Days with the Dorans

 Joe's Cross Country season started in September but since I'm catching up and back-dating everything, I figured I'd go ahead and write about it now. Joe ran with his friends Connor and Dom and had practice EVERY day- which he hated! He complained a lot and just wanted to run the races without all the training. I'm happy to say that I think Joe realized that the training paid off.  My dad, being a runner, was excited about Joe running again. Joe always had negative splits but started off slow (for him). He started at "Beat the Hill" whose name says it all. His first time for the 2.2 miles was 19:48. At that point I was just proud he finished and didn't puke (like a lot of the other boys I saw crossing the finish lines). Joe ran with 7th and 8th graders and his team was FAST. The were the champs and in the city meet they had the 8 fastest runners in the top ten and then like 11 and 12.  Joe came in 35th in that meet which is really respectable e...

 Jeff and I were surprised (somewhat happily) that the Bigs opted to stay home from the fair. I feel like they were just exhausted (so were Jeff and I) and wanted to stay home after a busy day of running. The Littles were full of energy so we went and bought our limited amount of tickets and when they were done, they were done. I was SHOCKED when the first ride they went on was the swings. Fair rides make me nervous and it sure made Seany nervous too. He looked PETRIFIED up there but he survived it with a smile, but a "No thanks!!!" about going again.  They hit some more tame rides and were having a good time. Z didn't want to go on anything too crazy but he did want to go on a spinny ride that he, Al and I went on last year but Seany wanted NOTHING to do with. I took one for the team and went with him while Jeff headed to the merry-go-round with Sean. The best part was when it was over, it was over. We had a great time, went home and lived happily ever after! An...

 I almost forgo to mention... Al told me that it is "tradition" to decorate lockers for birthdays. This seems like more of a girl thing than a boy- but she wanted to do something to Joe's locker. Unfortunately, she had dance so sent me on the mission solo. I was at school so grabbed some post-its, a marker and of course... smarties.  I did this to the outside of his locker and then remembered that I could look up his locker combination in Skyward which is exactly what I did!  In addition to the smarties I had at school, I also had some old balloons so brought those too. I was told by my teacher friend that she got to see Joe's face when he saw it and he was all smiles. Other kids wrote him happy birthday wishes too on his locker which was cool. He didn't get a "shout out" this year like he did last, but I'd say it was a good day for him. And I'm just throwing this picture in for good measure. After getting him to piano, I remembered I...

This year I felt I was ready for September 15th. Oh my gosh! He'd be a TEENAGER! I had made THIS video after a "Pause" post I wrote asking for people to do kind things for Andrew but I didn't really know if anyone would do anything. I popped on facebook that morning after I got all the kids off to school to see this picture (I can't rotate it for whatever reason). It was from my friend. A daughter in her class (my friend's daughter) brought in this pack of new pencils for the kids that said, "Please share in memory of Andrew D. He shared the most amazing gift with me... his mom!"- Ugh. Still makes me cry reading it now. And so ironic that Andrew's twin asked for pencils for his birthday. I wonder if Andrew would have loved to draw too... I went to my annual doctor apt. Cried a bit with my favorite nurse and doctor and hit Kroger for my balloons and other things I needed to pick up for Joe later. I ran into my dear friend, Nevada, and...

 I still can't wrap my mind around Joe being a teenager! He isn't the typical teenager of 2016. I feel like he doesn't have a need for social media (yeah) and he still goes on walks with his mom and dog and that makes me happy about him. I wanted to do something special for him but when asked what he wanted, he said, "I don't know... some pencils... Maybe a new sketch book..." Well we got him those things~ He also got the new Michael Vey book (he's a fan), a thermos so he can have his beloved soup at school, a new black hoodie (because can you really have too many?), and Fire Cheetos, which are his fav!  And... although he wasn't pumped about it, we got him a phone. It was my mom's old phone and adding a line actually made our bill go DOWN! (who woulda thought?) We got it for him so he could have it when he was by himself. We still had a "home" cell phone (which has pretty much turned into Ali's since the littles are ne...

 I was glad that the Littles were up to get a group pic before the Bigs were off to school. It was a big day for all of us. Sean was off to 1st, Zach 4th, Al 6th and Joe 7th. Jeff always leaves well before us but he's still in 9th and I made the move to 2nd. When I was first told I was moving, I was upset. This was the second time I was moved without getting a heads up or even having a say. I figure my first move (which REALLY upset me) turned out OK so this couldn't be that bad. It is always easier to move up in grades. I was just bummed because I spent so much money when I switched grade levels and here I go again... I think Al was a little nervous about middle school but I knew it would be OK~ mostly because she had her big brother with her. I remember how hard it was last year when it was just Joe. This year I felt much better. Joe had a great year and I just know that Ali will too! Her twin was of course there too. Ali has friends in all of her classes (where...

 Labor Day brought beautiful weather. We decided to spend it doing one of Jeff's favorite pastimes~ Disc Golf! We piled in the car (with Marty) and were on our way.  I had never been before. It's basically throwing frisbees. I wasn't the best but I had fun. There are different discs just like there are different clubs for golf.  Some are for driving... some for putting... etc. Jeff has lots. Marty was great. We took him off leash and he did really well. I know he loved being out there with us too. He even did a good job finding discs that we couldn't find. Too bad dogs aren't allowed on the real golf course! I laughed when we found a beer tree! Clearly these courses are for the laid back people. Wouldn't it be cool if there was a tree that REALLY grew beer! We also saw a big and very cool praying mantis. We only did nine holes (it took a while with all six of us) and then we were off to Jodi's for a party an then to the lake to see family (...

Jeff was working the day of Smart Start so my mom  thankfully took the Littles so I could go up to Smart with the Bigs. It was SOOOO crowded and we waited in long lines! We got the kids' schedules and were off to Al's locker. She got it open on the first time and every time after... (she did it a lot). We walked her schedule three times and she had it down but being the kiddo she is she wanted to be SURE!  After walking around with Al, we went to Joe's locker. He opened it once and after I suggested walking his schedule said, "I think I'm good."  We still walked it once for good measure and then did Al's one more time. These two kids of mine couldn't be more different but boy do I adore them both! Last year we waited in long lines for pictures. This year, the picture line was quick. I love the way their school pictures turned out! Now I just have to pray that the Littles will be as lucky... After we left, we decided to get some lunch ...