Asher Begins Band!

Asher's Band season has begun! They band played for Open House at Hart & played at their first football game! Asher is loving band & working so hard at it! It's been really fun to watch him perform! Right now they're still working on their competition show & I'm excited to see it too. GO, Ash!

 

Ethan Goes To College

Well, it finally happened. Ethan left for college. The night before he left, we had a family dinner at home and Ethan read Macie a bedtime story. The kids all said goodbye the next morning before leaving for school and then we packed up the car. As we were leaving, Fred played the song, "Time of Your Life" by Green Day which made us all cry. 

Since Fred had his hernia surgery a few days prior, I did the driving & most of the moving & lifting with Ethan. Fred booked a hotel so we didn't have to rush & also to stay for the new students introduction ceremony that was happening the next day. We moved Ethan in, ran to Walmart to buy things we still needed or forgot (along with lots of other parents & students) & then went to dinner. Ethan then went to the new student carnival while Fred & I went back to the hotel. The next day we met Ethan at the school & went to the ceremony. I put a pin on Ethan & he put a pin on me, the president of the University spoke, professors spoke & then we took pictures. It was very ceremonial & we were officially labeled "SDSU Parents & Students."

Then the time finally came. Time to say goodbye. The part I didn't want to have happen. I held it together for a few moments while I hugged Ethan & then the tears came for all of us. But I could tell Ethan was more excited than anything. We told him we loved him & were so proud of him.

Then was the long drive home. Fred was a trooper despite having had surgery a few days prior. But as we talked and drove home, we both just cried as we reminisced & let our feelings sink of this monumental occasion. It's such a weird feeling because it feels right dropping him off but at the same time, it felt so weird to actually be at this point in our lives. The sweetest thing was when we stopped for gas, there was a giant rainbow in the sky & it was just what we needed so we stopped to take a picture.

The home is a little less quiet with less music being played. We miss him but know this experience will be so amazing for him. We can't wait to see where life will take him!

 

Fred's Hernia Surgery

 A while back, we discovered Fred had a hernia. He called it his Sclorch. From the time he was told he had one until the time he got it fixed, he would wear a hernia belt to keep it in. He called it his Sclorch Belt. I called it his Hern Panties. We're so cool.

This was Fred's first ever surgery & first time going under anesthesia. We were nervous but knew everything would be fine. We got his life insurance in place beforehand just to be sure. LOL! I dropped him off at the hospital & his surgery ended up getting pushed back hours & hours. The surgery itself was a few hours. I had to go to a Band Meeting for Asher to thankfully Ethan was able to pick him up when he was done.

He had a few days of resting & then it was slowly getting back on his feet & back to normal. The doctor said he healed quicker than most which was great. He's so happy it's fixed. He doesn't know how it happened but probably something that slowly happened over time. Most men get them at least once in their lives. So now Fred's officially a pro at having surgery. Goodbye Sclorch/Hern! You will not be missed!

Caleb's 17th Birthday

Caleb had school (only his 3rd day!) on his birthday. It was a normal day for him. For dinner he wanted IKEA meatballs, jam & mashed potatoes so I took a trip down to IKEA while he was at school to get the supplies. After dinner, we had Dad's parents, my parents & Travis over for cake & ice cream. His birthday gift from us was tickets to an AFI concert in November. 

A few days later on Saturday, Caleb had a party at the clubhouse with friends. They went swimming, ate pizza, cupcakes, fruit & then hung out at the house after & watched a scary movie.

Here's a recap of Caleb at 17 years old:

-He loves music. His favorite bands are AFI & Avenged Sevenfold.

-He loves filming with friends & acting in their movies.

-He loves scary movies & all things Halloween.

-His best friend is Ethan but some of his buddies are Ryder, Bretton, Chase, Jude & Ben.

-He loves to drive, especially to Amoeba in Hollywood.

-He's currently collecting CD's & Vinyls.

-He still works at Old Navy & loves having his own money.

-He loves buying clothes & is super into fashion.

-His favorite video game is Terreria.

-He loves going & doing. Always wanting to go do something. Eat out. See something. Go somewhere.

-Caleb is a talker. He will talk your ear off if you let him. He always has something to say.

-Caleb loves to cuddle with Macie and/or Mom. He has always been our cuddly boy & gives such good hugs.

We sure do love our Siffy Lou. Our KB. Our Siffalopagus. Our Woo. Our Siffy Woo Lou. 

Happy Birthday to our favorite 2nd son!!

 

Macie Starts 4th Grade!

Macie had her first day of school! Her teacher is Ms. Smith & all her friends are in her class. She's so excited. We met her teacher the day before school started. She's very cute and young, full of energy & seems fun. Macie's excited to finally have her bestest friend Beatrice in her class. They've never been in a class together before! This year she starts orchestra & she chose cello! It's going to be a big year! Fred & I walked her in together & said our goodbye's & off she went!