tosabarbell

As parents, the ONE thing we want to do on our children’s birthdays is to give them a special day. From sun up to sun down, it’s their special day.If they’re twins, they have to share…usually. My Z’s had a set of twins in their class where one was born before midnight, and the other after. Lucky ducks. Although then Mom had to have two consecutive special days so it may be easier to just get’r done.

Anyways.

The Hawaiian tradition is to give a ginormous party on their child’s first birthday. Luau!! Zac and Zandra’s first birthday was a little more subdued but no less festive. A Mickey and Minnie mouse cake, lots of laughter and love and celebrating how special they were. A mother could ask for no less for her children’s birthday’s.

Through the years, there have been many celebrations. New hockey sticks; bikes; a longboard; goalie pads (we could have bought her a car for the amount of money spent on goalie equipment. A nice car!) Many cakes, many celebrations. Much love and laughter celebrating the Z’s special day. Memories flood a mothers heart on days like this and make us so thankful.

But there’s another feeling that keeps crowding in and that’s melancholy. See, it’s easy to celebrate birthdays when children are still young. Some birthday breakfast bacon and a donut; a fun school lunch and bowling party; about a million birthday hugs; balloons; cakes; prizes and finally an exhausted good night hug. Easy.

Things get trickier as kids get older. School sports; school; logistics; jobs (Zandra is very offended that she has to work on her birthday, she has already stated that for the record. Adulting can be a birthday buzzkill.) Also, it could be that your birthday boy is in a tough place and the thought no one is with him to make him feel special, especially on is special day, breaks a mother’s heart. No one there for birthday wake up hugs, no one to take him to birthday lunch or dinner, no  one to make him his birthday bacon. Just another day of survival. It grips my heart and sometimes squeezes tight enough that I have to just breath and step away from it for a minute.

While I am so overjoyed to be able to spoil the birthday girl in spite of unsympathetic bosses and in two days jet she and her BFFandever off to paradise, a huge chunk of my heart is so sad for my boy. Yes, in so many ways he is making his life so hard but that’s not the point of today. Today is his special day and Mom’s not there. All I can do is send the love into the wind, “You are special. You are loved. This is not your destiny. Keep fighting. Never stop fighting. Each day holds a chance to be in a better situation. Seize it! You are loved” and hope the words find his heart.

And I am thankful. Thankful for my “second daughter” who is coming to Hawaii with us who went and picked up a birthday card and birthday cupcakes and brought them over to his place. So he knows. He IS special and this IS his special day. And for that, I am so thankful. Mayce, you da man.

Silence is Golden…unless you have kids. Then silence is just suspicious.

True Story

It is not uncommon to walk outside when Oz is shoveling (or shoveling dog poo) and hear this music. He loves the majestic sounds of Russian orchestra and men’s choirs. And this isn’t new. He’s been playing it for at least five years or so. Sure, the first time I heard it coming from his room, I had to ask, ‘WTF is that dude?’ Ever get looked at by a 10 year old with a look of complete bafflement as to why you don’t understand that they love Russian choir music? Ya, that.

16 hour road trip to Michigan with Oz’s fart noises. Cuz…sure.

Oz has been entertaining us now for 15 years…officially 15 years today. When he came home from the hospital, we went right into “need to throw your twin brother and sister a golden birthday party” mode and he contributed by sleeping right through it (big babies like to sleep. Yeah Oz.) He cried for two nights until I finally put him on my chest to sleep, propped up by about 80 pillows so I wouldn’t roll on him and he’d sleep between each feeding. I remember my sister asking once when he was over a  year old if he were sleeping through the night yet and I’m all, ‘uhhhhhh ya, he’s been doing that since about month one.’ I didn’t mean to be a dick, it just didn’t occur to me that I should be sleep deprived like I was with two preemie twinsers that I was raising on my own.

There are fewer things in life Oz enjoys more than spending time with his brother and sister. See, ever since he was born, he was the Oz Man. Our dear friend Paula gave him his nickname when he was about 45 minutes old and as good nicknames will do, it stuck. Oz loves his Sissy and Zac. His spring break week has been filled with Oz and Sissy time and he’s loved it. He misses his brother but hopefully they’ll be getting together for birthday fun this week.

Multi-tasking

Oz has always marched to the beat of his own drum. Sometimes that’s gotten him ‘WTF’ looks, I’m sure he’ll receive more in life. For the most part, he doesn’t care. Or he doesn’t care enough to go ahead and conform to the norm. Good boy. Unfortunately, his wearing of the BDU’s has come to an end. He’s too big. He’s moved on to Duluth Trading company and luckily there’s one right down the street from his house in Minnesota. He bought himself a Levi’s jacket at Kohl’s the other day and I have to say, it’s pretty stylin’. There are few things you’ll talk him into if he has his mind set to something else (NO idea where he get’s that! It’s so ANNOYING!) Lucky for us, his choices are still on the good side and he’s only had the cops called on him when he’s looking for treasure in the woods behind his Dad’s house (multiple times. Ya, I know it looks like an adult is wandering through the woods. But he’s a kid. Just like the cops have told you three times now.) The first time the cops showed up with guns drawn through his Dad’s back yard. Luckily by then Oz was downstairs playing video games.

Oz has always been a deep thinker. Years ago in Texas he was very pensive as we were driving home from running errands and I asked him what was up. He replied that he just didn’t know if, when he grows up, he should smoke a pipe or cigars. I told him that those things will figure themselves out and not to stress about it. He visibly looked relieved. (By the way now that he see’s that his favorite thrower, Ross Bunchek, is a pipe smoker I do believe that issue has been decided.) Heh.

Not surprisingly, I’m not going to whine about my “baby” growing up too fast. A) He’s not a baby, hasn’t been from about 7 months or so. (Carrying him in the car seat gave me carpal tunnel for a couple of years. I’ve never been so happy to see a kid walk in all my life.) B. I’m honored to have him grow up into a young man. We know children who weren’t able to do that. And I’m so very thankful that another birthday is here with all of my children still winning.

But today is Oz’s day and we’re off for French Toast. And then he and Sissy are hot stepping it to the new Fast/Furious movie. And then we’re meeting them with friends at Laser tag adventures. And then food. Geez, I need more coffee.

Happy Birthday Oz. I’m incredibly proud of you. You roll with the punches of life and are able to quote Monty Python while doing it. Well done.

Gaiety is the most outstanding feature of the Soviet Union.

Joseph Stalin

I was grocery shopping yesterday and as I entered the produce section looking for good Games snacks, it hit me that I’m shopping for the first Highland Games of the season. Wait…whut? Uhhhhhhh, exsqueeze me, where did the off-season go? Really, where did it go?

I swear it was just a couple of weeks ago I threw in the Texas heat among the lion roars and enjoyed one of the best post-Games meals I’ve had at the food truck court. Srsly, it’s also the last time I’ve tossed the Sheaf so tomorrow should be interesting. But here we are, Games 1, The Shammies.

The good news is that we’re supposed to have the warm spring sun beating down on us, errr, I mean everyone else NOT inside a horse coliseum throwing in a wind tunnel with about a foot of dirt as our trigs. Heh. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. For as much dirt as there is, this is the Games where we blow that winter stink off our throws and start to get a feel of how our off-season went. I’ve had a chance to throw a couple of times and started to log what I need to work on the next few weeks before the next one.

Our first half of the season is very tame but incredibly exciting this year. After tomorrow’s Games, I look forward to the Oz man being home for Spring Break; kids birthdays (all of them, Oz on the 3rd and twins on the 7th…for 16 years now I have been completely broke by April 8th. Heh); Easter and then Hawaii. Yup, I get to throw in Hawaii. The Motherland.

See, sometimes I get these ideas and I say to my hubs, ‘I have an idea’ and he’s cute enough to try not to say “uh oh.” We were hoping to take Zandra on  a spring break to Amsterdam but with some schedule and job changes, that didn’t work out. I’ve spoken enough about her tough start to 2015 and so I thought, if we have enough miles, maybe she and I should try to take a trip. Well, miles worked out and it just so happens, since she works for a Hyatt that we get a bangin’ rate in Waikiki (I’ve already told her she can never quit this job. Ever.) She was able to talk to her BFF (and yes, these two amazingly silly young ladies will most likely be BFF’s forever) into coming too so we meet up with her at the Minneapolis airport and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

To be around their energy, yes, it’s exhausting but it’s also exhilarating. I adore them, let’s see if I say that after sharing a hotel room with them for 5 days. Hee. Anyways, these girls work harder than most real adults I know and to be able to help them chill in paradise for a few days makes this mom’s heart glow. The bonus to this whole trip is that two of the German throwers, Michaela and Petra will be there throwing too!! It will be amazing. I’ve never been to Oahu and even though schedules prevent my Auntie from making the jaunt over from Maui, I’ll still get to wave to her from the beach.

I have a backyard Games at the end of April ala Jason Clevenger, yeah! Bigg guy is bailing for the 3 Floyds Dark Lord Day, something he’s been looking forward to for about a year now. We take a break in May, instead of hitting Merl’s May Games, we’re taking the Oz man for his Birthday surprise trip to Indiana to participate in a WWII reenactment (some boys dream of playing in the big leagues, this is HIS big leagues and we are SO thankful to Craig Morehead for helping us out with it.)

And in June, we go to Iceland. We just got the go ahead this week and I think we’re still both in shock at the thought of not only traveling to a place that has been on top of our “musts” for years now, but getting a chance to throw there. We are beyond excited about it and in some weird way, I’m cautious of saying too much in case it makes me wake up from this “we’re going to go throw in Iceland” dream. We’ll miss our hometown Games but oh well. Ya know, Iceland.

And that’s it. We’re going to try to stay home bound until late July. We can hopefully meet up with our Scottish flat mates this summer in Minnesota but other than that, practice; rest; and enjoy summer. Last year, I entered the critical second half of the season exhausted and sore and I want to avoid that this year plus ya know…older.

A bunch of Games peeps have already kicked off their season, many others are getting underway this weekend too. Women’s World Championships are this weekend down in Phoenix, strong throws Katie and Jessica and save travels to all!

So here we are, 2015 Games season. Really? Really. FoShizzle.  We don’t know what this season has in store for us but hopefully it will be safe for all with PR’s here and there and of course, a shit ton of fun (did you think I’d make it through a post without cussing? Come’on!)

You’re a lot of woman, ya know that? Yeah, wanna make 14 dollars… the HARD way? 

Al Czervik