2012!

Oops I’ve done it again!!! I promised myself I would be more diligent but life nowadays seems to be so busy! A lot has happened in this past year! I had actually saved a few drafts with the intent to post within a few days.
Last Day at Montessori…Big Boy School here he comes!

It is time to say goodbye after 3 amazing years at Children’s House Montessori School! It is amazing how much he has matured and grown. The first year at Montessori had some rough patches. He spent a lot of time in the “alone spot” because he missed his Mama. Fast forward 3 years later and he has emerged into a little leader.

The 5 extended day children at Montessori school put on a wonderful play “The Great Kapok.” The night before when I asked Lijah what part he was playing, he said a tree. So, we practiced getting into character for his “big” part! We moved our arms just like our favorite branches we like to climb. Little did I know he was playing a little joke on me! It turns out he was the part of the Macaw! It was a really cute play about saving the great kapok tree in the rainforest because of all the animals that lived there.

Ms. Janet then had all the children walk around the globe rug with beautiful flowers around their necks while she read personal attributes of them.

Here is what she had to say about our sweet boy!

“Lijah is an active joyful part of our class. He is interested in many areas and shares this knowledge. He always lots of questions to gain new knowledge and he is very enthusiastic about it all. This year he is reading, writing sentences and really enjoying art work. For a boy that wouldn’t write his name for the 1st year and never ever used the markers, he has made great progress. He is pleased with his work. He is very coordinated and has lead the pack in leaping, jumping, climbing, running and doing your work.”

We were such proud parents of Lijah at the graduation ceremony! We were also very blessed that Nana, Papa and Ms. Melinda were able to join us for the day.

Uncle Andy

Ten years ago the doctors at Duke Hospital diagnosed Uncle Andy with Stage 4 Glioblastoma Brain Cancer and gave him 3-6 months to live. With great determination and an enormous amount of faith, he had beaten the odds! Last year, Uncle Andy had a severe stroke and they determined the brain tumor had returned. He still fought hard and wasn’t scared and still showed hope!

It is with great sadness that Uncle Andy lost his 10 year battle with brain, lung and kidney cancer on May 31st.

Tae Kwon Do

Our little man LOVES Tae Kwon Do. He spent several months as a Little Phoenix. It was so cute the tests they had to do to pass to the next belt. He tried so hard and his concentration level was fantastic! Unfortunately, he was assigned to an elementary school that ended late in the day. There wasn’t enough time to make the Tae Kwon Do class after school. Hopefully, when he switches schools next year we will be able to fit Tae Kwon Do back into our schedule…Hi-Ya!

Winston

On July 24th we lost our best friend.  It was one of the hardest days of our lives by far!  Winston was such a big part of all our lives.  He always knew when you were sad, whether he wanted to or not, he would knudge you and show his kind eyes.  It took a long time not to cry about losing Winston everyday, longer than I had ever anticipated.  There isn't a day that goes by that we don't think of our sweet and grumpy Winston.  Mom had a little ceremony for him at his final resting place in their beautiful backyard.  Dad made a white cross that stands in the ground where Winston lay.  There will never be another Winston, he cannot be replaced.  We miss him so dearly!!!

There's something missing in our home,

We feel it day and night,

We know it will take time and strength

Before things feel quite right.

But just for now, we need to mourn,

Our hearts...they needs to mend.

Though some may say it's "just a pet"

We know we've lost a friend.

You've brought such laughter to our home,

And richness to our days...

A constant friend through joy or loss,

With gentle loving ways.

Companion, pal, and confidante,

A friend we won't forget,

You'll live for always in our hearts,

Our sweet forever pet.

1st Broken Bone

In November, I received a call from Lijah’s school saying he had fallen on the playground.  They said he was pretty upset and his arm was hurting.  He is prone to fall quite a bit, so I thought it wasn’t anything major.  I left work and picked him up from school.  The rest of the afternoon he didn’t complain too much of it hurting.  Then, around 6 pm, he started screaming and crying with how bad it hurt!  I decided to take him to the urgent care, turns out he had broken his arm!  He thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread.  They wrapped his arm and put it in a sling until the swelling went down.  A few days later we visited a pediatric orthopedist.  The orthopedist determined that he didn’t need a hard cast, he could get a removable one.  Lijah’s little face when the Dr. broke the news was so sad.  He said, “A cast was the dream of my life.”  It’s a good thing we ended up with a removable one because he does not handle getting itchy very well!  

Baby #2

In September, we found out with great excitement we are expecting baby #2!  Lijah has literally been begging for years to be a big brother!  When we broke the news to him, he couldn't have been more thrilled.  We asked him how he was feeling.  He replied with tears in his eyes, "I am so happy."  He sat me down a few weeks later and said he needed to talk.  He was so serious.  He wanted to know when the baby would nap and how many times a day.  Already planning to be a big helper, he is going to be the best big brother!