Daphne, Age 7

Well, it wouldn’t be a birthday post/letter if I didn’t start it off by wishing you, my sweet girl, the happiest of happy birthdays. Today, on this fine Thanksgiving day, you are seven, and as your shirt suggests, today I am (we are all) reminded of how thankful we are for you.

Not that reminding is needed. There is quite literally a moment of every day where you pop into my head and I am filled with a rush of warmth and my face breaks into a smile because I am so incredibly grateful for you and just thinking of the (not so) little (anymore) person that is my daughter knocks my socks off, because you are so uniquely you.

You continue to be a myriad of contradictions – refusing to wear dresses while being the girliest of girls. Wanting me to paint your fingernails only to immediately peel the paint off. Wanting to live in my lap while being our child most capable of independent play for extended periods of time. You are brave and yet tender-hearted. You are brilliant but not show-off-y. You are competitive, but an awesome sport. You are adamantly independent but give hugs with a ferocity that sometimes makes me think you will never let go.

You love a good card game, and are always an eager sous chef (and taste tester). You are a super picky eater, but will eat a serving of canned green beans and ask for seconds. Much like your love for canned carrots, I find this confusing, but don’t dare question it. You are cold almost all the time, but insist on only sleeping under the flimsiest of blankets at bedtime. You insist I be the one to do your hair in the mornings, but almost NEVER let me play with it or put it up in a braid or ponytail.

I genuinely cannot believe that you are mine, because I cannot, for the life of me, think of what I could have done to deserve you. I must have been pretty freaking amazing in some prior life and being your mama must be my reward.

I ran my first (only?) marathon this year in Chicago. You made me the most amazing signs and went all across the city to cheer me on. But once it was over and we met near the finish line, reunited to walk the half mile or so back to the hotel, with me barely able to step without wincing and with legs trembling like jello, you spent the entire walk back telling me how much your legs hurt and how tired you were. I looked at your Dad and said “I imagine what I am feeling is the same feeling other women feel when their husbands talk about how tired they are in the delivery room,” because I was overwhelmed by my ever present and almost all consuming love for you, but so help me, I was almost equally overwhelmed by the desire to put you in a cab headed in the opposite direction and send you packing. I was sure that someday I would think of you fondly, but equally certain that I was not capable of such forgiving feelings at the present moment.

Fortunately, I had some lingering endorphins (and you had Mamaw as backup), and we all made it back in one piece.

You are content to play in your room by yourself or with Cooper and have walls separate us, but if you happen to come downstairs for something and see that I am going to leave the house – for an errand or to go for a run – you will immediately scowl and ask me why I have to leave. Had the timing been only slightly different – had I already left or waited to go until after you went back upstairs – you wouldn’t have even registered my absence. You don’t need me right beside you, but you hate knowing I am not within earshot. I suppose that isn’t a bad thing, and I will hope, as you get older, you continue to take comfort in knowing I am there if you need me (and, God help us, the day is soon coming when you will have a cell phone and physical distance can be overcome near instantly).

You are so totally Daphne – so completely you – and we wouldn’t have you any other way.

I continue to strive to do right by you – to be a better mom, girl, example… and I know I do not always get it right, but seeing the amazing, strong, brilliant, hilarious, caring, thoughtful person you are makes me feel like I am on the right track.

You are my heart, and I love you completely and always no matter what.

Happy birthday, my dear. I am so proud of you.

Halloween 2018

Halloween on a Wednesday is far from ideal, but we game planned and the massive storm cleared allowing enough of a window for us to execute. We started by meeting at IHOP for an early dinner of scary face pancakes for the kids (complimentary), with sides scavenged off the adult meals. Cal was a big fan of the candy corn teeth l, oreo eyes and whipped cream and then pretty much declared himself full. We then went home to change and wait for friends who were joining us for trick-or-treating.  The already hopped-up-on sugar kids were practically vibrating so we waited outside where they could run around. Cal lasted until about 6:40, and in fairness would have continued on, but in my own self interest, we peeled off to maintain his normal bedtime routine. He LOOOOOVED trick or treating though. There is nothing Cal loves more than feeling like he is one of the big kids. Sure he was slow, and usually only halfway up the walk when they were already at the door, but he would get there in time to grab handfuls of candy and shout "ank oooo" before heading to the next house. Daph tapped out around 7:20 and Cooper got home a little after 8, just as the sky opened up.

A very Happy Halloween indeed.

Girl Time: Time Keeps Flying By

Back to School!

Sure, it may have happened about a month ago, but it's never too late to document!

The big kids started back to school, and we couldn't be more excited about it! The teachers seem awesome, they were/are excited to see their friends. They continue to excel at all things academic and make parenting school-aged children far easier than it should be.

The obligatory first day of school picture:



And, in keeping with tradition, the obligatory first day of school Blizzard:



*Cal went back to "school" with his amazing nanny, who comes every day with a mini-lesson in letters or numbers, and an art project to do together. We LOVE her, and he is excited to be "back to school" (and not just because of the Blizzard*

Summer 2018 Wrap Up

If it were not so true, I would not say it, because I KNOW it is hardly a novel thing to say, but OHMYGOODNESS, WHERE DID TIME GO???
This summer has flown by, like all time seems to do now. We packed so many things into the weeks the kids were out of school, including checking off all the items on our summer to-do list. This year we did better than prior years of spacing events out, and pacing ourselves, which I believe led to the best summer ever, and our miraculously cramming it all in, despite some last minute changes in our house (as ever!).

In addition to our list (which will be discussed in more detail below), we… did theater camp (2 weeks, full days), basketball camp (1 week, full days), art camp (1 week, 2 hours a day), went to Vegas (big people only), went to Dallas (everyone for Grandpa’s birthday), went to Austin (whole family), survived some MAJOR changes (and lots of stress) at work (me – all is good, job is still good, and I am still employed, but WHOA were there some throwback nights to early in my career when I worked all day and then logged right back on when I get home, only “stopping” when I finally passed out before noticing a new email had landed on my phone), got promoted (Steve – now an Assistant Principal) and went back to work early on very short notice (thankyousomuch to our nanny!), trained for a marathon (me… probably… I mean, I keep saying I will do it, and then adding an asterisk, because DUDE, training for a marathon SUCKS and you want to quit a LOT, and doing it in the summer in Houston means the sucks and quitting are like, ever present, 1000%, not to mention the self-doubt… but so far I am on track… plodding SLOWLY on that track, but still plodding), and SO MUCH MORE. Seriously, that is just what popped in to mind without really thinking…
In short, it has been a busy but great summer.

As for our list… we:

1) Walked to get frozen yogurt three times. There is a fro-yo place right up the street from us, and among the many other treats we treated ourselves to this summer (snow cones, blizzards and MANY homemade treats!), we quite enjoyed working up an appetite in the heat, and then cooling down in the A/C with a nice cup of fro-yo. Cooper got especially creative with his flavors, mixing cotton candy and mocha (or something?), and grossing us all out. Cal, who can never be convinced to sit still, would pull up a chair and not move from the first spoon to the last, and Daphne didn’t even complain about her legs getting tired on the way there or back. A success all around.

2) Had 3 playdates each. I thought we were aiming LOW with 3 playdates each, but in all honesty, each kid just barely got theirs in. They did have playdates at their friends’ houses as well, but not many. The truth is, when you have 3 kids and lots of summer plans, the playdates don’t come as easily as one would think. But we got them done, and managed to keep in touch with our buddies who we are VERY excited to see with the start of school.

3) Ran 5 miles each. Oh man. This one was ALSO way harder to get in than I would have thought. And it isn’t the kids fault. Between my running EARLY to get enough miles in before we hit triple digits (while still in near 100% humidity), and the weather just being BRUTAL, I had to really motivate myself to get out there with the kids to get this one done. But we did it. Check that one off, and consider yoga (or napping) for the Summer 2019 list!

4) Made homemade popsicles. We did it, and the kids ate them, but definitely the use of real fruit juice meant less unnatural sugars, so these were less of a hit than I would have expected. The making was more enjoyed than the eating, but we may do this again trying out new recipes.

5) Tie-Dyed pillow cases. … and shirts. I don’t know what it is about tie-dye projects, but they are just so fun (to me). We made a LOT of different pillow cases, and gifted a set to a niece/cousin, and the rest are popping up around our house, and make me smile every time I see them. You cannot mess tie-dye up. It turns out amazing, no matter what!

6) Made an awesome cake for Cal’s birthday. This was already documented, but this cake was quite a process. We made the cake from scratch, and then made icing from scratch, and then dyed several shades of icing, which each had to be piped around the cake very carefully and then smoothed to create the ombre effect. Perhaps it wasn’t perfect, and it was definitely more ambitious than even the most fancy of two year olds can appreciate, but boy did we have fun. Late night baking might be my favorite thing… especially when I have my favorite helpers with me in the kitchen.

7) Had lunch with Mom at least 5 times. Meeting the crew for lunch is always a wonderful reminder that it is summer for me, as I slog the days away in an office (I still feel like it is highly unfair that all jobs don’t just stop for the summer. I am not sure when that will go away, and it is perhaps why I am my most millennial self during the summer months, being a crotchety (not quite) Gen X-er the rest of the time).

8) Came to mom’s office for a half day. I picked just the right day, and both kids are quite convinced I have the best job ever, with great snacks, a giant white board full of opportunities, and perfect lighting for video games. It might not have increased my productivity to have them there, but it certainly improved my mood.

9) Played five games of basketball. This went on the list before basketball camp, but oh boy did the excitement for basketball go through the roof during and after the camp. We easily played a multiple of the required number of games, and I couldn’t honestly keep count, but these were the full family (minus Cal) games, where we split up in teams, and then played to 10.

10) Played at least 3 games of SORRY. Dude, this game is timeless. I could play SORRY every night. And our big kids are at ages now where they can generally handle the requisite smack talking and ruthlessness of this classic game with good humor. Usually.

11) Grilled five new things on the grill. This one was another fun one. We got creative, and everyone tried at least a bite of everything. (Items: Grilled cheese; chicken kabobs; peaches; watermelon; s'mores)

12) Went to the beach. With Mamaw, Grandpa and Great Aunt Krishia. It was so fantastic. We played so many games, played in the water and played in the sand. This time Steve got stung by a jellyfish, but thanks to new rash guard swim suit tops, no one got horribly sunburned. We are finally figuring this beach thing out a bit…

13) Saw Incredibles 2. Exceeded expectations. So great. I can’t wait for it be out on DVD so Cal can watch the raccoon scene.

14) Made cookie dough ice cream. And ate it. Delicious.

15) Made five desserts. We made even more than this… peanut butter cup cupcakes and homemade oreo ice cream bars to name a few. This might explain why training for a marathon has not yielded the svelte body I had planned. (Carrot cake; chocolate chip and butterscotch cookies; zucchini bread; marshmellow brownies; chocolate ice cream)

16) Had a water gun fight. This was great, because we were able to include young Cal in this activity. And drenched him.

17) Finished as many books as the kids are years old. I am very proud of my readers. We really pushed Cooper this summer to read some new books out of the Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries genre (which he was happy to do, but required me to push myself to find good age appropriate books).

18) Had a family spa day. Yet another activity we (perhaps foolishly) included Cal in… which led the activity to being less restful and more messy, but definitely memorable.

19) Made egg people. This is a throwback craft from my childhood, and something I used to LOVE to do. Explaining it to the kids made it sound weird (“you take some eggs, blow the inside out of the shell without breaking it, and then use paper, glue, markers and other craft items to make egg people and egg furniture”). Understandably they were a bit perplexed, but they are egg people craftsmen now just like their mama.

20) Completed 2 K’Nex for amusement parks. I think K’Nex are super fun. Much like Lego sets, I feel like if I were a kid, I would 100% be able to spend whole afternoons (or weekends) putting complex sets together. Our kids have a hot/cold relationship with K’Nex. They can get a set and then need to disappear for HOURS so that they can complete it together, working patiently and as a team. OR… they can have a set and refuse to open it even when they complain ceaselessly of how BORING things are. Fortunately, they found a K’Nex zone the requisite 2 times this summer, and their creations turned out awesome.

*** This post was actually originally drafted LONG ago, back when it would have been timely. I wrote it, and then saved it in draft form with the intent of adding the dates we accomplished each things and details such as book titles for number 17. I actually DID that, and then uploaded the pictures to accompany the words... and then blogger just decided to punish me for all that doing and reverted back to the original saved draft and, alas, as it has been WEEKS without my having the time, temperament or motivation to go RE-complete this post, I am just posting it now, minus pictures and details, as those details are captured on the paper list, which I have a picture of, so SOMEDAY I can come back in and fix it, and I can go ahead and move on to a back to school post...***

Happy Birthday, Cal! You Are TWO Cute!!

Calvin! It is your BIRTHDAY! HAPPIEST OF HAPPY BIRTHDAYS, LITTLE GUY!

I could seriously write this post in all CAPS and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration, because we are all THAT excited to wish you good wishes today. It almost feels like Christmas as the parents, but for the whole family, because not only are your Dad and I excited to watch your face light up as you dig into your presents and cake, but your brother and sister are PUMPED as well. So much so that the epicness of your birthday cake became a non-negotiable requirement of our summer To Do List. As Cooper said last night (as we were adding the frosting at about 9:20 PM), “If this cake falls over, then it won’t be epic, and then we will have a zero percent change of accomplishing our summer to-do list, because we will have failed at Cal’s birthday cake.”

No pressure, though.

(Good news – the cake did not fall, and it is definitely epic – I can attest to its epicness having not even tasted the final products, as I have thoroughly taste tested every component… as have my helpers ;) )

It is crazy to me to think you are two now. So seriously no longer a baby. So much so that we are finally eliminating the bottle from your life, and it is actually quite tragic. We are only on day 2, and your calls for your “baaaa baaaa” last night nearly made me lose my nerve. The thing is, I don’t really see a problem with you having a bottle at bed times right now – you don’t use a paci and you don’t suck your thumb, and whatever “damage” it is doing to your teeth won’t likely add much to an orthodontist bill that I just assume will be in our future (how is it that both Steve and I didn’t have braces, but so far we are batting 1000 on kids who will????) But, I can acknowledge that there will come a time when your reliance on a bottle will be a problem, and so it seems best to break you of the habit while I can still outrun you.

You still have a limited intelligible vocabulary, though I am quite certain you are saying lots of things that we just don’t/can’t understand. You are enthralled with Spiderman, and any time you see a masked person on a screen you point and say “Man!” You continue to love Cars, and will demand to watch it sometime by imitating the growl of an engine. You know all your animal sounds and you enjoy sharing your nightly bath with a shopping cart. Your happiest moments come when you realize that Cooper or Daphne has left the door to their room open, and you dart inside and find a treasure to clutch in your chubby little hand and then sprint away with. It is about 50/50 on whether you will just turn over your stolen treasures when busted or will hold on with a death grip, challenging anyone who dare ask you to relinquish it.

You are ridiculously ticklish, and like your older brother, you LOVE to be tickled. You still want your Mama within eyesight at all times, and you have become an expert at shutting doors. You love to read books, and you can build a mean train track. You can’t stand to be left out of anything, and have hiked your leg up on the babygate more than once, leading me to believe we should probably just take that thing down before you prove you can scale it. I remain thankful that you don’t try similar antics in your crib at nap time, because with your height and proportions you could like find a way to climb/topple out of bed if you got the physics of it just right, but instead you spend most pre-sleep time that you are in your crib on your head, doing literal handstands and walking your feet around the railings.

Kisses from you are feast or famine, you either refuse to give any, or will go from person to person dolling out kiss after kiss. You continue to LOVE the cat, and have tamed your interactions with her down from “trying to ride her” to “squeezing her not THAT hard.” She continues to run from you. When your picture is being taken, you will say “cheese!” and when we offer you something you want, you will say “oh, yeah!”

You are moving up to a new class in gymnastics this weekend – having officially outgrown the 18-22 month group, and actually being the star pupil in your class last week – doing things like listening and participating without a single tantrum. Trust me when I say that NOBODY saw this coming. Don’t get me wrong, you are pretty active and agile and could gymnastics with the best of them, but let’s just say that the organized part of an organized sport was just not quite your jam, and while you COULD do what was asked of you in gymnastics, you often refused to do what was asked of you. Quite enthusiastically. Often with kicking (and biting). So now, little fish, time to move on to a bigger pond where you can grow into the bigger fish you are undoubtedly going to be.

Your carseat is turned around now. You had hit the height/weight requirements for this transition months (maybe a year?) ago – you are quite large, but in Texas it is now also tied to age, so you stayed facing backward like a baby for longer than any of our other babies. Perhaps that is why it feels almost like a surprise that you are 2 – weren’t you just a baby a split second ago?

Sure, I have seen you grow up for 2 years, but in my mind I could still think of you as a baby when it suited me. But babyhood no longer suits you – and to be honest, growing out of it is suiting me better than I thought it would. Just this past week we went to the beach, and our packing was already so much lighter than last year. And we talked about how next year we won’t even need the pack and play, or maybe even diapers. It’s crazy to think about it, but we are, as a family, re-emerging into the world out of babydom with you. We still have a few more rights of passage before you are an outright big kid, but you are well on your way, and while I wouldn’t trade a moment of your baby years and literally cherished every single moment you were oh so little, I am downright giddy thinking about the years up ahead.

I love you, my sweet boy. We all do. So incredibly much.


I hope this birthday is as epic as your birthday cake.

Girl Time: Post Gymnastics Close Up

So, um, yeah, welcome to my nostrils.

But let's be honest, these pictures are really about Daphne.

2018 Summer To Do List

In case you were wondering what we will be up to:

So, Yeah... Hi!

So, yeah, some things have happened, and I appear to have lost to drive to try to keep up. Time... I just don't have any of it to spare.
I started some blog posts in my drafts folder over the last few months, and then never got around to posting them, so decided to start from those before adding one for today at the end... An efficient, but untimely way of doing things.

Although hardly having anything to do with the kids (other than the fact that us having three of them demanding our time, attention and energy makes this story even more amazing to me), I thought it worth documenting that Steve and I completed a half marathon together in January. This marked my 5th half marathon in total (Austin - February 2015; Chicago Mag Mile - August 2015; Houston - January 2017; Houston - January 2018; Austin 3M - January 2018), and Steve's first.



I started running half marathons only because I found a friend and running partner who inspired me to do so and who ran nearly every mile with me in preparation for the big day. Other than a few long runs where we got a babysitter or had family in town, this one we each prepared for individually, which especially for Steve (so much harder when you are training for your first one), is a HUGE accomplishment.



It was super muggy and even rained on us during the last mile, but it was a huge accomplishment for us as individuals and as a couple. I am super appreciative to have a spouse that humors me in the things I want, and is willing to find a way to share it with me... especially when "it" is 13.1 miles.




Oh... AND we went to Canada for a Blackhawks game. (I went for work, but Steve joined for a little fun)








And we went to a Pink concert. And Hamilton. We have been busy (here is to having a group of people to call on when you need to leave your littles!)





Easter: 2018

I still have not gotten used to having Good Friday off.... law firms don't consider that a holiday, and even though I am in house now, it just always feels so... decadent to be home on the Friday before Easter. So we made the most of it.



Friday: A trip to a local restaurant with our 3 kids, and a friend of each of the bigs. They barely stopped playing on the outdoor playscape long enough to eat. Cal had to be escorted home early because he was not quite big enough to really play on the playscape once a million other kids showed up, but too big to have a discreet meltown about it. After finishing the playdates at our house, we dyed eggs and snuggled for a family movie.



Saturday: After some prep, we went to a co-worker's house for an egg hunt and play. There were 9 kids, including ours, and lots of great adults for company. The kids wore each other out, such that once we got home we managed bathes and then poured them into beds and called it a night (and thank goodness - the Easter bunny was en route!)



Sunday: Checking out Easter baskets and hunting for all the eggs - I believe a record 88 were hidden. Calvin was the least competitive egg hunter and generally would find one, show it to you, get frustrated if you put it in his bag, take it back out of the bag, put it in his bag himself (thankyouverymuch), then want to keep looking in the bag to make sure it was still there. Cooper and Daphne, of course (taking after their mother), treated it as a winner-take-all throwdown.



A wonderful time was had by all.


TO TODAY!

And here we are now... the day before the last day of school. Which means I need to find a way to get from the last time I posted to now so that when I post our Summer To Do list for Summer 2018, we don't just skip over the time between... so, in short, what has been happening:

CAL:



Cal has been growing in size and personality.



He is our most "outspoken" and "spirited" child. BY FAR. And, to be clear, I do still remember Daphne's early years. He can identify all sorts of animals and gets the sounds they make mostly right now. We were all a little heartbroken when he started making a "meow" sounds instead of "num" when asked what sound a cat makes.

He loves nothing more than to go to a store, ideally one with a toy section, and get the taste for freedom that comes from being allowed out of the cart to explore. He hates nothing more than being told, after the taste of such freedom, that it is time to go. If I were not so focused on protecting myself from flailing limbs and head butting, I would have been mortified when leaving Kohls last weekend.

He is super quirky and a child steeped in routine.


When it is time for bed, he will sometimes say "yay!" when you ask him if he is ready for his bath, and then he MUST go upstairs and pick up all of his trains and put them back away in the toybox (if they are not strewn about already, he will get them out and then put them back). Then he will shut every single door in the hallway upstairs before heading to the bathroom.


He used to pick every single bath toy out from the bucket and hand them to me to put in the tub, but now I can barely get his diaper off before he hauls a leg up on the side of the bath in an effort to jump straight in. Any toys that DO make it in the bath must be retrieved one by one by Cal and handed to me at the end of the bath before he gets out.
Then he has a towel draped over this head (like a king or a heavyweight boxer) before regally strutting to his room (sometimes stopping to kiss commoners on the way, other times refusing their bids for affection - just to remind us who the boss is). Once in his room, he will throw the towel off and on to the floor, before scooping it up and throwing it with two hands into a specific corner and then squealing naked.


He loves reading books, and continues to get a bottle before bed, because he is my last baby, he doesn't suck his thumb or use a paci, and I know we need to stop it, but am forgiving myself until he is officially two...



In short - Calvin is ALL personality, very much not yet two (the child's vocabulary is quite limited), and yet runs this house like a boss. He is OBSESSED with the Despicable Me movies, and will sometimes DEMAND that we watch one. As soon as the Illumination logo comes on and the Minions comes out, he smiles SO big and squeals. We pretty much live for the squeals.




DAPH:



Daph continues to be a mama's girl. She sometimes comes home with big liquid brown eyes with tears brimming around the lashes, and when I ask what is wrong, she just melts into my lap and tells me that she just missed me so much.

The feeling is mutual my sweet girl - every minute we are apart. She is an excellent reader, and when we snuggle up to read a chapter or two of Junie B. Jones at night, I love that we can take turns on who reads to who. I was absolutely shocked when she said she wanted to sign up for theater camp this summer - as she continues to be shy and tend to avoid the spotlight at all costs. Cooper (who thrives in a spot light) will be with her, so I am hoping that if her confidence falters while she is there that he helps her find it again, because I think overcoming her fears will be so empowering for her.


It has taken me well into my 30s to begin to overcome most of my fears and insecurities, and I wonder why I waited so damn long to do this - freedom from fear is freaking awesome. On a related note, I continue to be terrified about raising a daughter in this world, even though I am in the midst of doing it, and this is hardly the time for fear... unless the fear is good because it keeps me on point for this journey. She is just so... I just love her so... this world is so... AHHH!



I feel like I grew up believing one thing about being a girl then a woman, and consider myself lucky to have been born into a family where I was able to believe that thing... but then, once I actually started venturing out in to the world... or at least parts of the world, I learned that not all the world is like the world my parents wanted me to believe was possible.

So I struggle... to raise her to believe in the world she SHOULD live in, or do I have to somehow prepare her for the world she likely WILL live in. Ugh. Why is that even a question?


She is advancing in gymnastics and piano, and seems pretty well balanced between school, a few activities, and some down time. I find myself reminding myself that she is still quite little. She has always seemed older than she is, which is great in that I don't want to limit her potential, but requires me to be careful that I don't ask more of her than I should of someone her age.

If we cuddle up for a family movie, Cal will inevitably come to me and ask to be "Bup!" on my lap. And then, much to my complete delight, Daph will find a way to crawl up on to the recliner and snuggle in to whatever space remains in around me. If I could find a way to recreate this level of peace, warmth and happiness at bedtime, I am quite certain my insomnia would lose every night.


COOPER:
Cooper is getting sooooooo tall. I mean, I bend down to kiss the top of his head, and then realize that bending is practically unnecessary. ! - I mean, really! He has the most beautiful brown eyes, guarded by the longest dark lashes, but you likely would not know it because they are usually hidden behind glasses so smudged by finger prints and.... GOD ONLY KNOWS, that it is a miracle he does not constantly walk into walls. I remember those days when it drove my parents batty - me with dirty glasses, practically falling off my face, and them saying "how can you even see out of those things." Yeah - it is a full circle moment up in here. He had his first go round of standardized testing, and while the results are not in (and I could care less what they are), I am so proud of him, because he wasn't even nervous (despite the INSANE amount of importance the schools put on these stupid tests). He is such a perfectionist I was afraid he might inherit his Grandpa's pre-test jitters, but he was like ice. So far his streak of all As is unbroken, and school remains something he enjoys. Sure, there are a days when he is not thrilled about doing homework, but who can blame a kid for that? And so long as you plant a bowl of chips or kiwi in front of him, he will generally dive in to his work with a happy attitude, and knock it out in record time. He has had a few "gentle" reminders to remember to write his name on his worksheets, and that his handwriting needs to be LEGIBLE to receive full credit, but generally, his teachers seem to adore him. He remains our absent minded professor, and is 100% the kid who will be holding a cup in one hand, a plate in the other, have something fall from the plate, and then bend at the waist to see what fell, tipping the content of the cup on to the floor in the process. If he were not such a sweetheart, and wasn't genuinely just as surprised as you at the fact that he spilled MORE, you would find it maddening. And, I mean, in all honesty, it is maddening even so, but he is such a helper and will clean up his messes to the best of his ability, so you gotta just love that kid. We have a new Wednesday night tradition in our house, which involves Cooper staying up late to watch Survivor with us, while we eat carryout. We are relishing every minute of him wanting to spend more time with us. All to aware that the days when he doesn't have time to spare for us may be just around the corner.



Cooper is also a bit more camera shy... so I have far fewer pictures of him... Which makes me sad, but is also probably appropriate as he is entering an age where mom posting pictures incessantly may not be quite so cool...



As for the adults - we continue to be lucky in that we are both at a place in our life where we have found jobs that we like, where we feel challenged and appreciated, and are also allowed to be parents. I don't think I can exist without an underlying restlessness, which makes me question how long this status quo will remain the status quo, no matter how great it is. Which doesn't mean anything is about to change - we could very well continue on this path for another 20 years, but the idea that we could choose to mix things up keeps me energized.

So here we are, nearing the end of Cal's year 2, at the end of Daph's "official" year of kindergarten and with Cooper heading out of third grade and into fourth (nearing MIDDLE SCHOOL). I pinch myself and knock on wood, because I can't believe how lucky we are and don't want to jinx it.