And so it is done.

Has It Hit You Yet?

In these last few weeks, many people have been coming up to me asking me if it's hit me yet; the realization that Connor will be graduating this year, going on his 2 year mission for the church, and then going away for school. To be truthful, it hadn't. I knew it was coming. I was excited for him and I just figured the emotions would hit me the night before we would have to take him to the airport in a few months, or possibly at the airport.

Nope. Today it hit me. We were attending the Baccalaureate ceremony (an interfaith celebration for the graduates at the school) where Connor was asked to give a talk on behalf of our faith (a huge honour). The graduates wore their cap and gown and watching them all walk in and take their seat, it hit me like a ton of bricks. This was really happening. My son is graduating and leaving our home. He's entering the next huge phase of his life. How did we get here already? My emotions were tender and I pushed my husband away as he tried to comfort me, knowing that if he continued, the tears would flow freely. There will be plenty of opportunities for that later but for now, I will enjoy our time together and reflect on what a fine young man he has become.

Blessings from hard work and sacrifices

Eeek, has it really been that long since I last blogged? So much has happened but the most exciting thing is today UT Dallas offered Connor a full ride scholarship! I'm so proud of him. All his hard work is now showing the results. He was so stressed out last night too. Oh, what a blessed thing to hear today! It just makes all the sacrifices and the crazy move here worth it. I'm so thankful for Heavenly Father's help in guiding us through our choices. I'd like to think we listened to His promptings most of the time and if we didn't, we gently guides us back onto the right path. It's just up to us to act upon his promptings.

Oh, I'm so happy and proud of Connor. I'm one proud mama today.

(and, whew, we must have done something right as his parents)

Happy 17th

Avenue Barbershop

Today I took the boys to Avenue Barbershop on South Congress Avenue to get their hair cut. Think ol' school vintage barbershop where they only take walk-ins and cash. They even use shaving cream and a straight razor on the neck to closely shave the nape of your neck and finish it off with a warm towel. These guys are perfectionists and I think it's well worth the 1.5 hour wait on a Saturday.

Heart of Texas Regatta

Connor rowing in a quad.

Connor's cheering section.

How I kept warm in the 5 degree C mornings yet I still got a sunburned nose by the end of the regatta.

Connor stroke seat in an 8+

Coach's Advice

Good luck to Connor today who is traveling to Dallas for a rowing tournament. The coach told the team last night to carb load...and eat lots of ice cream?

Watch out, GQ!

Connor's got his first suit.

Angry Birds: Live

Fulfilling a Mother's Dream on Father's Day

The second you realize you are going to be a parent, you start imagining the different milestones that you're going to experience. Visions of first steps, teaching them how to ride a bike, and wonderful family vacations where everyone gets along dance through your head. As a Mormon mother, my list also includes other milestones for my sons like their first day in nursery (a day that many young parents look forward to), baptisms, and serving missions. 

Connor recently turned 16 which allows a worthy young man to be ordained as a Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. One of the Priest's duties is to bless the sacrament before the Deacons, (12-13 year old young men who have been ordained as such), pass the sacrament to the members in the congregation. 

This past Sunday, Connor blessed the sacrament for the first time with his father by his side and his younger brother standing in front of them waiting to pass it. It was a wonderful sight for a mother to see. My heart was full of joy and still is whenever I think about it. 

I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing me with three worthy Priesthood holders in my home. 

Loan

ME to SHELDON: We need to save money for a new furnace, fix the cracked windshield, remove the rust on the car, etc.

SHELDON: I don't know if we'll have enough money to do all that and replace the broken laptop and tv.

CONNOR: I could loan you the money with 5% interest over 2 years.

SHELDON: Only 5%? That's really low. You should tell people 10%.

CONNOR: I'm giving you the family rate.

Huh?

ME [randomly over 10 min.]: Time to wake up, Connor. Come on, turn on your light and wake up.

CONNOR [after ignoring me for 10 min.]: No, I can't. I don't know where the light is!

ME: What?!

Remembering 9/11

Yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 and while we were driving to church, the boys and I had a discussion about what happened and how it changed the world. Aidan was not quite 2 years old so a lot of the details we were talking about were new to him.

He asked if the terrorists had guns or other weapons on the plane. He asked how they were even able to get them on the plane. He chastised airport security. That was when I realized that my children have always grown up with high airport security; that the only world they've known is one where the word terrorist is a part of their normal vocabulary and the possibility of being attacked in their own city is real.

I realize this and I hold my children a little closer to me.

Evidence

Finally, another milestone

When your children are young, there are lots of milestones that happen - first tooth, first word, first steps. Now that I have a teenager and a preteen, milestones are far and few. Other than receiving the Aaronic priesthood and hitting puberty, it's been a long time since anything happened that changes the way we live...until now.

Connor attended his first youth conference this past weekend in Montreal. There were about 180 youth from the Ottawa, Kingston, and Montreal stakes. By the end of this 3-day retreat, Connor was on cloud-nine with the amount of new friends he made. Facebook has been a wonderful tool for him to keep connected with them all.

But how did youth conference affect the rest of the family?

One of Connor's new friends is a girl.

Not only is she a girl, but she's a girl who may have a crush on Connor due to the number of times she calls him and writes on his Facebook wall each day even after Connor tells her he's interested in somebody else (that's another story). We've had to adjust to the number of times the phone rings in the house, limit how long Connor is on the phone, and start being stern when we tell him to get off the phone when it's time for dinner. Wait until this girl's parents receive the long distance phone bill!

That's not all though.

Connor's made other friends. These friends are older. These friends are female. These friends want Connor and a couple of the older young men in our ward to go hang out with them. Did I mention these friends live 2 hours away and I think one of the young men can drive?

Warning! This may not be true.

The increased testosterone flowing through Connor's body due to puberty has spawned many arguments lately that included threats to beat his brother up. This card that Aidan created for Connor's 14th birthday contains evidence of this but there's also a slight glimmer of hope that deep down inside they may love each other.

But then again, it may not be true.

14 and counting

Happy 14th anniversary, Sheldon.

Happy 14th birthday, Connor.

Connor's First All-Nighter

Connor experienced his first sleepover (minus the sleeping) this month. He had a hair appointment after I picked him up. He slept through most of it. Luckily there was no sleepy head-jerking; that would have given him an interesting hair cut.

Empathy Posters

A friend of mine (who is a much better photographer than I) made beautiful empathy posters of her daughter. The purpose of these posters is so children recognize facial expressions and relate them to what they're feeling. I know my boys may be too old for this type of exercise but they seem to be arguing a lot lately so I decided to do this as a family activity (aka Family Home Evening). My hope is that each of them will recognize each others' different moods better, therefore creating understanding and empathy.



Taking photos that don't all look the same proved difficult therefore their journey to becoming Canada's next top model ended here.