Six

Somehow, almost as if I blinked, my little boy turned six.  Each year on October 26, I think back to that momentous and life-defining experience of becoming a mother.  It was not an easy road getting him here, and certainly there have been challenges since, but being Nolan's mom has been so amazing.  I am so proud of him.  Nolan has grown and matured in many ways this year.  He is so deeply loving and empathetic.  He notices when people need some loving and is happy to oblige.  Obviously, he is brilliant and curious and asks 102937475492103345920191 questions a day, leaving me both bewildered and exhausted trying to come up with the answers.  He has the best laugh and loves to be silly.  He thinks farts and poop are the most hilarious things and loves Pokémon as much as life itself.  He still struggles with anxiety from time to time.  Change is hard for him and he worries about new and different things.  Sometimes it is hard to help him manage this particular challenge, but we try hard to teach him coping skills to help him "beat the fears" and more often that not, he is successful.  I have no doubt that this great sensitivity of his will be another superpower for him as he grows up.

I was lucky enough to get to spend his actual birthday with him as a chaperone on his class field trip to CAVOC.  We learned about the weather from our local meteorologist, learned about pumpkins from the owner of a greenhouse, took a hike, and played games.  It was fun to see him interact with his classmates.  He is a good friend and a good student.  We also had a few smaller celebrations with some family members - at Grandpa Jim and Grandma Marcia's house the week before and a birthday brunch with his other grandmas and grandpas and Uncle Tom on Sunday.  I think he felt very loved.

Nolan, we love you so much and couldn't be happier to be your parents.  Happy 6th Birthday, sweet boy!

Week 42: Dress Up

This year, we decided to do the Rhinelander Downtown Trick or Treat event with a few friends for Nolan's birthday celebration.  The Lindners and the Wilsons joined us for some great trick or treating and some snacks and Pikachu cake afterward at our house.  Nolan went as Pokémon trainer, Ash Ketchum and Olivia went as "Cin-brella."  It was the perfect low-stress, high-fun party!

Wedding Weekend

Last Friday we made a trip down to Eau Claire for my cousin, Jared's wedding to Stephanie.  The kids were really excited because they were going to have the opportunity to play with some of their cousins.  My cousins, Nicole and Rachel, happen to have kids that are the same ages and they love family holidays when they get the chance to play together.  Unfortunately, right around lunchtime, Nolan started acting off.  He was really grumpy, anxious, and wouldn't eat.  We figured he was overtired and got through the ceremony without incident.  We made it to the reception (at Florian Gardens - only a few minutes from Mom and Dad's house) and the kids were wide-eyed and excited about their first ever kiddie cocktails, the candy bar, and the placecards that said their actual names!  They were having a blast.  But by dinnertime, Nolan started fading fast.  He didn't eat a single bite of food (chicken tenders and French fries, even!) and started shivering.  He said his throat really hurt.  He curled up in a blanket on Grandma's lap and was asleep by 6:15.  We decided that Eric would take him home and that I would stay with Livi since she was so excited to "put on her dancing shoes" and dance with her cousin, Kate.  And dance she did!  Even with a random bridesmaid she had never met!  She said her favorite song was the one from Trolls.  It was fun to see her have such a great time - she danced non-stop until about 9pm  when she curled up on my lap and said she was tired and ready for bed.

The next morning, Nolan was in rough shape.  We took him to Urgent Care and they diagnosed him with strep throat.  Man, this school year has been brutal with us getting sick!  Fortunately after 24 hours of antibiotics, our spunky Nolan was feeling like himself again.  It was a slightly more eventful weekend than what we bargained for, but the wedding was beautiful and it was great to see Livi have such a great time.  Congrats, Jared and Steph!

Tentacles

Nolan: "Mom, my tentacles hurt. I bumped them."

Me: "What???"

Nolan: "My tentacles hurt."

Me: "Nolan, I have no idea....oh. Do you mean your testicles?"

Nolan: "Yes, my tentacles."

Week 41: Miracles

It's been about one year since Grandma Edie's diagnosis of Stage 3 pancreatic cancer.  It has been a challenging year for her, facing both chemotherapy and radiation and the side effects that come with those nasty, but life-giving, treatments.  She has been doing well for the last several months and went for her PET scan to ensure the tumor is cooperating and she is responding to the treatments.  We were all shocked when her doctors found no trace of her cancer!!!! She is in remission!!! Her uncurable Stage 3 cancer has been cured!  Even if this is temporary, it is a miracle.  The doctors gave her months to live and with hope, faith, and a healthy dose of good luck, she is a miracle.  We are so unbelievably grateful!

Week 40: Homemade

Yesterday we celebrated the 21st annual Crustfest - the gathering the Schult sisters have each fall to celebrate family and dessert.  Over the years, we've added soups to the menu, but the original sisters still only have eyes for pie - the thicker the crust the better.  This year's offerings included: Apple, Pumpkin, Door County Cherry, Pecan Bourbon Peach, Sweet Buttermilk, Maple Brown Sugar Custard, Rhubarb, and Chocolate Fudge.  There were also special flavored whipped creams to top off the decadent desserts.  Of course, my favorite was the chocolate fudge, topped with chocolate chip whipped cream....YUM!

Team Booker

This fall has been an exciting time for our family in the horse department.  After over a decade with the same two horses, Mom decided we needed a change and purchased "I Wrote the Book," a beautiful, quiet APHA show gelding with a ton of points in a pile of events for our family to use and love.  She's had him for about a month and has had a blast getting to know him and ride him.  She's kept him at Amy Hayden's heated barn, so when Amy asked if she wanted to stall with the group at a show in Winona, Mom thought it might be fun for Annalyse and I to come, too.  

I haven't shown a horse in eight years.  I have only ridden one or two times in 2018.  I have never met this horse, my body is out of shape, and I am pregnant.  My old pre-baby body show clothes no longer fit.  I had a lot of reasons to say no, but decided it would be fun to take a gamble and relive my horse show glory days for a weekend.  I checked out FaceBook, eBay, and Goodwill and was able to create three different show outfits for less than $100.  Eric volunteered to watch the kids for the weekend, so as soon as I got Nolan to school Friday morning, I was on the road to Eau Claire.  

Overnight shows are so much work - and they require SO much packing.  Our trailer and truck were absolutely stuffed with all the things we needed for the weekend.  But before too long, we were on our way to pick up Booker from Amy's barn, and then on to Winona.  We spent the rest of Friday riding Booker and getting him ready for Saturday's classes.  

We placed in many of Saturday's classes and I was so proud of myself for tackling all the pattern classes, after not doing those since I had Hubie back in high school!  By Sunday, we placed in every one of our classes and missed winning our Showmanship class by only one point!  I was really proud of myself and excited that even after this many years away, and a few kids later, I could still be competitive.  It was so fun to have this opportunity with sweet Booker, and I can't wait until the next time to take him for a spin!

Week 39: Pumpkins