December 2015

The end of the year is finally here.  2015, like seemingly each of the last 7 years, has been a year of change and development.

Emma, our oldest, is in 7th grade. Next month she turns 13. I'm not sure that I'm prepared for that; not really even sure that the world is ready.  But like much of what else she does, Emma will put on a face of confidence and face it.  She is in an interesting person.  She oscillates between who she wants to be.  At home, she is opinionated and sometimes even smug - but then minutes later sweet and comforting to her younger siblings.  She is an avid reader and in incredibly hard worker. This fall, she began Confirmation at our church.  It has been a blessing to see her faith evolve.  We've had to adapt the way she is taught because of schedule conflicts with her mother, but Emma is getting it.  She makes me very proud. At school and her relationships there, she seems to move between peer groups with ease. But then, there will be the occasional moment when I see much of myself reflected in her.  I'll see her shyness, her reservation, sometimes even her self doubt.  She will find her way.  She is strong and determined.

Carter is in 5th grade and his last year of elementary school.  He has matured greatly in just the last 6 months.  Having a male teacher for the first time has helped.  He also started hockey this year and I think that has given him something to look forward to as his own each week. Our deal has been that he has to maintain high grades if he wants to be able to play.  So far, so good.  Next week, will be starting level 3 (of 4) for learning to play hockey.  Hopefully, this time next year I will be writing about him playing on a team.  He's never been able to do that, and it something that I know he yearns for.  He will also be making the jump from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts in the next couple of months.  I am very much looking forward to this for him.  The relationships he develops in Boy Scouts will be relationships that he will literally carry forever.  The values that he learns, he will carry with him always.

Caraline is in 4 year old preschool and just turned 5 last week.  She will continue to go to Immanuel Lutheran for school when she completes preschool.  We've been members at Immanuel since Kate and I were married.  Knowing that she will be able to go to school at what has become our "home", is reassuring.  The foundation of her faith is incredibly strong.  I can only imagine how it will continue to blossom.  It's funny - she is Kate's carbon copy.  She looks like her, talks like her, thinks like her, acts like her - loves like her.  She's my little Lina Bean.

Coleton is a bouncing ball of a two year old. More accurately, he's like a bottle of coke that has been shaken up.  At some point, you have to open the top of the coke and watch the excitement - well, Coleton is what that excitement looks like....all the time.   His personality is constantly evolving but this kid likes to GO.  His little engine just doesn't stop.  He has learned that as #4 he has to make his voice heard to ensure the gets what he wants.  He clearly learned that very early on and has refused to let it go since he was born.  He's definitely the fireball of the family. This year, he has been doing a Mommy and Me class with Kate.  I know that she cherishes the time she gets to spend with him every Wednesday.   I will always be grateful of the time that she spends with all of them.  Its cliche, but these moments really do move quickly.

Kate has been busy as always. She is splitting time between the Macomb Intermediate School District as a contract SLP and for a private company doing home based therapy.  Both are good fits for her.  She is much more of a talented Speech Pathologist that I can ever hope to be. While I often talk about working within my bliss in my job, all you have to do is listen to Kate talk for 30 seconds about the kiddos that she gets to work with and know that God has her placed exactly where he know she needs to be.  She's that person that gives hope.  I'm very proud of her.

As for myself, 2 months ago I returned to the field as a practicing Speech Pathologist for our Detroit patients at Residential Home Health.  From a career perspective, this was the best move I've made in my life.  People want to knock Detroit.  Sure, its rough. It's old.  It's full of burned out houses and building marked with every color of graffiti.  But you know what?  Its full of people.  And the people that I see are just like your brother, your sister, your father and grandmother.  They share the same hopes, the same fears.  They are good people.  It is an honor to work with the people that I do.  Everyone has a story and when you are in the business of helping them communicate their story, well, you really can't be in any better place.

As usual, I have waited a year to provide any updates to this blog.  Facebook seems to be the medium that both Kate and I use to share the adventures of the Michigan Southerns.  Yet, going back occasionally to this blog and reading though some of our own adventures is almost like taking a read back at an old diary. 

The last year has been full of transitions.  Emma is now in 6th grade and a middle schooler.  She's had a great year and is doing well - even Advanced Math! She clearly did not get that skill from me. She has been learning to ride horses for the last 2 years and is loving it. Unfortunately, it got a bit chilly this winter and she decided to take a little bit of a break.  It has FINALLY started to warm up in Michigan, so hopefully she will jump back into it soon.  I know that she misses the 90 minutes of "doing her own thing" each week.

Carter continues to wander through elementary school. I mean that lovingly.  I'm still not convinced that he knows he's alive yet. He does well - don't misunderstand - but he seems to careen from one extreme to the other.  We are hoping that 5th grade will be the spark that he needs to find some consistency.  He is such a good kid.  And, as my mother says, is the carbon copy of myself.

Caraline has been attending pre-school at Immanuel Lutheran.  It has been great to see her come home each week and share the small seeds of her faith.  She is our prayer leader at most family meals.  We've gone from the "Moravian Blessing" to a sing-song modified version of it to the tune of the alphabet song.

 

Coleton, aka Colie, is almost 2.  He's such a dynamic little guy.  While Caraline got the talkative nature of her mother, Coleton got his father's persistence.  He doesn't take "no" for an answer.  His speech is coming along fine and his language acquisition is just fascinating to watch.  Between the two littles, Colie definitely has Dubay in him.  Its slightly weird at times to look at him and see the baby version of your father in law looking back at you.



Kate continues to work contractually for the Macomb ISD.  Luckily, this year, she is only working at one school.  I really do admire what she does.  She works with population of kids that I simply don't possess neither the skill set nor the understanding to provide effective interventions. I've seen her in action before and it is beyond amazing to see your wife working within her bliss. 



Myself?  I've transitioned from a field SLP in homecare to a therapy supervisor at the same company.  I supervise the Detroit team of PTs, OTs, MSWs and SLPs.  The engagement level is different, but in the end, the objective is still the same. Provide the best possible interventions and deliver the best possible outcomes to our customers.  I simply love it.



Kate has made me promise to do this with a bit more regularity.  We'll see how that goes.  Until then...