An Emotional Kind of Weekend

When emotions run high I kind of wish I wasn't the only girl. I wouldn't say I'm a cry baby, but there are time where certain things just hit me hard.

We started going through my Grandpa's house. He's 92. There's a few things that lead to my Mom and Aunts putting him in a home. He kept falling. Thankfully he hasn't broken any bones, but he's bruised himself a lot. He keeps getting bladder infections. My Mom thinks that he has one constant bladder infection that never gets cured fully; it just keeps coming back. With older people bladder infections can be bad! He gets high fevers and with that comes visions of cats coming out of the ceiling. Scary stuff for sure.

I had a hard time going through his stuff. He knows we were doing it. Possibly that made it even harder?

I took photos of some of the things we took home.

Welcome Dala Horse

My Grandma (passed away when Isaak was 4, now he's 10) for the most was all Swedish. Mica spotted this horse in their China cabinet, and wondered if I wanted it. He said, "It's a Mexican horse Mom. It would go well in our kitchen."

He's right it does go well in our kitchen. He's not right about it being Mexican. People quickly told me that on social media channels. It's a Swedish Horse called, Dalecarlian Horse or "Dala Horse". It was one of the first toys Swedish children had made for them.

Grandpa's Old Suitcase 

My Dad was cleaning out Grandpa Kent's attic. He pulled down this old suitcase that I quickly claimed. 

My Aunt Becky started telling me stories about things I took. I told my sister Terra, "I don't know if I should take that." She said, "Why?" I said, "I just feel like it belongs to someone more important than me. The story it pretty powerful." She said, "Take it. She wants you to know the story behind these things." 

Grandpa Kent made this wooden suit case and this is what he carried his belongings in, while in the Navy during WWII.

The suitcase is just as important to me as a thing I got from Grandpa years ago. I saw a card catalog table in his garage, and asked him what he does with it? He said, "I just store nuts and bolts in that old thing." I said, "I'll fix it up, and use it in my living room." So he let me have it. I use it!

Every Lady Needs a Button Tin

I don't know that I really need a button tin. But my Aunt Becky was saying I should take it to make things. I took it. All the buttons were on their original paper. I had the boys help me take them off. It saved about 1/2 the space! Now I have room to add buttons I already had of my own.

Time to Read Mica

Mica is a reader! I saw this old book and said, "Mica that's what you should take. You'll always have something to read!" It's a super thick book with a ton of information inside it!

Grandma's Costume Jewelry 

Isaak was in the back with my cousin Stacy's daughter Samantha for a long time. 

What were they doing? Going through Grandma's jewelry. I surprised it's still there. Grandma's been passed away for about 6 years now. Isaak was obsessed with the rings, and Samantha loved the necklaces. All costume jewelry, but treasured for sure. 

I walked into this:

Then I got a text message, while I was at home asking if Isaak took some rings he didn't get permission to take. He did. In his defense my Aunt Becky kept saying, "Take it." 

Car Ride Home

We took some other things. Isaak got a donation box (probably from a church), a pocket knife, and some different noise makers. Mica didn't take a lot. Travis got tools and a big drill press. 

Isaak said, "Wow that suit case is old Mom!" I said, "Yep your Great Grandpa Kent made it." He said, "Really? I didn't know he knew how to make things!" I said, "He made a lot of things Isaak. That big Grandfather Clock in his living room he made himself." Isaak's eyes got bigger than they already are and he said, "Really!?" I said, "Really." Then I cried. I didn't even know why I was crying exactly. 

Bain Tumor

I didn't want to start this post out with this. I guess that's why I called it, "An Emotional Kind of Weekend". 

I got a message from A friend. Mica was in the Spelling Bee a few years ago. The last two left was Mica and one of his good friends. 

It was always crazy because his friend was so much shorter than Mica. He had fine hair as well. His sister was always in Isaak's class. His Dad helped at the school as a para for a year. I use passed tense because this was elementary, and they've both moved on to middle school. Our whole family is friends. We get together for game nights, and have meals. They come to birthday parties.

There's a reason why the boy was always shorter than Mica. He got in a simple bike accident over the summer. He was complaining about not being able to see well. One appointment lead to another. It turns out he has a brain tumor. It's hitting against his pituitary gland. His growth and was stunted. He has to get surgery early September. I couldn't stop crying when I read all this!

I offered to cook for them, or take in the sister that's Isaak's age when he has surgery. I don't know what else I can do. I wish I was John Coffeey from The Green Mile that could take away the tumor, and make it all better!

What's an emotional thing that's been going on in your life? Do you ever have a wave of emotion hit you? 

Inside Out

This isn't a movie review. A few weekends ago the boys spent the night at my oldest sister's house. She got them pizza and a few movies to watch. One of the movies was Inside Out. Have you seen it? I haven't, but I've wanted to.

Source

I feel like it's a movie that should have gotten more hype than it has. 

Forbes said this about the film:

"This latest Pixar film shares many qualities with the third Toy Story chapter, including a beautiful, rich, unexpectedly complex emotional arc that reveals itself slowly and will leave adults with jaws dropped and eyes damp. The film has possibly broader appeal than almost any previous Pixar film, with plenty for the youngest kids to enjoy but a story aimed at a slightly older near-teen and early-teen demographic, as well as more than the usual amount of smart storytelling and humor to appeal to the adults in the room. Indeed, this isn’t a story simply for the children to enjoy in their own way and adults to enjoy separately — it is a film meant to be shared by parents with their children, to bridge a gap between adolescents and adults, more than any animated film I’ve ever seen."

Mica didn't want to see it. He said, "It's for babies." He has in his mind that cartoons are for younger kids. He's pretty selective in what he wants to watch. He's cool with Kung Fu Panda and any anime flick. If I put on most cartoons he doesn't want to watch them.

We convinced Mica that it would be great for him to watch Inside Out. Isaak has been wanting to see it.

They watched it, and guess who loved the movie? Mica did.

Isaak woke up really depressed this morning. He had a dream that the characters from Inside Out were in his brain. They were super nice. They played with him. When he woke up he wished that they were real. It really bothered him.

Isaak has always been our more dramatic child. I never know if he's acting, or serious. He'll cry for 10 minutes. I'll leave him be if it's something crazy that he's crying about. After awhile I'll check on him, and he doesn't even have any tears running down his face. I'm not saying that he wasn't bothered, but he milked a reaction out of us.

It's hard as a parent of a dramatic child to know if the child truly needs more attention, or if they are playing you.

Part of me thinks: 

Kids certainly need to learn to suck it up. Life is too short to let things bother you all the time. I do spend time with my kids, so I shouldn't feel guilty that they get moody at times. Kind of the tough love approach.

Another part of me thinks:

Kids feeling shouldn't be ignored. Isaak has been upset because Mica's in The Student Council, Chess Club, and more. Isaak's too young for a lot of those special things. Mica's an independent player, and always has been. Yes Mica plays with Isaak, but it's minimal. Isaak's face lights up when I play bouncy ball in the hallway. His face is crushed when Travis helps Mica plant seeds that were given to him. Spending time with a kid who is moody will only be positive, and bring us closer together.

Do you have a child that is moody?