And speaking of difficult parenthood challenges.... this past month Dane has really struggled with heightened anxiety. One hypothesis is the fact that he had to take a break from exercising due to this concussion. They lack of physical activity could have certainly impacted his mental state of mind! Especially for a child who is used to being so incredibly active. He also watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2 with a friend and read a book with his teacher at school about ghosts. All of these things created a breeding ground for tremendous fear and anxiety. He basically could not fall asleep AT ALL for days at a time. Of course, this kept Blake and I awake as well. It was not a pretty picture. During the day, Dane appeared lethargic and cranky and stressed about all of the fears. THANKFULLY, through prayer and thought and lots of workbooks and melatonin- AND the blessed Dr. Koumaris who fit us in despite a 6 month waiting list-- we are coming up on the other end. He is sleeping a little better. He always comes in our bed in the middle of the night, but he's falling asleep when he's in our bed. So much better then lying awake all night long - relaying the most disturbing scenarios to Blake and I. Dr. Koumaris helped Dane (and me) to understand that Dane has an extremely active imagination and has trouble separating reality from imagination. We worked on three great tools-- false alarms, many meanings, and closing the book- to help Dane recognize and deal with the stress of trying to sleep and not worry about scary things. The session was so interesting to me.... I think one day I will go back to being a psychologist. Maybe I'll get my PhD. I truly love psychology and helping children to decipher and find peace with their lives. I'm so grateful that Dane is feeling a little better... it was a very stressful month for all of us.
In good news, Dane and Grant's football team beat out two great teams to make it to the semi-finals! They had a wonderful season and loved playing with best buddy Braxton. Often Braxton spent the night here after games and the boys had a blast on Saturdays supporting each other at tournaments, swimming or playing soccer in the front yard. Dane continues to be interested in baking and art as well as sports. He often will make chicken squares or brownies and is really getting to be a great cook! He is also my number one assistant when we are babysitting for friends. He has a special little relationship with Millie and I can always count on him to help out with anything and everything I ask. He is so thoughtful and kind. I'm so grateful for his companionship and helpful nature. He is spiritual and intelligent. Love being in cub scouts with him and spending that time together. Dane is working on his art explosion badge and just organized a fun end of school party for a city planning/ organization badge. Cub scouts is just now starting to grow on me! But the best part by a long shot is spending that time with Dane.
Grant has spent many a weekend this month playing in soccer tournaments. He played in his first tournament with his actual SURF team over Memorial Day. And often he guests with Leon and Coach Obed. Grant LOVES playing soccer and is such a great little athlete. He basically lives for games. He rarely complains about practices and is a team leader in every sense of the word. He uplifts his teammates, calls out and "advises" the group and always supports. I still get a tri-weekly notice from the office with a self- referral for bumps and bruises. Every one makes me laugh. Last week after giving Grant a bath, I told him to go get pj's on and brush teeth... then I moved on to Anna's bath. Minutes later, when I walked around the corner and looked out my door, I saw Grant poking out of a tree in our backyard. Ha! The kid is somewhat off-task to say the least! But he is full of energy and joy. He is always up for a good time and is a wonderful little person. Love the little note he wrote to his teacher to thank her for a great year. Love the little note he wrote to me the other day! "I'll still love you even if I grow up". Could there be anything cuter or sweeter than this? Love the fact that Grant is a mini-Blake. I looked over in bed last saturday morning and saw the two asleep side by side. I had to take a picture it was so cute. They are darling together. Lately, Grant has taken to using his headphones to listen to music on the way to games and practices. He has his own playlist and loves to listen. SO cute.
Wow... this was Anna's last month of preschool. I've been room mom for 6 years in that preschool classroom and can hardly believe the journey has come to an end. Love all the fun little field trips (like the fire station, Ralphs and Michaels) and the darling little parties for Halloween, Christmas, Valentines and end of year. This year I gave out balls to all of the kids at as a parting gift for summer. They loved it. I am sure going to miss those teachers and families! Anna is really growing up these days. She is obsessed with nail polish and lip stick, to be sure! She is actually getting the hang of cleaning her room-- a small miracle! She won't always be up for the challenge, but here and there she's willing and it's such a blessing! We have our weekly play dates with Lavender and Reef and tri-weekly Millie and Nora playdates. We often have preschool friends who are struggling with various social skills issues over and Anna is my little assistant. She loves helping me teach and being a part of the activities. Anna loves little friends and lives for spending time with others-- siblings, parents and friends. She is so very social and so very kind. She loves coloring, and playing in her bedroom for hours with her disney figurines. She loves music and in particular the song "Black or White" by Michael Jackson. Anna is my little buddy and I simply don't know what I am going to do next year with her going to kindergarten. Love these wonderful children of mine!
Colored only the lipstick on these pages
