33, 34, 35

33, 34, 35

Year 33 overall stunk. 

Shortly after turning 33, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Shortly after turning 33 my life was flipped upside down. (who just started signing Fresh Prince?) I got through year 33 with a lot of hard work and a lot of support from so many different people. 

Year 34 came and things were ok.  I had another surgery to work through.  Then things took a turn for the worse when I lost my grandma.  This was definitely a traumatic event for year 34.  Honestly, I couldn’t wait for year 33 to be over and 34 was a close second.  After my grandma passed away, I couldn’t wait for the year to be over as well.  I miss her terribly. Not a day goes by that I don’t want to call her to see how her day was or to tell her something that happened to me.

 So here we are coming upon year 35.  Year 35 has no choice but to be a great year.   I truly try to live every day to its fullest.  I try and make sure I get in all the time I can with my kids. I try and call my loved ones more often (or email). I make sure that I am not just going through the routine of life but actually living life.  It is so important to actually live life and enjoy every day.  I have decided to make a change this coming school year.  I am going to switch to 6^th grade.  I have taught 7^th grade history for 13 years. I decided that sometimes change is good and now would be a great time for change. Of course I am nervous about an entire new routine and curriculum.  However, I have way more excitement than nerves. I just know that year 35 is going to be awesome!

This summer is already jam packed with activities and visits.  Our first stop will be good old WML beach.  Then we take a trip to PA to visit with the Hedges and celebrate Darian’s birthday!  Next, we will head up to Boston to visit with the Arringtons.  Our trip to Boston is way overdue.  I am looking forward to watching Shua play with Matthew and Zachary.  The girls will go to gymnastics camp for a week.  They are very much looking forward to this.  Our biggest adventure this summer will be a trip to California.  I vowed the last time I flew with a toddler that I would not fly with a child under two.  Whew, good thing Shua just turned three.  We are all looking forward to spending time with my brother and one of my best friends.  Shua can’t wait to see Amitai and play with his toys.  The girls can’t wait to do gymnastics with their cousins and build Legos together. Stephen can’t wait to eat broccoli with Joe.  We are all looking forward to some California sunshine, fresh fruits, and happy cousin time.

Well, today I turned 35 and it was a fabulous day.  I slept a little later than normal.  I got to hang out with the kids in pj’s for a while.  I got some awesome presents from everyone. 

We celebrated Father's Day

 

We did an arts and crafts project.   

We played fun games.  

 We ate pizza and had our traditional Carvel ice cream cake. 

 It was a great day spent with family.  It was a great day watching everyone smiling and enjoying themselves.  It was a great day because I was a part of the action and not sitting on the side lines.  364 more awesome days of year 35.  This year is going to ROCK!  I just know it!

Shua

Shua

My son turns three today.  This day causes so much emotion for me.  To start with, I truly didn’t believe the doctor when she said “it is a boy.”  Then two years ago my life changed around Shua’s birthday.  We had just thrown him a birthday party.  It was a fantastic party.  We celebrated our baby turning one.  There was cake, balloons, and smiles all around.  A few days later is when I felt the mass.  I knew something was not right.  I went through the steps of making the appropriate doctor appointments.  We all know what happened from there.  Last year we celebrated Shua’s 2^nd birthday.  It was still very hard for me to chase Shua and keep up with him.  This year though things are different.  We have been building up to Shua’s third birthday for months.  His sisters have taught him that his birthday is June 4^th.  They have taught him that he will be turning three on this day. Shua knows that he will get cake on his birthday.  He has practiced singing Happy Birthday to himself. Of course today, I think “this was around the time all hell broke loose.  This is the time when my world started to crumble.”  However, over the past couple months; I have watched my baby grow up so much. I have watched him learn new things. I have watched his vocabulary soar. I have watched him express his thoughts and feelings.  Birthdays are supposed to be fun and filled with smiles.  I am sure that the butterfly feeling that exists when it is Shua’s birthday will fade with time.  Over time I will no longer associate Shua’s birthday with feeling the mass. It will only be a time for balloons, cake and smiles for everyone.

Here are a few pictures of Shua to make you smile.  Ok there are a lot but I love to take pictures :)

 Notice the Smurfs in his "pocket" (shoved in his pants)

Can you find him?

Laying on a friend

ET phone home

Sledding

flying like superman

vacuuming in ladybug rain boots

sleeping with a baseball hat (sorry it is fuzzy)

making bubble with his friend Mater

At the TB Zoo

planting with Grandma

Loving his purple plant

Building :)

watering Grandma's new tree

Having a tea party

Having a ride with Elisheva

Eating cake with cousins

Getting ready for a swim!

It was very hard to go through what I went through with a young baby to take care of.  Shua was so little when it all started.  He didn't understand what was happening.  I didn't even understand what was happening. There were so many other people taking care of him.  I wasn't the mother I wanted to be for him.  I missed out on so much of his baby experiences.  I felt so guilty that I couldn't take him places and play with him like I really wanted to.  He got away with a lot because I was not about to control him or reprimand him when he did something wrong.  Two years later and I am doing all those things that I wanted to do with him.  We read books together.  We play playdoh together.  We go to the park and take rides on the train at the zoo.  We plant plants together and water them.  Sometimes we get more wet than the plants but that is ok because we are spending time together.  Love my Shua!