Avett Cruz: 3 Months

I can say, without any uncertainty, that Avett has taught me that there is still a hell of a lot that I don't know!  As my fourth kid, and my fourth boy at that, how can I still be so clueless?  Oh, the lessons I have learned from an incredible little man that has only been in this world 12 short weeks!

I'm kind of a planner. I like to feel like I am in control. Things seems to run smoother when they go as planned......until Avett taught me otherwise.  I have never in my life felt my world spiraling out of control more than when he decided to make his entrance 5 weeks early - during the middle of my basketball season and right in time for Christmas! Without having his room finished or bag packed, I reluctantly headed off to the hospital as we scrambled to line everything up for his big brothers.   And after a VERY long night for Ryan, my mom, Alli, and myself, we finally got to see the little man that instantly stole our hearts! He was perfect and the minute his big blue eyes met mine, I was glad that he deterred all of my plans. 

Ryan and I felt like new parents in the NICU, we were clueless.  We were being taught how to feed him, change him, and how to handle all those wires and beepers.  I couldn't plan anything with him.  I had to just sit back and let things happen when they were meant to.  I couldn't make him come home on my schedule, it was all up to him.  And once I finally came to terms with that, he was on his way home.  Another lesson learned......many more to come :)

So, Mr. Avett Cruz, thank you for teaching me that sometimes the very best things happen when things don't go according to plans.  And thank you for giving me 5 more weeks with you because forever just doesn't seem like enough time to spend loving you....

A Day in Auburn

I should know better by now.  I really should.  I always think that it is a great idea to take them to some event at The Palace.  This time it happened to be Toy Story 3 on Ice.  It's always nice to make a day (or more) of it and spend some quality time with Aunt Kim, Uncle Steve, and their cousins. 

As soon as they know they are going to Aunt Kim's, they can hardly contain themselves!  It started in the morning with Ryder declaring that when we drop Avett off, he wants to go in as well.  Luckily, we had some spare time before the show started so Ryder bounded into their house like he owned the place and immediately found his cousins.  Brecken and Vance weren't too far behind!

During the intermission of Toy Story 3, Ryder asked if we could please leave and go back to Aunt Kim's.  We made them stick it out the entire show, but we won't make that mistake again.  Next time, I will just plan a day doing what they really want to do and just hang out with the Miller family :)  And next time, I will take pictures of them doing what they really wanted to be doing all along - playing with their cousins, Aunt Kim, and Uncle Steve!

The Highs and Lows of Coaching

There is nothing like coaching. For anyone who has ever coached, you don't need me to tell you that.  For anyone who hasn't, I can't begin to explain the highs and lows of it.  It was a much easier job before I had a career and family.  It is a pretty time-consuming addiction....and I call it an addiction because it really is.  Once you start, its hard to stop.  How can you when you get to meet such incredible people, and they really are incredible!  This group of seniors has definitely left their mark, on me especially.

I started coaching long before I had kids, before I was even married.  These girls were a part of my earlier career.  It seems so long ago and yet also just like yesterday.  Most of them were in 5th grade, playing up a grade level or two, which for anyone who knows these girls, it comes as no surprise.  I can't recall the games that we played way back then, with the exception of one.  This team beat us quite easily.  They were taller, faster, and older than us.  They beat us by 20 to 30 points or more.  The coach came up to me and said he was excited to play us again because he wanted to see how his girls would compete against a scrappy team.  He said it never mattered how much we were losing by, we never gave up and he didn't know how well his team would handle that.  And that stuck with me as I watched them play season after season, year after year, watching them grow before my eyes, but not realizing it until it was all over.

There are always kids you just connect with, some are just easier to get along with then others, and this was definitely one of those groups.  You couldn't help but love them! Season after season, they just kept growing on you! I'm so proud of each of them and while I always have a hard time with change and good-byes, I'm excited to see them move on to the next phase of their lives and to see all that they accomplish.  I'm confident that whatever they decide to do, it will be done wholeheartedly and with passion.  And I get to say that I was lucky enough to be along for part of the ride....

Kids in My Bed? Yes, please......

Here is how our Saturday started (which isn't unlike most of our mornings)....

It doesn't matter if I wake up to this a million more times, it never gets old, and it always makes my day start a little brighter.  I love that the first words out of Vance's mouth after he has crawled out of his "castle" of pillow pets and sleeping bags is always "Hi Mom", and that I have absolutely no room to move because any open space has been completely consumed by Ryder.  I love that Brecken is stuck to Ryan like glue and will stare at him, inches away from his face, waiting very impatiently for him to open his eyes.  And now Avett gets added to all of this!  He is never too far away from me, sleeping in his co-sleeper, but every weekend morning, when we aren't so rushed to go tackle the day and can lay in bed, he always joins us and stares wide-eyed at his brothers.  What a life I have been blessed with!

So, it doesn't matter how many times I hear the comments about me letting my kids sleep in bed with me, or how crazy we are (we hear this quite a bit!), I couldn't love our sleeping arrangements more! As my 5 1/2 year old stretches his long, skinny legs over mine, I try to keep in mind that one day I am going to wish I could go back to these days.  There is nothing I look forward to more than laying in bed with my boys as they tell me about their day, or we go through our calendar of events for tomorrow.  But the best, absolute best thing ever, is when I ask Ryder why he wants to sleep in my bed so much and he responds with "Because I love you mom!".  Well, ok then, I guess you can stay just one more night.......