Happy Birthday, Michael! What a Weekend!

Last weekend is a blur.

 

Friday night Michael had some friends over for his birthday, which was on Saturday. The plan was mini-golf, pizza, cookie cake, a movie and a video game marathon. Well, the weather didn't cooperate for the mini-golf, but everything else was great.

 

For his birthday, Walt got him some hunting gear and an air-soft rifle. Cari and I got him clothes, most of which he wanted to wear right away. In these photos, he's wearing one of the shirts Cari got him and the jeans I bought for him.

 

Saturday afternoon he had a soccer game--we won't talk about the times he got called for fouls when smaller kids ran into him and fell down.

 

After the game Cari and Brendan (her boyfriend) took him and a friend to Six Flags. Another late night.

 

Then on Sunday afternoon he, Cari, and Brendan went to a pumpkin patch with the O'Donnell family.

 

These photos are of them getting ready to leave. Afterwards there was pizza and ice cream cake at his Aunt Jena Dee's and even more presents, including fireworks, money, candy, and more clothes. And my sister and brother-in-law dropped off another present with money, a sports shirt, and two of his favorite treats--Shockers and Cheeze-Its.  Last night he counted his birthday money and rounded up all his snacks. What a haul!

 

This morning the principal from his school called to say that when Michael did the morning announcements he was so excited, he told her all about his weekend. (Michael is not one usually to chat with teachers.)

 

Because of his birthday, he got a dress down pass, which means he didn't have to wear his school uniform today. He wore a pair of his new jeans and a new Cardinal shirt, plus he took in treats to share with his classmates.

 

His principal told me she just had to call and let me know how excited and happy he was about his birthday weekend. How sweet was that?

 

So happy birthday, Michael. Hope you have another great year!

Happy 18th Birthday, Cari

Today is a HUGE day in our little part of the world. Our granddaughter Cari turns 18.

She has gone from big sister to adult in the blink of an eye.

 

She is pictured above with her "little" brother Michael (who now towers above her).

She was ten and he was six when these photos were taken. 

Here she is this morning, with our black Lab Harley, just before hurrying out the door on her way to school.

 

 

 

Last night she filled out an application for college next year, where she will start a new chapter in her busy life.

 

Cari is a young woman on the move!

Happy birthday, Cari, we all love you!

 

Eighth Grade - Day One

 As promised in my previous post about my granddaughter Cari's first day of her senior year in high school, today's post is about my grandson's first day of eighth grade. Yesterday was Day One of Michael's eighth grade experience. This will be his last year at All Saints, our parish school which he has attended since first grade.

I remember his first day of kindergarten--at a different school in an adjacent city. It was a day to remember, mostly because a school bus monitor at his old school put him on the wrong bus. It was a frightening experience for everyone. My late daughter Julie had to make several calls before finding out what happened and getting Michael home safely. Julie was not happy with his old school at all.

A lot has changed since then. Seven-and-a-half years ago, while he was still in kindergarten, he lost his mom and dad. Cari was ten and Michael was six at the time our daughter Julie and son-in-law Mike died in a motorcycle accident. After the accident, Cari and Michael moved in with us and have lived with us since then. It has been our joy and our blessing to raise our grandchildren, help them (and us) cope with loss and sorrow, and watch them grow into happy teens.

When Michael first moved in, he was a shy youngster who hadn't yet lost his first tooth. Now, he's a typical teenager, who loves going to our "farm" with my husband Walt (his Opa), enjoys playing  sports and video games with his friends, and occasionally talks back when he thinks I'm not listening. Michael is tall for his age -- already six-foot-one -- and still growing.

The other night, after making sure he had all his his school supplies, I read his school's parent/student handbook, just in case there was a new rule I'd missed. Under the section on school uniform and proper dress, there was one sentence I hadn't noticed before--about boys not having visible facial hair. So, on his last night of summer vacation, with the help of his Opa, Michael shaved his upper lip for the first time. Wow! How did he grow up so fast?


Here is a photo taken yesterday of Walt and Michael backing out of the driveway on their way to school.

Eighth grade is going to be busy and fun--and filled with memorable experiences. Michael will go on a retreat in September and be confirmed in April. His class has field trips planned, inlcuding a tour of the Cathedral Basilica and the Holocaust Museum in St. Louis next February, watching "A Christmas Carol" at Lindenwood University in November, and a day trip to Hannibal (birth place of Mark Twain, my mom, and his dad's parents) in May.

There's a lot going on in my grandson's life; he is well on his way to becoming a young man.



Senior Year - Day One

Today is a big day in our house; it's our granddaughter Cari's first day as a high school senior. It's hard to believe. I remember the day I watched her climb the school bus her first day of kindergarten. She wore a cute yellow dress and had a big yellow bow in her hair. My daughter Julie cried that day while son-in-law Mike snapped photos when their baby girl headed off to school. I shed a few tears too.



This morning there were no tears, only smiles. She woke up bright and early, got ready in record time. She stopped for a minute to let me take this shot as she hurried out the door.

I snapped another as she walked to her car to drive away, ready for a new adventure. She was in a hurry to get to a friend's house for more pictures. It's a big day in our little part of the world, and one I will remember. Truth be told, I shed a few tears of my own. Tomorrow I get to do this again when grandson Michael starts his first day as an eighth-grader. Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Michael

It's hard to believe my grandson Michael is officially a teenager today. We now have two teenagers in our household.

Michael had a great birthday celebration. Last night he got his own cell phone and some money, and we went out to dinner. He picked the restaurant.

Today he got a new dirt bike from his other grandparents, some St. Louis Cardinals' gear from his sister, clothes, and other cool gifts. Because the Cards are in the World Series he didn't have to wear his school uniform and got to wear his Cardinals' shirt and hat to school.

I'm not the greatest photographer, but here's a photo I took of him after he got home from school this afternoon.

While he was at school I baked his favorite cake. The name on the recipe is Texas Sheet Cake, but since the Cardinals are playing the Texas Rangers in the World Series, I'm just calling it Michael's Favorite Chocolate Sheet Cake.

So, happy birthday to our teenage grandson, Michael! Hope you enjoy your cake!

Happy Birthday, Michael

Today is my grandson Michael's 12th birthday. It's hard to believe that the shy little boy who moved in with us almost six years ago has turned into a strong and handsome "almost" teenager.

I'm sure our daughter Julie and son-in-law Mike would be proud of the young man their little boy has become.

This summer Walt bought Michael a four-wheeler as an early birthday present because Michael has gotten so tall he has outgrown his little toy one. Michael loves going out to the "farm" with Walt. Michael also loves cutting grass, hunting, and fishing.

Yesterday he got an early birthday present when he found out he made the honor roll in his sixth grade class at All Saints. Way to go!

This morning while eating some of his birthday cookie, he told us he can't wait until next year when he is 13 so he can get a cell phone. Yikes!

Here's an acrostic poem in honor of Michael's birthday.

My grandson Michael

M agnificient

I nspiring

C hicken is what he loves to eat

H eart is what he has a lot of

A wesome

E nergy--he has tons of it

L oving and lovable

Happy birthday, Michael. I hope your day is special--just like you!