So, I have a sister. Well, a half sister actually. Even some of my closest friends do not know this little known fact about me. It’s been a long time since I have seen her, about sixteen years, give or take. She found me on facebook, go figure! I was happy to hear from her, although a little unsure of why she would contact me now? I have very few memories of her. One of the most memorable is when I stole her stationary and stickers! Good memory huh? I do remember driving her to the airport of her last visit. What happened after that, I am not sure. I was young and unconcerned. But, for whatever reason, myself and those in my immediate family have not spoken to or seen her since.

On Monday we talked. After several days of phone tag, we finally connected. I was nervous…very nervous. What do you say to someone you don’t really know? There were moments of silence, awkward silence. I would probably best describe the conversation as one you would have with a new neighbor. You know, the basics…Where are you from? How many kids do you have? Where does your husband work? Those questions equally important, yet I couldn’t stop the thought of asking why she left? Or why she didn’t concern herself enough to find me before now? Or more importantly, to justify my Dad…OUR Dad. My nerves ceased and the thoughts disappeared. Those questions will have to wait for another day, another phone call perhaps. For now, I am content with the basics.

Its funny how after sixteen years time, a 60 minute phone call brings family into perspective. I am truly grateful for my parents and for my brother. I appreciate that I know them for who they are, strength and weakness, and love them regardless. I hope to appreciate this new relationship with part of my past, a new friendship.

I will start there.

My walking co-pay

Allergies ✓
Log hit to the stomach ✓
A bumb on the head from a tree branch ✓
Two trips to the camp nurse ✓
= A walking co-pay!

At least she had a good time!

The misadventures of Abbigayle!

So... I haven't posted in quite some time. Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if I really had time to be a blogger? Then things happen in life, and I got to thinking...how could I not post that? This is definitely one of those things, another misadventure of miss Abbigayle!

Abbigayle has a tooth, a very mischievous tooth. Has done nothing but cause her grief. When she was four, she had a baby root canal and cap put on in hopes of saving her permanent tooth. Now, five years later her permanent tooth is ready to make an appearance. BUT, this mischievous tooth would hear nothing of the sort. It was in and there to stay. The dentist advised that we put the "tooth to sleep" and "wiggle" it out! But before we were ready to make that commitment, we had to "wiggle" our paycheck.

Yesterday, Abbigayle came home from school ecstatic that she could slip her tongue in between her tooth. It was lose, really lose. She called Mike to tell him about her great news. He was also so excited about the prospects of not having to pay to have it removed, that he offered her some words of encouragement. For example..."you know they have to put a BIG shot in your mouth to pull a tooth out" or "it REALLY hurts when the dentist pulls your tooth out". May not be exact wording, but that's how Abbigayle perceived the phone conversation.

It's 8:30pm...bedtime at our house. The routines have all been completed. Pajamas on, teeth brushed, read for 15 minutes and lights out! I settle in downstairs, ready to enjoy a quiet evening alone. SLAM! Was that the bedroom door? I walk upstairs to hear tears from Abbigayle's room. Really...not tonight...too tired! As I open the door I immediately see the problem. Abbi stands adjacent to the door where dental floss connects the two together. It takes me a minute to realize she actually tried pulling her tooth out with the old string and door trick!

With the exception that it didn't work. Still a mischievous tooth, with a hint of bubblegum flavored dental floss now lodged between her gum and cap. Lovely! I will call the dentist in the morning.

Today...11am and $289 later, the mischievous tooth has now been extracted. Hallelujah!!!

How could I not post this?

Happy Dad's Day!

Like Father, like Daughter. What more can I say? Happy Father's Day!

It's Showtime!

Last evening we attended Bella's dance recital. Her class performed a tap routine to zipadee doo da, I am so proud of her, she did a really great job. She went on stage second, so it was good that we didn't have to wait long to see her dance. The downside, two and a half hours of watching other peoples kids perform before you can go home. Seriously, it was the same 3 girls in every performance. I mean really, how many classes can one girl actually take at a dance studio? I guess if I was paying that kind of money, I would want to see my child in every routine also, but I am not. So it's really just irritating. The worst part was that during Bella's performance, a family with reserved seating in front of us, decided it was a good time to find their seats. Where has common courtesy gone?
Anyway, regardless of the discomfort that was endured for the remainder of the evening, we would do it all again to see Bella and her 60 seconds of fame!

We made it!

We have officially made it to summer break. Yesterday was the last day of school, and we are all so excited. It was your typical last day of school. You know, cleaning out your desk, saying "goodbye" or "see ya later's" to all your friends and of course teacher gift's. I'm sure most teachers would agree with me when I say this is one of my favorite things about school. This year we came up with some pretty good ideas that I hope the teacher's enjoyed.

For Ethan's teacher, we made a giant thank you card out of candy bars. I love that you can say almost anything with sugar! Miss Stephanie has been a way cool teacher. I like her Witty sense of humor, sarcasm and stress free attitude. She was just what Ethan needed this year to keep school cool. Hopefully cooler than I am, because that sounded really lame!

Madison's teacher was pretty easy to find a gift for this year. This is actually our second year with her, Abbigayle had her as a teacher when she was in Kindergarten as well. It doesn't take long to figure out that Miss Kathy isn't really into the traditional teacher gifts like bubble bath or candy. Not to say she doesn't appreciate them just the same, but I always felt a little awkward giving her cookies for Christmas. This year we gave her a book that my very own Aunt Vel wrote. It's called "Am I so different". It's a poetry book of sorts focusing on children's differences, hence the title! It's not in bookstores yet, but you can still order your own copy at www.velsbooks.com. Was that smooth or what?

It's really not so much about "the gifts", as much as the appreciation I feel towards these teachers. It seems so insignificant in comparison to the time and effort they put into shaping our children. A candy bar or book will never measure up to the difference they make each year, but it's all I could come up with! A big thanks to ALL teachers and we look forward to enjoying our summer break.

Almost there!

School is almost over for the summer. For Abbigayle's teacher, summer started a little sooner. Today was Miss Sarah's last day as Abbi's 2nd grade teacher. Sarah has been so great this year. I am so proud of Abbigayle and all that she has accomplished while in Miss Sarah's crew. They celebrated today as if it were the last day of school. They had their traditional t-shirt signing and they even got to eat lunch in the classroom, how cool is that! It's a bitter-sweet time. It's sad to leave a great teacher, but it's also exciting to see Abbi move forward and anticipate a new beginning as a 3rd grader! We are almost there.