A Hodgepodge of Information

So my son had a band competition this weekend and may I just say he looked so handsome and they performed so well. I am totally not a band person. I don't know what most of the instruments are and never thought my kids would be music people at all. But I know when something sounds good and they sounded good. Brady is playing percussion (think snare drum) and he is totally loving it. He is much happier with that than he ever was playing trombone. He has become very serious about it and his maturity level since turning 16 and starting to drive has really impressed me. Now Ashton on the other hand............

I have the unique privilege and challenge of parenting teenagers and a toddler. Let me just say, the toddler years are a breeze in comparison. I know that people who have little kids think that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The sleepless nights, potty training, temper tantrums, etc. Those are just ripples in the pond compared to parenting teens. Oh my the drama and the challenges and the frustrations and the fear that goes along with it. I see it all around me with my friends and their kids and the various challenges that we are all facing. Suffice it to say, each stage in a child's life has its challenges, but the teen years are certainly the hardest, at least for us. I noticed that I have used the word challenge several times in this post already..........

Emma had gotten her first cold from preschool. I choose cold over head lice, so it's really not a problem. She just has a runny nose and has been a little grumpy. Ever the unselfish child, she has passed it along to me. I have the classic sore throat, cough, yuck thing going on as well. Ashton has the whole irritated eye thing going on and missed school today for any eye apt. I don't like for my kids to miss school and we certainly don't make a habit of it, but I was concerned about his eyes and I think he was in need of a few hours with mom. Granted, that was spent in the car and at the grocery store, but at least we were together.

So our week consists of gymnastics tonight, school, preschool, homecoming parades and games, another band competition on Saturday, work, attempting to clean this messy house, and the constant attempt to keep our heads above water. Life, a funny thing isn't it?