Merry Christmas
2015
I can’t believe it’s already time
to sit down and write another update on my kiddos. Every year seems to go faster and faster. While I was looking for a quote to sum up our
year, our life, etc. I immediately
thought about Russell Wilson and all the good he does on and OFF the
field. He’s an inspiring young man. I googled Russell Wilson quotes and this is
the first that popped up.
“I’m
not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth
it.” Russell Wilson.
How true is that? Nothing about life is easy. Wyatt’s diagnosis is a daily
consideration. Everywhere we go and
everything that we do has to be planned ahead.
We have to think about how long it takes, is the event outside, is it
too cold, is it too hot, does he have to walk far, all of that. But like Russell says, “…it’s gonna be worth
it”. Every memory we can make is
priceless. Life is too short, life is
hard, but life is AMAZING. Last year at
this time, our lives were very up in the air.
I remember thinking, “I can’t wait for 2015, stuff is bound to change
this year.” And change it did, we moved,
AGAIN! That seems to be the theme for us
in the last few years. We’ve been very
unsettled. But thankfully, we are settled now.
Our family has been busier than ever, and I know it won’t slow down
anytime soon.
Our Princess Leigha has left the
nest. We aren’t the typical family, and
Leigha is the leader of this crazy group.
Initially her moving out, was hardest on Leigha, believe it or not. The day she was officially leaving, she asked
if she could stay. I told her no. (I’m just a meanie I guess) She was so upset, convinced our lives would
move forward without her. She is such an
amazing big sister. She truly loves her
brothers. She moved to Bellingham,
transferring to Western Washington U.
She made it through her first quarter.
She has a couple roommates and enjoying some peace and quiet for a
change. She comes home frequently to get
a little bit of the “crazy” that is our house.
I think the peace and quiet she craved so much isn’t all that she
thought it would be. She grew up in a
house with 5 brothers, she comes home because she misses the noise. She won’t admit it though. She continues to enjoy concerts. She went to the Gorge during the summer and
met up with my cousin’s sons. It was
cool to see the next generation of our family hanging out. My papa would have been so happy to see them
together. You will also discover that
she is become a “CAT PERSON”. Every 3rd
Facebook post has a cat reference. Hahaha.
Anthony GRADUATED from High school
with a 3.78 GPA. Several years ago I was
told Anthony would never graduate (clearly that middle school educator had no
idea what he was talking about), so June was the happiest month of my entire
year. He was proud of his
accomplishments, but I don’t think he really understood just how huge it
was. Attending online public school
isn’t the easiest thing to do, but I will tell you what, he embraced it and
really prevailed. We are beyond proud of
how far he has come. He’s working part
time at his aunt’s bakery, helping around the house, and babysitting his little
brothers on a regular basis. He is
always willing to help with whenever I ask.
He is a huge Super Smash Brothers fan and loves to challenge Tom to a
“Brawl”. He really has become an amazing
adult. He also got braces this
year.
Travis, my sweet Travis, I got my
first gray hair last week because of Travis.
And not for the reasons you would think.
This kid of mine, NEVER, EVER, gets into any trouble. He’s so busy, he doesn’t have time to get
into trouble. But here’s the thing. Baseball and Basketball, some occasional
snowboarding, ok I can handle all that.
I can even deal with him getting pulled behind a car holding a rope
while in a computer rolling chair (okay maybe I freaked out about that
one). However, there is this thing
called High School wrestling. Aside from
fencing, this is probably a Mother’s worst nightmare, when it comes to
sports. Watching my sweet boy having his
faced squished into a mat, is not a happy place for a mom to be. It’s emotional and all you can imagine is a
broken neck. I know he wasn’t really
happy with getting smashed into the mat either, so in his last couple matches
he doesn’t let the neck squishing occur.
He just gets right in there and pins the guy, done and done. This is much easier for me to handle. Wow, I’ve watched plenty of wrestling, but
when it’s your baby, ugh. Travis is a
junior and doing AMAZING in school. He
also got his first part time job. He
worked at Carleton Farm during Halloween.
He did everything from security, to pricing pumpkins, to picking up
garbage, to playing a zombie in the Farms zombie paintball attraction. We are so proud of him, every single
day. PS. There’s the beautiful Miss
Madeline that has been keeping him busy too.
Brady has had a year of confusion,
frustration and GROWTH. He’s a very
complicated soul. I used to say that
about Anthony too, so hopefully, as he grows we can help him better deal with
his emotions. He’s creative,
imaginative, and always has something interesting to say. He likes to tell jokes and is extremely
witty. He’s a great son, who only wants
to please us. One new development is
this kid of ours is completely freaked out about all things MEDICAL. He can’t handle shots, blood, anything like
that. And not just for himself. The idea
of Wyatt going to the doctor pains Brady so much. He over analyses it and
worries excessively. I feel like he’s
such an empathic person. He cares about
what others think and he tries so hard not to disappoint. We are homeschooling him again (tried another
environment, that just wasn’t the right fit), he’s in 5th
grade. He has very negative feelings
about school, that’s hard for us. Tasks
that he is completely able to complete, upset him so much that it’s a huge
struggle. That being said, he’s doing
well in school. He is at grade level for
all subjects, but in Vocabulary and Spelling he tested at an 11th
grade level. He tries so hard, so one
day at a time. He told me recently that
he wants to be a Lego developer when he grows up. Sounds like a job that is right up his alley.
Wyatt, 7, really when did that
happen? He is by far the funniest little
human I know. He keeps me on my toes,
and the things he says should be published in a book. Haha.
Wyatt is a HUGE country music fan.
He knows so many songs and listening to his sweet little voice singing
country is priceless. He has a very special
nurse at children’s he calls “His Kate Crush”.
He adores her, we joke and ask if Kate is his girlfriend and he says,
“NO, that’s crazy, she’s married!” After
a long internal battle I enrolled Wyatt in public school. We learned over the course of the year that
Wyatt has some very significant educational delays and he needs intensive
educational therapies. We have also
learned that his memory for dates and events is crazy good. You can ask him about an event and he is a
walking calendar. He can tell you the date and time and everything else he did
that day. It’s almost eerie. He has
really discovered a love for watching professional football. He’s been a Seahawk fun always, but he’s
learned to appreciate other teams as well.
He watches football probably every day, and knows the rules and even
yells at umpires (I’ve trained him well, haha).
We celebrate his successes and just deal with the tough stuff. He’s not going to be a genius, but every day
he brings a smile to the face of everyone he encounters, so if that’s his contribution
and that’s what he’s remembered for, that’s a amazing gift. He’s a beautiful soul that taught me so much
about being a better mother.
My
darling Baby Carter. The gift I didn’t
think I would get. This child is an angel
on Earth. He healed my heart when it was
broken. He loves us unconditionally and
always has to hug and kiss me when I leave the house. His love is infectious. He played Rockets soccer and went to
Preschool. On the very last soccer game,
with about 1 minute left he scored his first and only goal. All the other kids had made several goals,
but for whatever reason, Carter didn’t get a chance. So when he finally scored every parent, the
coaches, and every kid cheered so loud.
He was thrilled. He ran over to
me and said, “See mommy I told you I would get a goal, so now I get a trophy
right?” He cracks me up. He’s so creative and man can this 4 year old
color. His pictures are incredible. He cares about everyone, except this minute
as I type this he is calling Brady a butt-face…. hehehe. Boys, right?
He should be reading very soon. He loves to learn and thankfully it
comes very easy to him. The older he
gets the more and more like Travis he becomes.
When they are older I can see these two getting into some trouble
together. Carter is a little mini Travis
and wants to be EXACTLY like him. Great
role model for Carter to have if you ask me.
He’s the littlest of the litter, but by far the mightiest. Nothing will slow this kid down or stop him. He’s my little monkey, and I am so lucky to
be his Mommy.
Bless
you my friends. Happy Holidays and we
truly hope that 2016 be the best yet.
Love
The Staffenhagen
Family:
Leigha
21, Anthony 19, Travis 16, Brady 10, Wyatt 7 and Baby Carter 4
