Happy 90th Birthday Grandma Pete

Terry's aunt, cousins and their families flew in from Washington to celebrate Grandma Pete's 90th birthday party. It's been almost 8 years since we've all been together, but we picked up where we left off. So much fun!

A few of the highlights :

1. Making s'more on the stove (yep, it IS possible with an electric stove)
2. Girls day pedicures (Grandma's first pedicure ever)
3. Boys day golfing
4. Grilled food 3 days in a row (tired of burgers and hot dogs!)
5. Swimming at the pool (Kings Pointe, in Holstein, and Valley View) - Leo's belly flop and the guys doing flips (or trying!)
6. Cameron peeing outside the dugout at his brother's game
7. Girls going to "pick up the pizza" -- the boys didn't catch on that it was code for DRINKS FIRST!
8. Trish calling her sex on the beach drink : sex in the city, sex in the town, or whatever it was.
9. Shawn's kids all in tears because they were the first to leave
10. Did we mention s'mores on the stove...The Washington Crew's new favorite thing!

Terry and one of his back flips :

Hailey, Grandma Pete, Annie and Cassidy at our Girls Day pedicure :
Damon and the birthday girl :
Damon and Brandon :
Damon and Alex :
The Boathouse was a quick detour before we picked up pizza (Trish, Traci, Becka, Me, Jenny) :

Way to wear it!

It's been a while, so this might be a long one. We'll start with the most recent events in the Peterson household....

1. Damon's team took 4th place in state this weekend. Although the boys were disappointed, they really played their hearts out and as parents we were really proud of them. It's just really hard to see the team they beat 14-2 play in the championship game and win. How does that happen?!? I suppose it's a good lesson to learn...sometimes life just isn't fair. My favorite part...the pictures! This weekend I took 298 pictures and I'm sure I've taken almost 1,000 since the season started. Here is a small sampling :

A photo collage I made of his buddy Matt:

Damon's baseball team :
Damon at bat :

2. Damon turned 14 and got his drivers permit. OMG. I can't believe my baby is 14, how did that happen? I took him and Ethan on Tuesday, June 16...he missed it by 1. Then we went back on Wednesday over my lunch hour and he passed with flying colors. The funny part about growing up in Des Moines though is that there really isn't an open field to drive a truck or tractor in, we don't own a four wheeler and he's never been on a moped, so needless to say he's a little nervous about driving. We practice when we can, but it's hard when he won't drive on "busy roads" -- you know, Westown, EP True, Ashworth, Mills Civic. Ugh.

3. A few of Damon's favorite things/sayings :

1. Warm PB&J sandwiches
2. Meatball subs
3. G2 (Gatorade)
4. Mountain Dew
5. BWW (Buffalo Wild Wings)
6. Beastly (example : "Mom, did you see my beastly bunt?")
7. Mad <> (example : "Yeah mom, David has mad hops.")
8. Sweet
9. Are you serious?
10. And finally (and deserving of a photo) - Wear it (example : "Way to wear it Damon!" after he gets hit by a pitch).

Ouch...or should I say "beastly bruise!" :

Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, Rachel, Ross, Joey...You've just gotta love FRIENDS

Have you ever had one of those friends that knows exactly what to say and when to say it? One that knows when to not say anything at all. One that you know you can always turn to and no matter your short comings they will always stand by you. One that laughs when you needs it and lets you cry when you need to. You have something to talk about every day, but yet, if a week goes by you can still pick up where you left off. Sometimes we get busy in our lives and forget to tell those around us how much they truly mean, how their thoughtfulness doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated, how you can honestly say you can't imagine your life without them as one of you friends. How there are times in your life, both good and bad, that you were glad they were able to share in your happiness or pick you up when you were blue. 

Well, today...after a long month at work and after finding out my dad just lost his job...I received a package in the mail. You know, one of "those" little packages that means more than the person that sent it will ever know. At that moment, when I was questioning God about how much more a person could take (my dad, not me) and putting things in His hands and knowing there is a reason and a purpose, but I sure hope He shows us soon what His plan is. At that moment, this little package put things back in to perspective. Inside my invaluable package was 2 pictures of when my son was younger. Pictures that my friend has held on to for almost 12 years and 3 (maybe 4) houses they've bought and sold. Pictures I didn't even know she had. There was also a little "pillow" with the word Inspire stitched on it. It was perfect. The perfect gift, the perfect reminder, the perfect word stitched on the pillow. She couldn't have known how much I needed that today, yet some how she always seems to know just the right time to send a card, make a phone call or send a quick email...some how, I got lucky and hit the friend lottery! Love ya Heather!

You Gotta Have Faith

I don't know that I've ever been more proud of Damon. Tonight they had to read their faith statements in front of their small group (mostly friends from school), the parents, a few grandparents and the 7th graders that were observing what writing a faith statement means. You wonder of the past two years if it's sinking in, if they really are learning what it means to have faith as part of your life. Well, if there was any question in my mind or in the mind of other parents in the room, tonight it was answered. All the boys did an amazing job. What a cool experience. Ethan's grandparents came and treated us all to ice cream afterwards, score! Sunday afternoon is the official confirmation ceremonies, but as you can imagine tonight was more personal and intimate. For a moment, I can honestly say I was totally focused on Damon, his faith statement, on my journey with God, and on how lucky in life I have truly been. It was a good reminder and one God could clearly see that I needed. 

Then we get home and the teenager I love, the one who sometimes forces me to pray to that same God for patience, grace and peace; that teenager that tests every ounce of my being; that teenager that points out every car he would love to have; the one that  still tells me he loves me (most of the time) and the one that makes me laugh when he cracks a joke or smile and shake my head when he cites one of this favorite sayings.....the newest saying around our house..."Double pits to chesty." Thank you Axe marketing geniuses. Wow am I glad he didn't add that to his faith statement! 

The family.

Yep, I'm a blog slacker. No excuses, just wasn't in the mood to type. So here's a quick run down.

Damon : Same. We had an all teacher meeting with his core teachers. Damon was pretty miffed (yes, miffed) until it was all over and then he felt pretty good about it. Clearly not good enough that the two days after he still failed to take notes for Science, but I think we got through to him. Say a little prayer that he can stay on track for the rest of the quarter, not only for my sanity, but because there is an iTouch on the line courtesy of Gma and Gpa if he can get his shizzle together. He will get confirmed on Sunday so we are definitely proud of him for that. He also said his LL team is a lot of fun and enjoys all the kids...makes it easier for the coaches (and their wives) when the have a good group of kids, so that is exciting.

Terry and I : On Saturday, we were going grab lunch, take Flat Stanley (google it if you don't know what I'm talking about) to see a few sites and then go to Damon's baseball game. What I wanted to do was eat, Flat Stanley running around/Craft Saturday, and Damon's baseball game. Instead, we got rear-ended at the corner of 21st and Ashworth. Yep. Needless to say, our day went like this  - get rear-ended, grab a fast food lunch because we need to eat quickly and get to Damon's game. No one was hurt and the guy that rear-ended us, by far, had the worst damage. The lady we were pushed in to didn't hardly have any damage. The guy that rear-ended us was cited for "following to close" -- umm, I don't know about you, but HELLO, he wasn't "FOLLOWING" us, we were stopped at a stop light. How about citing him for ramming his car up our a$$?!? Anyway, he showed an insurance card on site, but then we got a call Monday morning saying they were investigating him for insurance fraud. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? Of course because of privacy reasons his insurance company, Progressive, can't tell us what fraud he committed. I don't know who reports it, but if we find that he does not have a valid policy I'm calling WDMPD to have him cited for no insurance...yep, I said it, citizen's arrest. The positive...Damon will get his permit this year, so it was the perfect teaching opportunity AND I bet no one else sends their Flat Stanley back with a story of being in a car accident! 

This is the car of the guy who was plugging something in to his lighter and not looking where he was going (his words not ours)....

This is our car. Not too bad, but still annoying (super annoying if he really doesn't have insurance). The front has a little damage too, but again, not too bad.

This is the lady we were pushed in to. Hardly any scratches on her bumper (I'm guessing she'll pocket the money, if any of us get any). Keep a safe distance between you and the car in front of you! 

Hoop-A-Thon

The Des Moines Hoop-A-Thon for HD was last Saturday and was more successful that I expected. What is a Hoop-A-Thon? You shoot free throws for 5 minutes. And the top 3 shooters in elementary, jr. high, high school, adult categories win prizes. We even have a Little Tikes hoop for the younger ones! 

All of the running around we did for donations paid off and we had some great items to bid on. There are a few things I would do differently for next year....better raffle items for the top shooters in each age group for sure! An amazing raffle prize so that if someone came with only a couple dollars that they could still buy a $1 raffle ticket and have a chance at winning something great. The silent auction items were great, but you had to spend close to $50 to win anything and especially in today's world, not everyone has an extra $50.

And in my opinion, the Hoop isn't only about raising money for research, but it is also raising awareness for HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE or you can read about it here. What is Huntington's Disease? Huntington's disease is a progressive, brain degenerative disease that causes certain nerve cells in your brain to waste away. As a result, you may experience uncontrolled movements, emotional disturbances and mental deterioration. Huntington's disease is an inherited disease.  

It is a horrible disease that Terry's cousin Tami is living with (her dad also had the disease). That means one, or possibly both, of her sons could also inherit the disease. You see, Tami is a 38 year old, divorced, mother of two boys. She was an active, college graduate, taught a few community college courses, and was the mother figure to her 3 younger brothers (their parents are both deceased). I wish I had a picture of her back then so you could compare it to today. Today, Tami lives in a nursing home in Storm Lake, cannot eat solid food and needs to be fed, she drinks from a sippy cup because she can't control her movements and she needs assistance walking. Soon Tami will be confined to a wheelchair, she will have to be fed intravenously, you won't be able to understand her when she talks and likely within the next 10 years complications of the disease will take her life. And yet, through it all, she remains positive for her boys. She knows it is too late for her, yet, she remains hopeful that a cure will be found and her boys won't have to go through what she is. 

Please say a prayer for Tami to continue to find peace as she goes through her battle, for her boys to stay strong, and I ask that if you have the chance to participate in a fundraiser or have a chance to talk about the disease, please do. Awareness is power. Look at Susan G. Komen, Lance Armstrong, Michael J Fox....there is an awareness for those diseases and it makes a difference. If HD isn't your passion, if it's breast cancer, diabetes, leukemia, Parkinson's, or whatever it may be, I encourage you to get involved. Volunteer, if only for a few hours a year. It matters. It matters to the person suffering, to their family, to their friends. 

Damon and Uncle Tim goofing around :
Some of the silent auction baskets :
More silent auction baskets :
Terry's cousin Tami and some of his other cousins :
Tami and her youngest brother, Gary :

I can't end this post without a HUGE thank you to HeyJenRenee...you can find her rad, creative stuff on Etsy here and here and she blogs here....And also to Mandy Miller Photography for their donations. Your items added to the success of our event and we cannot thank you enough!!!

Minted. Great ideas!

Check out this site for cute ideas http://www.minted.com/kids-birthday-invitations.