Sunday, February 19, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Ryan's Isaiah and My Nic 2012 (updated 2015)
I wrote this blog post one month shy of 3 1/2 years ago, Ryan and Isaiah were 12 at the time. Since writing this post, Ryan and Isaiah have not only kept in touch but still get together...to date they have seen each other at least once a year (the past couple of years they have been able to see each other twice a year). Ryan has joined Isaiah's family on their yearly trip to ski in Tahoe, Isaiah's family has joined us for Thanksgiving, Our family took a trip back to Kauai and stayed with his family, and Isaiah is currently spending the week with us here in Oregon. The boys are now 16 and headed for their Junior year in high school- They have not lived in the same state for over 4 years but are able to pick up right where they left off from the last time they saw each other.
Eli, Julie, and Isaiah (even Buddy and Pono)- we are so blessed to consider you guys our 'Hawaii Family'! (Antone, Dionne, & fam and Martin & Mary- we are so blessed to have you as our Hawaii family too)
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Feb. 2012
One of the hardest things for my 12 year old son Ryan has been the fact that we moved home from Hawaii. He has struggled with missing the ranch we lived on, missing the beach, and missing the buddies he had made in the two years we lived on Kauai- particularly Isaiah............
As a parent, watching your children create and experience friendships that are not only healthy but complimenting to their personalities is such a blessing- Ryan and Isaiah spent countless after school hours roaming the beach, hunting, body boarding, riding dirt bikes, and hanging out at each other's houses.....
Trying to be a relatable mommy and to start helping him compartmentalize the specialness of his friendship with Isaiah but also live his life in Oregon I told him the story of my Nic....
In the summer of 1989 my dad's family decided to start the tradition of a bi-annual family reunion- This reunion brought 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cousins together. I was 13 getting ready to turn 14 that summer and not super excited about going to a family reunion when I could be hanging out with my friends. The first night of the reunion (which was a 2 nighter) I met my 2nd (or maybe 3rd) cousin Nicole- Nicole was 15 and full of life- she had a twinkle in her eye that I completely understood.........she also had a love for the Lord that radiated from her- We clicked immediately and made some great memories that reunion.......one of the funniest was sitting in the women's bathroom for a greater part of the night talking...For most of the night my eye kept catching the sign that said 'DO NOT PUT SANITARY NAPKINS IN TOILET!' and sitting beside that sign was a dirty old plunger- Earlier in the day both of us had been thrown into the river by our mischievous cousin Steve- We knew that Steve was sleeping in the 'common room'- A room that housed several bunk beds- It was the over flow room for people that did not have a cabin. We also knew that Steve was a very sound sleeper :) Steve did not wake up as we placed the plunger in his hand......nor did he wake up as we placed the sign (re: the sanitary napkins) directly on his chest- I'm really surprised he did not wake up to the very loud giggles of 2 teenage girls.......When the morning came he was found with plunger and sign still on his chest.........He was peeved and never did see the humor in it.....but he also never threw us in the river again! That was 26 years ago and Nic is still one of my dearest friends- A heart Friend- Nic and I have never lived close to each other- nor have we been able to visit each other more that a handful of times outside of family reunions- Our daily lives may be separate but our hearts are still connected- It is a joy to talk to her and like we have never spent anytime apart when we are able to catch up-
I was telling Ryan all of this to let him know that there is hope for his friendship with Isaiah- They may not get to spend everyday together like they used to- This just makes the time they do get to spend together that much more special........
Ryan and Isaiah were able to see each other today for the first time in a little over 8 months (Feb. 2012)- Isaiah's parents invited Ryan to join their family on a snowboard/skiing trip for a week.....As Ryan's plane took off this morning so he could meet up with Isaiah I thought about my friendship with Nic-
I know as parents we can not plan our kid's future but my heart was praying that Ryan and Isaiah's story will play out like Nic and mine......
Eli, Julie, and Isaiah (even Buddy and Pono)- we are so blessed to consider you guys our 'Hawaii Family'! (Antone, Dionne, & fam and Martin & Mary- we are so blessed to have you as our Hawaii family too)
______________________________________________
Feb. 2012
One of the hardest things for my 12 year old son Ryan has been the fact that we moved home from Hawaii. He has struggled with missing the ranch we lived on, missing the beach, and missing the buddies he had made in the two years we lived on Kauai- particularly Isaiah............
As a parent, watching your children create and experience friendships that are not only healthy but complimenting to their personalities is such a blessing- Ryan and Isaiah spent countless after school hours roaming the beach, hunting, body boarding, riding dirt bikes, and hanging out at each other's houses.....
Trying to be a relatable mommy and to start helping him compartmentalize the specialness of his friendship with Isaiah but also live his life in Oregon I told him the story of my Nic....
In the summer of 1989 my dad's family decided to start the tradition of a bi-annual family reunion- This reunion brought 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cousins together. I was 13 getting ready to turn 14 that summer and not super excited about going to a family reunion when I could be hanging out with my friends. The first night of the reunion (which was a 2 nighter) I met my 2nd (or maybe 3rd) cousin Nicole- Nicole was 15 and full of life- she had a twinkle in her eye that I completely understood.........she also had a love for the Lord that radiated from her- We clicked immediately and made some great memories that reunion.......one of the funniest was sitting in the women's bathroom for a greater part of the night talking...For most of the night my eye kept catching the sign that said 'DO NOT PUT SANITARY NAPKINS IN TOILET!' and sitting beside that sign was a dirty old plunger- Earlier in the day both of us had been thrown into the river by our mischievous cousin Steve- We knew that Steve was sleeping in the 'common room'- A room that housed several bunk beds- It was the over flow room for people that did not have a cabin. We also knew that Steve was a very sound sleeper :) Steve did not wake up as we placed the plunger in his hand......nor did he wake up as we placed the sign (re: the sanitary napkins) directly on his chest- I'm really surprised he did not wake up to the very loud giggles of 2 teenage girls.......When the morning came he was found with plunger and sign still on his chest.........He was peeved and never did see the humor in it.....but he also never threw us in the river again! That was 26 years ago and Nic is still one of my dearest friends- A heart Friend- Nic and I have never lived close to each other- nor have we been able to visit each other more that a handful of times outside of family reunions- Our daily lives may be separate but our hearts are still connected- It is a joy to talk to her and like we have never spent anytime apart when we are able to catch up-
I was telling Ryan all of this to let him know that there is hope for his friendship with Isaiah- They may not get to spend everyday together like they used to- This just makes the time they do get to spend together that much more special........
Ryan and Isaiah were able to see each other today for the first time in a little over 8 months (Feb. 2012)- Isaiah's parents invited Ryan to join their family on a snowboard/skiing trip for a week.....As Ryan's plane took off this morning so he could meet up with Isaiah I thought about my friendship with Nic-
I know as parents we can not plan our kid's future but my heart was praying that Ryan and Isaiah's story will play out like Nic and mine......
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(L) Ryan (R) Isaiah 2010 (Kauai) Ryan (L), Jesse, Eli, Isaiah (R) on the beach in Hawaii 2011  |
Thanksgiving in Oregon 2013
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| Spring Break on Kauai 2014 |
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| Isaiah visiting Oregon 2015 |
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!
From our hearts to all of yours......HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!
(I wish my oldest son Eli could have been in some of these pictures- He has an after school job and was not able to be home when they were taken)
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| As I was typing this blog post out Elle's crawled over by me, grabbed her squishy book as laid down......as she laid down, she put her little foot up on my leg :) |
Friday, February 10, 2012
Ellie And The Ritz
This afternoon I gave Elle's a Ritz Cracker for the first time- At first I was feeding it to her (looking to keep the area around her clean because she was not in her high chair)- About 1/2 way through the first one she kept grabbing for it- wanting to feed her self.........Go for it Elle's!!!
P.S. Heading to grab the vacuum right after posting this :)
P.S. Heading to grab the vacuum right after posting this :)
Monday, February 6, 2012
Datin' at Home Depot and Nawiliwili Harbor
One Year ago (Actually almost 1 year ago- Feb 22 will be a year) Matt and I were hanging out at the Home Depot in Lihue (Kauai) and killing time at the Nawiliwili Harbor (Lihue).......I had convinced Matt to take me with him into town so we could have a 'date afternoon'- Our exciting date consisted of going to the dump, Home Depot, and then sitting in the Nawiliwili Harbor to kill time as we waited for the boys to get out of school- While living in Hawaii we did not have air conditioning.......no I'm not whining but I am saying that going to Home Depot was completely appealing to me- THEY HAD AIR CONDITIONING! I also will add to the air conditioning comment that I would frequent Costco in Lihue (Kauai) so that I could go stand back in the refrigerator section and circle the fruit and veggies until I was near freezing :)
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| Home Depot on our date |
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| Nawiliwili Harbor |
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
On The Other Side
'What's the key?' was my question to a friend I was talking with today- A friend that is several years on the other side of parenting kids at home- A friend that found such joy in expressing to me how proud she was of each of her 3 grown children- Children that she has a genuine relationship with- Children that have a genuine relationship with God......
I have had the privilege of knowing this particular family since their kids were in early elementary school- They have left an impression on me not only for their open hearts but also because they live such a 'real' life- a life that was not filled with perfectness and unrealistic expectations but instead filled with a Godly realisticness.....
As a parent, I am going to mess up- my kids are going to mess up- Pride wants me to expect perfection from not only myself but also those that mean the most to me (or those that are a reflection of me)- Pride wants to cover the unpleasant and only reveal the things that seem 'perfect' and to make sure that my family is only portraying our 'we've got it all togetherness'-Pride is what was lacking in my friend today- In it's place was the wisdom of humility.....an acceptance of reality filled with a love for where each one of her kids were at.....
When she answered my question it was not some profound answer- it was simple:
'Pick and Choose your battles'.......in that sentence she was communicating to let your kids be who God called them to be not who we as parents set up in our mind we want them to be- Build our kids up when they fail (yes, let them experience consequences but don't shame them into believing they are worthless etc..)
The stories she told of her children's 'learning lessons' to get to where they are today are not ones filled with over achieving abundance- they are stories filled with learning from hard times- They were also filled with hope that God can take EVERYTHING in our life, the good bad and ugly, and use it for His Glory-
My prayer is that I can be a mother who has the wisdom to allow my children to be who God made them- Even if it does not fit into my 'perfect mold' for the way I saw my child's life going-
Thank you so much for the example in your family Laura- hugs to you guys!
I have had the privilege of knowing this particular family since their kids were in early elementary school- They have left an impression on me not only for their open hearts but also because they live such a 'real' life- a life that was not filled with perfectness and unrealistic expectations but instead filled with a Godly realisticness.....
As a parent, I am going to mess up- my kids are going to mess up- Pride wants me to expect perfection from not only myself but also those that mean the most to me (or those that are a reflection of me)- Pride wants to cover the unpleasant and only reveal the things that seem 'perfect' and to make sure that my family is only portraying our 'we've got it all togetherness'-Pride is what was lacking in my friend today- In it's place was the wisdom of humility.....an acceptance of reality filled with a love for where each one of her kids were at.....
When she answered my question it was not some profound answer- it was simple:
'Pick and Choose your battles'.......in that sentence she was communicating to let your kids be who God called them to be not who we as parents set up in our mind we want them to be- Build our kids up when they fail (yes, let them experience consequences but don't shame them into believing they are worthless etc..)
The stories she told of her children's 'learning lessons' to get to where they are today are not ones filled with over achieving abundance- they are stories filled with learning from hard times- They were also filled with hope that God can take EVERYTHING in our life, the good bad and ugly, and use it for His Glory-
My prayer is that I can be a mother who has the wisdom to allow my children to be who God made them- Even if it does not fit into my 'perfect mold' for the way I saw my child's life going-
Thank you so much for the example in your family Laura- hugs to you guys!
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