning the game but is so much fun to watch. And the girl LOVES her daddy and is thrilled that he is her coach. She listens to his advice and always tries her best. She is FAST! I've never seen a girl her age run like she does. She has super long legs and was born powerful...she is a force to be reckoned with, and, like her brother, is an athlete through and through. She is an amazing kid. She is always such a source of happiness for everyone around her. She knows how to make people laugh and she does it whenever she gets the chance. She makes everything more fun. Like her daddy, she does not take anything any more seriously than it should be taken...she loves life, moves along at her own pace and enjoys every moment...I am learning a lot from my girl.

I cannot post about baseball season at fisher field without also mentioning my Uncle Frenchie. He is so deeply missed. As happy as I am to be eating, sleeping and breathing baseball/softball right now, I am also missing him everyday. I miss seeing his car parked practically ON the field, and hearing him honk for a great play. He was such a fan of all kids and is so very loved!


I will post pictures of baseball soon...

Tonight Jordan is with her Grammy-Laurie, getting spoiled with a new dress to wear after her dance recital, and Kyle is going to a friends house. AND...Mama and Daddy are going on a date :) We rarely go anywhere without the kiddos because, quite frankly, we don't care to! Don't get me wrong, we love going on dates and spending some alone grown-up time together, but we will inevitably miss the kiddos and talk about them the whole time and wish they were with us.

I am so very grateful for this family of mine.

My Love

So, I've always known (seriously...I've loved him from the very moment we met) that Kurt is an amazing man, what I didn't realize was that he'd just keep getting better. I have loved him for almost thirteen years and I am not exaggerating one bit when I say that I love him more every day, and for new and wonderful reasons. I am so grateful to be spending my life with my very best friend.

Don't tell me not to fly...I've Simply Got To!

...and what this video fails to show is that she is singing her little heart out while she dances...and her facial expressions are priceless! She really gets into character here which isn't hard for her because this song is just so "Jo"...

These are a few of my favorite things...

Kyle dominating every sport he plays...the effort he puts in is amazing. 100%. Always.

Jordan and her consistently mismatched socks. Just like her daddy.

My monkey

Her happy, silly disposition



Their friendship...



Their love for eachother & all of the ways Kyle is just like his Dad (all the best ways!)

His sweet & intuitive nature...

Inspiration

I am often inspired, uplifted, motivated, moved, and ultimately changed by the words of others. Whenever I hear a quote that I find particularly relevant or moving, I write it down...anywhere. I have quotes on the back of receipts, on post it notes etc. and I’ve always intended to keep a journal and collect them there or even to have a separate quote journal…but the whole journal thing is just not working out for me which was part of the reason for starting this blog…so yay…I will record them here!!

Here are some of my favorites:

Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of its trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse for impossibility for it thinks all things are lawful for itself and all things are possible.

~Thomas Kemp

The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.

~ Ben Okri

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

~T.H. Thompson and John Watson

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and of unspeakable love.

~Washington Irving

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

~Gandhi

There are many many more, but right now Kyle & Jo are waiting for me to join them in some Sunday morning family time...

 

My Mom

I am a lucky girl. I have a life surrounded and defined by love. My first and most influential & enduring experience of love was my mother's. And boy does she know how to love. I strive to be the kind of mother to Kyle and Jordan that she is to me. She is constant, warm, steady, affectionate, strong, brave, compassionate, empathetic, and unfaltering in her commitment to her family. And she is POSITIVE. J As crazy as it used to make me (as a morning-challenged teenager) that she would be up and happily whistling or humming as I grumbled around all half-human-like (and it must be said Mom, the grumpier I got - the louder you whistled!), her positive “look on the bright side” attitude has, in fact, found its way into my brain and my heart. The older I get the more I resemble her…and I am so very grateful.

So, Mom, thank you for all of your mom-isms that jump around in my brain and settle in my heart just when I need them the most! (And I’m sure Ky & Jo will someday thank you too, as I say these things to them often)

“It is what it is”

“It could be worse”

“Everything happens for a reason”

“We have each other”

“We are rich with love”

Oh and another favorite that my Uncle Sam always says to me at exactly the moment I need to hear it…

”This too shall pass”

Life is good and just keeps getting better, but for the bumps along the way that shape & eventually strengthen us, it’s amazing what a loving mother can provide for a daughter’s soul.

Thank you Mom

Life is beautiful.

Crazy, hectic, difficult at times...but breathtakingly beautiful. It seems as though the situations that challenge me the most are often the ones that lead to, not only immense personal growth but, more importantly, to these heart-stretching moments of overwhelming gratitude for this family of mine. Regardless of whatever else may be going on in our lives, we are a happy family. 

Spring semester at LSC began today. My first day back at school after a month long vacation. I felt myself getting overwhelmed by the question I ask myself at the beginning of every semester, "how am I going to do this?" Keeping up with dishes, laundry and household organization is overwhelming when Kurt works more than full time, I go to school full time (and maintain a 4.0 GPA!), we are at practices or games 6 days a week, and we spend every moment we can together as a family. Although I tend to be a little obsessive-compulsive about our house, I am learning to let it go. When I find myself overwhelmed by these things, I take a deep breath and LET. IT. GO.

A few years ago I was talking to my friend’s mother about parenting. Since her children are all grown up, I asked her what her greatest piece of advice was. She said that she regretted spending so much time cleaning her house and so little time on the really important things. Then she said something that I will never ever forget; “When Kyle and Jordan are all grown up, and you look back at their childhood, you will never regret spending time with them over cleaning. You won’t ever want to look back and only be able to say…well, my house was clean…”

So we are the parents who sit and watch every practice and game, who ignore the dishes and laundry for a while and instead go outside to build snowmen and forts, and who can take the time to just “be” without being distracted by other aspects of life that are beckoning. Because as far as I'm concerned, all that other stuff...just doesn't matter as much as I once thought it did.

So, as I was saying before I got completely side-tracked…life, this life, this little family and the enormous way we love each other is beautiful. I am one hundred percent head-over-heels in love with my best friend, and we have two amazing, inspiring, compassionate, intelligent, kind-hearted, hilarious children. That is what matters. I love our life. I am defined by these amazing little people we are raising and by the love that bursts from the seams of our home. It just doesn't get any better than this.

"...These are the moments I'll remember all my life. I found all I've waited for...and I could not ask for more."

Basketball Superstars (& of course some proud-mamma-bragging)

Our basketball season is in full swing and both Kyle and Jordan are playing. This is Kyle's 5th year and Jordan's 2nd. They are both incredible! They are so much fun to watch. Kyle is super fast and explosive, never slows down, never quits and never lets up (even if they are clearly not going to win). He steals the ball away from opponents before they even realize what happened. His ball handling skills are beyond impressive; behind his back, between the legs of opponents, I can't even name all the tricks he's learned through countless hours of dribbling around the house. Best of all, he has an amazing attitude. He epitomizes sportsmanship and I couldn't be prouder!  

Jordan is still learning the game but handles the ball like she was born dribbling one. She loves her coaches and asks them all kinds of great questions. She takes their feedback and applies it to her game and gets better and better with every practice. She was born determined! She is gaining confidence, skills and height. She is crazy tall! And has these incredibly loooong and powerful legs that make her F.A.S.T.  It drives Kyle crazy when his friends make comments about how she is almost as fast as him ;) The other night at Kyle’s basketball practice the boys were running suicides and Jo decided to join them (in her socks). She raced those 12 & 13 year old boys and came in 3^rd!! She didn’t even boast, just tried to hide a grin.

  

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Love this one





In basketball, Jo is #1 & Ky is #2, but in baseball, Ky is #1 & Jo is #2

(strange bc completely unplanned!)



 



Jo shooting a foul shot



  



"GOOD GAME!"



Warming up

Captains, coaches & refs ;)

Ky about to blow right by the other team!

Taking a shot...

...and another.

I love watching these two. Whether it’s snowboarding, swimming, playing in the snow, playing a board game, softball, baseball, football, children’s theater, Dance, skate-boarding, or basketball, I am and always will be their biggest fan.