"I'm Fine"

As most of you know, Jacklyn had an accident on December first. She was rollerblading and fell on her face. She broke her left wrist and her two front teeth (top). Not only were the teeth broken, they were pushed out of place. Her wrist healed quickly, but her teeth and gums have been another story. Over the last twelve weeks, she's had oral surgery, two gingivectomies, a root canal and cosmetic work done on her teeth. Gum surgeries, including grafts, are what she has to look forward to in March. As my heart continues to break for her, she simply says "I'm fine". When I ask her if she needs help cutting her food..."I'm Fine". When I ask her if she's worried about taking spring pictures at school..."I'm fine". I truly believe that children are so much stronger than adults...at least this child is stronger than this adult. When I uploaded this picture onto the computer I thought it showed Jacklyn's strong spirit during a very difficult time... giving the peace sign and showing me that she's fine.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know there are some people who really don't like Valentine's day. Some people resent being told to show their love to others, or they question the authenticity of the day. I'm not one of those people. I love Valentine's day. I wish I was always happy and full of love to give, but I'm not. Sometimes I'm tired and sometimes I'm cranky. I'm grateful for holidays that nudge me to show my family how much I love them because I'm far from perfect in the ways of love. I don't assume that my family is showing me love on this day because they have to, I know that like me, they might need some nudging as well. Why not bask in the love being poured onto you in the form of flowers, cards, gifts or candy...I do. I guess what I'm truly basking in is my fortune in having a valentine and two sweet children that are also my valentines. In fact, as I'm writing this I've just found one of Jacklyn's Fun Dip valentines that she took to school today for her classmates. She left it by the computer for Ron to find. It says "To: Daddy Boo-Boo Love: Bug". A day dedicated to love...so sweet!

For fun, I've included a valentine meme. Enjoy!

Who is your man? Ron (the word "man" cracks me up!)

How long have you been together? 18 years together, 17 years married.

How old is your man? 44

Who eats more? Ron, unless it's candy.

Who said "I love you first? Me

Who sings better? Ron...he's got a great singing voice!

Who's Older? Ron by 8 years.

Who's smarter? Ron

Who's temper is worse? If we're in the car, Ron. I f it has to do with clothes being left on the floor, me.

Who does the laundry? Me

Who does the dishes? At home, me. If we're a guest somewhere, Ron.

Who's feet are bigger? Ron's

Who's better with the computer? Me. Just kidding...Ron!

Who mows the lawn? Reily

Who pays the bills? Me

Who cooks dinner? I usually cook dinner and Ron cooks breakfast on weekends.

Who drives when you are together? Ron

Who pays when you go out to dinner? Ron

Who's the most stubborn? Me

Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong? We're pretty even.

Who's parents do you see more? Now that we live so far away it's even. We use to live close to my parents.

Who named your dog? No dog.

Who kissed who first? Ron kissed me first.

Who asked who out? Ron asked me out.

What did you do on a real date? What's a real date?

Who's more sensitive? Me

Who's taller? Ron

Who has more friends? Me

Who has more siblings? Me

Who wears the pants in the relationship? We both do.

Middle School All Region Choir Concert

After all his hard work, Reily auditioned and made it into the region choir. Yesterday was the concert and it was amazing! There were 242 seventh and eighth grade kids in the choirs from 23 middle schools. There was a seventh grade treble choir, a seveth/eighth grade tenor/bass choir and an eighth grade treble choir. The kids all arrived at the performing arts center and practiced for about five hours. Because they're all from different schools, it was the first time they had sung together and it was with a director they didn't know. Reily's director even rearranged some of their music. Each choir sang four songs and I loved them all. I had to keep reminding myself that they were middle school kids. The songs they sang and the way they sang them were way beyond their years. The boys choir was my favorite and not just because Reily was in it. They were the best. The songs they sang were so good and even though their choir was much smaller than the others, they projected the best. It was a wonderful experience for Reily and he learned so much. What a great day! Here are some photos and hopefully with Ron's help I can post some video soon.






The kids from Henry (Reily's school)

Reily and Mr. Wiley (his director at school)

Reily and Andie

Reily and Marvin