Happy Birthday, Amy

Today is our beautiful daughter, Amy's birthday. 

She was born at the Holloman AFB hospital, near Alamogordo NM.  She was our second child and second daughter.  We were thrilled to have two girls and knew they would always be very best friends....and we were right.

Of course she ended up having two more sisters and two brothers . (And sometimes they're all a little strange, but she fits right in.)

Anyway, this morning I conducted this little phone interview with her.

Do you have any special plans today?  Yes, we're going out to dinner.  Just you and Tracy or the whole family?  The whole family including Chris and Amber and all the grand kids.

How do you feel about this birthday?  Is it any different from any of the others?  No it doesn't feel any different.  I'm just getting older.  But you don't feel older do you?  Not a bit.

What has been the highlight of this past year.  I would say the birth of my 4th grandchild on February 8th.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year?  Jeremy is starting high school which is really exciting.  More grandkids?  lol.   Camping. 

Tell me a little about your job.  I am a paraprofessional.  I work with kids with special needs, sometimes in a one-on-one position and sometimes in a classroom position.  What do you love about your job?  I love trying to break barriers with kids with special needs and having them begin to communicate or interact with me.  It's the small successes that really make a difference and keep me excited to go to work every day.

What do you hate about your job?  It can be the most frustrating job I've ever done because of the lack of communication.  Also because they are unable to communicate, they sometimes act out physically which can be not only frustrating but painful as well. 

You've always been exceptional at interacting with your nieces and nephews.  Do you think that talent has helped you in your job?  Absolutely.  If you can naturally interact with kids, it makes the job that much easier.  It's a job that requires a lot of patience and it helps if you have an understanding of how a kid might think. 

How much do you enjoy being such a young grandma?  I love it very much but there is one drawback.  When you're a young grandma and you also have youthful children at home, they grab all the attention from the little ones that I'm dying to spoil.  And you don't have all that free time that you think grandmas usually have to help out with babysitting and attending every grandkid function because you're working and involved in your own kids activities and functions..

What do you like best about your camping trips?  I like going out on the boat and fishing, I like the bonfires every night after fishing, I like the relaxation, and always catching the biggest fish.  lol 

What's your favorite leisure time activity (and you can include Hay Day and Candy Crush)?  We do like to do all kinds of things in our free time.  We often go to Gander Mountain, Cabela's, or Bass Pro Shop just to browse around and see what's new.  And I love fishing and on weekend evenings we'll often hang out with neighbors and just relax.    Also, we've built a 3-hole golf course and the whole family goes out almost every evening and golfs.  For most of us it's a work in progress but hopefully we'll all be good enough to go out on a real golf course some day.

What can you tell us about yourself that most people don't know?  Well, like Teresa, I was a high school cheerleader. 

What else?  Someday I think I'd really want to go back to school and get a degree. 

Anything else?  I'm a really good at cooking on the grill.  I've come a long way from back in the day when I thought you could put burgers on the grill while the coals are still flaming.

 And?  I'm in the third week of the C25K and I plan to run a 5K with all three of my children in the Fall.
Oh and one more thing.  I actually enjoy cutting the grass which I hardly ever get to do anymore since my kids have taken over the job.

 And of course there are a few things I'd like to add about Amy.  She's one of the sweetest, most sensitive people I've ever known.  She'd never hurt anyone's feelings or start any kind of trouble.  She loves peace, harmony, and a good time; and she's hardworking, loving, and smart.  We're so proud of Amy and happy that she's our daughter.  And we're hoping that this day and all of the days to come are wonderful - just like her.

Happy Birthday, Zachary.....A Little Late

On June 26th, while I was in Louisville and my computer was at home, our family celebrated 3 birthdays.  I thought to have Harry send me pictures to do their birthday posts but our power was out and stayed out for several days.  Finally I resolved to catch up after my return and that's what I'm doing now.  Grandson Jeremy's post was Friday, daughter-in-law Teresa's post was yesterday, and grandson Zachary's post follows.

Zachary was born in Kansas City, KS and is our 17th grandchild and 10th grandson.

He's Dave and Patty's youngest.  They now live in Burke, VA where Dave is stationed at Ft. Belvoir and is a Battalion Commander and Patty is an Instructional Coach at Cunningham Park Elementary in Vienna, VA.  Zachary has three older siblings, David 15, Katie 13, and Matthew 11.

A little while ago I talked with Zachary on the phone.  Here's how our long-distance interview went.

I know you just had a birthday.  How old are you now?  5.  You're really getting bigger aren't you?  Yeah.  What's different about being 5?  5 is an older number.

Did you have a good birthday?  Yeah.

What did you do on your birthday?  Played outside and we had cake and the family went out to eat....I went out to eat with Dad, Mom, and me.  And we had an Avengers cake and I got a flashlight from it.

Did you get any other good presents?  Yeah.  What did you get?  Inside basketball but Scout broke it.  Actually I got about 8 100 feet rockets.

I know you played soccer this year.  How did you like it?  A lot.  I played with my friend, Matt.   Any goals?  Oh yeah, yeah.


Is Scout a good dog?  Yeah, a pretty good dog.  Oh, why is he a pretty good dog?  Because he's cute and he's one year old.  He's seven years old too.  Oh in human years?  Yes.
What's your favorite sport?  Soccer.  What else do you like?  Football and basketball.  Hockey.   And I like baseball.  I know you catch balls really well don't you?  Yeah, I like baseball.

And you're a very good worker.  Why are you so helpful?  Because I like working.  Why do you like working?  Because Dad works with me.  So you're a good worker like Dad.  YES!

Do you still help David, Katie, and Matthew play Hay Day?  Oh yeah!  Are you still really good at it?  Yeah.  Well, Matthew is done with Hay Day.  He just decided that he didn't want to play anymore.

You'll be going to Kindergarten in the Fall won't you?  Yes.  Are you excited about that?  Yes.  What do you think you'll like best?  Playing with my friends. 

What else have you been doing lately?  Some playing outside, some playing at Nana's, some playing like on Ipods and my favorite game is Bike Race and um Jet Pack Glide.

Is there anything else I should put in your birthday story?   Ummm.  I think that's.....wait no.  I got Legos - Star Wars Legos  not the Angry Birds Star Wars just the people Star Wars Legos.  Awwww.  What?  Scout fell off the bed.  Why'd he fall off the bed?  He just slipped off.  Anything else I should put in your story?  Ummm maybe.  Like I got Lightning McQueen wrapping paper.  That sounds cool.  Yeah that was really cool.  Anything else?  Ummmm  I think that's it.  But Matthew wasn't there for my birthday party.  David and Matthew were at Camp.  I'll bet you missed them.  Yes, I did.  Can you think of anything else?  No, I don't think so.

And that pretty well concluded our interview.  So I have to add that Zachary is a wonderful, sweet, smart, loving, athletic, and helpful boy!  We're very, very proud of him and hoping his coming year is as awesome as he is.  Oh and also, he's a very fun interviewee.

Happy Birthday, Teresa......A Little Late

On June 26th, while I was in Louisville and my computer was at home, our family celebrated 3 birthdays.  I thought to have Harry send me pictures to do their birthday posts but our power was out and stayed out for several days.  Finally I resolved to catch up after my return and that's what I'm doing now.  Grandson Jeremy's post was yesterday and here's our sweet daughter-in-law, Teresa's.

 I talked with her earlier today and conducted this phone interview.

First of all I'm sorry that this post is over a week late, but I believe in my heart of hearts that you understand.  I understand completely!

I was lucky enough to get to talk with you on your special day while you were out with the girls doing a little shopping and lunching.  Did you buy yourself anything special?  Ummm.  Just maybe some new clothes and my most favorite thing was a cute little jean jacket and I've worn it a ton since I bought it.

And how did you spend your evening?  The kids and I went to Red Robin and Grant made them sing to me which was naughty.  Then when I got home the kids had bought me a cake and Grant practiced with Tessa earlier in the day writing Happy Birthday Mommy on it.  Then Tessa gave me her drawings and a pretty bracelet that she'd made, Grant shaved for me, and Evan was especially attentive to me all day.
Were you able to talk Dan?  I was.  We talked on the phone through Skype when I took the kids to dinner.  And, he sent me the most beautiful flowers with the sweetest card.

I imagine this birthday was a little challenging since Dan is deployed right now but it wasn't the first time he was deployed on your birthday was it?  Yeah it's always kind of bittersweet.  I'm thankful for everything and happy to have good friends and the kids to kind of take my mind off it.  But I do miss him the most on special days like birthdays and anniversaries when he's always so attentive and sweet.  It was hard not having him here but it's  happened so many times.  It seems like every deployment and NTC rotation happens in the middle of everybody's birthdays.

How do you manage when he's so far away and everything is on your plate?  Oh gosh.  Literally it's just one day at a time.  The kids and I have been through it so much that they seem to almost sense when I'm feeling overwhelmed and they step up.  And whenever I start to feel that it's really hard, I stop and think about what he's going through at that moment and I know it's a lot harder for him.

I love following you on Facebook and seeing your pictures and updates on the kids and it seems like things are going well with them right now, but how does it feel to have Grant potentially following in his Dad's military bootsteps?  It's completely different and really scary. Just knowing what I know about what Dan has been through, it's hard to imagine Grant in the same situations; but he loves the ROTC challenges and exercises so much that, like Dan, I think he's kind of made for the Army.

And Evan looks good in a Fireman's uniform.  Do you see something like that in his future?  Evan is loving the firehouse experience and I couldn't ask for anything more out of his volunteer work.  He's excited and it seems like something he might pursue and enjoy as a career.  I'm super proud of him and so excited for him but seeing him up on that ladder the other day almost gave me a heart attack.

So, what is it with your guys and their dangerous leanings?  I'm not sure.  It's so tough as a mama to not try to put them in a bubble and protect them and they really are testing my prayers and my faith.  Ultimately though, as long they're happy and love what they do, I have to support them.

How do you feel about Dan being career Army?  I think an Army career is really kind of a family career and, outside of the deployments, I love it.  We like the post environment, and experiencing different places, and I love that I still get to dress up in a ball gown every year.  And although it's a different life, we enjoy it.  Of course one thing that makes Army life extra good right now is he has a battalion with so many great soldiers and wonderful families. 

You said once that Dan makes you laugh every day.  Is that still true after all these years?   Oh yes.  Even from 7500 miles away, he still makes me laugh.

And how soon do you think you'll be getting a little sister for Tessa?  Oh my goodness.  You should probably ask Dan that question.  If it were up to Tessa it would be right now.  But if it were up to Mom and Dad, she's pretty much it.

I know you're doing a lot of running and training.  How is that going?  It's going well.  Running is my release for stress and it really does help me get through Dan being gone and any stress from work or anything.   And to stay motivated and get myself out there in the morning, I do sign up for races.   The next one is going to be the Denver half Marathon in October.

What else can you tell us about yourself that most people wouldn't know?  I don't know.  Does everybody know I have braces now.

What else?  I trained to be a lifeguard my Senior year of high school and spent the summer as a lifeguard at the local pool.  I did it in place of an accounting class.
Also, I love to read and when I get a good book, I can't put it down.  I'll whip through a 500 page book in two days if it's good. 
Anything else?  I know there's more.  Well, I try to get the kids interested in running and each of them has actually run a race with me.  

 

Weren't you a high school cheerleader?  Not only was I a high school cheerleader, but I started cheering with the high school squad when I was 5.  My aunt was the cheerleader coach.

Of course there's so much more I could tell you about Teresa.  She's a devoted and loving wife and mother.   She's fun, sweet as can be, smart, loving, and all anybody could ask for in a daughter-in-law.   She's a sister to her siblings-in-law and a daughter to us.  We're so proud of her and wishing her a wonderful year (and no more deployments).