Merry Christmas!!!

Happy Holidays!!

This year has been such a fun year.  My sweet boys are growing up so fast and truly become little gentlemen.  We wanted to spend the holidays with family, so we took a big trip to Baltimore, Maryland.  Kendra and Michael recently moved farther east and I have missed seeing them.  

We are truly blessed to live such an amazing life!  My heart is full of gratitude towards my Heavenly Father.  I have so many things to be grateful for in my life.  My parents are one of a kind.  They are constantly going above and beyond for my family.  I love them.

My husband is the best.  I mean, top notch!  I love him more and more each day.  I had no idea how lucky I was when I married him.  He chose me and we choose each other each and every day.  We make sacrifices for one another.  I love us.

Christ truly is the center of Christmas.  I am grateful for his presence in my life.  

Enjoy this beautiful Christmas Day.

I love you.

Cello Concert

Today, Edward played his first cello concert.  He did so well!  We sat in the front row to cheer him on.  I love that the school provides an amazing music and art program.  Both boys had art displayed at the art show.  My boys have loved learning and growing at the school!

Exhale....

This being perfect stuff is for the birds.  

We play so many different roles in our lives, sometimes it is nearly impossible to keep it all together.  

Woman.

Wife.

Mother. 

Daughter.

Sister. 

Friend.

Singer.

Lover.

Driver.

Teacher.

Coach.

Mentor.

The list goes on and on.

We are asked to fill these roles by society.  By our families.  By our friends. I love to fill these roles and I try to do them to the best of my ability.  Some days, it all gets too hard.  

I have been cracking at the seams lately. 

My world comes crashing down the moment I get sick.  Of course.

I have loved having a lot of personal time during the day.  Six hours does seem to go fast when I fill it up with too many unnecessary things.   I have been getting better and better at cutting things out this year.  My motto, "No more stupid stuff!" has helped me stay grounded.  It is interesting how more things start creeping in to my schedule.  I have had to sort through my priorities weekly and make a decision of what is most important and what isn't important.  

My priorities remain unchanged.

God

Stephen

Edward & Nolen

Family

Exercise & Health

Music

I will not apologize for my priorities.  These are my choices.  Friends are not even in the top ten.  For now, my friends are my family and my amazing husband.  I am so lucky to be best friends with my siblings, my parents, and my spouse.  These relationships are extremely important to me.  These are the people with whom I would like to spend my days, hours, and minutes.  

I love them.  

I will continue to fill the impossible roles of society.  At this point, I do not think this is something we can change.  But I want to do it with out the stigma of being perfect.

Here I sit, perfectly imperfect. 

A Recital

Yesterday, I hosted my first ever studio recital!  It was stressful and fun!! I have been planning this recital for months.  I had thought about every single detail.  My students started rehearsing their pieces three months ago.  Each of them were very well prepared.  I showed up to the church an hour early, so that I could set up and warm up my two voice students to realize the person who was going to let me in had forgotten.  I frantically called around members of the church so that I could get in the building.  I am so grateful for friends who answer the phone and helped me out.  I set up the room a little later than usual, but with some help, I was able to get it all ready.  

My students performed perfectly!!  I feel so happy!  They practiced and worked so hard to be ready for the recital.  I absolutely love teaching!  I love to see the pride in my students eyes when they accomplish big things.  Stephen, videoed each student.  He is seriously the best!!!

After the recital, we took the boys to get a treat and take a few family pictures at old town.  My sweet friend Laurel met me and snapped some AMAZING photos.  We then took our boys to eat a Sinclair's for some sweet semi fine dinning! 
I am truly blessed!

The worst class pictures, ever.

I have said this before, and I will say it again; School Photography is ALWAYS BAD! This year was no exception.  Actually, this year was worse than ever.  Edward's class picture is out of focus completely.  The trees in the background are more in focus than the kids.  Nolen's class photo is in focus; however, the school decided to have his teacher EDITED OUT!!!  What?! She left the school, but I still wanted record of her being his teacher. I wish the school would have asked us if we wanted her in the photo or not.  I would have said, YES!  Keep her in the photo because she was there that day.  As a side note, his class still does not have a teacher and students are leaving the school now.  I wish I could get to the bottom of the situation.  What a mess!

Turkey Trek 2016

This years Turkey Trek was a complete success!!  The boys ran a 1k in less than 3 minutes!  They were so fast.  They were so excited to start the race and fun.  It was a bit cold this year, but not as cold as it was last year.  

My friend Marialena came to watch the boys while I ran with Laurel.  We killed it this year!  Last year our time was just over 36 minutes and this year we ran the 5K in 33 minutes!  So much faster than last year!  

I am so grateful to know two great women who sacrifice their Thanksgiving morning for me! They are truly the best!

Afterward, I took the boys to have a doughnut!  They are simply amazing.

We spent the rest of the morning at home just lounging around while Stephen was at work.  When he returned home, we headed to our very dear friends house, the Landaker's.  They made the most delicious BBQ turkey!  I have been off sugar for more than six months and it was delicious to have Andrea's sweet apple pie.  After dinner; however, Nolen decided to barf. HA!  It was so embarrassing.  I felt so bad for the little guy.  It was the most barf I have ever seen!   We got him cleaned up (and the carpet) (and the tile) (and the bathroom) and headed home. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Six.

My sweet and precious baby is six!  I am in utter awe at how he has grown in the last six years.  He is simply amazing.  

He smiles.

He loves. 

He laughs.

He has a routine that he hardly changes.

He plays well with his brother.

He is inquisitive.

He is smart.

He is everything.

There are so many people who prayed and fasted for his recovery.  There are so many people that prayed and fasted on my behalf.  I am forever grateful to those who have helped Nolen become the boy he is today.  I am so blessed.

Nolen is still a vegetarian.  He has thought more about eating meat, but I do not think it will happen any time soon.  He eats yogurt and granola or protein waffles for breakfast.  He will eat the whites of a hard boiled egg sometimes.  

For lunch he still has an almond butter sandwich with carrots and a piece of fruit.  Dinner he mostly eats quinoa and quinoa pasta.  

Nolen is completely fascinated with space.   He knows everything there is to know about the planets, their moons, and dwarf planets.  He wants to be the first person to go to Mars.  He actually wants to live on Mars.  I do think this might be an option in his lifetime and that is an incredible thought.  

Nolen has been asking me a lot about human anatomy.  He wants to know EXACTLY how babies are made.  So I told him.  

Nolen also loves everything that Edward loves.  Edward is currently in to Plants vs. Zombies.  So for his birthday, I got him a stuffed Pea Shooter and a Zombie.  He was so happy.  He also loves Pokemon.

Nolen choked on a marble about a month ago, so when he asked for another marble tower, I almost said, "NO!"  However, after going over and over and over about not putting marbles in our mouths, I bought him another marble tower.  This is what he wanted the most.  He couldn't wait to open it this afternoon.  

Nolen LOVES his kindergarten class.  He had THE BEST teacher.  Then she quit.  She threw away all the classroom materials including the kids work.  I am so torn up about it.  This messes up everything.  He trusted her.  He loved her.  I loved her.  Despite this stressful set back, Nolen is adjusting very well.  There is still not a permanent teacher in the classroom and that scares me, but Nolen is a trooper.  I guess all those years of ABA therapy worked!  He can deal with change better than most of the kids in the class.  I really hope he has a new teacher after Thanksgiving, but I just don't know what to expect.  My heart was broken when Ms. Cynthia left The Montessori Elementary School.

Nolen is still on the swim team and he doing great.  He asked to take private lessons so he could get better.  He tries so hard.  I love to watch his determination.  He quit gymnastics right after school started because he was exhausted when he came home from school.  

I love this little boy.

He has more determination than any person I have ever met. He wants to do everything himself.  He has taught me patience, confidence, and trust.  I love to watch him learn and grow with confidence.  He is the best little brother to Edward.  He will do anything Edward asks.  I have just loved watching their relationship grow over the years.

Autism may be Nolen's diagnosis, but it doesn't not define him.  Nolen has proven that he can meet any challenge and over come it.  

He is strong.  

He is wise.  

He is mine.  Forever. 

I love you, Nolen Barnes.