First Football Game

Jonathan marches in his first football game tonight!

I am nervous and excited.

His school is brand spanking new.  It is only 9th through 11th grades.  No seniors!  These are kids that have just started working together. So, they might be a little rough.

We can't wait to go and root for the new IHS Knights football team.  And, we really can't wait to go cheer for their band!

Armour Up!

(I don't even know what that means, but it is on my cute little t-shirt that I am wearing for tonight!)

I Want Another One

Let me tell you, I still use my paper calendar.  I can't help it.  I have my work meetings and appointments on my Outlook calendar.  However, personally, I need a good old fashion calendar.  I need to see it all laid out before me.  So, how sad has it been to look at Gracie's birthday all week.  All week, there has been a reminder that she should have been 17 on Monday.

She was crazy and annoying, but I loved her and I still miss her.  I haven't done anything with her ashes yet. They are hidden deep in the bottom of my dresser drawer.  Weird. I know.  At one point, I thought we've waited so long, we should just do it on her birthday.  Now, I guess we could just go ahead and do something with them on the one year anniversary of her death.  Which basically means I am procrasinating and there will always be a box of ashes in my dresser drawer.

I have decided that I am ready for another dog.  Not sure how I am ready for another dog if I'm not ready to take care of Gracie's ashes.  So, I said that I was never going to get another Shih tzu (I love them, but the grooming on two Shih tzus was killing me).  Then, I said that if I ever got another Shih tzu that I would never get another black and white Shih tzu. I now have dreams of cute little bug-eyed black and white Shih tzu.  I would probably rescue a dog rather than buying.  So, a black and white Shih tzu might not be in the cards, but it sure would be nice to have another Gracie-like dog hopping around our house again.

Frazzled Mom

This little sign that I hand wrote "Count Down to Jonathan's Freshman's Year!" stayed on my mantle for an entire week.  Not once did I notice that I had written "Freshman's Year."  Good grief.  I think I was just trying to survive the week before school!

Fortenberry Four Fish Camp

This last week has been about preparing Jonathan for his Freshman year!  We had our own Fish Camp at our house.  It was mostly about having fun as a family and gearing up for the big day.

We always introduce a new theme and usually forget all about it about a month into the school year.  This year, I printed it off and framed it, so hopefully we can keep it top of mind!  Last night, we said that our 2014-2015 theme is going to be "Pure Christlike love flowing from righteousness can change the world" by Jeffrey R. Holland.  We talked about what this meant to us and how we can apply this theme to our daily lives.

I left prizes on the mantle for Jonathan each morning.  Sometimes there was a bonus prize for Jessie, too.  The prizes were all kinds of things like a new watch, new water bottle, candy and a gift card.  Just little stuff to get Jonathan excited about being a Freshman.  Jonathan's favorite prize?  Jolly Rancher popsicles.  Yuck!

Saturday, we had to run a few last minute errands and stopped for some wings.  I have to admit that I think wings are disgusting.  Jonathan likes the wings without the bone, but here he is tackling some wings with the bone in.   He looks a little possessed and scary!  We had a nice fun and relaxed afternoon before the crazy school year starts.

Then, on Sunday, we all took care of our ALS ice buck challenges.  It was cold to say the least, but we did it!  So glad we can mark that project as done, plus it was super fun to do it as a family!  We also made treats for all of our Independence High School fellow freshmen.  Jonathan and I went around town delivering treats to all of our friends.  So much fun!

When it was all said and done Jonathan was relaxed and ready to begin his High School career.  Too bad Mom wasn't ready.

Happy Graduation - Someone Get the Garstka Girls a Pool

 Ally and Madison loved the pool so much that we almost couldn't get them out.  Kelly and Tony were hungry.  I didn't really stop to eat.  However, if I had stopped to eat, I'm sure that the bird/rabbit food would have been amazing.  (As stated in an earlier post, Fred wanted Chick-fil-a.) However, our finger food left them starving and they were ready to go to dinner.  I was trying to shoo these precious girls out of the pool and they could not stop diving, flipping and swimming.  

While I was trying to clean up, they would yell out to me to watch.  Not only was I supposed to watch, but Madison wanted me to sit very still and watch.  She told me that she would KNOW if I wasn't watching.  Is this girl kin to Angela Garstka, or what?

Ally and Madison have to be the two most photogenic girls in the world.  They are even photogenic while they are in the water.  I am so jealous!  

We just can't get enough of these two. 

Class of 2018

Ready or not, here he comes Independence High School!  

Jonathan is ready to be an Independence Knight.

Our precious Freshman is all "growed" up and ready to conquer 9th grade.  That is, after he had his chocolate milk and chocolate chip muffins for breakfast while watching SpongeBob SquarePants.

He was a brave man heading in the doors on the first morning.  Mom was a weepy mess.  I wasn't prepared to be so sad and scared for my baby boy.

Right after school on his first day, he will hit the field for band practice.  Tomorrow afternoon, we learn about the bus!  Then, the anxiety will really hit Mom!

How and when did our little man grow up?

Happy Graduation - The Main Attraction

I was so busy that I didn't get to hold her the entire time, but the main attraction of the entire afternoon was Baby Isabella.  Don't be sad for me.  Every time I see Isabella I've squeezed, hugged and held her.  So, I've probably more than made up for not holding her this one day.

There were so many picture so of Isabella that she got her own post.

Earl, Stacey and Isabella

Leave it to Dave to wear the baby's clothes!

Pretty girls

 Isabella's first time in the water - it lasted only a second

 Her first time in the water was not pleasant

 Sweet, sweet baby

 Hanging with Aunt Angel

 Fun times with the Millers

 Surprise, surprise... Aunt Angel has her again!

 Sweet thing looks just like her Daddy

It is so exciting to have a baby again.  We all just love her and can't get enough of her.

Happy Graduation - New Friends

We are so thankful for the old friends in our lives.  The ones that we've known forever.  The ones that know way too much about us, and we know way too much about them.  The ones that have loved our kids from the minute they were born.  We are thankful for the new friends in our lives, too.  New friends like the Palmer family that just so sweetly offered up their home to us so we could use it for Jessie's graduation party.  They accept us just the way we are... even if we do serve cheese, crackers and fruit at our party.  To that, I say blame Jessie!

They are cute and fun!  What more could you ask for?  My kids think they are pretty fun, too.  They seem to feel the same way about them that they feel about our Garstka/DiSpigno/Miller friends, which is the highest compliment ever.  It means that they love and adore them!  And, so do Fred and I.

You haven't been loved until you've been loved by Jonathan... your ears will hurt forever!  He loves you by talking to you... a lot!  And, they totally accept it and roll with it.  (You can go here to read more about Jonathan.)

To the Palmer family, we say thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

Happy Graduation - We are Framily

Just say cheese!  Debi made sure Jessie had special pictures with everyone.  I love that about her.  I used to be good about pictures and I've gotten really, really bad. We have great pictures (if you don't count the fact that we all have pool hair) of Jess with our amazing friends and family.  We wouldn't trade the people in these pictures for anything in the world!

The Fortenberry Four

 Ally, Jessie and Laura

 Jaiden and Myself

 MaMaw and Grady

 Jessie with Susan and Earl

 Fred and I

(Madison had just splashed us when Debi took the picture)

 Jessie and Kaitlin

 Jessie and her Aunt KiKi

 Jessie with MaMaw and Grady

 Jessie with Kylie, Kaitlin and Aunt KiKi

(we missed Uncle Glen, Lauren and Chris)

 Jaiden, Emma and Jessie

 Angela, Jaiden, Emma and Jessie

 Susan, Jessie and Earl

 Jessie, Baby Isabella, Abie and Stacey

Ally, Aunt Angel, Jessie, Uncle Dave and Madison

(this picture turned out so sweet)

Uncle John, Aunt Debi, Jessie and Laura

(Our amazing photographer!  And, we missed Katy so much!!)

Kelly, Jessie and Tony

(They were so amazing to offer up their house and pool for the day)

Happy Graduation - Feeling the Love

We hadn't planned for Jess to open gifts at her party.  I was afraid it would take up too much time and space.  However, it sort of just happened.  She received some very sweet gifts from people that care so much about her.

The gift "counter"

 The Garstka's and Miller's gave Jess a James Avery bracelet.  Since she was the only girl in her senior class, she didn't really know anything about James Avery.  She knows now and she loves her bracelet!

The DiSpigno's gave her a "J" charm to add to her bracelet. 

 MaMaw gave her a crazy purse that she made.  The inside is a fabric that has "hunky" shirtless men.  It is the craziest thing I've ever seen.

The Moffitt's gave her a sweet card and there were sentiments that I don't understand.  It had something to do with bananas and parties and Doctor Who.  Jess loved it and understood it and it went completely over my head!

Kindle Fire HD for Jessie 

 Dr. Seuss book from The Cornelius' family.  It had a very sweet hand written note.

Jess giving Grammy Susan a hug while it looks like Angela is torturing Isabella (babies love Aunt Angel, because she doesn't treat them like they are going to break)

MaMaw and Grady gave Jessie this huge TARDIS!  She would never give Lainey something this big.  I don't know why she insists on giving Jessie really big gifts.  I think she likes to drive me crazy.

Jess was so touched by the love she felt and by all the gifts and $$$ that she was given for her graduation.