Remember me?
I think this is the longest I have ever gone without posting. Clearly I have lost interest in my blahg after all of these years.
Anyway, quick updates on everyone...
We took a vacation to Hawaii in August and it was wonderful! We went to Oahu for a couple of days because I wanted to boys to see Pearl Harbor (and I wanted to see it as well). Jax and Dex went parasailing and Cars and I SUP'd all though it was really, really hard to stand up on the ocean so I did it from my knees. Then we flew to Maui and stayed at a posh resort and did a lot of very fun things like seeing the sunrise over Haleakala then rode mountain bikes down the mountain. That was so fun! Stephen took Dex and Jax zip-lining the next day while Cars and I rested by the pool. Lots of boogie boarding and body surfing. It was a really good time.
A couple of days after returning home, I flew to Toronto to help my brother, Wally, clear out my mom's assisted living apartment and go through some of her things. I spent a lot of time with my mom and she was acting strange but a bit better because she was put on an anti-psychotic medication. She was sure everyone at the nursing home was trying to steal her "essence" and trying to poison her. Now, 4 months later, she is much more with it, less suspicious. She is at home there although it is still really sad to me that she had to move into a nursing home. I cried so much on Christmas when I talked to her because she awoke and was just waiting around until Wally came in the early afternoon to take her to her sister's house. My poor mom.
Jax is a senior this school year and spent a lot of time and effort applying to college. He has so far been accepted to a few universities and no rejections so far. He has received scholarship offers ranging from $2k-$9800/year which is awesome (although that $9800 is for a private university and still pricey). He is spending a lot of time with friends playing music and making videos. I am so proud of him!
Dex did cross country this fall at school and really improved his running skills and made some great friends. At the end of season banquet when he received his letter for participation, he also received a "Student Scholar" award for maintaining a minimum 3.5 GPA throughout the sport season and he also won the "Most Spirited" award. He is a good kid and very kind and considerate to others (except for to Cars, who drives him nuts!).
Cars made a rep team for hockey this year and is doing well, Not sure if it is just that he is more interested in hockey this year or just more playing time, but his skills have greatly improved and he is probably the 3rd highest scorer on the team. He is also the tallest! This kid is going to be a giant. We had to buy him new shoes in August, October and December because he kept outgrowing his shoes! He got a new hockey stick at the beginning of the season (September) and a new one for Christmas because that on is already too small. He is taller than I am and I won't be surprised if he ends up 6'3" or taller. He is struggling a bit with school but is doing so much better than last year. Moving into middle school was a challenge for him (academically and socially - he was in the middle of all of the drama!) but this year he is hanging out with new friends and spends a lot of time biking and and making customized Lego Minifigs.
DH and I had a really rough patch. Things had been tense between us for a while then a big fight (on our anniversary) led me to think that we might not make it. We did not talk much for a few weeks but have worked a few things out. I know much of the stress for both of us have been over our aging and ailing parents (my mom and also my MIL who has been going through chemo again since her cancer is back). I still think we need to go to counseling but he is reluctant. Life is busy and it is so easy to not find the time to do that. Hoping to bring it up again in the new year.
So, that is my update. I cannot promise I will blahg more but I am not ready to completely stop. For now.
