A Sampling of Texts About Her Boys

Many of Adrianna’s texts to me over the years were about her boys. She’d marvel at them as she tried to live in the moment as they grew up and became individuals, each with their own strengths and personality traits. Her boys were everything to her, and I culled about thirty pages of wonderful and funny stuff she said about them: little insights, little joys, little hopes. I plan to combine them all in their own little book, but I also want to include just a small random sample here as well.

10/5/2017 6:26:58 PM

When Wes cuddles me he’s so light, it’s like nothing is on my chest. I love it. I want a picture of me and him, like the one you took of me and Bryce. When we sleep like that Bryce lays next to me and holds my hair, LOL. I love our naps! ok xoxoxox

10/14/2017 1:21:19 PM

It’s kinda cool ONLY because Bryce is growing and being active THAT stuff makes me happy, little things throughout the day. He said I was the best mommy ever again this morning.

Had never hear him say that except that first time couple weeks ago when he found me finishing crying. I had said I can’t do this and he opens the bathroom door and was like YES YOU CAN YOU’RE THE BEST MOMMY EVER.

That changed me that day.

10/23/2017 7:18:56 PM

About lay them down tonight. Wes told me he loved me and I’m best mom ever, and I think he knew what he meant because of his timing, and also I said thank you, and he said, “You’re welcome, mama, I love you.”

10/28/2017 11:37:32 AM

Wesley just said, “Hey mom, I see a rhombus!” I love that nerd.

We are driving.

Bryce goes, “Wessss oh my gosh you talk too much!” lol Ha

12/2/2017 5:23:50 PM

[I had just told her things would get better, her reply:]

One day!

Until then I’ll keep on pushing, and hope. I cannot keep letting myself be stuck. My kids deserve to know the real Adri.

1/16/2018 2:57:16 PM

Best day ever. Bryce to school, alone time with Wes, and I had alone time with Bryce this am. Then school, indoor play place, then at Chick Fil A we met Kareem just to play, then karate.

Love life today.

4/24/2018 10:35:18 AM

[out with Wes at the mall to do a survey for extra cash]:

There’s a little boy here, he's playing. I’m happy, because normally I take him to the park after I drop off Bryce. I have a dollar cash and am going get him a chicken sandwich at Sonic and water with the good ice, and I also brought a yogurt for his lunch.

4/26/2018 6:29:25 PM

I told Bryce one day I want a small house with a small yard. He said “No, I don't want a new house, I love my house, we have one.”

Made me happy.

He's been to other people houses and he still loves ours. I really thought he would want a yard or like his own room plus a play room like his friends. It made me happy that he said he was happy.

Me and Bryce have long talks when we turn out the lights. Stephen wants us to be quiet, but that's when he talks a lot and about how he feels, and I'm not giving that up. I keep on talking and Wes answers, too, sometimes but mostly just does flips and summersaults and sings. Lol

5/30/2018 5:48:53 PM

Omg I just can’t take how big my boys are. Bryce is like a little man, and Wes is like a boy now, not a toddler. It's really freaking me out, and I keep seeing the book “Love You Forever” where at the end it's the son carrying the mom.

And it makes me cry, like at night when I can stop and actually stare at them and think and relax and calm down. That's when it all hits me.

I'm happy they are growing, but I'm sad it’s going so fast, and that I am not ENJOYING EVERY SECOND RATHER than sometimes sweating the small stuff.

Ugh sometimes it's like they hold me at night rather than me holding them.

6/15/2018 12:14:46 PM

[her boys]

I love them together, pretending and playing. So cute. I love seeing that bond. I never seen it all up close and real before, and I do get to see it through them and it’s amazing, their unconditional love.

I LOVE IT. I’m tired, but they wanted to pretend. They like to act out movies, so I said ok, one thirty minute one just so I could watch it.

6/29/2018 6:42:21 PM

Omfg!

Bryce said he wants to get gold teeth like “that black guy at the Dollar Tree.”

Omg

I said, “Stop using color!”

Jesus.

He’s trying describe people, but ugh, just say “the guy at the Dollar Tree.”

Me: What’s wrong with saying “gold” ?

Adri: LOL ok Dad

8/10/2018 9:23:38 PM

So tonight Bryce asked me when the lights were out,

“What color am I?”

I asked why he asked that, and at first I was upset and said, “You’re not a color, you’re a person. You’re a boy. You’re Bryce.”

Then he kept asking me. Finally, he said “No, my skeleton.”

I said everyone’s bones are white, and we are all pink inside.

I like our late night convos. 

12/14/2018 2:40:11 PM

Omg, so I gave the teacher a bunch of the boys’ McD toys and then guess what: Bryce drew from the prize bucket at school and got his toy back, LOL, and said to me, “Hey, we got the same one!”

10/26/2018 10:13:25 PM

These two older girls kept him [Wes] the whole time, they didn’t want him to leave. Bryce made some new friends. An older boy kept putting his hands on Bryce and Wes went up to him and grabbed his shirt and said, “Don’t touch my brother again!” lol

12/18/2018 2:22:49 PM

Bryce just said he wanted spend the night at your house. I said, “and sleep there?” He said, “Yeah, and jump on their bed.”

Bryce still loves Coldplay. Wes still loves mainstream rap. LOL

4/25/2019 7:44:18 PM

Wesley is getting very sweet again since he’s home more. For real, when I went to school he was becoming not as nice. I swear he's back to himself and very sweet.

Last night he said, “Mom, you're never leaving, right?” and I said no. Then he said, “Just don't leave. I don't want you, Brycer, or dad to leave. I don't want to be alone.”

5/10/2019 6:09:51 PM

[The boys had been misbehaving]:

Wesley said, “Mama, I'm sorry, I went too far.” I don't know where he got that but I believe him because he didn't say just “sorry.”

5/29/2019 11:47:22 AM

Wesley is so very smart with critical thinking and problem solving. He watches “Blue’s Clues” and “Leap Frog” and they ask questions but he answers before they even ask.

Tornado warning here. Wes said is it going to be "a tomato that spins in the sky." LOL

I said “tornado,” he goes, “Yeah, that spins in the sky, a tomato!”

7/1/2019 8:37:06 AM

I love power tools, and I told the boys if you have a girl you have to teach them to do tools and how to change tire and oil just like my dad did for me.

Bryce said, “But YOU’RE a girl!”

7/29/2019 8:34:35 AM

Wesley was watching YouTube, and a mom and baby dinosaur had a song, "You’re the permanent marker in my life and love forever even if I die."

I come into the room and Wesley is crying, and I was like, “What's wrong, baby?” and he hugged me and kept crying, like a quiet cry, and after I said, “What made you upset?” He said, “Umm… if you, my mommy, dies.”

It made me so sad, I was crying and I was like awww. Both of them are so, so sweet. Wesley just acts tougher. I told Wes I wasn’t going anywhere.

It was cute to see his vulnerable side because he's so strong.

8/19/2019 8:21:44 AM

[first day of school]

Bryce told me, “Mommy, I can't play with them, I'm too big, they’re babies, I will hurt them."

It made me sad but I said, “You’re six, last year you were five and you were the youngest. This year you’re the oldest, and there are both five- and six-year-olds."

Then he said, “I miss my old friends.” I said, “They aren't your old friends, they’re your friends. These are your NEW friends. You are always friends once you make friends. "

Wesley walked in class, said “bye,” and told me to go.

8/26/2019 8:16:13 AM

Bryce did good. He started to cry but counted and calmed down and actually said, “Go, mom, I'm ok” while he held back tears.

I got to see what Wes does. He goes to the cafeteria and then he goes to the hallway and I don't know after that.

10/8/2020 2:00:37 PM

So Bryce was just asked by the teacher, "Who was the president before Obama?," and he said, “Obama,” and she said, “No, before,” and he goes, “No, he ran two times.” LOL

She laughed. I love her. She said, “Yes, but before that?” and he goes, “Who cares.” 

11/3/2020 7:23:28 PM

[This was election night 2020, and Wesley was mad that he couldn't stay up to watch the returns. (He was five).]

Wesley came out looking like you, and he definitely reminds me of you. I guess since I missed out, I get you daily through him.

2/18/2021 8:41:14 PM

About to fall asleep, but they are watching the real person Jungle Book and Wes goes, “That’s a monkey.” Bryce goes, “No, that is actually an ape.” Lol

I was like I have to text even though I took night med but did later. We played a game before the movie. It’s just so funny how kids can be so different from each other and each parent but be so similar, too.

5/18/2021 1:01:25 PM

Omg Wesley repeated a YouTube video and said, “Hell.”

We said, “What did you just say?”

He said I don’t know. We asked again and he said, “It’s ok, I said it in a British way, “ell.”

6/4/2021 5:42:49 PM

Omg Wes goes, “See, dad, I told you money does go on trees.”

Stephen said, “No it doesn’t.”

Wes goes, “Yes, it’s paper.”

Stephen said, “Ok show me where, Wes, I’ll pick it,” and Wesley yelled, “I’M NOT TELLING YOU!”

Haha. Just a normal night conversation/debate with Wes.

They literally brighten my day. I can’t wait until this stuff is better and they come and stay the night or y’all hang out. You and Wes will be debating, no joke, and he gets so mad and Bryce will be next to him trying to calm him down.

His personality is like you. He is right and he will have some kind of proof and reasons and he will not let it go until everyone hears. LOL, which is good.

Bryce is more “polite” as in he will stop talking and and will let stuff go, LOL.

Wesley is the spitfire.

7/11/2021 6:02:06 PM

Bryce said, “I wish grandpa had kids, he’d be a good father.”

I said, "Hello, I’m his kid!”

7/16/2021 9:09:46 AM

[blowing bubbles with the boys]

Wes said the bubbles are going up to heaven to bring everyone back.

7/17/2021 1:08:10 PM

They saw husky’s puppy and were playing with it and its nails were like long and Wes got little scratch, and he said, “Mom, don’t put anything on this, I’m remember this forever!”

They want dog, I said no we are in apartment and we don’t have money or room, but we are moving next door to dog park. They can go play with them there.

7/23/2021 11:13:28 PM

Going to sleep, but I found grams sweater. I opened the bag, I normally don’t, and it STILL smells like her. I keep it sealed to keep her smell, but I just wanted to feel comfort.

9/16/2021 12:57:37 PM

Wesley told me I’m his person. LOL, so cute, but where did he even learn that?

He goes, “Mama, I’ll never get another person. You’re my person.”

9/10/2021 9:02:15 AM

Bryce cried, I said you were going to New York and he thought you were never coming back. Then he said he had a nightmare that your twin put you in a picture frame with a spell, and the evil twin of you came To Nonna’s instead of you, and he said he made himself wake up.

It was cute.

I told him you're coming back, but you need a trip.

Bryce told me how the dream ended. He said that aunt Toti had heels on and the evil grandpa took them off and Toti stole his wand and threw it at the picture frame and freed the good grandpa and the evil grandpa disappeared. 

11/6/2021 11:05:37 AM

Bryce is about to be done and then y’all can play for bit before y’all go for lunch. Maybe he will tell you what he was singing.  I woke up to him singing, but he says he doesn’t remember.  I wanted to record it, but I wanted more to just live in the moment.

4/1/2022 1:49:17 PM

Wes just had this convo with me:

“Mom, why do we have speed limits?”

I said because if we didn’t people could crash or get hurt.

He said, “But what if people didn’t get hurt?”

I said they would, that’s why we have rules so people can follow them and be safe.

He said, “But what if God made us so we would all be safe?"

I said he tried, but we now are able to make decisions, good or bad, and for the bad we get consequences (bad outcomes), so now we can choose two roads: One which is good choices, and one which is bad, and we have to deal with bad outcomes of doing bad things.

He has always talked about God. We are reliving the why stage again.

I wanted to tell Wes it’s because Eve made Adam eat the apple, but I don’t know if he will get it.

8/11/2024 6:58:40 PM

I’m loving how the boys are asking for apples or carrots celery or fresh green beans for a snack!! Love it a lot, I just don’t get why they have to price healthy and fresh food so high and the junk food is cheaper.  It’s dumb!!!

11/9/2024 10:13:01 PM

The boys’ games keep playing music that makes me have memories of times with you.

Certain songs, like driving to your jobs with the window down and then the kids thinking you were cool because the songs, you know, and just a lot of little things I remember that I really miss and that make me so sad.

I saw you try so hard my whole my whole life, and I kept becoming a problem.