2022

 It's hard to believe that it is already the year 2022.  So much is happening in my life.  My oldest daughter has moved back to San Antonio and is working at a bank.  She has her cosmetology license, but doesn't want to work in that industry right now.  Jacob left San Diego and has moved back to Utah where he is working as a waiter. He is so good about keeping in touch with Dwight.  Michael is nearing the end of his undergrad studies at BYU and is getting married on May 7th to a very kind woman, Heidi, who he met at BYU after his mission in Argentina.  Johnathon has done awesome on his first year at BYU. He really does the "adulting" thing quite well, which isn't at all a surprise to me.  My youngest daughter is having a strong academic freshman year in high school.  She is so intelligent, but seems to be rethinking the plan to take all advanced placement courses next year in hopes that she can lighten the homework load.  Ryan has had a major year, which you have probably heard about already.

In case you haven't....

In November 2021 Ryan had a T2 to pelvis spinal fusion.  It was a very hard decision to do the surgery and we postponed it for a long time. First, we postponed because it just didn't seem to be the right time to do it. Then the surgeon said it was the right time, but when we fasted and prayed about it, we didn't feel it was the right time.  So, we postponed.  Eventually, it was just the time. It still didn't feel good, but we felt at peace about the decision.   

That's interesting, right?  Interesting how sometimes a decision can still feel really hard, but we can feel at peace with the decision.  

The surgery went really well. He had a tough time with his adrenals after the surgery, but some testing post-op showed that it was just a response to the extreme stress of the surgery.  We are very thankful for that blessing.  He has been healing remarkably well.  We have one area of concern:  the hooks at the top of the spine have pulled away from the spine.  If they stay where they are, it'll be okay.  If they continue to pull away (think of it like a zipper), then he will have to go back in for another surgery.  We are praying that it will stay stable. Well, honestly, I'm actually praying for it to be healed.

This is a tough surgery and it takes a long time to recover from the surgery. He was about to be back in his chair the day following the surgery, but the bones and everything need about 6 months to heal. So, we are not out of the woods and won't be for a few more months.  Honestly though, sometimes with Ryan -- maybe with life -- it just feels like we're always in the woods -- and sometimes the woods are okay, because they're beautiful and serene.

What do I mean by that?  Well, it's hard to feel lost in the woods and to feel like you're wandering around in the woods.  But, I don't feel lost.  I feel like I get to spend lots of time with Ryan, and that time feels special to me, maybe sacred.  And, I feel guided or directed in those woods.  So, although it is exhausting at times and sometimes it feels very isolating, it really is very beautiful and serene in the woods.  

I just want Ryan to feel joy and to experience all the good things in the world.  So, it is nice to be out of the woods sometimes too.  

I hope that makes sense. 

Day 1: Whew... Success.

We made it through the first day of school! And, the best part ... everyone, me included, had a GREAT day! Whew! Jessica wasn't thrilled to take pictures this morning, but she at least let me snap one quick picture before school.

David worked hard to give me a "mildly interested" look, until he had to sneeze. The sneeze made for a really funny picture, but I decided to stick with the approved pose.

Johnathon was so excited for today! His first words to me when he got off the bus today were "Best Day Ever!"

Deborah ... Well, Deborah was given the assignment to decorate this face. The teacher called it a happy face. Deborah calls it a baby face. Even after I explained that it might be a representation of her, she would just giggle and call it "Baby Face."

Tonight when I was tucking her into bed, she said, "Mom, I'm a Kindergartener, and I have the BEST teacher."

Ryan seemed anxious to return to school today. Thankfully, Ms. Nelda is still able to go with him.

Overall, it's been a great day, with only one small hiccup. Hopefully, tomorrow will be even more smoooooth. :)

Happy 4th Birthday, Ryan!

This weekend we celebrated Ryan's 4th birthday!  Can you believe he's already 4 years old?

We enjoyed a great lunch and a fun party! 

 And, yes, Ryan even had a tiny taste of chocolate cake.  :)

The party was fun for everyone!

 About half way through the party, Ryan started to seem a bit apathetic toward the gifts.  We then noticed that he was a little bit tired.  So, we put the party on hold until he was better rested.   Then today we finished opening the rest of his presents.  I'm not sure who's enjoying his new CD player the most -- him or Deborah.  :)

It's been a great 4 years!

 A lady who doesn't know me very well once made a comment that was at once accusatory and apologetic to me that I had Ryan.  I was so surprised by her comment that I didn't even know how to respond to her.  I have since thought many times about her comment.  I have thought of the many things I wish I could share with her.  Things that she obviously doesn't know, about Ryan, about my family, about life.  I've tried a few times to share the joy that she obviously doesn't understand that comes with having Ryan as a member of my family.  But, it never seems to come out quite right.  So, tonight, I'll just say... knowing all that I know today, I'd do it all again! 

Happy birthday, Ryan!  I love you!

Back To School

You probably know that I've home schooled for the past 13 years.  Last year we did Texas Connections Academy for Johnathon and David, which technically is not home schooling, but I still had 3 children home with me all the time (except on Tuesdays when they spend most of the day with other homeschooling friends). 

Well, are you ready for this?  This year everyone is going to school!  Are you super surprised??? 

Ryan is going back to the same PPCD class, which we loved.

Deborah is going to Kindergarten at the same school, which she is SO excited about.

Johnathon is going to attend 4th grade also at the same school. He's happy about it now that he learned one of his friends is also in 4th grade at the same school.

David is going to be a Freshman at the High School.

Of course, Jacob and Jessica will continue going to High School.  Jacob is a Sophomore and Jessica will be a Senior.

AND, I'll be going back to college, too.  With everyone else back in school, I've decided it's time for me to finish my degree as well. 

So... it'll be a HUGE change around our house.  I've NEVER had all the kids in school before.  I'm not even sure how to manage it.  I'm sure I'll be asking some of you pro-Mom's how you handle different things that come up during the school year.  It'll be interesting.

It was a hard decision to make, but I feel it's the best for each of the children right now.  So, let's just hope I can handle it.  ;)

David and his Fez

David and Dwight took a trip to DisneyWorld this week.  It was a combination of David saving his money (again) and his one wish for Christmas.  They are having a wonderful time!  Last year when David, Jessica, and I went David picked a fun hat with an Asian theme.  This time, he picked another hat. 

I'm thankful for such a great kid!  He's fun and obviously has a great sense of humor and a great sense of self!  I'm a lucky Mom!

Legendary Holidays

  One of our favorite holiday traditions here in San Antonio is Westin's Legendary Holidays.  We discovered it a few years ago and every year since several of the kids insist on going again.  

I'm so glad that at least some of the kids enjoy it because I love it! 

 

 This year we actually went on two different nights.  The first night I was mistaken about the time and so we missed the walk with the story teller.  Instead of just leaving right away, we visited with Santa, decorated gingerbread cookies, and made some wooden creations.

I'm so thankful that my kids are so patient with me and such great sports about things.  Even though things didn't work out the way we expected them to, we still had a great time!  Maybe even more fun than we would have had if things had happened as planned.  The best part:  we went back the next night for all the events!

Inside they have beautiful decorations that make for amazing pictures, like this one.

 At the beginning of the walk, they hand out bells and the children love the bells.

At one of the spots where along the trail, all the children gather up on the rocks and the story teller tells about the legendary snow fall.  Then he says, if we all believe there will be snow that evening.  Then the children walk toward the building and sure enough, there's a Texas snow fall. 

I won't spoil the surprise for you, but my children love the Texas snow fall!

After all the fun, there's hot chocolate and cookies to enjoy while we warm up by the fire

... and rest!

...

Check Him Out..

This morning we got an email from a friend letting us know that Living Social had this advertising campaign running today.  What a fun surprise!  This picture was taken when David was performing at LOL Comedy Club.

LOL

David had the opportunity to perform again at LOL Comedy Club here in San Antonio.  We know there are many of you who couldn't be there who said you'd like to see it.  So, here you go ... Enjoy!

 

Flight of the Bumble Bee

Are you ready for David's latest stand-up routine? This one's short, but it's fun! He was invited to perform at Stone Oak Youth Theater's first annual Schwa Awards.

All new material. I sure enjoyed it! Hope you enjoy it, too!

Haircuts

I took the Johnathon and David to get their hairs cut today. Very overdue. Especially for David.


He was enjoying his hair being longer. Me, not so much. But, he didn't give me too much grief about going to get his cut. (Thank you, David.)

Mama Bear came out while we were there.

Have I ever mentioned that I am a HUGE Mama Bear? I do not like people being rude to my children, especially when my children are being very polite.

So, we went to the barber shop that we have been taking the boys to for the past 7 years. There's a fairly new guy who obviously doesn't like kids. He's rather unkind to the kids, even when they aren't in his chair. As we arrived, our favorite guy was already doing another man's hair and had another man waiting for him. So this man told Johnathon to get in his chair. I hesitated, but the man insisted. Hmmm... this should be interesting I thought.


Since he volunteered to do it, I thought perhaps the man would be on his best behavior. But he wasn't. I eventually had to step in and remind him that someone else could finish the job if needed.

He seemed surprised by my assertiveness. I wasn't mean or rude. I simply reminded him that there was no need for him to be so unkind to my son. He had volunteered to do the job. We were perfectly willing to wait for someone else. He was quiet as he finished the rest of the hair cut. Quiet is fine. The hair cut looked nice.

He left immediately after finishing Johnathon's hair cut and told the other man not to charge us for it. I still paid. I was not looking for a free hair cut. I just wanted Johnathon to be treated respectfully. He deserves that. We all do.

By the way, the pictures were by Deborah. :) Oh, and if you're wondering ... yes, we will go back to this barber shop. Why? Because, there are still other people who work there that do a great job. And, who knows, maybe this man too will be kinder next time. We'll see.

David's Stand Up Debut

For those of you who couldn't join us at the LOL Comedy Club tonight, here's David...

Seriously. Today I was clipping my 12 year old son's toe nails. Yes, I agree. It is something he should be able to do for himself. The problem is that he doesn't do it. Then he reminds me of the bag lady with the long, straggly fingernails that followed me through Central Park when I was 18. Creepy. Anyway ... While I was doing that, I noticed that he has HUGE toes. Just thought I'd share. Weird, huh?

A Big Sigh of Relief

I finally received the call. And, the news is good.

Last Thursday, David had a bluish bump removed from his hip. It wasn't a mole and it had some pain associated with it. The dermatologist really had no idea what it was and so he needed to biopsy it. He thought it might be a blue nevis or a glomus tumor.

After researching it a bit, it really didn't look like a blue nevis, and a glomus tumor didn't seem like a very good option. Too many associations with cancer. I thought I had put it out of my mind and determined not to worry about it.

Then the call came. My neighbor was visiting and so I couldn't answer the call. The message from the nurse just said, "Mrs Mann, we need you to call us back." Oh, yikes. So, as soon as I could clear the kids from the room I returned the call unsure of what I would hear.

Isabel, the nurse, hurried through the polite conversation and said, "Mrs Mann we received the biopsy results. It is a pigmented benign cyst."

Then I realized that my heart was racing, my palms were sweating and I was essentially holding my breath bracing for another bad news moment. I heard myself sign an audible big sigh of relief. I'm sure Isabel shared my joy since she was the one who called me with each of my prior biopsy reports. I'm sure she was also relieved not to have to deliver bad news.

Such relief... oh, thank heavens!

In honor of...

National Taco Day!

Did you know that today is National Taco Day? It is.

To honor this special occasion we had tacos for dinner, of course. What else would you have on National Taco Day?

David also wrote this very special little poem, and repeated it dozens and dozens of times during dinner.

There once was a boy named Paco,
And for each and every meal
He ate a taco.
'Til one day,
He went crazy,
He went home to be lazy,
And that was
The last of poor Paco.

The Perfect Fall Day

Today was it! The perfect fall day. The air was cool and crisp; yet, the sun was shining brightly. It was perfect! David, Deborah, Johnathon & I took advantage of the day by going to the playground. Actually 2 playgrounds. :)

David frequently helps me with Ryan's bath. Today after we had finished Ryan's bath time, I went to take care of some thing for one of the other kids. When I came back, this is what I found:

Looks like a good brother-to-brother chat, doesn't it?

Camping

The guys (minus Ryan) went camping last night. They went to a state park to meet a bunch of other Fathers & Sons. However, the place was so covered in mosquitoes that it apparently looked smokey. Yuck. After just a short while, they decided to roll up camp and go home. So, last night they camped in the back yard.

(I took this picture from an upstairs window. The screen really gets in the way, but you get the idea.)

This morning when I woke up, I remembered that the lawn sprinklers are set to go off on Saturday morning at 2 am. I was concerned as their tent was pitched right by one of the sprinkler heads. If it went off, it would have sprayed right into their tent. But, lucky for them, ... and probably for me too, when I reset it on Thursday to adjust for the rain, I accidentally set it to go off on Friday morning at 2 am. Whew! :)

They all seemed very content with their camping experience.

Poem by David Mann

Fire or Ice

A difficult question, though it seems nice,
Which way will we all go: Fire or Ice?
My first hope, I must say, (for I am no liar)
I had hoped that it will be fire.

Because then, I said, there would be no pain,
The time would come and then firey rain.
Then again, I said, mankind takes long to burn,
So I guess that I have a lot I have to learn.

So fire is out, I said, then what about ice?
It’s not much more painful then everyday head lice.
But, I said, what if people are frozen?
Maybe it is wrong this thing I have chosen.

It’s a good thing, so nice,
That I don’t pick, (I got it wrong twice.)
Because of this question, I’ve gotten quite sick,
And I shall end with a question: What would YOU pick?


FIN

More Poems

The younger kids are learning about poetry at co-op. Tina Millar, their teacher is doing a fantastic job! The kids are really enjoying it! She wrote this one about Deborah:

David likes poetry and has lots of fun writing creative things.
In case you can't read this one by David, it says:
Curds and whey are an early stage.
High in lactose.
Edible.
Every type is just moldy milk.
Some types come from cows.
Enzymes make it what it is.

The Zoo

Jacob had his first TAKS test ever. It took him about 2 hours and then we picked him up. All of us went to brunch at Magnolia Pancake Haus. We had a yummy breakfast ... and lots of silliness, too.


After we pulled ourselves together from the silliness, we went to the San Antonio zoo.

We first went to see the Komodo dragons being fed. We were a little early for it, but we waited ... and waited ... and waited. We finally gave up and moved on to other things. But, we were there long enough to get this great picture of Johnathon.

We made our way over to the Africa Live part. We saw these two beautiful birds there! The pictures probably do not do the vivid blue justice. It was really beautiful!


Ryan was about finished by this point, but on our way out, I agreed to let the little munchkins go into the Lory Landing display. It's this caged area that you can walk through and it has lots and lots of birds.

The first time I went in, we bought stuff to feed them. Sounded fun to me. Reality wasn't as fun. They kept biting me instead of just eating the food. Definitely not my idea of fun. Plus, if you know me really well, then you might know that I scream when an animal moves on me unexpectedly. (Remind me to tell you about the Hawaiian sand crabs sometime.) So, I stayed outside while Aunt Joyce ventured in with the kids. (No, I didn't mention my previous experience to her. Someone needed to go with the munchkins.) :)

Nearly as soon as David entered the Lory Landing, a beautiful bird landed on his head and there it stayed for about 15 minutes. If you close in the following picture you can see it on his head. (If you click on the picture it will enlarge it for you.)

Another little girl inside the Lory Landing was really entertained by the bird on David's head. But the most entertaining part was actually what the bird was doing... at least entertaining to me.

The bird spent the entire time picking up something out of David's hair and eating it. No, David doesn't have bugs in his hair ... although the thought did occur to me. I think the bird was eating at David's dandruff. Gross, right? It was really funny. I think David was just really lucky that the bird didn't poop on his head. haha...

Deborah didn't last long on the inside. She's like me in that she preferred looking at the beautiful birds from the other side of the cage.

It was fun to have Aunt Joyce with us. We really enjoyed her visit here in San Antonio and can't wait to see her again! We love you, Aunt Joyce! Thanks for a really good time!

(PS I think we wore her out.)