Brace Face & other dental woes

This was a momentous day.

My LAST kid got braces. 

 

Growing up, my family was very poor and I was in desperate need of braces but it just couldn't be a priority until later in my teen years. As a result, I had them from the age of 16 -20. That was a hard time for me but I sure am grateful that my dad was able to make it happen. 

The fact that we have been able to put braces on all of our kids is a blessing that I don't take lightly. I LOVE seeing my kids smile and I am so grateful that we have had good coverage that has allowed for the needed work to be done.

I am mostly grateful though, that there is a light at the end of this very arduous and expensive tunnel. 

One more year and we'll be done!!!

Nate wasn't the only one who had dental work done this past fall. Sam got his wisdom teeth taken out and it was a hilarious experience to watch, as a mother. I like these moments in life when my kids get just a little laid up with a temporary affliction. These moments seem to humble them just enough to remember that they need their mommy."

Sam was a real trooper. His teeth were a challenge to remove and required surgery. Sam was so certain that the sedation was not going to affect him. He didn't believe that any mere drug could really take him out, or incapacitate him. It won't work, he insisted. 

I'll never forget the funny way the nurse helped my drugged up boy get into the car or the way Sam then turned to me and with slow, exaggerated and groggy surprise, stumbled out the muffled words - "I didn't even get to ONE!"

That was a happy mom moment.

Sadie Hawkins

 Sam and Jess.

Being just 18 months apart in age, these two have fun together at home, but they have also been sharing in common experiences at school too. I like that they have each other to consult/commiserate/conspire with.  This past month - it was all about the Sadies Hawkins dance!

Being a "girl as boy" type dance, I wondered who would ask Sam. He'd had a girlfriend for a good chunk of this year, but that recently ended. It turns out, Katie Leavitt asked Sam, and she did so in the cutest way!  For a portion of my kid's childhood, Katie was the next-door neighbor, the constant friend in Sam and Jess' life. It was cute to see her use pictures of her and Sam as little kids. 

What a darling friendship that was!

Sam responded by decorating the cougar display case, and putting his answer for Katie there for all to see, just before her volleyball game. She's a doll, and I really miss the old days when these kids were all the best of friends. 

Jessica has a bit of a "love" in her life, despite the fact that she isn't yet 16. 

She's not super serious with him, and she insists that she and Grayson aren't dating, but they sure watch a lot of movies, attend a lot of parties together, and hold hands every chance they get. (Give me strength!)

In truth, Grayson seems like a very nice young man and Jessica is kinda lighting up, these days, blossoming into the funniest little caricature of a teen possible.  She asked Grayson by leaving this poster and hundreds of ball pit balls in his bedroom. 

Grayson responded by leaving the following message in her room.

It's so fun to see these kids thinking creatively!

The theme for this dance was "Famous Couples."  

Both Jess and Sam got to join their friends for a fun date night and then dance.

I love these kids of mine and am so grateful that they have such good friends!

The First Snowfall of the Year

Toward the end of October, we got word that there was snow in the forecast. (Be still my heart!) 

There is nothing more exciting than the first snowfall of the year. 

Even Radar could sense that change was coming. He sat at the window and watched patiently for it, all afternoon long. 

As soon as school let out, Jessica and I grabbed our passports and headed for the Chief Mountain Highway on the U.S side of the border. I LOVE this road. It usually offers the most beautiful view of Chief Mountain. On this day, fog covered that grand view, but we did run into some beautiful horses. They were just journeying along the highway, emerging from the foggy haze in a most surreal way. We could almost hear the clippity clop of their hooves before we could see them. 

We tried to take note of any final signs of fall that we could, knowing that those too would soon give way to winter days. 

We had to take some pictures of this chief mountain drive. It's been something only we do together. 

And we stood quietly, staring up at the sky, witnessing the falling of the first wispy flakes of the season. 

Of course this snowy weather was making its way to town, and we knew we'd see it outside our own windows eventually, but there is something about finding it, meeting it where it's at, that I love. 

A Fall to Remember

This year we had the.most.beautiful.fall.  Everybody, from here to Utah agrees. Usually, the leaves start to turn, and then a snowstorm hits, or a windstorm comes and clears all of the leaves away, skipping straight to winter. For some reason though, the universe just knew that we needed to see this season this year. It was like medicine to my soul to get an extension of warmer, more colorful days. 

What a gift, this world is!

 

Sam's Mighty Football Career

Sam has always, always wanted to play football.

For years he has asked us to let him and we have always tried to talk him out of it, citing a myriad of reasons, but mostly fearing for his well-being. (The thought of a broken back or concussion from playing has always scared me.) 

Well finally, as Sam approached his Senior year of school, he made it clear to us that he WAS going to be playing football. John and I both knew we had no choice but to support him in his decision and get on board.  I even signed up (as a football mom) to help run the concession this year. 

I'll admit, I felt really proud as I watched those football boys walk down that hill before the game on September 16th. Sam had worked very, very hard over the summer to train, and he worked even harder once school started to earn a spot as a starter. He was definitely excited to be getting this shot!

From the window of the concession, I loved watching Sam find his way on the field. He seemed to be doing well!  Then, at some point near the end of the 1st quarter, I was told that Sam had twisted his ankle and had needed help making it back to the bench. As I stared across the field and saw him trying to "walk it off," I worried a little but kept working away. He would have hated it if I'd gone over to him and gushed at all. 

After the game was over, Sam came over to me to take an obligatory "football mom" picture. Sam didn't care for this picture, but it meant the world to me that he knew I wanted a picture of him. Looking back, I am so glad that he was willing to take this photo as we would soon find out that this would be his last time on the field, in uniform. 

His team physiotherapist, Leroy, sent me a text asking me to take him in to the ER and request an X-ray, as Leroy expected a break. Sure enough - Sam had a fractured ankle. 

I admired Sam's patience and his coolness as he heard the news. As we waited to hear if surgery would be needed, we talked about the irony of the situation. I laughed and he tried not to cry.

I was grateful that he hadn't suffered a worse injury than this, but really, when you are 17 and just wanting to play ball, it doesn't really matter that things could have been worse. 

He can't play, and that has been hard for him. 

Ultimately, it took Sam 6 weeks of wearing the boot, before he was able to take it off. A part of him had hoped to be able to play in the teams final game, but he hadn't quite regained enough mobility to do that, so he will have to remember the thrill of that one game, back in September. 

He was able to walk out, during Seniors night, and be acknowledged as a graduating team player. He got a cougar football hat, some cookies, and treats. 

Even though it was not at all the kind of a season that he would have liked, he did get the chance to try it, AND he got to rub shoulders with some amazing coaches who have influenced Sam in meaningful ways.  

Really, this shaped out to be just the kind of experience Sam needed to have, and he'll be ready just in time for Basketball season! 

Random October

I think that one day, those who read this blog, or flip through the pages of our memory books, may grow tired of hearing me say that "life has been busy." Like...every time I sit down to catch up on my journaling...that is what I lead with. 

Does it ever slow down?

Would I even want it to? 

I suspect that life is passing by exactly as it is supposed to and maybe it is my capacity to juggle it all that ebbs and flows. At any rate - October whirled by.  

I uploaded these photos of our month in descending order, so forgive the backward description of our miscellaneous October fun. 

Halloween is always a stressful holiday. I LOVE this holiday, but lining up SIX costumes is never my favorite thing to do. This year though - it was pretty darn easy.  

For starters - Abby made her own costume and celebrated Halloween as a pirate, with all of her pirate roommates.  Though I sometimes worry about this girl, she sure does cope well, on her own. 

Nate and his friends decided to do a group costume. (I LOVE it when kids do that!) This year they went as the "Sandlot" gang.  Nate actually really matched his character well. 

Sam and Jess did not dress up this year. 

I repeat, they DID NOT dress up!

How did I feel about this? 

Thanks for asking. 

I was a little sad to see them not engage in this annual holiday, and a WHOLE lot thrilled to not have to find a last-minute costume for them. I guess that is the bittersweet part of growing up now, isn't it?

I halfheartedly tackled a costume this year by borrowing my sister Jewel's work scrubs. The funny thing is that when kids came by trick or treating - they actually thought I WAS Jewel!  Shocker;)

John dressed up as a doctor and managed to pull it off beautifully.

Somewhere among the busy chaos of Halloween night, we managed to sing to John and have a ghost-shaped carrot cake, which this time was purchased by a woman on a local Facebook page. 

I'll do better next year. 

October was a big month for Volleyball and John and I had lots of opportunities to watch Jessica and Nathan play.  Nathan really developed a love for this sport this year and thrived under the tutelage of some excellent coaches. 

The assistant coach got married on the last day of their season and couldn't be with them during the tournament. That evening though, the team all donned bowties and crashed the wedding reception together. I love it when coaches are able to create a synergetic and unified team culture. 

No one does that quite as amazingly as Coach Boehme. 

It was fun to catch these five together one night, celebrating their cousin Brooke's last home volleyball game of her high school career. These are the last of the Hardy kids to grace CHS, until of course, their babies start coming. 

Early in October, Jessica made the decision to sell her moped to her cousin Dane. 

This was her overly dramatic attempt to gas "Zumba" up for the last time. She had a great summer with the thing, enjoying newfound freedom and crashing it a time or two, but I was thrilled to see it land in someone else's hands (and garage) for the next year or two. 

Nate's plan is to buy it back from Dane once Dane gets a car, so we fully expect to see Zumba again. 

Abby came home for Thanksgiving. Land sake, this girl is a treat!

Radar continues to be the happiest thing in our home. 
How could we have gone this long without giving a dog a chance? Shame on us!

He is sad when we leave, THRILLED when we get home, and seems to be in every room of the house, following at our feet anywhere we go. I mean...can there be anything more loyal?

Maybe it is wise that we waited this long to get a dog. He seems to be the perfect antidote to this dilemma that teenage kids pose. He softens the ache this mama's heart feels, just enough. 

September Highlights

What a special month September was!

One of the highlights was seeing our nephew Remy be baptized. He is such a sweet young man. 

It was fun to gather with my sisters and family to celebrate him. 

Remy had asked both Sam and Nate to speak at his baptism. My lucky boys!

They did a great job and hopefully made Remy feel special.

Notice Sam's aircast? (more on that in the next entry)

September brought a beautiful evening walk out in Waterton with Crystal and our two dogs. 

(Walking Kit and Radar in Waterton shoudl be a regular thing!)

John and I stole away one evening to hike Bearshump. 
I hadn't gotten to do that all summer long. I'm glad we did let this year go by without doing it.

It was definitely very, very, very windy!

Jessica, Sam, and I went out to Waterton one evening to help Jessica practice parallel parking. 

I'm not sure how effective her practice was 

(Sam is definitely a distractive force) but we sure had a fun time!

What do you know, September also brought another great night of Northern Light watching!

This particular show actually had strong lights, that were visible to the naked eye.

I saw them dance!

Watching the sky is definitely becoming a hobby for me. 

What a world we live in!

 

Back To School Photos

If our back-to-school pictures are any indication of the kind of year we are going to have - I think we are in for a wild ride. 

My kids are growing up fast and it has me shaking in my boots!

 Hoping the 2022/23 School Year is a good one for these people that I love!