Kaden as a Senior

It is hard to believe that Kaden is a senior. It's hard to accept. As exciting and busy of a year it is, it's really hard not to see our young Kaden now when I think of him a senior. He is so grown up from all the stages he once was. It's heart wrenching, but you must support him as a parent and try to separate the pain it causes to think how close it is until he is an official adult, moved out of his home, and making memories and adventures without us by his side. It being me to tears just thinking of it all. 

He has applied to State Tech for their lineman program, and as a second choice also in the electronic engineering department. He toured at Hannibal LaGrange but rather quickly realized that wasn't for him. We then toured at Linn where his Daddy once went, and he and his friends seemed to love it. 

He injured his back in basketball or possibly weights, and got a pars fracture in his L5, so had to sit out some basketball games, but since he has been back, he has dunked twice, the first received a technical for hanging too long and pulling up on the rim, but was it exciting to watch him finally get that done in a game!

Paul Evans is a local photographer and he oftentimes takes pictures of CR6 sports and here are a couple of Kaden recently, and one he took of Kaden and McCailyn. 

Update on Life & Photo Dump

I have never been in as busy season of life as I am now.  And I know it is passing right by, and blogging seems to capture pieces of it and help slow it down, and without even an opportunity to blog, I am afraid I am "losing" these days.

Everything is so great right now.  I love working at the school where 3 of the 4 kiddos attend!  They come to work with me and leave with me and stop and see me several times throughout the days.  Kylie is playing Junior High Softball this year, playing mostly 2nd base and pitching.  She looks so great in Trojan gear!  Kaden will be playing basketball shortly, and Farrah is finally comfortable and happy in preschool after 2-3 weeks of a tough adjustment.

Augusta is still at her current daycare and outgrowing the infant room by wanting to be with the bigger kids so badly.  She wants to be so big, which is so sweet at this phase because she is still so little and can't speak much yet.  She doesn't say many words yet, but I know she knows a lot!  She says baby, mama, daddy, yucky, stinky (while scrunching up and holding her nose - so adorable), puppy, and sort of says more by screaming a little sound.  I believe that is about all she says.  She watches and learns and does everything Farrah does. She moves the kitchen stool where she wants to see and climbs up looking onto the counter tops.  She carries our new kitten, Cookie Dough, around. She is so, so sweet.

Farrah is a ball of talkative energy that never, ever slows down to rest.  Her mind is ever-working and so is her mouth.  We are working on being happy with something and not always needing or asking for something more.  I am praying for patience with her and to give her the attention her little heart needs right now.  She was listing all of the things she can do because she’s big and some of them include: sleeping in her own bed, have a phone (my old one), walk to the lake with Willa, do a flip, hold the cats, cut with a real knife, and tie her shoes!  We have a full family of six, and when everyone is home, there is so much hustling and bustling and talking and commotion.  It's beautiful and we will miss these days right now.

I want to look toward the future because when car loans and children costs reduce, we will have more money and more opportunities for ourselves, and Augusta and Farrah will be older and more independent, allowing for a little more freedom, but at the same time, in less than a short three years, Kaden will be graduated and imagining days without him at home are heartbreaking and surreal.   Two short years after that, Kylie will also be graduated.  I just cannot let myself think about this too hard.

You think that your babies and little children grow so quickly, because they do, but the teenage years go even faster!

I don't have any downtime.  I spend my days taking care of everyone, keeping the house picked up and laundry caught up, planning and cooking suppers, and getting everyone where they need to be.  We have late nights and ball games and we spend as much time together as we can.  Last night we all jump roped and Keane measured Kaden and Kylie's calf muscles, Kylie and I did squats.  We spend time when all of the kids play airplane or everyone or arm wrestles, spending time at the swings and playground at home, fishing or taking boat rides, picking vegetables or playing basketball.  Bedtime gets here late and mornings come too soon.

Keane and I just finally finished watching Orange is the New Black, Kaden and Kylie are hooked on Instagram and TikTok, Farrah enjoys watching Grace's World, Peppa Pig, or Ben & Holly on YouTube or playing make-up games on our phones, and Augusta loves to play with anyone's phone she lays eyes on, climbing anywhere and everywhere, or playing with baby dolls.  She picks them up and pats their back and loves to carry them around in the play cars eat.

Augusta hates when I fix her hair (I'm sure it hurts with all the hair she has and a sensitive baby scalp) but I always have to put some of it up and out of her face.  Farrah always tells me how she wants her hair and she's very specific; it's usually in two French braids, two piggy tails (straight, not in buns), down and curly, straightened, or sometimes in a pony tail.  She is forever asking me if her hair is "crazy" or "straight" or "curly" and I have to take a picture to show her.

Keane took me on a day trip to Grafton, Illinois, for my birthday and it was amazing.  I didn't know where we were going until we arrived at the Ferry!!!  We put his truck on the ferry and rode it across the Illinois River to Grafton where they had Street Art Show and shops that we loved.  We then got a couple drinks and discovered an amazing crowd at some bars.  We ended our evening eating delicious seafood and riding the ferry back to Missouri on it's last trip of the evening.  He wasn't interested in the zip lining but we would have done the new Sky Lift if it was open to the public already.  We want to take the kids there sometime and check out the water park and other activities.

So, after I started writing this, I unfortunately lost my iPhone X in our lake when I nearly backed our four wheeler in the lake, so I lost a lot of pictures!!!  I had to remind myself how lucky I am for all the photos I do have even if several months worth have been erased. I saved some from my Instagram account and also from Kylie’s phone!

Also, since I started writing this, the whole country has gone into a quarantine due to the COVID-19 virus. March 19 ended up being the last day of school this school year.  I have continued working five days a week preparing and serving meals for the students in your school district. We have recently switched to working 2 days a week making 4 meals each time.

I have realized through this quarantine how little my family depends on social interactions and non-essential type business. Our schedule and lives haven’t changed much and that’s a happy realization for me.