Rowan

Oh man... looking at these pictures has me feeling all the many things that are in the realm of happy. I can''t look at his smiling face without feeling so much love for Rowan. 

Sam and I recently attended Rowan's IEP meeting. It was the first IEP meeting that Sam was able to join me. I was glad for that. I think he got to see/hear what I have been for so many years with the people who work so closely with Rowan, and that is: they know him, and they love him. They said in the meeting, "he sure does love your family." He said he talks about his family so much, and that that is all the people in his life he really needs. Of course, I do love to hear this, but part of me wants him to share himself with so many others. He has the ability to touch so many people's lives. 

Rowan has recently become such an impressive pianist. It started with the Journey song, "Separate Ways." We had been listening to that song, and he when we were at home one day he say down on the piano, and said, "mom, you know this song," and he began to play the beginning on the song. I was surprised and said, "Yes. I do!" Over the next few days he put together the whole song by ear. He has done that with "Rewrite the Stars," and "Walking the Wire" both songs done by the Piano Guys. I have been amazed watching him. He really has a gift.

I worry about Rowan. I worry about the way he is treated at school, which I was assured that he is well liked by everyone, and even has a couple of friends this year. I worry about the way his older brothers treat him...I worry if he is happy. I had a great conversation with him just a day ago. He had gotten mad a Jonah. When we were talking we drew some pictures of his happy heart, and we talked about what we needed to do to make sure it is happy. He explained to me that he was confused sometimes, because sometimes he feels really mad. He drew a heart that was half mad, and half happy, and wrote the word "confused." We talked about how we get to feel a lot of things, and that if we can make choices that get us back to feeling happy again, we will be that way no matter what was going on. He cried at bit, and I got to hug him, and tell him I love him. He is honest and real, and everyone could probably take a page from Rowan's book. 

Rowan likes: being with his brothers/family

Loves: Pasta and Bubbly Water, playing the piano,  playing with mad matter, 

Favorite subject: math

Does not like: waking up for school and getting his hair cut

Update: I just looked back...and noticed I had already written about Rowan for his birthday. But...I wrote different things for each post, so I guess this is what is happening to me at 40. That's nice. 

 

Jai Wolf Concert

We gave in, or we really do love our kids, but we bought tickets to the Jai Wolf concert. If you are not familiar with who this person is, it's ok, you are not alone, but in the Christensen home, it's a household name. Never did I think that this would be the case. 

I mean I love the Beatles, and oldies, and musicals, and generally music with lyrics and here I have at least two kids, who listen to digital music. Both of those kids, make their own electronic music. It's kinda cool. But, yeah, never could have guessed it. 

When we bought the tickets we knew that the concert would actually be falling on my birthday. But, I thought, you know, that would be one way to make my 40th birthday unforgettable, going to my first electronic music concert. 

We got 4 tickets, and Sam got off a little bit early from work, and we drove down to Eugene. That is about 2.5 hours away. What Kaj did not know was that we got VIP tickets, and he would be able to meet Jai Wolf. I would get dropped off with Kaj early, and Sam and Rowan went to go grab a bite to eat. The VIP time was set to start at 6. There was a total of 5 people in this group of people, this included Kaj and myself. There were 2 older people in the group, I would guess upper 60's. It seemed out of place a bit, but I chalked it up to the fact that maybe Jai Wolf appealed to a broader audience than I thought. Kaj was able to pick up a shirt, his poster, and the free merchandise, and then we waited. We were then gathered up by one of Jai Wolf's guys, perhaps his right hand man, but he then announced apologetically that Jai Wolf just wasn't feeling very well, you know he had just gotten a tattoo that day and he just wasn't up for meeting with the VIPs.😂 

He could meet them AFTER the show. 

Uh... what??? 😂  I looked at this man like you must be joking. My other thought was Mister Drama Queen Jai Wolf had better get himself together to meet with 5 people. 5 people! I also decided that he would not be able to become more famous than he already was, if was maxed out after a tattoo and 5 people than he had reached the limit. I asked, "Well, what time will the show be done?" The show would end at 11:50. I told him we had come from Bend, and I had a younger son who would also be there, and we weren't even sure if we would stay that whole time. The man scanned the faces of the 5 of us, and Kaj in his fan shirt, and hat already, and showing that he had some people skills, said that he would check to see what he could do. He got back to us very quickly and said that he would be able to meet with us just before the show at 7:30. 

So, with time to kill, we were at least able to go into the stage area, and have a seat while we waited. I sat next to the older couple. Come to find out, they had actually won their tickets as well as their VIP passes. The woman had not heard of Jai Wolf, but her husband had. They were big concert goers and attended a lot together. They were pleasant people. Sam walked in a short time later with Rowan, and I told him what the deal was. We were about to approach the front of the stage to this hallway where we were going to be let out to meet Jai Wolf, but just before we did, the older man, noticed Rowan and asked us, "Would your son like to meet Jai Wolf too?" As he took off his own pass to hand it to us. We made sure he was really ok offering this, and he insisted he was. He seemed content with sitting the chairs, and really didn't care to meet Jai Wolf. Rowan said, "Thank you so much." He put on the VIP pass, and I walked up with my two boys to go backstage. 

I was...less than impressed with Mister Jai Wolf. He barely said anything to the boys. Kaj tried harder to make conversations with him. He seemed very dull, and not personable. Good thing he just sits up there on stage and does his own thing because his strong suit is not people. But, it's fine, Everyone has their own strengths. My boys still were over the moon and still thought he was the coolest person ever. 

The concert itself was pretty good. They had openers that lasted 2 hours, and Jai Wolf didn't appear till 10 o clock. I told Sam we needed to leave at 11. Sam had to work in the morning- as in head down to Portland and we had over two hours of driving. The light show was pretty cool, and I hung in there near the front with the boys for the first half hour. The other thing I will say about it was..it was LOUD. So loud, you could not distinguish sounds from each other. And it only seemed to get louder as time went out. I went back around 10:30 to sit back in the seats with my old people friends, they were more my speed apparently. 😂 But, I left because I was legit worried about my eardrum health. I was thinking here I am on my 40th birthday and what if I can't hear after this? People's voices sounded like they had been using helium. It continued like that for another 30 minutes after we left the concert. 

All in all- my boys really loved it. Sam even really enjoyed himself. I was happy about that. I will likely not be going to a concert like that again, but hey, if it had been a bucket list item (it was not a bucket list item) then I can check that off. 

 

40th Birthday

 Let's rewind a few months. (Cue Wayne's world Scooby Doo ending) I ended up having the actual best time turning 40. 

I went on a girl's trip a week before my birthday conveniently timed so that I could have the excuse to go all out in "celebration mode". Apparently, celebration mode looks a lot like going to Disneyland and then hanging out with some of your best girlfriends on vacation for a few days. 

It was honestly such an amazing trip. Even now, when I think on that trip I really only have such positive feelings about the whole thing. I flew in a couple days earlier than the rest of the ladies so me and Bree could enjoy Disneyland, and enjoy it we did. I still think Disney as an adult is one of the better decisions one can make. We did about 40,000 steps that day. We went on a bunch of the more awesome rides twice, and we absolutely loved being together for that whole day. 

The rest of the girls arrived, and a lot of me wanted to do Disney again with everyone. But, we ended up sticking with a very busy sight seeing day first, followed by a mellow beach day, and both were so awesome.

Notice me in the background :) 

First arriving in California

Susie and I ran from the parking lot all the way to the ocean-it was a farther away than it looked 

Now, on the heels of this very awesome trip, I went home and had a day back, and on my birthday we took Kaj to a Jai Wolf concert. I clearly love my son. (I will talk about that separately) But, returning from that and back to what I thought would be a regular day. Sam was home and he had decided that it was pertinent to make sure the garage door was working smoothly and the boys shower curtain needed to be replaced all in a morning. I had gone to get the boys from school, and upon my return there was a cell phone set up on the kitchen table. I was utterly confused. My first thought was: whose phone is this? It's not my phone. I went to inspect the phone further. Suddenly, I heard "Surprise!" And turned around and awestruck-all of my sisters were there!

I could not believe it. My mom was on the phone listening to the reaction. She would have come but had to help with the kids back home. So, I got to have my sisters there for a few days. We spent one of the nights and the hotel down by the Old Mill. When we talking about plans, they left it entirely up to me, I mentioned how funny and fun it would be to all get rollerblades. Let it be done.

We decided that, that was exactly what we would do. 

We first tried  Dicks Sporting Goods. We had to ask an employed for help because it's not exactly rollerblading season, and we asked for 4 rollerblades sizes 7.5 to 8. She kinda smirked at us in a quite endearing sort of way and returned with what we asked for. We all sat at tried on the rollerblades, quite pleased, that everything fit very nicely. We then saw the price which was $100 dollars and above. We decided we weren't trying to live in these rollerblades, and as we verified the price we told the employee, "we're not trying trying to be professional rollerbladers" and the girls funnily added, "maybe next year." We all laughed, and continued our search. 

We then we to Target, we found the last 4 pairs of rollerblades then had, carried them by the handles like suitcases, and all 4 sisters went to check out. We got a lot of very pleased looks. People seemed very excited for us that we had made the decision to rollerblade together on a whim. 

We packed so much in in just a few short days. We went rollerblading several times at Pine nursery, we played games of pickleball, we went to the boys soccer games, we rode the surreys down at the Old Mill, and just when I couldn't feel any luckier, Sam threw me a surprise party with a bunch of my good friends. We played Bunco with my friends and my sisters, and it was amazing. 

I do need to recognize now how Sam had held down the fort for almost 2 weeks. He wanted me to celebrate, he wanted me to be with my sisters, and also took a step further by having my friends involved in the fun. I am very thankful for him. 

I felt so loved, and that's all that really mattered. 

It was the night before 40

Poem at 40 

By: Christina Christensen  Oct. 3rd 2023 

It was the night before 40 

And all through the home

All the children were stirring 

I thought 

“Just leave me alone!”

I wanted to pout 

I wanted to sneer 

I couldn’t believe  

That this was the year

The year 

I could dream

Of a much younger face 

I could still, perhaps, run 

But not keep the pace 

So, I think to myself 

It will all be ok 

At least 

If anyone asks me 

That’s what I’ll say 

It’s all good 

At least I can laugh 

Though on my food 

I could choke 

And when it’s time to deliver I can’t remember the joke 

Mostly, 

I have wonderful memories 

With still much more time

And, look at me go! 

I can still make words rhyme! 

I can even say: 

I like myself. 

Both inside and out. 

Much closer to believing it 

Where before I would doubt 

I really am grateful 

For all that I have 

I looked myself in the eyes

And said 

“This isn’t half bad” 

I have kids that love me 

Friends and family feel the same

Beautiful moments surround me 

There’s really no shame 

To be happy at 40 

I can smile at my life  

And I’ve lived long enough

You can trust my advice 

I have quite a lot. 

I wouldn’t wish it away  

So, with that 

Now I’m 40 

And it’s more than ok.

Double Digits Rowan

What a studdly kid. It was Rowan's 10th birthday today. He told me after I picked him up from school that he forgot a few times that he was 10 now. Rowan is an enigma. I feel like he has stepped into that about a year ago and still has me trying to figure him out. He is amazing in so many ways. He is by far my best listener, and probably my best eater??--I guess my kids are getting too old for that description.. Let's just say this, even if Rowan doesn't really love the dinner he does not complain at all and he eats all of his food. When it's bewitching hour and everyone has decided collectively that they no longer have to listen to instructions Rowan has already showered and put his pajamas on. He is the silver lining in all these moments. 

 A couple recent funny stories to relay about Rowan. A few weeks ago it was about a week before the winter holiday. I had decided that during a time when I had most kids out of the house and I could get some wrapping of presents done. I was hard at work, I was surrounded by presents, all the. different wrapping paper, equipped with scissors, tape, and a podcast. I was "in for the night" in the middle of this I get a call from the school. Oh no- I thought - Rowan or Jonah must be sick. Answer the phone. "Oh hi, Christina, it's Kim from the office, I am just reminding you that it's early release day." 😳🤦🏼‍♀️😂 Oh my goodness!! I hurried over to the school. I was, at least 15 minutes late, and definitely the last kids there were mine. They had been hanging out in the office with the office ladies. Rowan gives me a smirk, and asks where I was. I apologized and just said I just forgot it was early day. I apologized more, but really neither boy was upset. Jonah was completely un-phased. Chocolate milk in hand, he strutted to the car. I asked if he was ok, to which he relied "that was the best." Rowan still smirked at me, and asked where I was. But, it was this week coming back to school and it was Wednesday morning, Rowan said, "so...it's early release day today. I think that means we get out of school early. Do you know what that means?" 😂 Ah! Yes! I do! Apparently, he has not forgotten that I did forget him on the last early release day. 

Now, on Christmas this year- which was delightful, after everyone was opening presents, and we had eaten and the kids were just content on playing with their new toys, Rowan said, "yeah, it was a pretty good Christmas, I just didn't get one thing I wanted." I asked what it was. "Gum." Yep. The kid wanted gum. I actually meant to get the gum, but for his birthday today I got him a ton of gum! And, his face lit up! Rowans likes what he likes, he does not understand the need for things he doesn't need, he is very logical about things, and it is refreshing. It can be difficult to get things for him for this reason to, but when I told Sam the things we got him for his birthday which was: gum, a gray beanie, and 20 sided dice and he asked "That's it?" I just said that's all he wanted. It makes more sense to get him those exact things. He was thrilled. I love Rowan so much. I want him to be happy. I want him to be confident. He is a great kid, and I know that he will do great things. 

 

Soccer season '23

Oh man, I love soccer season. I have loved watching this year. The 3 boys playing love it. Rowan handled the losses so much better this year, Jonah is enthusiastic and will dance on the field after scoring, and Josh has an amazing team that have been together throughout the year, and a coach that is so impressive on these boys. Josh scored at least a goal each game, where last season he only scored once the season. 

We will add Lily into the mix next season which will be so fun!I think being a part of a team is so valuable. It teaches so much more than just the sport itself. They learn that they need to show up, be reliable, they need to learn good sportsmanship, and positivity. I am the first to say-it is so busy. We had 5 practices a week. I had to run them all around, we have to coordinate all the games and make sure we get them early to all their games, and often drive two cars just to make that happen. 

Josh's last game was so fun. The team he was playing agaisnt was the most challenging the whole season, They were up 4-1 and then suddenly the other team scored a quick 3, tying the game. And then, Josh came through with the winning goal! So cool! So fun. 

Jonah was on a team with 4-5 of his best buddies. Kainoah, Wyatt, James, Archer, and Oscar.  In one of team pictures, if you look closely, Jonah, Kai, and Wyatt are holding hands. Some with their fingers interlocked! 😂  I am so thankful for all the little friends Jonah has and the families as well. They are are such good people.

When we were leaving Rowan's last game, a little teammate came up to Rowan to give him a high five, he said, "Good game, Rowan. Are you going to be over at the pizza party?" Rowan answered, "Yeah, I'll be over there." The boy cheerfully said, "Ok, Rowan! I'll see over at the pizza party!" 

I asked Rowan about him, and who he was, and commented that that was very nice. Rowan has been opposed to making friends this year, not so much making friends perhaps, but calling anyone a friend. I do not know why. I am very thankful for these kids around Rowan who seem to put forth effort even when Rowan is probably not putting much in.That makes me believe in the kindness of the world a bit more. I am going to really miss seeing the boys give their all on the field each Saturday. Till next season!  

 

The Sienna Saga

 

I knew there would come a time to reflect on this time. This is Sienna. She really is a very nice girl, mind you, a self proclaimed "boy crazy." This was last year. Sienna established she had a crush on Kaj. Kaj, told her he had a crush on her. We hung out with her, Kaj would be a really good listener, and supportive friend, and sometimes they would flirt a bit, and sometimes she would flirt with Josh. It was weird at times. Mostly, I just closed my eyes and wished for a simpler time. No, not really. I could usually be the one rolling my eyes. It was never has if Kaj and Sienna made plans with just the two of them, it was always including the family, and we were always around. There was a time where we were watching a movie as family, and we looked over and Kaj had put his arm around her and she was kinda snuggled in. 😳 (sam and my face as we made eye contact) Then, she started acting a bit distant. Kaj was wondering, but mostly he was just fine. It was Sienna's sister that finally told Kaj that she no longer liked Kaj liked that, and he was bummed maybe a day, and then the next day a relieved Kaj told me, he could be himself again. (I didn't realize how much he was trying to change for her) Kaj had stopped making his electronic music, and after that he jumped right back in. There were lessons to be learned I am sure with all parties.