Merry Christmas!

I’m sitting at my dining table surrounded by glitter, cut out Christmas trees and dough ornaments and I am so happy to see the Christmas crazy all around me. It occurred to me that my years left of little kid holiday crafting are fewer than I would prefer, so I am trying to soak in every moment. My tiny people bring more joy than my heart can hold, it feels. While there are certainly hard moments, time has shown me I forget about those and remember the good. 

Teddy Dennis is a basketball fanatic. He has worn the tread off of 2 basketballs in 6 months. He discovered Kansas basketball during March madness and a new world opened up to him.

He soaks up basketball facts like the little sponge he is. We were just home in Omaha for Thanksgiving and he and my dad went to a Nebraska basketball game, a Westside High School game and watched hours of it on tv together. He also attended his first Lakers game with Pat. The big change this year was kindergarten (which about killed me; I just teared up writing the words) and he has embraced it in his usual happy and determined manner. He loves school. He loves his new friends. He does NOT like nap time. 

He spends his free time drawing, writing endless lists of things that are of current interest and shooting millions of baskets. He is beloved to us. 

Summer 2018 basketball thoughts

Leo Lion makes me laugh endlessly. He is a tiny, blonde ball of frenetic energy. He talked late, but has been making up for lost time. He is very dramatic with his vocabulary and I delight in it.

His preferred method of movement is jumping. He jumps everywhere and off everything. We tried a tumbling class this fall thinking it would be a perfect fit, but it was a fail. He ended up sitting next to the teacher most of the time so she could keep her eyes on him. His best friend in the entire world is Ellie, his elephant. Ellie goes everywhere with him and he bathes Ellie by himself, wraps Ellie up in a towel and cuddles him while he dries.

He is home with me and I adore having him all to myself. I think my most peaceful moments are quiet mornings reading to him while he drinks his repulsive honey milk and I my coffee. I cannot imagine life without him.

Patrick is the same; overworked and filled with ideas. My mother has said she has never met anyone who is as fulfilled in their work as he, and this is the positive. The negative is that we don’t see him as much as anyone would like. He commits to family dinners and this makes me swoon. He plays wild games of tackle football with Teddy, running through the house, and it’s music to my ears.

He is a wonderful father and a partner who is always up for an adventure. I was thinking about this recently. My life always has an element of excitement to it because Patrick likes to do new things. He never says no. If we have a house idea, he is up for it. If we want to drive to the mountains for a few hours, he’s first to the car. He makes our regular life exciting. 

We had a fantastic family vacation in July with all of my family in Steamboat. I got to spend time with both of my brothers together!!

My parents come out and we visit them as much as possible. I miss them terribly but the converted garage has been wonderful to allow them to come and stay more. We saw the musical “Dear Evan Hansen” and it was incredible. It is one of the best scores I have heard in a long time. It made me think about myself and what I want; goals. I’m putting it on paper that I want to sing again. Even if it’s just practicing. My mom told me it makes her mad that I don’t and I haven’t been able to get that out of my mind. I’m mad too. It is time to do something about it. So, that’s my goal for 2019; open my mouth for good, not to insert my foot. And maybe write more. I have hope. I have hope because of the promise that Jesus gave to us. These little hopes delight me, but the big one fills me with joy knowing that we will live forever as a family. 

With joy and hope,

Patrick, Katie, Teddy, Leo and Ernie