Our New Normal

Wow! How things can change in a year. This weekend was the regional basketball tournament, and all week, I found myself reminiscing back to this time a year ago. Tony was coaching. I was supporting. It was good at times. It was hard at times. He was gone a lot. I was okay with that because I believed in what he was doing. Tony was teaching. He enjoyed it. He had a great talent for working with kids with disabilities. I was so proud of him in everything he did. Our kids were happy. We were happy.

But there were also some negative feelings. It was Tony's fourth year coaching and his fourth time coming oh-so-close to putting together an upset at regional tournament. So close, but so far away. People weren't kind. In fact, just a year ago, I was doing everything I could to find the positive in an otherwise sickening situation as people attacked my husband for anything they could come up with. I wrote it down. http://www.tonyandtaffy.blogspot.com/2014/03/lessons-learned-as-coachs-wife.html Tony was hurting, but incredibly resilient. Once again, things didn't go like he wanted them to. Once again, people were angry. And once again, he went back to the drawing board and began the hours and hours of planning for next season.

But there wouldn't be a next season. Suddenly, it was over. The decision was made without him knowing, and there was no going back. We were shocked, and felt betrayed. Once again, we were forced to find the positive. Again, I wrote. http://www.tonyandtaffy.blogspot.com/2014/04/our-circle-of-control-importance-of.html

One part of that blog post ended up being prophetic. Tony knew better than I did, I guess. I have thought about this paragraph SOOO much lately:

"I told Tony that I was going to write this today, and asked him what I needed to be sure to include. He said that it's important for us to realize that God has a purpose for every experience of our life. What Tony wants most is to help fulfill that purpose, rather than waste it. Whether we are supposed to learn something important, whether we are supposed to help someone else, or whether we are being led in a new direction, we need to do all we can to do what is intended for us, rather than sit around and be victims of our circumstance.  I agree."


Now it's a year later. And I need to write once again.  Can I just say that I LOVE MY LIFE?!? And I never could have imagined it a year ago.  I so agree with this:



Lately, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for my life....not just where it is at, but even the circumstances that brought it about. Because honestly, how can I feel the way I do right now without acknowledging the truth behind how it has come to be? Let's face it.  Tony was never going to quit coaching basketball. Because that's how he thought about it--it would be "quitting," "giving up on the boys." He could never do that.  Once coaching was gone, we decided that it was time to re-evaluate the timing for a change in occupation from teaching to ranching.  And it just felt right. And so now, a year later, I would do it all again. Even as I say that, I realize that it sounds crazy. A year ago, things were pretty bad. But if that's what I had to go through, if that's how I had to feel then to feel the way I do now, I'd do it again.

So why is it so great? Why do I love our new normal so incredibly much? Here are a few of the perks:

1. I now know what a "Family Saturday" is. One Saturday in January, we cleaned the basement, went to ball games (stress- and worry-free :) ), did some baking, got piano music organized for lessons for the next couple months, watched the Cowboys on TV, took our Sunday baths, and went to bed with a clean house, ready in every way to worship the next day. I couldn't even believe how amazing this new day could be! We had never experienced it. And I LOVE Saturdays!! (Oh, and evenings at home as a family are nice, too. We've had more of those this winter than ever before!)

2. At the ball games this year, when I would see parents put on their negative faces and shake their heads disapprovingly over and over....and over....my feelings weren't hurt.  It wasn't my concern. Huge weight lifted.

3. Lunch looks like this:

See that handsome guy in the background? Ya, he's a constant figure around here during lunch time. And in the winter, when work is slow, lunch time can be pretty long some days. We sometimes work out together. Sometimes we even go out for lunch. But every day we talk. And I love him.

4. You can't ever put a price tag on the relationships Tony and our young boys will build over the next several years. He is such a major part of their lives.  One of the things I was so upset about with Tony not coaching was him losing all that time with Connor. But the time he gained with these little guys is invaluable!

5.

A picture can say so much.  Look at the joy!! I love this smile, and I get to see it every day. Tony is doing something he absolutely loves! He loved teaching and coaching, too. But something about ranching takes that happiness to the next level, and that makes me joyous.

It's amazing how quickly our new way of life has grown on us both. We were talking the other day about how we thought it would be strange for awhile, but that it never has been. This is our new normal, and it feels more right that anything we've ever felt. And because of that, I have learned this lesson better than I could have in any other way:



It's true.

Bits of February

In addition to our reading party, and our valentine's date (which I already blogged about), there were a few other things I want to record from February.  I'll do it mainly with photos...

We made a trip to Cheyenne where Tony had a Farm Bureau conference. We were able to spend two nights at Little America, and then a night at Matt and Ashby's house (Tony's brother and his wife). We hung out with cousins, played at a park, and had a great time. And I was lame and only took one photo: the kids lounging on the hotel bed.

Mylie has started playing the piano on her own a lot more lately. Here she is multi-tasking. Lewis seems to like the music a lot.

I made a quilt for Lewis. I decided to get out all 5 baby quilts I've made for my kids and snap a picture of them all together. Top to bottom, we have Connor, Mylie, Brady, Mariah, and Lewis. This is about the only thing I know how to make, but at least they each have one keepsake they can take with them that is something home-made.

Mylie got brave and chopped her hair off. It turned out so incredibly cute!  She donated the hair to make wigs for kids with cancer.

Finally, the three big kids got to go skiing. We had bought 4 passes to Beaver Mountain at a fundraiser raffle last fall. Originally, Tony was going to go with them since I am nursing Lewis, which makes a day skiing pretty impossible. Then we decided that since Mariah has only gone once, we needed to bring the expert teacher along, so Livi was invited. Then Tony hurt his back and couldn't go, so Livi got the kids all to herself all day while Lewis and I hung out at the lodge.  They love Livi and they love skiing, so of course, it was a fabulous day!

Connor

Mariah

Mylie

Our Valentine's Date

This year, we actually got to spend Valentine's Day in Laramie--the place where it all began for us. We met there, started dating, had our first kiss, got engaged, first apartment, first baby. So many great memories for us in Laramie!

Because I knew this was a rare opportunity to be there on Valentine's Day, I decided we should take advantage and do a really fun date. So we did a scavenger hunt of sorts, visiting all our favorite places where the early parts of our relationship happened.  We had so much fun!

Each envelope told us where to drive. Once there, we opened the envelope and followed the instructions inside.  The envelopes were all inside a valentine's box Tony had given me when we first started dating, 13 Valentine's Days ago.

We went back to the place where we got engaged, and Tony proposed again. I decided to take a picture of the ring this time, since I didn't do that the first time.

 These are some photos from our first apartment, a tiny, run-down one-bedroom. We loved that place! It was fun to look at the photos.

The last 13 years have been so amazing with this guy! Can't wait to see what the next 13 bring. (And the 13 after that, and so on....)

Reading Party!!

Today the kids had a Friday off, so we had a reading party. We've done this several times in the last couple years, and it's always lots of fun.

So, to have a reading party, the first thing you need is an awesome place to read.  We like forts!

You also need some special treats. I bought a few things that the kids love, but I rarely buy. YUM!

Now for the format. Each of the three kids choose one read-aloud book.  They also have one or more books they'd like to read independently.  We do 20 minutes of independent reading, and then I do a read-aloud while they enjoy the first treat. Repeat.  Repeat one more time.  Pretty simple, right?  So, in all, they do an hour of reading on their own, and I read 3 books to them.

The best part??  I get to read a book too!  This is the one I'm currently reading, and it is super interesting.

So, the next time you have a lazy day at home and need a fun way to pass the time, party it up with some good books!

January

The month of January started out really sad. Lewis got RSV and had to be on oxygen for a few days.  It is no fun to have a sick baby!

Luckily, he recovered pretty quickly, and didn't miss a beat with the weight gaining.  At his 2 month check-up, he was a husky 14 lb. 10 oz. I love these pics of his chunky-ness!

 (Yes, he really does have a left hand.  He just can't seem to keep it still when I'm trying to take a photo.)

Mariah had a Readers' Theater at school. I am finding out that Mariah loves "events" and they are a big deal to her. She wanted her hair curled, she wore a dress to school for the first time all year, and it was super important that Tony and I were there. She talked about it for days before!  She did a great job on all her parts, but was obviously nervous with her shy personality. She is loving kindergarten!

The end of the month, I got to take a solo trip (well, with my constant partner, Lewis) to Laramie for a Friday/Saturday stay.  Violet and Austin, Tyson and Candace, and Sullivan and Michelle all live there and it was super fun to get to visit them all. We shopped, ate, visited, and went to a Cowboys game.

Lewis's Blessing Day

On January 4, Lewis was blessed. Tony blessed him, and we had lots of family members come to celebrate. We had lunch at our house afterward. It was a beautiful blessing, and we felt so much love and support from everybody. Lunch was simple but delicious. Sandwiches, chips, and salads, with cookies and scotcheroos for dessert. Everybody brought a little something, which kept it nice and simple for me, which is what I needed with 9am church, 5 kids, and a husband in the bishopric. AHHH!!

Lewis was super handsome, wearing the same blessing outfit as his two older brothers, made by their Grandma Patty.

December

Wow! December was a whirlwind of Christmas activities, all while trying to enjoy a new baby. It was crazy, but I will try to share a few pictures so that although I can't remember much of it, there is some sort of proof that this December did actually happen.

There were all the school Christmas programs.  Mariah made the cutest little red-nosed reindeer I've ever seen when her class performed a reindeer song at the December awards meeting.

Then she switched for "cute" to "beautiful" for the Kindergarten Christmas program.

Mylie got to perform all her favorite songs from FROZEN in her Christmas program. So cute!

And Connor got to rap "Ice, Ice, Baby" in his Christmas program. Why? Their music teacher does an amazing job of incorporating all the kids' ideas into their play each year, with the 5th graders all having a costume and an individual part. It was a super fun show, and he did a great job!

Speaking of Connor being super cool, he finally got his mullet to perfection. And then we cut it the end of the month. But we were sure to get some great pictures first.

With the older kids all busy with school and activities, Brady and Lewis got to spend a lot of time getting to know each other. I think they're going to be pretty good buddies. Oh, and Brady got a haircut.

Mylie, Mariah, and their cousins Hannah and Sarah were finally able to take the money they had been earning to the D.I. to buy clothes to donate to an orphanage in Bulgaria.  They call themselves the G.C.C. (Girls Care Club) and they worked really hard on this project. I was so proud of them, and the checkout ladies even teared up a bit as they scanned over 30 pairs of pants, several jackets and 6 pairs of shoes. Their aunt Haley is going to hand-deliver their purchases to the orphanage when she goes to pick up her son, hopefully soon.

Santa came to our house--ya, right to our house! The kids were super surprised! Lewis even got to sit on his lap. And this picture shows Brady's feeling about Santa so perfectly.

Mylie turned 9. Halfway to 18 already! What? Pathetic that this is the only photo we took. I think we got some video, though.

 We did lots of fun crafty stuff. I didn't take pictures of it all, but I did capture a couple favorites. One day we had cousins over for some sugar cookie painting. The kids loved it, even Brady stayed focused on it for a long time.

 We also were able to go to Cokeville the week after Christmas for a gingerbread house party.  It is a tradition in my family to do real gingerbread houses, and my Grannie was visiting from Alaska, so we just had to do them this year! My sister, Tami, and her kids came, as well as a couple of my cousins with their kids. We had such a good time! The kids all loved it, but so did I. This is one craft that I always enjoy. I can't quite figure out why I don't ever want to try cake decorating, but I LOVE to do gingerbread houses.

Each time Brady would put a piece of candy on, he would say, "Woo-hoo! I did it!"

My Masterpiece

Oh, how I love this lady!  She is so amazing! I am glad that I was able to see her several times during her visit. She even made it over to my house TWICE! Love this picture of her and Lewis.

Christmas Eve, we went to Cokeville for my Grandma Teichert's Christmas party. Each kid performed a talent, and my grandma, who is 95 years old, even played a song on the piano. The kids all dressed Christmas-y for the occasion, even Lewis.

And finally, December wouldn't be complete without our annual trip to SLC for some family fun!  This year, we went to a new place, the Classic Fun Center. We had an AMAZING time there, and will probably go again.

And then, of course, dinner at Tucanos. Brady loves meat and was so excited when the first meat server came around and gave him some meat on his plate. When he saw the next server coming, he yelled out, "More meat!" just as excitedly as a kid could yell it. I thought they should hire him to do an ad for them.  We sure love Tucanos.