tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63531485712199410012024-02-06T23:28:52.528-05:00My Life as a Lawyer's WifeMrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.comBlogger1358125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-1402872316312398002022-07-04T13:27:00.001-04:002022-07-27T16:39:43.364-04:00Dear E.J. - 8 Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQhk6cSF1QVAv4jXYwANI8eGcUfBqKrguwMfOx9RbLhiim3TEWJ7FZVupJ6NMSHMEb9p-YsbdX7SkehDEtA0l7DCbrkdmeNjy3K1WcEHd76ZUytpyknx4TGYkxxSzZCr8thviNmw5JkCSvqnJxRC7GijuEagNvhJIQ-kMDJXrmqMTMrFiQ2Qu41s7/s3762/IMG_5164.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2821" data-original-width="3762" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYQhk6cSF1QVAv4jXYwANI8eGcUfBqKrguwMfOx9RbLhiim3TEWJ7FZVupJ6NMSHMEb9p-YsbdX7SkehDEtA0l7DCbrkdmeNjy3K1WcEHd76ZUytpyknx4TGYkxxSzZCr8thviNmw5JkCSvqnJxRC7GijuEagNvhJIQ-kMDJXrmqMTMrFiQ2Qu41s7/w640-h480/IMG_5164.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>My dear E.J.,</p><p>Happy birthday, buddy! You're eight years old now! How exciting! You are definitely the coolest eight-year-old I know.</p><p>This year has been marked by "getting back into things." Covid-19 is still circulating, but nearly all of our normal pre-pandemic activities have resumed and we're figuring our way through the whole thing. Our whole family has been vaccinated (and boosted), and the virus variants making their way around now are less severe, so although we'd still love to avoid getting sick, the threat has diminished enough that we're getting back to regular life.</p><p>You went back to in-person school this year for second grade (with a mask), and thus finally completed your first full school year in a face-to-face elementary classroom (your kindergarten year was abbreviated when things shut down, and first grade was completed virtually). You adjusted well to the change, making friends quickly and easily. You've developed a group of buddies that you love to play sports with at recess, and extracurricularly, too. You liked your teachers (you kept the same teachers from first grade), earned the Leader in Action award for your class in the fall, and got very good grades, including a certificate for your "vivid vocabulary." You are an incredible speller and your reading has improved drastically - you're even reading Harry Potter books at night, all on your own! You are impressively fluent in math; if you're focused, you can break down numbers and solve problems in your head with ease. We're working on honing that focus, as sometimes your test grades this year didn't reflect your true abilities, but we'll get there! Overall I was really impressed with how well you adjusted to being back in the classroom, how hard you worked, how you wore your mask even in the face of peer pressure, how you rolled with the punches, and how effortlessly you made great new friends.</p><p>The BIG THING for you right now is baseball. After taking a backseat to Lego last year (presumably thanks to skipping out on team play in favor of at-home activities during the pandemic), baseball has reclaimed it's throne as Your Most Favorite Thing. We rejoined the Hendricks Avenue Baseball League last fall, where you started in the 8u machine-pitch division for the first time. We didn't have the <i>best</i> experience in your first season (in my humble, not-at-all-biased-because-I'm-your-mother-and-number-one-fan-forever-and-ever opinion, your skills were overlooked and undervalued), but your love of the game was back and we dove in full-force in the spring season. In the spring, you hit lead-off for the Rays, hit your first ever homerun (of many to come, I'm sure) and were nominated by your coach to try out for Advanced Baseball. You didn't make it onto the AB team this time around (don't get me and my not-at-all-biased-etc. opinion started), but I think that's ultimately for the best, because it was a huge time commitment that I'm not sure we (read: I) are ready for yet. Either way, you improved <i>so</i> much over the season, and even more so since it ended. Every day after school you would go outside and just throw the ball to yourself, over and over, and now that we're on summer break, you only have more time to dedicate to practice. Papa sent you a new pitch-back (you had been using an old pallet previously!), and you have mastered the path to run around the block and retrieve any balls hit or thrown over our fence. You ask Daddy to come out and throw with you nearly every day, and often ask to go to the field and actually practice. I'm not kidding, E.J. - EVERY. DAY. You're a beast and it's all you want to do. Your catching and throwing has improved by leaps and bounds, and you're going to be a star in the upcoming fall season, I'm sure of it.</p><p>But it's not just <i>playing</i> baseball. Baseball is LIFE. You talk about baseball constantly. You wear a full baseball uniform every day: jersey, pants, belt, even high socks. We have baseball on TV regularly. You know so many of the players and still collect baseball cards. Your favorite team is still the Los Angeles Angels, with the Cleveland Guardians (new name!) and Tampa Bay Rays being other favorites in our house. You have things set up on our Amazon Echo so you can just say, "Alexa, give me my sports update!" and she'll tell you all about your favorite teams - scores from the previous day, and upcoming schedule. Every night when the Angels play, you tell Daddy to wake you up if there's a walk-off win. You even got your hair cut to look like Max Stassi (Angels catcher). You play the MLB The Show video game regularly and give us updates on your progress in that every morning. As I write this (belated this year, I'm sorry!!!) you're at baseball camp at Jacksonville University, which you've been looking forward to all summer. You went to Daddy's Springfield baseball practices enough in June that you earned a spot as official bat boy at the throwback baseball game on the Fourth of July, and when the whole stadium sang Happy Birthday to you, you tipped your hat to them like a pro. In addition to spending your birthday in the East Side dugout, you had a double dose of baseball birthday party - an Angels party at home with family after the game on July 4th, and then a sort of Sandlot-style party with your friends at Klutho Park last weekend, where you all played baseball all morning, ate classic baseball snacks (peanuts, Cracker Jacks, popcorn, etc), and broke open a baseball piñata filled with baseball cards, bubble gum and Baby Ruth bars. And, your most favorite birthday gift this year? The Angels City Connect jersey you had been dying for but didn't think you'd be able to get - Daddy found a way to make it happen and you were SO HAPPY. Baseball is life!</p><p>Baseball might be the hands-down favorite activity this year, but you did dabble in a few others for the first time! In the spring, you played flag football with a bunch of friends from school, and you were super fast! You scored a bunch of touchdowns, thanks to your speed, and we have it all on video with me screaming like a lunatic in the background. You also tried your hand (foot?) at a casual soccer league in Springfield. It was a great way to test it out, and you had fun - we'll see if you play either of those sports again this year. Also, you've done a handful of one-mile races this year, and man, are you fast! In fact, you won your most recent race! Not just in your age group or gender - full-out WON. You beat EVERYBODY. You even beat the bicyclist who was supposed to be leading the way to show you the path! </p><p>I fear the problem with being so good at all these things you enjoy is that when something doesn't go the way you expect, it's very frustrating. We've been trying to deal a bit with your temper when frustrated this year - if things aren't going your way (in sports or just in life), you tend to have an angry outburst and want to quit. We've been trying to help you learn how to cope with those frustrated feelings, calm yourself down, and find a more productive way to manage the situation. I'm not sure if we're doing a good job yet, but we're working on it. You're eight years old now, which means you're getting big, but sometimes those feelings are just <i>bigger</i> so hopefully we can help you find a way to not be quite so overwhelmed by them.</p><p>Speaking of big feelings, just as of late you've been working through some really big thoughts and emotions, and it has been keeping you up at night. You seem to be becoming aware of your own mortality and that of those you love, and you've been worried about something happening to you or us at night. You had a hard time voicing your real worries for a long time, instead blaming your sleepless nights on being scared of the dark or monsters and aliens, but Daddy finally had a breakthrough talk with you the other night and we got more to the bottom of things. I think Daddy was able to help - he said you told him he has "good words" and you have since mentioned how he helped you - which is good, because I know those are very scary thoughts and they're a lot for one boy to come to terms with. I hope you know that we're here to help you deal with things like that, and you can always talk to us when you're feeling scared or anxious. It breaks my heart that you ever have to feel that way at all. </p><p>Now to shift to the other end of the spectrum, I'd like to give an example of how you <i>were</i> able to overcome big feelings (those frustrated ones I talked about earlier) this year - you recently learned how to ride a bike! It's still a work in progress as you figure out how to get going on a narrow Springfield sidewalk, but you persevered through your frustration and you're able to do it. I'm so proud of you! You're already looking forward to the Springfield Halloween Bike-A-Boo and I can't wait to have you along for it this time.</p><p>Some more about eight-year-old E.J.: You still love Harry Potter; we finished the books this past year (and watched all the movies), dressed as Harry Potter villains for Halloween, got nearly all Harry Potter Christmas gifts (you're still very proud to be a Slytherin), and went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios as our first big post-pandemic trip! You chose a stuffed niffler as your souvenir on our trip (named Hulkypoo), who was quickly elevated to the ranks of favorite "guys," but none can overtake Bunny, who is still your all-time favorite. You love chewing gum, fast food and macaroni and cheese. You love to play videogames, both on our Nintendo Switch and the iPad. Your best friends are Dexter and Emory. You lost a few teeth this year (including one in December that caused a run-in between the Tooth Fairy and our elf, Twinkle!) and grew three inches in height. You love the Los Angeles Angels and your favorite players are Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. You like to run and practice sliding along the length of our house. You've become more confident in the pool, even in the deep end. You mostly get along well with Ellie, aside from the normal sibling squabbles, and you're still quite enamored with Ruthie (she's been your valentine two years running now!). When you're not playing or watching baseball, you're still likely to be found upstairs at the Lego table, making some great creation (including a full minifig replica of the Angels team!). </p><p>I probably say this every year, but this year more than ever I feel as if you are straddling the line between Little Boy and Big Boy. You're becoming increasingly independent, and I love to see you growing and becoming more and more confident in who you are. I like watching you walk out of school with swagger and high five all the fifth graders, seeing you running around and having so much fun with all your friends, catching you reading a big chapter book and hearing you tell us about what you read, watching you doing more chores around the house and meeting your own needs. Sometimes I feel like you are very grown up, indeed.</p><p>But then sometimes, you'll grab a blanket and cuddle up with me on the couch and hold my hand. You still sleep with Bunny in your arms every night. Sometimes your voice still sounds like Little E.J., and sometimes I still see Baby You in your face. Sometimes you still need your Mama. And oh, boy, do I cherish that. I don't know how much longer you'll feel that way, but I love that for now, we're still linked a little bit as Mama and Baby. I hope you won't be in too much of a hurry to grow up and outgrow me, buddy...let's spend a little more time right here, what do you say?</p><p>It's funny, motherhood, isn't it? Just two sentences ago I was asking you to stay small, and my heart desperately wishes that you could. But at the same time, watching you grow up is the greatest joy of my life. I'm so proud of you and so excited about the Big Boy you are becoming. What a cool kid he is! And how lucky I am to call him my son. Having a front row seat to your growing up is my favorite thing. I guess the whole thing is just sort of bittersweet....but certainly more sweet than anything.</p><p>Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a mama to such an awesome boy. I love you so much, nugget. Happy birthday.</p><p>All my love,</p><p>Mama</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">* * * * * </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear E.J.,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy birthday! It’s so cool that you’re eight, but I’m secretly glad you still have so many years left to grow up! We are starting to share a lot of common interests–playing sports, watching sports, running, snacking, playing the switch, and just generally being outside–and I really enjoy spending time with you. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This year, you were back at school in-person for the entire school year. It was a really tough decision, which is so true of parenting generally. Firstly, it’s so much harder to make decisions for some else, especially when you care about them immeasurably, and are fairly invested in how things end up. You obviously never know how a decision is going to turn out before you make it, nor can you find out what would have happened if you had chosen differently. You weigh the pros and cons of each option and try as best you can to weight them with the likelihood each good or bad outcome will be the one that happens. Then you pick and try not to second guess. It helps to have someone else to brainstorm with, though it does raise the stakes even more because you don’t want to let them down either. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With that said, I’m very happy to report that sending you back to school was a success! You didn’t get COVID and picked right back up getting good grades and making some good friends. The one thing I’d want to say is that to the extent your grades weren’t perfect (don’t worry, I think it was maybe two quarter Bs total), it seems like a question of focus more than one of ability. For example, there were several homework assignments for which you delayed starting, even getting upset or frustrated because you though it would take “too long” or be “too hard.” Once we were able to get you to calm down and try to figure out what you needed to do, you’d knock it out quickly and correctly. The same thing actually happened with learning to ride a bike. For starters, you barely tried until you were almost 8. Sweetly, you were motivated not by peer pressure or the famous Springfield holiday rides, but by the hope you could pick it up in time for Mother’s Day and ride with Mama to a local breakfast place. The week before, while the girls were at an hours-long event, you almost quit one block into our first official practice. Once we finally got to the parking lot, you had to take breaks to talk through the plan and whether and how to keep trying every 15-20 minutes. All told, it took you about two hours total (across two days) to get it, but you sure turned the stress level way up on something I knew you’d be able to do. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope we can work through this mental roadblock soon. Along these lines, I sometimes wonder whether we did the right thing starting you in school young, but it is just so obvious that you can handle the content and keep up with older kids athletically. The best I can figure is that you are still young, and I am not so sure your teachers have been looking for you to have so much natural ability because you are a small, active boy. It doesn’t help that each year you have had teachers teaching the grade for the first time. To be clear, my real concern is that you don’t seem to realize how smart and capable you are. It’s a question of confidence more than competence, and I hope you figure it out!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Several thoughts ago, I mentioned you made a great group of friends. It sounds like you all played sports, primarily baseball and football, at recess just about every day. I definitely remember doing that as a kid, but I’m not so sure I started in second grade! One of your friends invited you to join the others on an organized flag football team and you were excited to give it a try. Before the season started, you, Ellie and I would go to nearby fields and practice running plays and I tried to teach you about juking and cutting. During on eof the 1-on-1 games, you kept running long routes despite not really being able to catch yet. You got really frustrated that I wasn’t throwing you the ball, so I did. And it hit you right in the face. I know you should never negotiate with, much less give in to, terrorists (or 7-year olds). I should have known better and I’m sorry! Fortunately, you weren’t traumatized and ended up being a real asset to your Ravens team. You were the shortest kid but actually tied for the team lead with 6 touchdowns in 8 games! And compared to the number of touches you had, your conversion rate was way ahead of everyone else! It was surreal to see you make good instinctive decisions with the ball, whether to beat a defender to the outside, juke, or make a single cut before getting up the field. As your coordination develops and your hands get bigger, you might really have a lot of fun playing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In other sports news, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how much you run. Besides sports and some training with me around Springfield, on a local track, and in the Swamp (the football field was open for graduation pics the week after the Spring game when were in Gainesville), you must have done hundreds of laps around the house and thousands of sprints back and forth down our hallway. You want to race me for your birthday this year and we’ve settled on an annual 100m dash. I’m not worried about this year, but I’m really curious to see how many years it will be until you get me. You also had a couple of chances to race the mile. The first time was the Girl Scout Thin Mint Sprint at the Zoo. You went out fast and had built up a decent lead when we saw you about a quarter of a mile in. But between that point and the finish, the staff directed you off course, and the route itself was cut in half. You ended up crossing the finish line behind a lot of people and were so mad about the mix up you didn’t want to enter the Junior River Run the next month. Fortunately, we talked you into giving it another shot at the Jacksonville Great Fire Run. You went out really fast again on an out and back course and when you reappeared near the finish, you had built up a good lead, finishing even stronger than you started in around 6:50! You beat everyone else who entered! Ellie was great, too, so I am hopeful there will be many more races in our future. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With all apologies for burying the lead, it would be impossible to tell the story of you at 8 years old without baseball. After taking a year off from little league due to COVID, you jumped back in with both feet and haven’t looked back! Your first season in the 8u machine pitch league wasn’t what I was hoping for with a very inexperienced coach and several kids who could have aged out but decided to play down another season. You didn’t get any meaningful instruction as a Marlin, the coach batted you 12<sup>th</sup> (out of 12) almost every game, and didn’t give you a single rep at 1B, 2B or SS. Even so, you hit almost .650 with twice as many hits as strikeouts. So you can imagine our surprise when you stated the next season hitting lead off and playing SS for the Rays! I was so proud of you for working through your admitted nerves about hitting first after practice the night before when you missed 12 straight pitches off the machine. I think you had 4 first pitch hits and kicked off a really fun season. A season in which you had your first inside the park home run before you really knew how to run the bases! I worry I ruined the video by screaming at you to take each base because you kept stopping even though the ball went all the way to the fence. You were invited to try out for the league’s advanced baseball team, but had some trouble fielding the ball after we practiced the week before with some much older kids who hit the ball much harder than you were used to. Even though it didn’t work out, you’ve taken that experience and spent almost every day this summer throwing and catching with your new pitchback screen and asking me to play catch any chance we can. You have gotten so much better as a result of your own interest, initiative, and work, and I am so excited to be your head coach this year! There is so much more to say about you and baseball, but I am running out of self-imposed space. In short:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">You dress for a baseball game four out of every five days, complete with baseball pants, belt, long socks, a baseball shirt of some kind, and a hat;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">We watch baseball regularly, and you especially love the Angels;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">You know their entire lineup and rotation, and your favorite players are Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">You recently got your hair cut to look like Max Stassi, their catcher, which is the second Angels player to inspire your hair styling;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Your favorite birthday present was a Mike Trout Angels City Connect jersey and you used your loose birthday money to buy the City Connect hat;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">You set up an Amazon notification to get baseball scores each morning for your favorite teams;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">You are lowkey obsessed with walk-offs and bat flips;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of all the books at our local book store, you picked a vintage Joe DiMaggio instructional guide to spend your gift card on; and</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">You are getting really good at MLB The Show 22 (You call it the Show-tani because Shohei is on the cover).</span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to end on a more serious note. You have been thinking some big thoughts lately. I’m not sure whether it was a coincidence or a catalyst, but ever since we watched Men In Black, you have started sleeping with a light on and calling me or your Mama up to talk after we’ve put you to bed. Essentially, you don’t want to die and you don’t want us to, either. You seem comforted by the idea that it is okay for people to die because God has a plan for all of us and Heaven must be a pretty cool place. You also decided you’re probably okay because God wouldn’t have much use for you now in Heaven and that you could just ask when you get there if you need to. I’m not sure what was helpful, but you told me I have pretty good words for things like this. I hope so, and I hope you know I am always here to listen and help you think through anything you’re working through, no matter how big or small or how old you are.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I apologize for writing you the longest letter in the history of letters and totally understand if you never make it through the whole thing. In case you just skipped to the end, we are having a lot of fun together, you’re getting really good at stuff, and don’t realize how good you are at other stuff. Parenting is hard, and also the best. I love you so much, little buddy. Happy birthday! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All my love!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daddy</span></p>Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-32522404495863390142022-03-29T15:27:00.002-04:002022-03-31T11:49:36.367-04:00Dear Ellie - Ten Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGANIX3w8Pkxnf6c07FpO-LlesjPU_6by3VGIIUuBm2IF2K7NBFGZMULi_mmTRrWp5biGexoJ-GzjrkfVdoVkkRV_okOP7SVPSd1WM3V7zcU__K5iS-cs2VewreyZjmwav1qDFH8avNaNGnAah3EPWwTUW7eVTTQJDeTrqoaVgGB_tkUDHkKI6dU1D/s2594/IMG_7687.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2594" data-original-width="2594" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGANIX3w8Pkxnf6c07FpO-LlesjPU_6by3VGIIUuBm2IF2K7NBFGZMULi_mmTRrWp5biGexoJ-GzjrkfVdoVkkRV_okOP7SVPSd1WM3V7zcU__K5iS-cs2VewreyZjmwav1qDFH8avNaNGnAah3EPWwTUW7eVTTQJDeTrqoaVgGB_tkUDHkKI6dU1D/w400-h400/IMG_7687.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>My dear Ellie,<p>Happy birthday, baby cakes! Welcome to double digits! Holy cow, are you ever growing up. I mean, have you seen your ten-year photo? How beautiful are you?!</p><p>This birthday is an exciting one, not only because you're turning the big TEN, but also because it will be your most "normal" birthday celebration in years. You have a big batch of pink cupcakes ready to take to your classmates at school today; we had an early celebration at a theme park in January; and your official party will be a sleepover with friends at our house. At long last, the sleepover you had planned for 2020 will come to fruition! The celebrations of the last two years have been wonderful - we found perfect new, creative ways to celebrate safely in the midst of a pandemic, and though they felt subpar in the moment, are now treasured memories (at least for me, and I think for you, too!). But, I'm so happy that this year you have much more say over how you celebrate your big day. I'm so excited to give you that experience!</p><p>The pandemic that dominated much of my last couple of letters to you is not over, unfortunately, but we're trending in the right direction, and hopefully by my next letter it will have been downgraded to an endemic and things will be even more "normal" than they are now. Since my last letter, we've <i>all</i> been vaccinated against covid-19 (and Daddy and I even had boosters!), most people have ditched masks, you're back to in-person school and extracurriculars, we see family more regularly and are even planning a road trip for this summer. However, to get here we've also weathered the two worst outbreaks of the pandemic, thanks to new variants (delta, right at the end of the summer, when you were preparing to start school; and omicron, over the holidays/January). We're still learning about how our vaccines will stand the test of time, concerns for new variants to come still loom, and even as we celebrate your birthday, Papa is hospitalized with covid in Ireland, a very unwelcome souvenir from his St. Patrick's Day travels. We're so thankful for vaccines for keeping him from a more dire situation - thank you, science! You still love science, so there's another good reason for it!</p><p>You're doing very well back at school, but that's no surprise. You are a very responsible student, and have taken charge of your own homework/assignments this year with little to no help from me (and you've done a great job!). You like your teachers, and still love math and science the most. You're currently rocking fractions in class, and continue to look for any opportunity to create/solve your own math problems for fun. You also like writing essays, and tell me every day after school what you wrote about and your arguments for your position (they're good!). You still love to read, and we've basically stopped buying you chapter books (relying on the library instead) because you just finish them IMMEDIATELY. Of course, you're not opposed to re-reading, so that's a plus! You're still mostly reading the Harry Potter books, over and over. I think you just pick your favorite parts to reread rather than reading them cover to cover, which is kind of a fun way to do it. You're enjoying your Gifted class this year, including a research project on a winter Olympian (Karen Chen) during the Beijing Olympics. You're also very excited to be learning to play the recorder in Music class. Your homeroom class job is to lead the Monday Morning Meetings with the class, asking a discussion question and leading your peers as they share answers. At the beginning of the year you were <i>devastated </i>over this assignment, just a bundle of nerves and anxiety about it. But you've really settled in and found your groove, and now are looking for ways to ask deeper, more thought-provoking questions and make the whole thing more your own. I'm proud of you, kiddo!</p><p>You're back into the full swing of extracurricular activities, too. We resumed ballet at the end of the fall, and you're busy practicing for your first Upper School recital this May. You're still a proud Girl Scout (now a Junior!), though our old troop disbanded this year and we opted to be Juliettes rather than joining a new troop, so we have done a lot of online activities and badges at home together. You rocked cookie season again this year, beating your previous sales record by nearly 200 boxes (for a total of 701 this year!), and that even with a massive cookie supply chain shortage! You worked so hard to reach your goal! To get a little in-person Girl Scout action, you did join a Girl Scouts Lego Robotics team called the Codettes, which you really loved but unfortunately that came to a close this month, so we're looking for something to take its place. You've also continued to golf with Daddy, and I hear you're really improving! You even played your first nine holes with him about a month ago. You've also started playing in a little local soccer league in our neighborhood - it's very casual, so we'll see if it turns into anything, but you're having fun so far!</p><p>Speaking of our neighborhood, that's a big change to discuss! Just days after your birthday last year, we went to an open house in the Historic Springfield neighborhood - Grammy was in town, and we just wanted to show her what Springfield houses looked like. To our surprise, we fell in love with the house and about a month later, it became ours! We bought our first house! You guys were so excited to have a house that is <i>ours</i>, and it must have really been meant to be because you and E.J. each selected your rooms without any argument! Your new room is decorated in purple, white and teal, with purple jeweled knobs on your dresser and a lovely purple jeweled lamp on your bedside table, plus a rainbow curtain with star cutouts to let the light shine through. Both kids' bedrooms open up to what was once an upstairs porch, that is now closed in and makes a perfect playroom. You guys will disappear up there for hours, and we don't hear a peep from you! We have a wonderful front porch, where we sit on pleasant evenings, watch outdoor movies with our projector, and it is your favorite spot to do your homework. Aside from the wonderful house, we also have loved getting involved in our new neighborhood - we were prepared to host a band on our porch for a neighborhood music festival called Porchfest (but it was rained out!), you and I had a girls' night out for a Halloween bike ride to look at neighborhood decorations, we've made some friends, joined the soccer team, etc., etc. There's a lot to do and we're enjoying all of it!</p><p>You guys were both really great during the move - helpful and excited. There was some adjustment when we first moved in, though. You would call me up to your room nearly every night for a while with a fear to discuss, usually a fear of a fire in the house. I expect it was really just apprehension about being in a new, unfamiliar place, which is completely understandable. In time, you settled in and as we approach the year anniversary of being in this house, I think we're all starting to feel more at home! Your birthday and Easter are the last remaining holidays we have yet to experience here - I think once you've done all the holidays in the new house, it really does feel more homey. We just needed to build up some memories!</p><p>And we sure have made some fun memories this year! We kicked it off by (cabin) camping for your birthday, on the last cold night of the spring. We cooked hot dogs over an open fire and breakfast on the grill. We participated in "Bairdlympics" during Bairdcation this summer, and you took the gold in the Sponge Relay Race and tied for gold in the Smallest Splash competition. You attended another virtual Girl Scouts camp, learning all about cybersecurity and earning three badges (and are currently signed up for your first sleep away camp this summer!). We started going to Jumbo Shrimp games again, and EJ's baseball and football games. We finished reading the Harry Potter series and watched all the movies, dressed as Harry Potter "bad guys" for Halloween (you were Professor Umbridge!), and spent a couple of SUPER fun days at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in honor of your nine-and-three-quarters birthday! You ran your first 5k, and several one-mile races. We visited Santa at Disney Springs and spent a couple days at a Disney resort (while Daddy attended a work conference). We had a handful of visitors: all of your grandparents, Aunt Heather, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Mark, and the Illinois cousins. We had friends over for trick-or-treating and Christmas movies on the porch. </p><p>At ten years old, your best friends are Leela, Sophie and Sicily. Your favorite book is <i>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</i>, and your favorite movie is <i>Apollo 11.</i> You still cuddle with your unicorn Cupcake at night. You like to sleep on your right side, near the edge of your bed (with pillows and stuffed animals and books all piled up behind you). You did a Girl Scouts journey about water and now are <i>very</i> concerned about wasting water and constantly remind us to turn off the faucet while we scrub our hands with soap! You love dogs and every time you see one out in the world, you tell its owner you love it. You're becoming very helpful around the house, always willing to do what I ask and regularly following a chore schedule (you clean the bathroom, change your sheets, dust your own room). You have shown some real bravery this year, including riding The Hulk rollercoaster at Universal (the first upside-down ride you've ever tried) with nary a hint of panic beforehand, and making small talk with the nurse who administered your covid vaccine as it happened (you asked her what she wanted for Christmas). You are kindhearted, often thinking of what others need and how you can help (for example, you asked if we can use some of your Girl Scout cookie earnings to buy books and toys for children in the hospital). You love Ruthie like crazy and still use your trademark voice and extended-bottom-jaw face when you talk to her. You play Legos with EJ, ask Alexa to play music so you can dance in your room, and love to draw. You stay up reading after we put you to bed at night and carry big books to school with you every day to read in your down time. You write great thank-you notes, complete with personal drawings for the recipient (you wrote notes to every cookie customer who ordered online this year). Your favorite color is still dark pink, and you love to accessorize (you have earrings for nearly every occasion, and you've started styling your hair in fun ways). </p><p>You're just really, really growing up, my Ellie. I was really struck by that as I prepared for this birthday. I made a video for you, compiling clips from your past ten years into one four-minute video. The first couple of minutes of the video are mostly baby/toddler Ellie, and sometimes, it seems like that little girl was a whole other person entirely. There's no way the beautiful young woman who lives with me now is that same baby that I used to spend my days with, that same baby that I spent all my time cuddling and bouncing and rocking, taking to story times and for walks to find the turtles, tying blankets to her head so she could be Rapunzel, reading book after book to her as we sat on the floor for hours. Is that really you? I miss that little girl sometimes, that girl who would grab my hand as we set out to find the kitties, who would crawl into my lap for a cuddle after nap time, who would check my heartbeat with one of her many stethoscopes. She was so dear to me and those were some of the best days of my life.</p><p>But the video doesn't end with baby Ellie. It continues on, and we watch her grow. And the video then morphs from flashes of a cute little baby to frame after frame depicting a growing girl, gradually doing all the things little Ellie couldn't do. One by one, she faces her fears and her challenges and overcomes them. She slides on the slide. She dances at her ballet recital. She masters the monkey bars. She learns to ride her bike. She changes her earrings. She reads in church. She runs races and swings a golf club and plays baseball and dives in the waves and even fights Kylo Ren. She sells cookies and swims underwater and dances every chance she gets. The last two minutes of that video are just one clip after another that takes me right back to moments when I felt so proud of you, so proud that I could just burst. I can't watch it without getting tears in my eyes because holy cow, Ellie, I am SO PROUD OF YOU. Every moment of every day, I could explode with joy just because you're you and I get to be here to witness you becoming more and more you every single day. And who you are is really remarkable. There's nobody like you and frankly, that's a shame. The world would be a much better place if there were lots more Ellies.</p><p>But we only get one, and I'm so thankful that I get to be here with her, day in and day out, as she becomes the woman she will eventually be. If the first ten years brought all that accomplishment and growth for you, I can hardly wait to see what is coming your way in the next ten. I do, however, have a feeling the coming years may be more tumultuous for us - that's the way of it with teens and their mothers, isn't it? I hope it doesn't have to be, but I'm mentally preparing myself as best as I can, just in case. And, I know that at the end of the next ten years, you'll be leaving me to start your own adult life. Oooof, that will be rough, but also, a beautiful sight to see. I hope you will always be true to yourself, be your complete self in every way, and know that no matter who that turns out to be, I will love you fiercely. I will always be proud of you. And I will <i>always</i> be right behind you...or next to you, or holding your hand, or coming up to your room at night for comfort, or on the other end of the phone, or wherever you need me to be. I'm in your corner, Ellie, always. I will be here for you until the end of my days.</p><p>Thank you for making me a mother ten years ago today. Thank you for challenging me and bearing with me as I try to figure out how to be just the mother you need. I hope I won't let you down.</p><p>I love you, Ellie-girl. Happy birthday.</p><p>Love always, </p><p>Mama</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">* * * * * </p><p><br /></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Ellie,</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy 10<span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span> birthday!!!! How crazy is it that your single-digit days are over?! I’m not sure whether it’s actually crazy or if it’s just on my mind because you have been very aware of it for weeks. Just today, there has been an extensive running commentary of single digit lasts. Last outfit, last Daddy/Ellie chat on the drive home from ballet, last dinner, shower, Ruthie belly scratch and good night kiss. Looking ahead, you have also made some comments about almost being a “tween.” I’m not sure either of us knows what that means, but it’s only possible because we’ve now known each other for a whole decade. (I hope you read that last word in your best Kennedy/Scrimgeour voice). I am pretty confident it has been the best decade of your whole life and I can’t tell you how much happiness it brings me to think about so many of the times we’ve had. I’m so glad your Mama keeps such good records.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fortunately, this isn’t going to be that kind of letter where we dig in on all of them (just think of the ink and trees saved!) At the same time, I think this letter could be a good chance to take stock of where you are 10 years in. The memories that come to mind from this year seem to line up neatly with what I want to say about you as a person, so we’ll see how it goes. Long story short: you’re just so, so special. I’m not allowed to say you’re perfect, because, technically, no body is, and the last thing I want to do is put pressure on you to keep up such a crazy pace of awesomeness. But the truth is that you’re going to be amazing no matter what you’re doing, so long as it’s what makes you happy. All that said, at 10-years old, you are curious, well-rounded, and kind. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Curious</b>. Notice I didn’t say smart. Sure, you know a lot for your age (All A’s so far and really high standardized test scores even during a Pandemic!), and at the rate you read (I’d bet you read close to a hundred books this past year, including most of the Harry Potter books three times each) you are going to know a lot more in a year, and so on. But you are so much more than what you know. Real wisdom is knowing you don’t know everything and that you never will, but that you don’t stop trying to learn more. You wonder, you dream, you ask questions. You are curious! This year, you took on the Rubix cube–you’ve totally mastered one face and are working your way through the rest of it–worked your way up to 19 digits of pi for fun, and when your gifted teacher talked about a “genius hour” project where you’d investigate something, such as ‘how do you draw dogs?’ or ‘why is smoking bad for you?’, your first thought was to wonder about the building blocks of all things – atoms and chemical compounds and such. I think this came from your fascination with the search for the “grand unifying theory” of Physics. I wish I could remember how it came up any of the times we’ve talked about it, but suffice it to say that, knowing you, I’m not surprised it did. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You also always say your favorite teacher is the one who teaches math and science, even though we’re pretty sure you’ve had some really great ELA teachers. Speaking of reading, I would be remiss to not say a bit more about finishing the Harry Potter franchise. I can’t tell you how meaningful it was to read every word together as a family, and to keep up with our characters right up to the very end. I love that you say you hear our family voices in your head when you re-read the books, and I love that we were able to make it to the Wizarding World at Universal Studios to put an exclamation point on the magic. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Well rounded</b>. As we work our way back to a new normal, you are back in a ballet class and rocking girl scouts, including your Lego robotics club before it ended prematurely. You sold 700 boxes of cookies this season, even with historic supply shortages. You’re still teaching yourself songs on the piano when they interest you and have started playing the recorder at school. You ran your first 5k and recently completed the Junior River Run mile in 7:25! I was so proud of you for doing that on your own because distance running has been a bit of a journey. Most times we have tried to run more than a mile together, including the 5k we ran with EJ last Spring, you started to get nervous and needed to stop and walk for longer stretches than your legs or lungs actually needed. It has seemed like you were dealing with a mini-anxiety attack and I haven’t known what to do other than to keep taking it easy. You, EJ, and I tried to run a mile race around Christmas, and it happened to you ¼ of the way in and you couldn’t make yourself recover or push through. So, when you said you wanted to run the Junior River Run, I let you go by yourself and tried to let you talk yourself up and make your own plan. And you nailed it! I’m excited to see where running takes you because you’re good at it and you really seem to like doing it, in spite of the hiccups. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But, Ellie, what I really want to highlight in this section is that you’ve gotten really into . . . dramatic pause . . . wait for it. . . golf!!! How cool is that?!?! I wish I could say it was spending time together or the lessons I’ve tried to give you, but I think the real driver of your consistent interest in practicing was the Summer Olympics. This is the first year golf was part of the games and you just love the idea of winning a medal someday. Which I get, it’s a really cool idea I only recently had to give up on (not that I ever tried close to as hard as would be needed to make it happen). We bought matching official Team USA golf shirts and have been to range at least a few times each month. You can hit your “iron 7” in the air, but you really love hitting “bomberoos” with your driver. We even have a secret handshake for big hits. We always include putting sessions in our practice and end it with a contest or series of contests. Whenever EJ comes along (about half the time), you always ask to go last because you “love the pressure.” I usually handicap the contests, and you win as often as you lose. You have gotten so much better in a year. It’s probably the repetition, but it could also be because you keep a copy of Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons in your bed and you do things like hold your Harry Potter wand like a golf club. It might also be because you have such a great attitude after mishits and on bad days. Of course you get frustrated, but you just keep swinging, which is a skill that will suit you well in anything you do. See, e.g., Thomas Edison and the 999 ways not to make a light bulb. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Notably, in the Fall, you rode along at a 9-hole par 35 course and played two of the par 3 holes. Grandpa Gary even let you drive the golf cart for a bit! While you did get the ball in the hole, there was a lot of swinging and missing. You may have made a 15 on a 75-yard hole <i>after</i> hitting your tee shot 65 yards over a water hazard! So, we kept practicing and you got a fuller set of clubs for Christmas (driver, hybrid, 5, 7, 9, your first wedge, and a mallet putter) in addition to a golf bag being your ornament. Then, on President’s Day, you played all 9 holes on that same course! I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here or in other letters, but I love spending time with you and golf gives us the perfect excuse to do just that. And, for now, we both like playing. It’s just so great, Ellie. I hope this keeps up, and I promise to try not to make you keep doing if it stops being fun for you. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Kind. </b>This one is a bit tricker to detail, but anyone who knows you would say it’s true. You compliment strangers and always tell them you like their dogs. You are always patient and loving with Ruthie. At EJ’s games, you almost always play with the younger siblings and are so sweet with them. As a Juliet Girl Scout, you get to access what would be the troop proceeds from your cookie sales, which is over $500, to pay dues and event registration fees, etc. You asked if you could use it to donate toys to Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital, which we’re working on helping you do. You are also very aware of who is listening to you answer questions, and never fall for ones like “Who is your favorite parent?” And, Ellie, you are still a great hugger. You never just go through the motions, almost always giving a sincere two-handed squeeze with your eyes closed. You’ve also started holding my hands at the end of our before bed hugs for an extra squeeze and eye contact, which is just the sweetest.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ellie, I said it earlier, but it’s the absolute truth: Even if you weren’t any of the things I said in this letter, I couldn’t love you any more or any less. I simply can’t explain how happy I am to have a daughter, and for that daughter to be you. I knew it the day you were born and we had our first of countless moments in the hospital room. As excited as I am about your young successes, the way you’ve handled struggles, and the ‘tween’ you are becoming, nothing you do or fail to do could ever change the way I felt about you on your birthday, and feel about you now. I am so happy to be kicking off another decade with you and am so looking forward to helping you make sense of the world and figure out what you love to do (even if it doesn’t end up involving math, science, or golf). </span></p><p style="color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy birthday! </span></p><p style="color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I love you always,</span></p><p style="color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Daddy</span></p><p style="color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rLF-WEz2loA" width="487" youtube-src-id="rLF-WEz2loA"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-63968054505340786972021-07-19T09:45:00.004-04:002021-07-19T09:45:57.290-04:00Dear E.J. - Seven Years<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-krOlsYyLL3e85obu906veiOi0s3mTvEtyRF8uVm5SxwVUT4DKnhaxteVBwzsA7EyJMRO2lwbVodgil_e9nlGj1cfvnYKkSrx8SfwZqy-4ILMPYdoi_1QLs5eyVDFNWmHe7nLYz5IsKk/s3358/IMG_8695.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2518" data-original-width="3358" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-krOlsYyLL3e85obu906veiOi0s3mTvEtyRF8uVm5SxwVUT4DKnhaxteVBwzsA7EyJMRO2lwbVodgil_e9nlGj1cfvnYKkSrx8SfwZqy-4ILMPYdoi_1QLs5eyVDFNWmHe7nLYz5IsKk/w640-h480/IMG_8695.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>My dear E.J.,</p><p>Happy birthday to you, cute stuff! Seven years old! Wow! Does that sound old to you? It sure does to me. And what a year this has been for you, and for us! Lots of things going on in the world, lots of significant changes for our family, lots of growing up for you.</p><p>On your last birthday, we were four months into self-quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic. A year later, the virus still dominates the headlines and shapes our behavior much more than I had hoped it would by this point. Oh, don't get me wrong, we've relaxed a bit - we go to public playgrounds now, we've gotten back to visiting with family, and we've taken you into some stores and other places, and to some outdoor events like Jumbo Shrimp games (yay!). But it has been a long year, kiddo. After I wrote your last letter, cases of covid-19 spiked drastically nationwide, and especially in Florida. In the fall, schools offered families a choice of in-person school (with face masks, socially distant desk spacing, lunch in classrooms, plastic desk shields, no field trips or other big school activities) or virtual learning with a teacher from your school. We opted for the latter, and you completed first grade entirely online. We still have not taken a vacation (aside from going to Papa's house a couple of times); we celebrated Christmas with extended family (and visited Santa!) virtually via Zoom; we trick-or-treated minimally for Halloween (focusing instead on a fun Harry Potter-themed house setup to hand out candy to others); we still have not been to a movie theater or church or back to tee-ball or other extracurricular activities. And, no big birthday party for you again this year - instead, we went to the waterpark at Adventure Landing as a family and had Star Wars Clone Trooper cupcakes with Grammy and Heather on the 4th of July. You still said it was the best birthday ever, so thank you for that!</p><p>January brought another significant spike in covid cases in the U.S., then things tapered off during the spring as vaccines became available - first to people over age 65, then gradually younger until Daddy and I finally got ours in May. Numbers began to drop and things started opening up even more, and mask mandates fell by the wayside - and now cases are on the rise again among the unvaccinated, which, unfortunately, you and Ellie still are for the time being. We are waiting with bated breath for a vaccine for kids under age 12, and it has been promised by mid-winter. Unfortunately, that means for now, we keep our guard up to keep you kids as protected as we can. You'll be going back to school in the fall, and it makes me terribly nervous, but we're moving forward, for better or for worse. </p><p>You have been such an incredible trooper through the past year and a half. There have been disappointments, for sure, but you have been very willing to roll with the punches as we go and make the most of things. I mentioned Halloween - that particularly surprised me, that you were not nearly as devastated as I thought you'd be when I broke the news that we wouldn't be trick-or-treating this year. Instead, you threw yourself into our costume theme and house-decorating idea and had a great holiday. If you were ever upset about our altered plans for any event, I don't believe you ever let it show. I do think we've had a lot of fun this year, even if it hasn't always been our normal type of fun!</p><p>You did an awesome job with virtual school this year. It was such a joy for me to be able to be just in the next room for every single one of your school days, so I was able to hear you interacting with your peers and talking to your teachers and participating in class. Your reading ability has grown by leaps and bounds (you've even started reading some chapter books now!) and your math fluency is truly impressive. You were very outspoken in class, always eager to share news with your teachers and classmates. You managed to make friends even in that environment, and often posted encouraging messages to your classmates on the class message boards. You were also just <i>so</i> cooperative with online learning in general - so many kids struggled with it, but you took to it with no trouble. Whenever my alarms would go off to signal that it was time for you to return to the iPad for another live lesson, you'd just yell out "OKAY!", drop what you were doing and run right back to your desk. I was so appreciative of how easy you made all that for me!</p><p>The silver lining of virtual school was definitely that you had more time to play and build Lego in between classes and assignments! Lego has continued to be EVERYTHING to you, and you build <i>constantly</i>. Our once-meager collection of bricks has ballooned, and now we have sets upon sets, and drawers-full of other loose bricks. Our playroom is now centered around Lego, with a big building table right in the center and a shelf to the side to display your creations and store all the bricks. You loved your Lego scavenger hunt from your last birthday so much that you requested another one this year (and we obliged with a mini figure hunt). You still love the show <i>Lego Masters</i>, you love looking at/reading Lego books and looking up Lego sets online, and we're still looking forward to a trip to Legoland one day! I love to see your creations - you really are so creative and have such a great imagination. I'm always so impressed by the builds you come up with!</p><p>Baseball took a little bit of a back seat for you this year, but that's understandable because you haven't played on a team since March of last year. But, now that we've started going to Jumbo Shrimp games again, and since Daddy played in a Throwback Baseball Game on the 4th of July (in our new neighborhood - more on that to come!), and you watched a little bit of the All-Star game, baseball is making a comeback for you. You've dressed yourself in baseball attire (baseball pants, jersey/tshirt, high socks and cap) every day this week, and the other night you were even sleeping in your baseball pajamas with your high socks on and glove under your pillow. I love seeing you get back into it! And, even with slightly waning interest, you <i>were</i> able to achieve your goal of hitting a ball over the fence at the tee-ball field (while playing there with Daddy), and by the time we moved out of our old house, you could easily hit a whiffle ball clear across the street. We are planning to sign you up for Little League this fall - and it won't be tee-ball anymore! You'll be in the machine-pitch division and you have to be evaluated before the season and everything. They'll even start enforcing outs and keeping score. I hope you love it!</p><p>You have a pretty good little competitive nature, although you never admit it. You like to win and you get really upset when that doesn't happen. You've been really into playing the Nintendo Switch (video games) since we got the system for Christmas, and if Ellie is beating you at a game or if you can't figure it out, you get so upset. Sometimes we have to turn it off until you can calm down a little bit. So, I'll be interested to see how that translates to the ball field in the fall. You also have focused a lot lately on your size - that you're smaller than most of the other kids your age. We talk about it as a good thing, because they'll be likely to underestimate you because you're not as big as they are, but you sure can play!</p><p>You lost your first tooth this year! Well, you've lost two so far. You were so anxiously waiting to lose your first one - so many of your friends had already lost a bunch. But, it finally happened this spring, and then you lost another one just before your birthday! And you have two more loose ones in there, too. As happy as I am to see you excited about this part of growing up, it's a little sad for me to watch your baby smile changing so much so quickly. But, that's the way it goes, and I know I will love your toothy grown-up grin just as much as that baby smile.</p><p>You have been growing and changing this year, of course, but our family has also seen some pretty big changes, too! The biggest one is our new house. After renting houses for your entire life thus far, we purchased our first home in May and moved from San Marco to Springfield. The house is just wonderful - it has so much space for us, and you love so much about it. It is very long, with a straight path from front to back, and you love to sprint from one end to the other over and over again (I believe you're playing a game you made up in your head, but I'm fuzzy on the rules and I think they're not really strictly enforced anyway - it's really all about the running!). You also love that you can run a complete circle around the house, as our front and back yards are connected on both sides of the house. It's all fenced in and you love to run the whole way around. You and Ellie have your own rooms, which is nice, but the really cool part is that both of your rooms open up onto what was once a sun porch, that is now closed in and is currently serving as your playroom! Your bedrooms and the playroom are all connected in a U-shape and it's just the coolest thing. It's lovely and bright (with eight windows in the playroom alone!) and just wonderful for you guys. As you get older we can see that playroom turning into a study room or a hangout room to spend time in with your friends...I think it will really serve us well for a long time!</p><p>You were such a good sport during the moving process, which is always just so terrible. You were a great help at sorting through all your toys and books and finding things to sell or donate, and you and Ellie earned a bunch of money from your sold toys at our yard sale. You also had a lemonade stand to earn money for walkie talkies, which you use to talk to each other from your respective rooms after we put you to bed. There have certainly been some adjustments with the move - you've had some trouble adjusting to being in your own room, and we've been doing lots of switching nightlights around and leaving hall lights on to help with scary shadows, reassuring you about various noises, and sometimes you just have sleepovers with Ellie and avoid being alone altogether. I suppose all this was to be expected; it's always hard to adjust to a totally new place, especially since the last one was really the only home you ever truly knew. But we're making progress and we do love the house! We're so excited for all the new fun our new neighborhood promises us, and I think we'll make a lot of really great memories here.</p><p>Another big change for us was the adoption of our dog, Ruthie! We got her when she was just a little puppy and now she's a year old. You and she are best buds, and you're her favorite "toy!" When you run around the perimeter of the house (or back and forth inside), she loves to chase you. Whenever you're doing anything remotely active (which is, you know, almost always), she loves to jump in and play with you. She'll tackle you to the ground, bite at your feet, chase you around. You guys love to wrestle and have so much fun together! I'm so glad you're such good buds.</p><p>Some more about E.J. at seven years old: you still love Halloween, spooky things and bad guys; we've been reading the <i>Harry Potter</i> books (we're almost done with book five right now!), and Voldemort is your favorite, of course. Your favorite things to eat for lunch are Nutella sandwiches or macaroni and cheese, and you love Pop Tarts for breakfast. You live for snacks and are always downstairs RIGHT at 3:30 p.m. (designated snack time) to help yourself to something. You also love eating at restaurants and playing at the playground (you especially love climbing and jumping off things). At our old house, you liked to climb up on the backyard fence and inch your way around the perimeter of it, and at our new house, you love to climb around the outside of the porch railing. You are starting to take on more responsibility around the house (not necessarily happily, but you're doing it!), and you have been doing daily chores all summer which include things like cleaning bathrooms, putting away some of your laundry, changing your bedsheets and cleaning up Ruthie's...uh, messes in the backyard. You love Star Wars, and this year have particularly enjoyed <i>The Clone Wars</i> and <i>Rebels</i> series. You like reading and writing and particularly enjoyed writing a report on bats (the animal) in school this year. You got your very own library card this year; you enjoy reading the <i>Magic Treehouse</i> books, but your favorite book is currently <i>Clone Troopers in Action. </i>You like the color blue, and you love Beanie Babies (sometimes you carry them around in a fanny pack with just their heads peeking out!). You're currently very into <i>In The Heights</i> and listen to the soundtrack daily (your favorite songs are probably "96,000" and "Benny on the Dispatch"). You keep changing what you say you want to be when you grow up: sometimes you say a Lego set maker, sometimes a baseball player, sometimes an engineer, sometimes a costumed Star Wars character at Hollywood Studios. You love to be silly and are all about putting on a show these days. You love video games, especially our Harry Potter Lego game and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. You sometimes get grumpy when you don't get your way (who doesn't) but overall, you certainly laugh far more than you sulk. You love to have visitors and cry when they leave. You like to climb trees and play with Nerf guns with your friend Krishna, and you ran your first 5k this year. You love to swim and play in the waves at the beach. You are kind-hearted and thoughtful, outgoing and friendly, bright and creative.</p><p>And, you're growing up. I know, I know. I say it every year. But every day you look a little taller, a little leaner, a little more like a Big Kid and less like a Little Boy. I am still so thankful for those fleeting moments of Little You that still show up from time to time - when you climb into my lap out of the blue, or wrap your arms around mine and lay your head on my shoulder, or grab my hand when we're walking. Each of those is becoming increasingly rare and one day, you will do each for the last time and I won't even know it in the moment. Perhaps you already <i>have</i> done one for the last time and I don't even realize it. It breaks my heart to know that, as I have loved being the mother of Little E.J. for all these years. But Big E.J. is going to be a really great boy, and then a really incredible man, and I'm so excited to get to know him as we go. And E.J., no matter how big you get, I'm always here with a mama hug if you're scared, or a hand to hold, or a shoulder to lean on. You can get as big as you want, but that will never change.</p><p>I love you so much, nugget. Thanks for another really great year of being your mama. It is such a privilege and you are so dear to me.</p><p>Happy birthday, buddy.</p><p>All my love,</p><p><i>Mama</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>* * * * *</i></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My Dear E.J.,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy birthday, little buddy! Birthdays are such a big deal at your age and I am so excited for you to turn seven! I think your Mama has done such a great job planning parties and making you feel special that the anticipation just builds and builds throughout the year. It seems like you are always planning for either Halloween or your birthday party. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The truth is, while you hit some amazing milestones (keep reading!), this was a crazy year. Most prominently, we kept you guys at home all school year due to the pandemic. It was far from ideal, but we felt like it was the best decision. Your teachers were organized, and your Mama built out a school room in our dining room and was really on top of helping you troubleshoot technology issues and check things off your assignment list. It also felt like you were making consistent progress–you can read now, which is pretty awesome! One of my favorite things is to see you sitting on the couch working your way unprompted through a book. You’re currently digging the Magic Treehouse series, and most recently finished the one about Jackie Robinson. You can also read the dialogue for the Harry Potter characters you voice, including Neville Longbottom and Dudley Dursley. We are on book five of seven and I know you will have other ones before we finish the series together!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One cool thing about working from home while you were schooling at home is that I got a chance to pop in and see you thinking your way through assignments – you (and your teachers apparently) especially liked math mysteries where you had to solve math problems to decode letters that formed clues that helped you solve the mystery. It was particularly cool to hear you think your way through addition and subtraction problems. You completely mastered facts up to 10 and, without prompting, break down larger problems into ones where you already know the answers. I will say that I am a little nervous about you realizing your math potential because Ellie loved math first. I don’t know if you sometimes pretend you don’t like it to make her mad or if you think you can’t both be good at it, but you have a great number sense and I hope you don’t ever let other people define what you love and how great you can be. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This year, you continued to be ultra-passionate about things. Being super into one thing has been pretty consistent your whole known life. From Spider-Man and superheroes to Star Wars bad guys, then baseball and back to Star Wars, you have added Lego, and two Lin-Manuel Miranda musicals to the list. Your birthday party last year was a scavenger hunt for ten Lego sets. You built them all in under a week and you have not stopped since. You love mini-figures–building them, thinking about different arrangements, and imagining other ones that could exist. You have given me many creations this year to keep in my office, but I usually give them back after a little while so you can have the bricks to build with, but I have kept the minifigs you made of me and you in my office for months. You have a great eye for detail and it is so fun to hear you talk through the things you build. Even when they look similar to other things you’ve built, you always add something interesting!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another thing we started doing as a family during the pandemic is watching non-kid TV shows. The first full season we watched all the way through was LEGO Masters–a Lego building competition show where teams of two complete a themed challenge in a set number of hours. This is a time where I wish I was a great writer, because I bet such a person could paint the picture I have in my mind of what it is like to watch you watch the show. You are so intent on what’s happening and are so transparent with your emotions–awe, nerves, surprise, disappointment. It’s like you have such empathy for what they are experiencing on the show. You had a favorite team from the first season and cried when they got sent home. The second season just started and I hope your new favorite team fares a little better. Either way, it’s a lot of fun to watch with you.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One last thing I want to talk about is our extracurriculars. Having to miss in person school this year we tried really hard to give you some structure. Mama and Ellie played some piano; you, me and Ellie went to the driving range a few times and you guys even rode with me for 9 holes one time; but the most consistent one was the weekly trips you and I took to the tee ball fields. We got matching Angels shirts and hats and everything! You particularly loved when we stopped for a Gatorade, candy or ice cream snack and I loved the chance it gave us to talk one on one in between drills. You are such a great learner and practice so hard every time we are out on the field and other times when you are working on something yourself. I worry sometimes that I am not the best teacher for you because I hear myself getting frustrated when you take more than two tries to get something right, but you give me more grace than I deserve and seem to have fun anyway. Maybe it’s the snacks? I don’t know, but I hope I can strike the right balance between making sure it stays fun for you and helping you improve so that it makes it easier for it to be fun. My favorite football coach used to say that he wanted the game to be fun, but that he couldn’t think of anything more fun than winning. The other thing I need to mention this year is how competitive you are! I’m not saying that anyone should like losing, but you get so upset and angry as soon as it looks like you are not going to win something. Even after you may have just won a few times in a row, you really struggle to tolerate losing. I think this can be productive if it fuels you to work harder, but it seems like it is something that has to be taught and I am hoping I can help you channel that energy. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My favorite memory from our one-on-one team practices has to be the time you hit your first ball over the fence! The Little League where we play has three different baseball diamonds: one for T-ball; a medium field where you’re going to start playing this fall; and a full regulation Little League field with a mound for kid to pitch from. We always end our practices with me pitching you a mix of tennis balls and soft baseballs. Well, one of the days your swing was on point and you blasted a tennis ball to straight away centerfield. Your sister (who sometimes came to do art and watch) and I went crazy. You seemed more surprised than anything, but has a huge smile on your face. No bat flip or finger pointing home run trot like you sometimes do at our house when you hammer a whiffle ball across the street. After a pretty long pause, you rounded the bases, gave us a short interview about how you couldn’t believe it and then we walked around the field to take a picture with the ball. You have said you want to hit a home run on every field you play on and it’s pretty cool that you are one for one so far.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">E.J., for a year that feels like we didn’t do anything because a global pandemic kept us home for so much of it, you were productive and eventful! You learned to swim underwater, started losing teeth and playing video games–you and Ellie beat Star Wars Lego game for the Wii and earned 100% completion in Harry Potter years 1-4 for our new Nintendo Switch. You ran a 5k in under 35 minutes with planned stops for you and Ellie because it was your first time. We got a dog whom you adore and who loves to play with you, and we bought a house that is perfect for running laps around and sprinting inside. You made a difficult year so much better and I hope you can feel in the letter how much fun you are to have as a son. I love you so much, am so proud of how hard you worked to accomplish so much this year, and hope, hope, hope I can help you channel your passion and energy into something amazing. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love you!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 15.693333625793457px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Daddy </span></p><p><br /></p>Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-88624987651292120942021-03-29T03:27:00.004-04:002021-03-29T09:02:28.970-04:00Dear Ellie - Nine Years<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLAWqdpI1UvzJqhNfCZmYvazGnsZock__Oq3RLu6n_fOBkLltkZYuCT_visQv4pnUjRDSy9Bl1WljYcW83WqeXm7FLuFgtn2yzTj6NbJYbda882tFHU046fvdHaoXFFNyPoj6yEpbhoo/s2918/IMG_3226.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2918" data-original-width="2918" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLAWqdpI1UvzJqhNfCZmYvazGnsZock__Oq3RLu6n_fOBkLltkZYuCT_visQv4pnUjRDSy9Bl1WljYcW83WqeXm7FLuFgtn2yzTj6NbJYbda882tFHU046fvdHaoXFFNyPoj6yEpbhoo/w400-h400/IMG_3226.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> My dear Ellie,<p></p><p>Happy ninth birthday, lovebug! The day is finally here! You've been eagerly awaiting this day for weeks, counting down and giving your classmates daily updates as to how close it really is to your birthday.</p><p>How do I know you that you give your classmates daily updates? I know because you "attend" school via laptop in our dining room, and oh, child, what a year it has been since my last letter. When I last wrote to you, we were two weeks into our "safer at home" strategy for dealing with covid-19, the novel coronavirus that spread across the world rapidly and relentlessly. What was originally planned to be a two-week self-imposed quarantine to "slow the spread" has now ballooned to 55 weeks and counting for us. Not long after your birthday last year, school was canceled for the remainder of the year and lockdowns extended out past that initial two-week estimate. People protested their confinement and by May, things started to open back up again, but virus numbers skyrocketed by late summer, so our family continued to stay safe at home. Schools reopened in the fall with both a virtual and an in-person option, which included myriad safety protocols such as six-feet spacing between and plexiglass barriers around desks, mandatory mask-wearing, lunch in classrooms instead of the cafeteria, and daily temperature checks. We opted for the virtual school option, both for our own well-being and to do our part to keep class sizes smaller for kids who really need to be back in the school building. We set up a little school room in the corner of our dining room, complete with desks and a calendar and all the school supplies you could need, and you and E.J. have really done well with it.</p><p>We have not yet been back to church; we are preparing to watch our second Easter Sunday service on YouTube. You still attend Girl Scouts, but virtually - I lead a virtual component of our troop, while the rest of the girls meet in person. You are not doing ballet this year, and your recital from last year was canceled entirely. We have only seen a few family members at all this year, and those visits have been exceedingly rare, taking place only after a strict 14-day quarantine to minimize our risk of unknowingly bringing the virus to each other. Each holiday has been spent with only our immediate family, and each has looked different: we did our own Easter egg hunt in our backyard; we didn't go watch the July 4th fireworks at the river; we barely trick-or-treated on Halloween; we had a video call with Santa instead of an in-person meeting. We have worked really hard to figure out new ways to celebrate and make things special when our old traditions just aren't feasible.</p><p>We didn't travel at all this year; there was no family reunion to attend this summer (sadly, we lost our Gramps this year, too, and have yet to be able to travel for a funeral). There were no school events or awards or performances. Our overly busy weekends are a thing of the past, and many of our previous pastimes came to an abrupt halt: our Disney passes lapsed, the Jumbo Shrimp season was canceled, we no longer had Saturdays at the t-ball field. Our outings and entertainment for the past year have mostly consisted of walks, movies on our new outdoor projector, frequent trips to the beach, watching new TV series together and reading "Harry Potter." When we do have to venture out, we wear masks (they were mandated in our area up until last week, but many businesses still require them), and we scrub our hands well when we get home.</p><p>I'll admit, I've had some trouble coming to terms with your impending birthday this year. Last year, my heart broke for you that so many of your big birthday plans were thwarted by this virus, and it has been hard to stomach the realization that the same could be said of this year (though I think we've come up with fun ideas to make it special!). Your birthday is so closely linked to the anniversary of this thing in my mind, and I had so wanted this to all be over by the time you were nine. It's easy to look back at the last year and think of it as a "lost year": so many of the things we always held dear to our hearts were canceled or put on hold indefinitely. You only have so many years of childhood, and at times it has felt like this one was just "passing us by."</p><p>But, it wasn't a lost year. It was a year for <i>us</i>. For our family. Day in and day out, we've been together. We've found new things to do together and creative ways to have fun at home. I've been able to have a front row seat to your day-to-day schooling - I hear you talking to your classmates, asking questions, working hard. You and E.J. have so much more time to just <i>play</i> now, and you make good use of it! It has been so wonderful to have you more to myself than I have in years, to know exactly how your day goes and what you're doing and what you're thinking and feeling, something I thought was long gone since you started school. It also feels like almost an extra year of childhood, in a way - a year with no drama with friends, no (new) crushes, no peers spoiling childhood magic for you. It has been a rare gift that isn't given to most parents. It feels like borrowed time...or bonus time, maybe. It is actually really kind of special.</p><p>And Ellie Bellie, you're growing into such a lovely young woman. You are thoughtful and sweet and empathetic. You are almost overly kindhearted! You can't tolerate being in trouble; if you think we're even looking at or talking to you too sternly, you crumble. I know that I can trust you completely, because rather than ever lie to us, if confronted with something you'd rather not say your whole body slumps over and your face goes sullen, and out comes the truth. You often ask what you can do to help me around the house, and you're always thinking of sweet things to do for people you love and how to make it special just for them. For example, you made Heather and Matty bracelets--with a cat charm and Dallas Cowboys colors, respectively--for no reason, and moved them to tears when they were surprised by them in their mailbox!</p><p>You've taken to virtual school without missing a beat. You have the same teacher as last year, which may have helped, but I am able to just let you do your thing all day with minimal oversight. You follow your schedule, do your work, and often even set your own alarms on your watch to make sure you're back to live video classes on time. You still <i>love</i> math, and your teacher has selected you and a couple of other kids to do some extra math work, which thrills you. (You're starting that this week, and you were so tickled that you'd get extra math for your birthday week! What a gift!) You're doing great with multiplication and fractions, and I'm very impressed by you.</p><p>You also still love science, and we've been getting our fill of science activities through online Girl Scouts workshops. One positive of the pandemic has been that Girl Scout councils/organizations from across the country have been offering programming that we are able to take advantage of, regardless of our location! Your Brownie vest is completely filled up with patches and badges and you've done some really cool things. You even attended a virtual Girl Scouts summer camp last June, where you earned three coding badges, tie-dyed your own camp shirt and even made s'mores in the microwave and sang camp songs around the computer with your fellow campers. People have really impressed me with their ingenuity in finding ways to translate normal activities to a virtual format! You also sold Girl Scout cookies again this year and once again, you were the top seller in your troop. You're highly motivated and willing to work hard to reach your goals. You amaze me.</p><p>You still love to read, though that sort of tapered off for a while since we were not able to go to the library to get new material. I think your favorite thing to read this year has probably been the "Harry Potter" books. We've been reading them together as a family (we're on the fifth book now!), and as soon as we finish reading one together, you claim it for yourself and re-read the whole thing on your own, often in only a couple days' time. </p><p>You overcame a couple of significant fears this year: you learned to ride your bike last year on Easter Sunday, and you changed your earrings for the first time about a month ago! In true Ellie fashion, in each case you just decided you were going to do it and you did it. When you decided to learn to ride your bike, you worked hard, practicing your balance and pedaling up and down the sidewalk until it finally clicked. With your earrings, you talked yourself into a plan of action, and when your nerves started to overcome you, you gave yourself a pep talk: "I can do this. I'm going to do this." And you did! And in both cases, once you accomplished this task that you had perceived as impossible for so long, you felt so incredible. You'd just talk about it for days and days and days - you were so proud of yourself, and we were so proud of you, too. I can't even tell you how much joy it brings me to see you overcome a mental hurdle like that and do something that you really want, even if you're afraid. I hope you remember that high you felt afterwards and it propels you forward to many new, exciting experiences as you grow!</p><p>You're just growing up so much, and I see it every day. I see it in your outward appearance (I mean, could you possibly be any taller????), and in your behaviors. You're showing more confidence, and you're more willing to try new things. You're becoming more and more helpful around the house (and willingly, too!) - you can change your bedsheets, make all your meals, clean your room, do the dusting. You're motivated to do well and willing to put in the work to do so, such as just last week when you worked hard every day after school to learn a dance for Palm Sunday church. At first you thought it was too hard and you wouldn't be able to do it, but we worked out a plan of attack together and you implemented it without any help and before long, you knew that dance perfectly. (We recorded it on video that was played at the service, which was so nice that you could still participate even if we aren't attending in-person church yet!)</p><p>One big, exciting thing from this year: we got a new puppy named Ruthie! You just adore her and vice versa. You can hardly contain yourself when you see her, and you launch right into lovey-dovey talk as you fuss over her. You're a big help with her, too! You get her out of her crate in the morning, feed her breakfast and let her go outside. When she shreds sticks in the house, you help clean up the mess. You help clean the...uh...mess in the backyard, too! You put her leash on when it's time to walk, and sometimes you walk her, too. I'm so glad she has been such a wonderful addition to our family! She's a real perk of this pandemic for sure - without this disruption to our normally very busy schedule, we probably wouldn't have considered getting a dog. We're very lucky to have her!</p><p>Some more about Ellie-at-nine-years-old: you and E.J. are still very into Legos, and you play for hours at your Lego table. You also love to draw and do crafts (you tried your hand at cross-stitch this year!). Your favorite color is pink - dark pink, not light! You love long dresses and rompers. Your favorite book is <i>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</i>, and your favorite TV shows include <i>Magic School Bus</i> and <i>Emily's Wonder Lab</i>. You were very excited when President Joe Biden was elected this year, because you met him in Hoboken when you were a baby, so now you can say you've met the President. You're incredibly responsible and trustworthy. You love unicorns. Your hair was both purple and pink at various times this year, and after growing it long for some time you decided last week to cut it short again. You still sleep with Cupcake, and I often have to remind you to remove the piles and piles of books that end up in your bed. You love to "mother" E.J., sometimes taking it a bit far, but I know it's done with love. You like to tuck your shirts into your leggings. You're happy and bubbly. You crinkle your nose when you smile if you <i>really</i> like something. You stick your tongue out when you're concentrating hard (<i>still</i> - you've done that since you were very small!). You say "hi" whenever we walk into a room (or rather, as soon as you hear us coming; you rarely wait for us to actually enter the room), and sometimes you tell us "I want us to be talking but I just don't know what to talk about." You've coped well with our isolation overall, but you're still a social being at heart, and you get excited when people come to our house - ANY people, including the exterminator, realtor and contractor. When the little old lady who lives down the street had to put her dog to sleep, you wrote a letter to her telling her how sorry you were and left it in her mailbox. You pray to yourself every night, even after we've prayed together as a family. You still sometimes just need a "mama hug." And I <i>always</i> need an Ellie hug.</p><p>I just love you so much. </p><p>And now, you're another year older. And truly, this was quite the year to live through, kiddo. Living through a pandemic like this is an unthinkably rare thing (thank heavens!), but there has been so much else going on all around us, too. You'll learn about it in your history books someday, and I think we've kept you pretty shielded from some of the other events of this year. But in all honesty, it has been a challenging one for me in a lot of ways. But you, my girl, have always been a bright spot. You are my motivation to keep working and fighting and brainstorming and innovating. When I feel like I've hit a wall, like I've given it everything I have, like I am just fully depleted, you fill me up again and somehow give me the strength and the energy to wake up and do it all once more. I just want so badly to make each of your days as special as you deserve, which is a terribly high bar but I'm doing my very best.</p><p>The coming year still holds a lot of uncertainty for us. It feels like we're on our way out of the pandemic, as more and more people are being vaccinated (Daddy and I will be eligible for ours next week!), and case numbers are staying much lower than they once were. But still, we can't quite predict when there will be a vaccine for kids, how things will look in the fall, or when we can really let our guard down. We also have some uncertainty on the horizon for our family specifically - perhaps I'll be writing your next letter from a new home? No matter what happens, I assume you'll handle it in stride in true Ellie style. </p><p>Ellie, being your mom is such a privilege. I'm so enamored with the young woman you are becoming, just as I have always adored the little girl you were. I hope you know how much I treasure you, and I hope that as you grow you will continue to see me a safe space, a support system, and your biggest fan. Because I totally am. (I'll bet Daddy thinks he is, but I respectfully disagree.)</p><p>Thanks for being you, baby girl. You're amazing.</p><p>Happy ninth birthday! I love you all the much.</p><p>All my love,</p><p>Mama</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">* * * * *</p><p><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My dear Ellie,</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love you so much. I have been trying to think of a way to explain how much I adore you and how happy you make me to be your dad. If there’s a good word, I don’t know it. The best I can do is to think of a feeling. It’s kinda like when you are sitting down to watch a movie you have been looking forward to for months, when you realize a book you are really enjoying is part of a series, or relaxing on the second day of a long vacation. It’s a happy/peaceful/content feeling where you can’t think about other than how lucky and grateful you are to be where you are. It’s not every minute of every day, to be sure, but it is the best way I can explain what I feel when I sit down and think about it. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You are so excited to be turning nine (you can’t believe it’s your last year in single digits!). I am so happy for you to have a day (days, really, with the family party and camping) to be celebrated, but I am having a tough time realizing that you are halfway to being on your own. That’s still a lot of time, but I am bracing myself for the fact that the next nine will be less cuddly than the first nine. I also worry about mean kids, bad boyfriends, and other disappointments. Nine means we are getting closer to those things, but I know we aren’t there yet.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s just so crazy that you are now having your second pandemic birthday. I thought about including a table of differences and events of the past year, but decided that was too nerdy. I probably buckled a bit under the pressure it would add to include everything. But, for example’s sake, we just completed a whole year of virtual school and girl scouts, with facemasks required for the rare occasions we’ve seen other people or gone in places. And, boy, have we covered miles and miles of walks to get out of the house. On the other end, we have gone without Disney trips, in-person church and activities, eating on-site at restaurants, far fewer family visits and all non-family hugs. It has been very different, with so many challenges. But I don’t think that is what you are going to take from this experience. Your Mama has worked so hard to make things special. We went all out on yard decor for Halloween in lieu of trick-or-treating, she planned egg hunts at home, got a projector for backyard movies, and a climbing gym for the backyard. We started watching tv shows together (The Mandalorian and Clone Wars, Emily’s Wonder Lab, and Lego Masters). We got a puppy and let you guys start playing video games. I learned to do magic, and taught you and EJ how to play blackjack, poker and chess. It’s too early to distill a grand, unified lesson of the pandemic, but I think you can choose how to spend your energy, and there is good to be found in everything. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I really didn’t mean to write you another letter where I make lists in every other sentence, so I will try to tell three more stories.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first is about how proud I am of the way you have pushed yourself this year. As you were turning eight, you were committed to learning to ride a bike. We had tried without much success in the past, but you mastered the scooter and really took notice whenever you saw someone you knew riding a bike. At some point, you decided you were going to figure it out. I tried holding the back of the seat, and we planned out how to push off and glide, then to put your feet on the pedals during the glide, then pedal one loop, etc. You spent an hour at a time for days by yourself trying over and over again until you mastered each step. Just like when you were younger, obstacles are nothing compared to your will and determination. You are undefeated when you decide something is going to happen. On Easter Sunday, you put it together and successfully rode around a nearby parking lot and were beside yourself excited. You did the same thing later in the year when you decided you would finally change your earrings 18 months after getting them pierced. You succeeded and changed them several times a day for the first few days. Similarly, you have also decided this year that you would try new foods and have discovered so many new things you enjoy, like BBQ and cheeseburgers from places other than McDonald’s. The other day, you tried a roasted sweet potato and loved it so much that it’s going to be a part of your birthday dinner, with tacos, of course!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second story has to do with how impressed I am by your interest in new things. Without traditional extracurricular activities, like dance, your Mama and I tried to give you and EJ as much of a well-rounded experience as possible. We offered you a suite of options and you choose piano and golf. Mama started teaching you the basics of piano after you picked up the happy birthday song and a short classical piece during Bairdcation at Papa’s. I don’t know all the specifics of what you did, but I do know that you taught yourself how to play my favorite Christmas carol, "</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The First Noel"</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by ear using trial and error. I hope we find a way to help you keep learning if that’s something you want to do, but, if not, you should know that you showed some aptitude for it. Speaking of aptitude, I loved taking you and EJ for golf practice. We always pick out a snack, share a bucket of balls, and putt. I’ve tried to be really light on instruction, just letting you both build some coordination and have some fun. You hit some really well each time and get so excited. You also get uncharacteristically confident. You tell me and EJ to “watch how it’s done” before you hit, and say that “golf is your sport” and you are even considering it as a career option (along with astronaut and pediatrician).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, I can’t possibly tell the story of your year without talking about reading. You’re still a math and science girl (for example, you just took a pie day girl scout class and took it upon yourself to memorize 14 digits!), but boy do you love to read. And our family reading time has become an obsession! Speaking of finding the good in things, the pandemic is what brought this on. Essentially, at the onset, a lot of artists and organizations made new content available virtually. Concerts, museums, NASA camps, and movies direct to streaming, including Hamilton, which has been a huge hit. One such artist was J.K. Rowling, who offered to share her first young adult book since Harry Potter for free, a few chapters at a time. You guys loved the two months we spent on <i>The Ickabog</i> so much that we decided to give Harry Potter a chance. Kid, it’s been a hit. I believe your five favorite books are, in order, <i>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</i>, <i>Prisoner of Azkaban</i>, <i>Chamber of Secrets</i>, <i>Sorcerer’s Stone</i>, and <i>The Ickabog</i>. Can you guess which book we are reading now? I love so much that we have been able to read them together. I do most of the reading, voicing close to 40 characters over the first four books. I love to do it because you guys remember which voice is which and get so excited when you know who is talking before the book says it. But, I said it was a family affair and it really is! You handle the dialogue for 15 or so characters by my last count, including Hermoine, Professors Flitwich, Sprout and Grubby-Plank, and Tonks. Most are pretty close to your usual voice, but sometimes you throw in an amazing British accents. Mama has taken on some pretty important ones, like Dobby, Professor Umbridge and Moaning Myrtle, and EJ does a great job with Dudley and Neville Longbottom, though he would love to be responsible for the Malfoys. Whenever we finish a book, Mama sets up some sort of party with themed snacks and attire, and we watch the movie together. You also re-read the book immediately in under three days. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kiddo, I really don’t know how to sum up such a crazy year, but I hope I’ve shared some thoughts you are interested in reading. I have loved watching you grow these first nine years and am so excited for you because the best is yet to come. Happy birthday, Belle. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love you so very much,</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Daddy.</span></span></p>Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-33522719827982296462020-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:002021-01-01T14:12:14.494-05:00Farewell, 2020<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy New Year, friends! We did it! We made it to the 2020 finish line.</span></span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every year I make a retrospective video and spend some time reflecting on the past 365 days. Thinking back on 2020 has been...conflicting, I suppose? To be honest, I'm sort of at a loss for the right word to really summarize what this year has been.</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">There were, obviously, struggles. A lot of anxiety, a lot of worry, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of frustration. A lot of constantly second guessing choices made and wondering if we're doing the right thing for ourselves, our family and our community. It was a year of canceled plans and isolation from family and friends. It was a year of loss and grief - we have been fortunate to not lose anyone to the virus itself, but we did lose my grandfather and were unable to mourn him together as a family as we otherwise would have. And so many have lost so much more. It was also a year of unrest and hate and hurt, of arguing and division. There were times when things nearly felt hopeless.</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, to be fair, our family had it a lot easier than many, and for that I am exceedingly grateful - Eric already worked from home, and his work has continued to keep him very busy; I'm able to be home with the kids and we have the space, time and resources to devote to virtual school, plus they attend a great school with teachers who work hard to support them; AND my children are unicorn children who are great, cooperative, hardworking virtual learners. I am so grateful that we were able to adjust to pandemic life as easily as we did.</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, I realized some time ago that even in the hardest times, if you take a step back and look closely, there's beauty in the situation: true, pure, selfless, love-thy-neighbor type of beauty. Today, I am also enjoying remembering all the good things that have happened in the world around us this past year.</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">When schools initially closed, zoos and museums and people all over hopped online to keep children entertained and engaged. We have been able to "visit" places and watch performances from all over the country that we otherwise would never have seen (including our nieces' and nephew's piano recital this month!). Locally, people drew rainbows on their sidewalks for children to find when they went outside, and built scavenger hunts throughout the neighborhood.</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">When grocery store shelves were bare, local restaurants sold groceries to the public to fill the gaps. For some time we bought our chicken and pasta from Maple Street Biscuit Company and our eggs by the dozen from Metro Diner. People rushed to fill a need where they saw one and make things easier for their community.</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the CDC started recommending masks, crafters across the country ran their sewing machines ragged making them for their loved ones or to donate to local people in need. When elastic was hard to find, they were cutting up fitted bedsheets to use that elastic for ear straps. Creativity for a noble purpose!</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I asked for help with a drive-by birthday parade for Ellie and birthday video for E.J., I was overwhelmed by the response of our friends and family. It was so touching to see everyone so willing to give of their time to make the day special for our kids.</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">It often felt like you had to dig through the negative to find it, but if you paid attention, positive stories were plentiful: teachers giving their absolute all to virtual students. Daily applause for healthcare workers. People using their talents to entertain their neighbors from their driveways. Breweries shifting course to produce hand sanitizer, and athletic uniform companies making masks. Zoom lifting time limits on holidays so people could virtually celebrate with distant family and friends without restriction. Examples abound of people giving of themselves to others, trying to ease the burden for their neighbors and bring joy where they could.</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">And, this year may have looked very different, but there was something kind of fun in coming up with new ways to celebrate the usual events. We were forced out of our rut of tradition, to think creatively about what really is important to us and how best to celebrate it. If nothing else, it was a breath of fresh air, and maybe we even figured out some fun new things to add to our celebrations in the future.</span></p><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">As a family, we slowed down and enjoyed each other more: we started walking together every evening; we started reading the Harry Potter books together; Eric learned magic to entertain us; the kids put on a full-blown "concert" (complete with program) for me for Mother's Day; we spent many nights watching movies together in our backyard. And, we got a puppy!</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope 2020 has not been too cruel to you, my friends. I hope you're also able to look back and see the beauty amidst the mess. And I hope that 2021 leaves the mess behind and brings you simply joy, good health, hope and togetherness.</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy New Year.</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ro0o_tiafhk" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">VIDEO: A look back at our year in 2020</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Signing off for 2020,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Meghan</i></div>Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-31636350635868114932020-07-06T19:04:00.002-04:002020-08-12T10:07:07.282-04:00Dear E.J. - Six Years<font face="inherit"><br /></font><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXG02Rj2nJKnoCx-PbN6r3vzkX3Jk2AarfIJjfGaafN0XthI7Z_tms0-Kfd6QPcdTWwn0-D9egTQZMGFO4KcPUhmFiPhnI3V7S0Z_ve9JCcbtmI0nqTZM-6K_etGjhb3PON_t1tJVWrk/s3561/IMG_5885.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="inherit"><img border="0" data-original-height="2671" data-original-width="3561" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXG02Rj2nJKnoCx-PbN6r3vzkX3Jk2AarfIJjfGaafN0XthI7Z_tms0-Kfd6QPcdTWwn0-D9egTQZMGFO4KcPUhmFiPhnI3V7S0Z_ve9JCcbtmI0nqTZM-6K_etGjhb3PON_t1tJVWrk/w625-h469/IMG_5885.jpeg" width="625" /></font></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">My dear E.J.,</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">Happy birthday, buddy! You are six years old now! Six seems so grown up, don't you think? I think you agree, considering that two nights before your birthday, as I said goodnight to you I told you, "Wow! Tomorrow is your last day of being five! How exciting!" and you burst into tears. You told me you like being five and you like kindergarten and don't want to be six. And I'll tell you what, bud - I get that. Five was great fun and frankly, you kind of got cheated out of a lot of it. I can understand your feeling that we haven't quite finished this chapter, so it can't possibly be time to move on already.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">You see, we are in the midst of a global pandemic. A novel coronavirus has been spreading throughout the world since late 2019, and through the U.S. in earnest since March. As of March 16, we put ourselves in "safer at home" self-quarantine and have barely left the house since then. The goal was to "flatten the curve," to slow the spread of the virus enough that our hospitals and healthcare systems would not be overloaded. The remainder of the school year was canceled, and you finished kindergarten via virtual learning. Churches, stores, museums, everything closed - even Disney World! The restaurants that did stay open were only open for takeout and delivery, and shelves were picked clean at grocery stores. Things got really bad in major cities right away - New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami. Things stayed pretty under control in our neck of the woods, however, so in May things started to open back up. First the beaches, then restaurants with limited capacity, then more and more businesses and activities. However, now we're seeing a surge in virus cases in our state and so the threat feels very imminent once again. Yet now the people are tired of restrictions, resistant to wearing masks, and some even question if the virus is actually real, or as serious as it is made out to be. So, I'm a bit apprehensive of what may still be to come for us.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">Our family does take the whole thing very seriously, however, and it has dominated our lives for the past four months. Aside from grocery or other food pickup, daily evening walks, and bi-weekly trips to the beach (where we stay FAR away from any other people), we don't leave the house. We did attempt to go to the zoo once, but the unmasked crowds forced us to leave shortly after we got there because we didn't feel it was safe enough. Of course, just last week our mayor issued a mask mandate for our county, which may or may not help things. But as for us, when we do go out where we may in any way interact with others, we wear masks. I even made you and Bunny matching ones to try to bring some lightheartedness to what can be a pretty stressful environment.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">All this to say, you really were cheated out of your last few months of being five, and certainly the last couple of months of kindergarten.You didn't get to go on your zoo field trip with your class (and for many weeks after schools closed you would remind me to keep an eye on my email in case your teacher emailed and told you to wear your class shirt, because that would mean you were going to the zoo after all). You didn't get to celebrate your birthday at school. Almost your entire t-ball season was canceled. We missed out on several Disney trips. You had a virtual kindergarten graduation instead of an in-person performance (and you cried when it was over, because you didn't REALLY get to say goodbye to your friends and teacher). We "attended" church on Easter Sunday via YouTube. Instead of spending the month of June at Papa's house with Aunt Heather, Aunt Molly and your cousins as we planned, we spent our days walking the neighborhood and tie-dying shirts at our own house. We had planned to celebrate your birthday with a weekend stay at Legoland, but instead we stayed home and made the most of things. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">All this breaks my heart, because I know that you and Ellie only get one childhood. It kills me to see you "missing it." We're doing our best to keep things fun and interesting even in these circumstances, but clearly this is not what I would have wanted for your childhood. And I don't know how long it will last, or how long I can keep putting a positive spin on things for you. I haven't yet told you that you will likely still be attending school via at-home computer screen in the fall, or that Halloween trick-or-treating may very well be canceled. It's easy for me to lose myself in the sadness of what is lost, but we are trying to take it one day at a time and do what we can to build happy memories, so that your recollection of this time is much more rosy than mine will be.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">But I'll tell you what, buddy, you and Ellie have been real troopers. Sure, there have been moments when you've really felt the weight of what's going on and how it is affecting your life. There have definitely been tears and breakdowns, for all of us. But you really have rolled with the punches and done very well - you were a good sport for online school, you play well with Ellie (most of the time), and you've mastered your scooter which helps make our walks more tolerable to you. You seem pretty content to be at home a lot of the time, especially because you have tons more time to build LEGO now than you did a few months ago!</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">LEGO is everything to you right now. You spend almost all of your free time building things and you are very creative, always making creations with elaborate stories, even with the sort of limited brick selection we have. We also watched a show call <i>Lego Masters</i> at the start of quarantine, in which a series of LEGO builder pairs competed for the title of Master Builder. You had a favorite team and you cried when they were eliminated, but you loved the show and you love to make your own "Building With E.J." how-to videos for me to send to your cousins. For your birthday "party" this year, we had a whole LEGO day at home (yes, I'm writing this letter a couple days AFTER your birthday! For shame!). We had LEGO decorations, a LEGO cake with minifigs holding your candles, and the main event was a big scavenger hunt that led you to eight different LEGO sets hidden around the house. We spent the day building, building, building and you loved it!</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">You still like baseball, though that has sort of taken a backseat given that everything baseball-related has been canceled. Your spring t-ball season was canceled after only three games, the Jumbo Shrimp season has been canceled, and Major League Baseball is attempting to resume their season later this month but there is much skepticism about how realistic that really is. But, you do still like to go out in the front yard and hit some home runs - a major highlight of your birthday this year was doing so under the neighborhood fireworks, as they do in <i>The Sandlot</i>! You really are getting good, even with pretty minimal practice! You're getting so much better at catching and throwing, and assuming we can resume t-ball next year, your dreams of hitting a home run over the fence will likely be realized. A major highlight from the fall season this year was you calling your shot, Babe Ruth style, <i>and then hitting it right where you called it.</i> You are something else and people always loved to watch you when you were up to bat. Some opposing team coaches jokingly accused us of corking our bats after your turn at bat this season! I sure do hope you can get back to where you left off soon.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">You did very well in kindergarten this year! Our decision to move you forward rather than giving you another year in preschool was a good one. You loved your class and your teacher and made some great little friends. Your reading has progressed quite well, and your teacher says you really enjoy math, too. I was lucky enough to be able to chaperone a couple of your field trips and class parties in the fall, and I loved seeing you thriving in your school environment!</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">You still love all things Halloween and spooky, and you've been talking about what we will be for Halloween this year since September (yes, before last year's Halloween had even passed!). You love rollercoasters and Star Wars and macaroni and cheese. Your favorite color is still blue, and your favorite TV shows include <i>The Clone Wars</i>, <i>Lego Masters</i>, and <i>Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum.</i> Your favorite movies are <i>The Last Jedi</i> and the <i>The Sandlot</i>. Your favorite ride at Disney World is the Haunted Mansion, though the two new Star Wars rides at Hollywood Studios might give it a run for its money these days. Your favorite restaurant is Chick-Fil-A. You sleep on the bottom bunk, and you like to hang blankets around the perimeter to form a "cave," and you hang toys and stuffed animals from the slats above you so they look like bats. You say "musician" when you mean to say "magician" (and nobody is in a hurry to correct you). You love to FaceTime with family, though you are also notorious for being the one to say "so should we end the call?" as soon as there's a lull in conversation. Your best friends this year were Emory, Angelo, Eli and Micah. Your favorite music varies, often depending on the hot movie du juor - recently you've been on a <i>Hamilton</i> soundtrack kick ("Guns and Ships" is your favorite), but you also like soundtracks to <i>Aladdin</i>, <i>Lego Ninjago</i>, and <i>Lego Movie 2. </i>You have learned how to ride your Spiderman scooter and you love to coast down hills. You still laugh yourself into hiccups and love to be tickled. You are very expressive when you speak and you make the funniest emotive faces. You've got charisma!</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">You are also very sweet. Sure, you have your ornery and contrarian moments, but don't we all? But you have such a sweet side. When you see two butterflies flying together you say, "Look, Mama! That's you and me!" and when I have the hiccups, you run and get me a cup of water with a straw so I can try the trick for getting rid of them that you saw on TV. You are thoughtful and kind - for example, for Ellie's birthday, you made her a Lego "doll," worked <i>very</i> hard on a homemade Frozen birthday card for her, chose a perfect Frozen-themed Lego set to buy for her (and you already had it in mind, it wasn't something I suggested), and chose to dress in your Olaf t-shirt in her honor. You also suggested that we drive you around the block so you could be a part of her birthday car parade! I also often find little LEGO creations that you make for me waiting on my desk (flowers, a panda, us in minifig form), and even little "I love you notes." They are all so special to me!</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">I will say, in looking back at last year's letter, you seem to have done some solid growing up this year. You no longer take naps, you're able to do an assortment of things for yourself (get your own breakfast, turn on your PBS Kids show in the morning, get your own cup of water, etc.), and you're finally tall enough for some of the bigger rollercoasters at Disney (though that will have to wait!). You speak well and have a great memory. You play well independently (as I mentioned, you could build LEGO on your own for <i>hours</i>), as well as playing great elaborate pretend play games with Ellie. You still like costumes, though they're not a daily staple like they once were. You don't need me to sing to you at night anymore, though you do still ask for a round of <i>Twinkle, Twinkle</i> if you've had a bad dream.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">Last year I was lamenting the transition from young-childhood to school-age for you, and that continues to play out. I'm still holding tight to any threads of baby you that are still hanging on - you still often ask for snuggles (and I can still fit you in my lap!), you often come out of your room at night to ask for another hug, you still reach for my hand when we're out walking. When your LEGO creation breaks, you cry and seek my help in repairing it. I see you growing and changing so fast, and those moments where you still need me just to be there are very dear to me.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">Sometimes, out of nowhere, you'll ask insightful questions that speak to what may be going on in your head, even if you're not particularly forthcoming about it usually (for example, you recently asked me if I ever get scared, which I believe reflected what you might be feeling about the pandemic). You have this sort of quiet, subtle way to let me know that you're working through something and I love that you trust me enough to ask those questions.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">E.J., I hope you know how much you are loved. And not only by our little family, but by so many people in your life. For your birthday this year, since you couldn't have a party, I posted on Facebook asking for people to send me videos of themselves wishing you a happy birthday. I thought I'd get a handful from family and hopefully a couple of friends, but buddy, I got <i>45 videos.</i> Forty-five! One woman from our church even spent three evenings wandering the neighborhood, asking strangers to sing to you. We got videos from friends, family, your teacher, your pastors and other church leaders, just so many people who wanted to brighten your day. You leave an impression on people, buddy. You make people smile and they want to return the favor. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">I think you did enjoy your birthday this year, even if it didn't look like we would have wanted it to. One thing this pandemic has really made clear to me is that our family is everything we need. I know everyone says that; I always have. But we are also a family of "do-ers." We go places and do things and dress in costume and throw crazy birthday parties and travel to fun places. Now that we are stuck at home, our family identity is sort of being tested. We can't do all the things we usually do. That could really be a tough adjustment for us - and sure, to an extent, it has been. We miss doing a lot of our usual activities, of course. But we are also having so much fun together. I feel like this quarantine has been one example after another of me thinking "oh no, we're going to be in quarantine for xyz occasion, I can't even imagine it, how disappointing" and then somehow, we find a way to make that occasion just as special and memorable (if not more so) than any other has ever been. Even being stuck at home, we're enjoying ourselves and our time together just as much as ever before. We've got a really special thing here, buddy.</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">E.J., I don't know what the next year will look like for you. I mean, I never do, really, but this year feels much more uncertain than probably any year of your life thus far. I don't know what is to come for our city, our country, our world. I don't know what your schooling will look like, or when you will return to t-ball, or how we'll celebrate Christmas this year. I don't know when you'll next play on a public playground or hug a friend. I don't know what toll any of this will take on you, both in the immediate weeks and months, and long term. All I can do is try my best to help you form great memories from this time, to feel loved and supported, to feel as safe as possible, and to keep you moving forward and growing and developing as best as I can in the situation at hand. It's a tall task, to be sure, but you are <i>so, so</i> worth it. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">And the one thing I know is that we are lucky to have each other. We're lucky to have you, buddy - you to snuggle in close, to show us your latest builds with such enthusiasm, to give one last hug to at night, to make us laugh, to remind us to put the world aside and have some fun for a while. Thank you for what you bring to our family. Thank you for being you. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">I love you so much, nugget. I'm always here for whatever you need. <i>Always.</i></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><font face="inherit"><br /></font></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">All my love,</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">Mama</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font face="inherit">* * * * *</font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><br /></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-10b98552-7fff-f46e-b358-54ae33959b6f"><font face="inherit"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dear E.J.,</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy birthday! Congrats on wrapping up another great year! A few nights before your birthday, you cried because you liked being five so much. That’s understandable because you spend so much of your days doing things you love. It probably also helps that there are so many things you like doing and that you are pretty good at most of them. I feel pretty confident this will continue to be true for at least the next few years and hope it’s still pretty true when you get around to reading this. When writing a letter like this, there’s always so much that could be said. I mean, we wrote you letters each of your first twelve months and you couldn’t even really do anything! What I want to try to do instead this year is to tell you a couple of stories that stand out now and that I think you might like to know about someday.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Great EJ-Bino</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last time we checked in, you had started down a path to being super into baseball. I am very happy to report that, although you’ve branched out a bit into LEGO, some kicking and dribbling, as well as a renewed Star Wars obsession, baseball is still way up there. After your 5th birthday, we kept practicing all the time, and read a bunch of baseball books, actually we read all the baseball books our library had in its kids section, including stories about Joe DiMaggio and his bat, Jackie Robinson, and Babe Ruth. The Sandlot became your favorite movie and we got to visit the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and watch a bunch of games in person on our road trip (Phillies, Mets, Indians and Reds). The Mets game was particularly memorable because it was just you and me and we had such a great time! You looked like you felt so cool riding the subway out to Queens and walking around the big stadium. We got a Mr. Met on the Moon bobblehead, Mr. Met signed your baseball card and you even hit a ball over the fence at “Kiddie” field in the kids area. You still talk about details from that game any time we hear anything about the Mets or the Pirates. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the fun really kicked up a notch in the fall. I feel pretty confident saying that you were, pound-for-pound, the best hitter in the tee ball league. All season, I could hear parents from both teams telling their friends they had to watch you bat and, even though you are still one of the smallest players on our team, there were multiple opposing coaches who joked about having you tested for PEDs after the game. You even made a kid cry with a line drive to third base. It’s okay, he’s fine. Besides hitting the ball hard, it was also fun to watch because you took it so seriously. You have a really elaborate pre-swing routine like your favorite major leaguers. You hold up a hand, as if to call for time, while you dig your cleats into the box, and then loop your bat a couple of times to get loose. All the while the ball is just sitting there because you are five and its tee ball. I just love it. But there was one at bat that will forever be a part of EJ lore, and it’s a major reason baseball is our first story. Early in the season you walked up to the plate for your second at bat of the game. You looked so purposeful as you walked to the plate, and you moved with a good bit of swagger. Before settling in you lifted your left hand and pointed one finger at center field. Yes, I’m serious. Inspired by your favorite Hall of Famer and your number three jersey, you called your shot at five years old in a tee ball game where nobody had any idea what was happening. And to seal the deal, you ripped one over second base and it was amazing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before I move on, I also want to point out that it has been interesting as a parent, coach and former teacher to see that your prowess is primarily the result of hard work. I hope you have decent baseball genes (I mean, who wouldn’t want to take credit), but your growth from year one to two is so clearly the result of the countless hours you spent practicing. I think it helps that it doesn’t feel like work, but that you really enjoy playing and want to do it all the time. Either way, it’s been a great, and clear, example of the value of practice. I hope you always work hard and believe you can do anything you decide you want to do. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can’t control the cards you’re dealt, just how you play the hand</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not to take anything away from an eventful year 6 and all of the fun ways you’re growing up, but the biggest story in 2020 is the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and the 100+ days we’ve spent in quarantine. Unfortunately, this story is still being written and I think we’re too deep in it for me to step back and have any significant reflections to share right now. I can say that I hope you and Ellie are at just the right age to be able to keep learning and to play and entertain each other, without missing out on things that have a high probability of being significant. Neither of you are changing school levels, or missing out on a prom, science fair or a key field trip. You don’t yet hang out with friends outside of school, and you are too young to be playing sports competitively or meaningfully participating in other extracurricular activities. Nonetheless, it stinks that you didn’t get to finish kindergarten, that you had 70% of our tee ball season cancelled, and that we won’t get to take a trip this summer. Most of all, it stinks that I don’t know when this list is going to stop getting longer.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hesitate to call anything a silver lining, but my second story is the result of something that started because of this situation. You, me and Ellie are now regular card players, mostly poker and blackjack, and I’ve been performing a couple of magic tricks every week for the past two months. I have no idea how long the magic hobby will last, but I spent a lot of time playing cards when I was younger and I think it’s great for building number fluency and strategic thinking, in addition just plain being fun. I’ve always liked magic-Mama and I even met David Blaine in Times Square-but it wasn’t until we had so much extra time to fill that I got the push I needed to give it a try. It also helped that Mama started having hours-long calls some evenings with her sister and family because it really takes practice!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of my first tricks involved having a Lego minifigure bend a quarter and changing all of the M&Ms in a bag to chosen color, though most of the subsequent tricks have focused on card magic. I am working my way through Hugard’s </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Royal Road to Card Magic</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and magicians like Chris Ramsey and Alex Pandrea on YouTube have been super helpful. I can’t believe so much information was just sitting out there this whole time. It’s easier than it has ever been to learn what you want, and I can’t help but wonder how you and your peers will be able to discern the best and most valuable information from the glut that is only going to get bigger. In any event, your faces and reactions to the magic have been so awesome and are what drive me to keep learning. It’s also the first thing you and Ellie suggest when I ask what you want to do each weekend. But, the most fun part for me has been watching you guys try to replicate the tricks. For example, you had M&Ms for dessert every day after the first show, though you weren’t quite able to make any magic happen. Cards have been a different story and that’s what I really wanted to share with you. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think there are two ways to interpret a “magic trick,” which depend largely on which word does most of the work. Either it’s magic, such that some people have it and others don’t, or it’s a trick and things are not what they seem. Most kids, including your sister, are awed by magic, only to get frustrated when they do what they thought they saw and have it not work. It took you maybe two weeks to figure out it couldn’t be that simple and that you needed to take matters into your own hands. We were outside playing when you brought out a deck and had Ellie pick a card. You turned around and fumbled with the cards, before turning back and dealing a couple off the top that you knew weren’t hers. You then secretly dealt her card </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">from the bottom</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the deck and she loved it. I may not have reacted as loudly as she did, but I loved it, too. It’s obviously not the cleanest trick in the world, but you basically invented your own sleight of hand! Since then, you’ve also started setting up the deck to be able to guess a spectator’s card, and dealt yourself four aces on more than one occasion when you were playing poker with Ellie. I hope you get good enough that you don’t need to cheat, or, at least, that you learn to disguise it better. Mostly, I’m really interested to see what this cleverness means. It’s too soon to speculate, but I thought it was cool and worth noting.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Various and Sundry</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know I said I’d try to work with only a few stories, but I wanted to let you know there were lots of other things we could have covered here, such as: </span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><li dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your Mother’s Day stormtrooper dance or the other performances you’ve done this year, acting out shows, playing on the piano, or with the recorder. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lego. You build constantly, are really creative and detail-oriented, and keep getting better all the time. We also watched the Lego Masters TV show as a family and you cried when your favorite team was sent home early. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your impressive memory for names. Whenever we see a kid from your school, you almost always know who they are and which class they’re in. From what I see, it’s pretty rare, but I think it fits well with the charisma narrative I started to build in an earlier letter. </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You’re still pretty small for your age, which I think could actually help you develop better in sports without being able to rely on size or strength advantages, like most of the kids who will stand out in youth leagues. But, this year, it also meant you could go as Abu to my Aladdin for Halloween. It was super fun to walk around with you sitting on my shoulder. </span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">E.J., I just love that you’re my little buddy and I think you like it almost as much as I do. I hope it never changes even when you’re not so little. You’re so special and I love you so much.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All my love,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daddy </span></p></font></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-7803645976346460662020-03-29T03:27:00.000-04:002020-04-03T15:11:59.040-04:00Dear Ellie - Eight Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
My dear Ellie,<br />
<br />
Today is your eighth birthday, and what an interesting day it is. I know I usually start my letters with some exclamations of wonderment that you are getting so old - and I'll get to that, I'm sure. But right now there are things going on in the world that have eclipsed every part of our everyday life, and I feel I can't go forward with my reflections on your past year without first addressing our present situation.<br />
<br />
Right now, we are in the middle of "social distancing." There is a global pandemic, a novel coronavirus, making its way through the world. It is highly contagious and easily spread. For most people, it's like a flu, but for many, it can be very serious and hospitals are being overwhelmed by people who need care. Our society has opted for social distancing as a way to "flatten the curve," to slow down the spread of this illness in the hopes that our medical workers and hospitals will be able to keep up. That means that for the past two weeks, we have essentially been quarantined in our own home. Schools are canceled - for now, until April 15th, but we suspect it will be much longer. You and E.J. are doing "distance learning" online instead. Many people are working from home (Daddy already does, so that's not different for us!). The church is closed, and we watch the services on YouTube now (and that is how we'll be celebrating Easter this year). Stores are closed, many restaurants are closed, doctors are canceling any non-essential visits. The restaurants that are open are open only for take-out or delivery. The grocery stores are open, but filled with people wearing gloves and masks and scrounging for whatever they can find on the shelves - people panicked early and started hoarding food and necessities (in particular, toilet paper!) so now it's hard to find the groceries you need, and when you do, they are rationed to prevent further stockpiling. For the past two weeks, we have left our house for only two reasons: to pick up necessary groceries as much as we are able (after which we sanitize them outside of the house before bringing them in), and to walk in the evenings (people have been making rainbow chalk drawings on their sidewalks, so we go hunting rainbows!). Nobody knows when this will end, either, so we're looking towards summer and wondering how many more of our plans will be canceled and how long this will be our reality. It's a very strange, very surreal time. It's historic, and I can't help but wonder how you will remember this time as you grow up.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, all this means you are not having the birthday you planned for. We did manage to squeeze in your biggest birthday request before we went into isolation: you asked to go to Kennedy Space Center for a few days, to include a day at the beach and a rocket launch. We managed to do that over spring break and it was a wonderful little mini family vacation (even though the launch was aborted mid-countdown!). Of course, we left on Sunday and as of Monday the Space Center closed indefinitely, so we really just barely made it and have been on lockdown since we got home. But, you described that little trip as the "best weekend ever" so I'm <i>so</i> glad we were able to make it happen for you! It's such a happy memory from right before everything went crazy.<br />
<br />
But, we also had some great surprises planned for you for your actual birthday (Disney-related, but Disney World is also closed indefinitely), and you had hoped to have your first sleepover party with a few friends next weekend. You have really handled all this craziness remarkably well, but earlier this week it hit you that you would not be able to celebrate with any friends or family on your birthday, or even go anywhere fun, not even a playground. This hit you hard - you are my social butterfly! My hugger! You are KNOWN for your hugs. Just the other day your first grade teacher even commented on how she had been sick and hadn't been able to hug you for a week and it was torture. I know it's hard for you to not be around your friends and all the people at school and church that you love. In a journal entry this week, you said that you wish you could do homeschool with your friends, and when trapped at home for "like a month" you feel "sad and scwushed" (squished). I hate that you have to feel any kind of sadness or disappointment because of this whole ordeal!<br />
<br />
So, on your birthday this year, we're doing our best to make it special for you. We're getting takeout from Metro Diner, one of your favorite restaurants ("best grilled cheese ever!"). You requested salmon for dinner - something new that you like! And of course, we'll have cake and presents. And, as a surprise, I've organized a drive-by parade for you in the afternoon. Many of your friends will be driving past our house at 2:00 pm to wish you a happy birthday from the safety of their cars. I was so touched at the response to my request for help with this - everybody is very excited to come. It warms my heart to see how much you are loved! Of course, I know that you are a very special girl, but it is always wonderful to see that other people appreciate that, too. You are VERY loved, my girl. Very loved and very special.<br />
<br />
This year has been another impressive one for you. You're doing very well in second grade, but that is no surprise. You're a reading machine, and you read novels now. You've even started digging into the American Girl books, which were always a favorite of mine, so that makes me very happy! You love your teachers (and they, you!) and still love science and math. You're also really enjoying your gifted class this year, and I think they're doing a good job of challenging your thinking and teaching you new strategies for problem-solving. You seem to enjoy having E.J. at school with you this year, too, and you walk him to class every morning.<br />
<br />
You're still enjoying ballet, and have moved into the Upper School which is a bit more serious. Right now, during social-distancing, your instructor records your lessons and posts them on YouTube for you to do at home, and your first Upper School recital has been postponed until (hopefully) June, which is a bummer. But I enjoyed watching you do your lesson at home this week! You are very graceful, and I was very impressed.<br />
<br />
You also joined the Girl Scouts this year and you really enjoy that. I got talked into being a co-leader for your troop, which I'm not sure is my forte, but I love that we have that special thing to do together. We have a good troop of girls, most of whom go to church and/or school with you. We wrapped up our first Girl Scout cookie season just before this quarantine started, and you KILLED IT. You sold over 500 boxes of cookies, which was the most in your troop by a lot (the girl in second place trailed you by about 200 boxes!). You worked really hard and I was just <i>so</i> impressed by you. You walked around town with your wagon full of cookies, worked a booth, and went table-to-table at church Wednesday night dinner to sell cookies. You worked so hard to earn money to pay for a campout at the Jacksonville Zoo in the tiger exhibit, but sadly, that will likely be canceled because of coronavirus. I hate that you won't get the reward you worked so hard for, but knowing you, you'll take it in stride. Which is fine, of course - I'll be plenty disappointed on your behalf.<br />
<br />
This year we took a big road trip, as we do every year, but this one included a stop in New York City and Ellie, what a delight it was to be back there with you! We showed you where we lived, took you to all our favorite cupcake places, and even took you out to Hoboken to show you the riverfront where I walked with you endlesslessly when you were a grumpy little infant who just wanted the bumpy bricks to lull her to sleep. You loved the city, and you and I shared a really special night together - while the boys went to a Mets game, you and I went out to dinner (at Junior's, where you tried your first cheesecake!) and then saw <i>Wicked</i> on Broadway. You <i>loved</i> it and I can't even describe to you how much I loved watching you love it. I love it all, too, <i>so</i> much, and to share that with you was something so precious to me. It was a night I will never forget. Thank you for sharing it with me, and I know it won't be our last night out together in New York. I can hardly wait to take you back!<br />
<br />
In other exciting news, you've been facing fears left and right this year! For instance, this summer at Papa's house, you learned how to swim underwater! We had hoped it would happen the summer prior but you were NOT having it. This summer, though, it clicked, and now you LOVE the water. During your birthday celebration at the Space Center, you tried a boogey board on our beach day and loved that, too! Also, you got your ears pierced this year! You decided you really wanted it and you did it, and you were so proud of yourself (and I was proud of you, too!). You also faced your fears and rode Space Mountain for the first time, and now claim it is your favorite ride. Also, after taking a little hiatus from monkey bars, you are back at it and rocking it. And, just since we've been quarantined, you've started learning how to roller-skate and today you gave your bike a try without training wheels for the first time. I think the coming year will be a big one for you, at this rate!<br />
<br />
What else can I say about eight-year-old Ellie? Your favorite movies right now are <i>Frozen II</i> and the live-action <i>Aladdin</i> movie. You love <i>Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum</i> on PBS, <i>The Who Was Show</i> and <i>Ms. Julie's Greenroom.</i> You still love to dance, and the <i>Frozen II </i>soundtrack has been a staple around here for the past few months. You also still love crafty things, and this year you got into making little rubber band bracelets. They were all the rage at school, so we got you a kit for Valentine's Day and you've been a bracelet-making machine. Speaking of Valentine's Day, you still have a little crush on a boy, and are still willing to talk to me about it, so I love that (I pray you always feel comfortable talking to me about people who are important to you!). On Valentine's Day you even went up to him and told him that you thought he was handsome and smart and funny, and wow! Did I ever admire you for that! I hope you are always so bold and outspoken with your feelings. What an admirable quality!<br />
<br />
You still love bunnies, and you wish we could have a pet. You had a relapse of sadness over Achilles recently, which led to the declaration of Achilles Day, complete with a dog movie (<i>Lady and the Tramp)</i>, pizza dinner (Achilles loved pizza), and a decorated picture frame in his memory. Your favorite food is still ziti and meatballs, though you've gotten <i>so</i> much better about trying new things (hence, the salmon for dinner!). You have backed off of the astronaut talk a little, now leaning more towards being a doctor (maybe a pediatrician). As I mentioned, you're a hugger. You often come up to us out of the blue and say "huggy?" when you want a hug, and we are happy to oblige. You often also give "sneak attack" hugs - you'll run up to someone and wrap your arms around them before they even realize you're there. It's very dear!<br />
<br />
You and E.J. (mostly) play well together, though you do have your squabbles. You are both really into Legos right now, and you had been saving your money for a very realistic babydoll for a long time, until I gave you one that I had as a child and that seems to have satisfied you. You dress her and carry her around and push her in an old stroller when we go on walks. Your freckles are getting darker since our time at the beach and they're just the cutest. You wanted to grow your hair long this year. You're done losing teeth for a while. You cried when it was announced that our pastor was leaving the church, but have also accepted our new one readily and with hugs and homemade gifts. At family reunions, you pay special attention to Gramps and he adores you. You love God, and you read your Bible or devotionals every night before bed. You just completed your first needlepoint, and are giving it to Aunt Heather as a birthday gift. You love technology, and are thrilled that you get to do your school lessons on our new iPad (and you really work it well!). You ask a lot of questions, love to explain things, and are diligent with your schoolwork (especially now as you do it at home!). When you get in trouble for something (a rarity), you take it hard, often lamenting that you are "not the best girl in the world." Go easy on yourself, kiddo! Because, 1) you are, and 2) it doesn't matter - we love you all the much no matter what.<br />
<br />
Ellie, you're a special kiddo, and you deserve the best in every way. All I want is to make everything as perfect for you as possible. So I'm having a little trouble with this letter, both with reflecting on where we've been in your eight years (the news has occupied my thoughts for weeks, hardly allowing time for memories and reflection), as well as thinking ahead to what's coming next. Because really, we don't know what's coming next. Not economically, not socially - there's so many big, significant question marks on the horizon. This virus has everyone rattled, and I fear it's really just getting started. I don't know how long we'll be living life like this, and even more so, I don't know what the world will look like when we're done. Every aspect of life feels very uncertain now, and we're just taking it day by day and praying for the best.<br />
<br />
I know that all I can do right now is try to remain steady for you, to hold my fears in tight to not worry you needlessly, to protect you as best I can and try to make this whole experience a positive memory for you. I hope that when we come out of this you will only remember all the time we spent together, your birthday parade, our All Day Movie Day, doing art together, drawing rainbows on our sidewalk, reading books outside in the shade, worshipping together while cuddled up on the couch, playing hopscotch at lunchtime, sleeping in and making s'mores at night. I hope I'm able to make this a happy time for you, to turn something stressful into something special that you will remember fondly. I'm doing my best and I hope we all can maintain our patience with each other in pursuit of that goal.<br />
<br />
I love you, Ellie. No matter what uncertainty is happening outside the door of our home, that is one constant that you can always count on. I love you and I always will, no matter what.<br />
<br />
I just love you so much, bug.<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Mama<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * * *</div>
<br />
<br />
My dear Ellie,<br />
<br />
Here we go again - another letter. But, also, another whole year older for you, and this time you're eight! Birthdays are a big deal for kids, and your Mama and I are trying to make it as special as we can. But we are in fairly uncharted territory as a planet, and that is forcing us to be a little creative. I hope it's obvious what I'm talking about when you read this because it actually ended and was just a crazy, once-in-several-generations event. But it has only been two weeks and I don't know. I read something interesting this week about the futility of using the present to plan for the future, and, boy, does that feel true. Three weeks ago, it would have been laughable to suggest the ENTIRE COUNTRY would be confined to their homes and that professional sports would be shut down indefinitely. And, yet, here we are. There are probably important lessons about slowing down to appreciate our health and the freedoms we simply take for granted, or the fact that for all our technological advances, we are still no match for nature. I'm just not sure yet.<br />
<br />
But, I digress. This letter isn't about the world, but about one of my absolute favorite people in it - you. One of the things I've wondered about is whether to actually write to you now or keep thinking about the you I don't know know yet. It's tricky this year because you're old enough to read fluently. You do it all the time, especially nonfiction, Magic Treehouse and American Girl chapter books. When we read together at night, you always get to play a character or two, except now you can follow along on your own (I don't have to whisper your lines to you anymore) and you're getting pretty good at using inflection and doing different voices when you have more than one part. I can't tell you how much I love reading with you and your brother just about every night. You are super-cuddly, which is not always the most physically comfortable thing for me, but I will never say anything about it. Whoops. I seem to be digressing again, but I think it counts because I should have found a place to mention all this anyway. What I am trying to say is that I could probably write to you now, not just because you can actually read it, but because you are getting old enough to really start to consider the wider world and your place in it. But as I think about it, I'm not going to. I think my job is to be the best dad I can be every day, reflect and try to do better. These letters are more for posterity so we can look back and see what we got right. Or, maybe they are to help me remember the things that feel unforgettable but get forgotten because you never know what's next. Or, maybe, hopefully, you'll be interested or curious. These are a lot of work!<br />
<br />
Seeing as I'm committed to writing to the you of someday, and I don't know what you'll be like, I am a little nervous. What will you want or need to hear? Will you just roll your eyes if it feels too over-the-top or sappy? Part of my wondering is that now that you are eight, I know you are that much closer to big feelings. It seems like I have encountered a lot of parents of middle and high school girls this year who sound like they are dealing with quite a challenge. I hope we are able to navigate those years okay. So far, so good for us, but you never know. As I hope is still true, or that you at least know from past letters, you and I are actually better than good. Whenever I describe my kids to people, I always try to share some details like how much I love coaching EJ and how much he loves baseball and that he's really good. But for you, I always start by literally saying "my daughter Ellie is perfect." Obviously no one is actually perfect, but it's kinda funny because when you get down on yourself, you sometimes say it's because you feel like you aren't the best girl in the world. I love that you have high standards, but whoa! Really, though, no one needs you to be the best girl in the world, even if you just might be. I hope you will always do your best, of course, but what I really mean is that perfect is the word that comes to mind when I think about how much I love being your dad. You're so loving, smart, curious, outgoing, thoughtful and polite, and pretty much, more than any father could ask for in a kid.<br />
<br />
I feel like I need to also mention one of the things we haven't really figured out: how to help you with your anxiety. You've always been on the strong-willed side, but this year you seemed to ramp up the ways your brain can get you stuck. And to be totally honest, I really don't' know the best way to help. No matter how calmly I have tried, I have not been able to ease you into changing your mind about doing something on the spot. When we can't physically force you to do it (like new rides) our only option is for you to decide on your own that you're going to do it. For example, you got your ears pierced this year! But then six weeks later had an hours-long ordeal when we tried to change them. It has now been six months and you haven't touched anything from your growing earring collection. Running has also been a bit of an adventure. After following up your 11:00 minute mile with an 18-minute debacle at Disney, I ran with you and we finished in 10:23! Then, in December, I tried to run with you and EJ and told you that you could go ahead if you wanted to. Well, EJ flew off the start line and you got trapped behind other people. You didn't panic, caught up to us and flew by to finish in 9 minutes flat! Then, when we trained in the Spring for your first 5k, you had all kinds of problems in our first 2-mile training run - you stopped to complain about a sore back, legs and then nearly hyperventilated out of nowhere down the stretch. I saw up close what must have happened at Disney and then happened again at a Girl Scout race in February where you stopped to walk 50 yards into the race because your legs hurt. You get yourself nervous and then it manifests in some way and then that's it. But when it doesn't, you have a real skill. It's so frustrating to not know how to help, but I promise to keep reading about it and trying.<br />
<br />
I'm sorry I used so many words to talk about running. The anxiety is such a big thing, but it is still mostly infrequent and by no means defines you for this year. You are, or at least you were until the world shut down, having another great year in school, still love math and science, and you have thrived in gifted class. We went on more dates and continue to dance to "A Whole New World" - fueled by a new <i>Aladdin</i> movie this year that was everything until <i>Frozen II</i> came out. You saw your first Broadway show and we did some more golfing and played baseball and football and all kinds of other games in the yard. You are interested in soccer, but have too many extracurriculars already, and you really<i> </i>LOVE swimming.<br />
<br />
My dear Ellie, I know I have talked about the unfairness of writing a letter to you on one day that is meant to reflect on your progress over a whole year. The reality is that it has never really worked out to build it throughout the year. It is really a snapshot of you at the moment you move from one year to the next. And the moment we are in now is just so different than any one that anyone can remember, and that has to be coloring what has ended up here. So far, though, you don't seem to grasp the enormity of the situation, and you shouldn't, but it is definitely impacting you. I'm sure Mama will mention "sad and squished" and your birthday, itself, will just be us. I hope we get back to normal soon and that you have many more chances to sleep over with your friends and go out and be celebrated properly. For now, we will do the best we can and be grateful that we have a decent group of people to spend the quarantine, and life, with.<br />
<br />
I love you so, so much,<br />
DaddyMrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-43630761690776352802019-07-04T01:27:00.000-04:002019-08-26T16:00:01.892-04:00Dear E.J. - Five Years<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<br />
My dear E.J.,<br />
<br />
FIVE. YEARS. OLD. Goodness, kiddo. GOODNESS. My baby is five years old, and Mama has been a blubbering mess about it for the past couple of months now. It just seems cruel to have your preschool graduation, kindergarten enrollment (and school tour) and fifth birthday all within the span of two months. Who schedules these things? THINK OF THE MAMAS, people. The poor, bubbling-over-with-emotion mamas! It just ain't right.<br />
<br />
Yet despite my teary eyes and that lump that has taken up residence in my throat, here we are. With your fifth birthday and rising kindergartener status you officially transition from toddler/preschool-hood to an actual KID-kid. The fact that you're just the coolest kid does soften the blow a little bit, but I've spent probably the last six months or so clinging to any remaining traces of your babyhood - your soft cheeks, your small hands in mine, the way you can still just fit in my lap and melt your body into mine for a "snuggle," your big brown eyes, your mispronunciations. It's all so good and so precious and it's all on its way out, and that's just a lot for me to take in. Oof. Let's come back to the sappy stuff in a bit, shall we?<br />
<br />
You did so well in school this year! You went to preschool four days a week for four hours a day. You loved your teachers and had some sweet little friends in your class. You did very well on all your testing and your teacher had glowing things to say about you at our mid-year conference with her. Daddy and I spent a good bit of time this year debating whether to give you another year in preschool or send you on your way to kindergarten next year, but ultimately decided that you are definitely ready for kindergarten in all possible ways.You are very bright and excited to learn, as well as outgoing and friendly, eager to make connections with your peers. I think you're going to do very well in kindergarten.<br />
<br />
One downside to your academic success this year was that you learned to properly pronounce your "Ls" within the first month or so of the school year and much to my utter dismay. I knew that day would come, and did my best to record all your sweet little pronunciations on video before they vanished, but I can't say I don't still sometimes long to hear you say "Ewwie" instead of "Ellie," or "Achiwwes," or "pway." Man, that was all so cute. You're still holding on to a couple, like "bessert" instead of "dessert," and so help me, our whole family will be having bessert after dinner for the rest of our lives if it will keep you thinking that's just what it's called. DON'T TOUCH BESSERT, kid. Just leave me that one.<br />
<br />
Your preschool graduation was the sweetest, with a highlight being the pre-graduation slideshow they showed on the screens, which included a photo of each graduate and what they said their favorite part of school was, and what they wanted to be when they grow up. We were all very eager to see what you would say you wanted to be, because in just this school year your answers have ranged everywhere from Captain America (because of your July 4th birthday) to an engineer ("builder") to a North Pole elf (you worried a good bit about if they would train you to make toys, or if you would just have to know how when you got there). Ultimately, you settled on Spider-Man, which is a fine choice. You've already told me you have been feeling your Spidey sense starting to tingle so it seems you're well on your way!<br />
<br />
You continue to be a remarkably happy child, who still laughs until he hiccups and loves to be tickled. Your charisma is still a force to be reckoned with, and nearly everyone who knows you just becomes so smitten with you. In fact, they don't even have to know you. At t-ball this spring, the other moms would gush to me about you - how adorable you are, how much they love you and love watching you. They didn't know you, only saw you on the field, but somehow you captured their attention and admiration. I mean, I get it. I feel the same way. But it always makes my heart swell with pride to hear other people tell me about the positive impression you have left on them. You're something special, kiddo.<br />
<br />
Of course, as you are my second child I know by now that the toddler/preschool years are also fraught with angst to at least some extent, and I can't say we haven't had our share of tantrums, obstinance, and limit-testing this year. It has seemed to ebb and flow, really. A particular favorite pastime of yours lately is tormenting your sister, as you learned very early on just how to push her buttons and you do so often and effectively. I know this is par for the course with siblings, and I do my best to remain a neutral party and help you kids work it out, but sometimes, man...the fighting drives me crazy. Last year at this time, you guys were getting a long so well that you were having sleepovers in each others' rooms every night, so much so that we shifted all our upstairs bedrooms around to give you and Ellie the master bedroom to share, complete with bunk beds and everything. I have to say, I would not make that same decision this year! But, what can you do. I'm sure it's good for you, right? And it's not all fighting; you guys do enjoy each other and play together quite a bit. I just wish the scales tipped a little more in that direction! In due time, I hope.<br />
<br />
You are quite a thrill-seeker! You LOVE rollercoasters and other rides, and have ridden everything you are tall enough for at Disney World. Not only do you love to ride these thrill rides, you're also the first of us to put your hands up. Recently, you also got up your nerve to jump off the high platform into the foam pit at the gymnastics studio (where we will be hosting your birthday party this weekend!), and you learned how to swim underwater and do cannonballs! It took a little convincing to get you to try a jump in the pool without your floatie, but as soon as you tried it, you were an unstoppable cannonball-ing machine. I think you did nothing but cannonballs for the last three straight days of our summer stay at Papa's house.<br />
<br />
You also still love all things spooky/Halloween-related, especially <i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i>. This year for Halloween we dressed up as the main characters from that movie and boy, did you rock the part of Jack. We went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disney World and the costumes were a hit - but not only did you look the part, you even mastered Jack's walk and mannerisms and Jack-walked all over the park. That's your style, though - you really get into character! This year also brought lots more Star Wars costuming at Hollywood Studios, plus TONS of superhero play and dress-up. Spider-Man has remained your favorite superhero, though you also seem drawn to Black Panther and lately, Thanos. You always have had a soft spot for bad guys!<br />
<br />
I mentioned t-ball a moment ago, but I have to talk on that a little more because boy, did THAT become huge this spring! This year we joined a new league closer to our house, and it was a huge success. Daddy was an assistant coach in the fall, and in the spring he was your head coach and Ellie joined your team, as well. By the end of the year, you showed great improvement, but what really blossomed was your love for and interest in the game. You now ask to go outside and play baseball with Daddy every afternoon, and he is happy to oblige. You're always excited to tell me when you "crushed it" and you work hard to follow Daddy's coaching, with great results. You also have elected Mike Trout as your First Official Favorite Baseball Player, thus bringing a little Angels fandom along with it. Baseball cards are everything to you right now, and you have a big binder full of them and always want more. You study them and memorize the details and organize them by team, going back over them again and again every day. Such focus! I love that.<br />
<br />
We had a bit of a sad family event this year: we lost our dog, Achilles. He passed away unexpectedly and I was unprepared for how to handle it with you. I'm not sure you really understood, as you would sometimes pray for Achilles to come back to our house after he was done in Heaven, or for him to get all better and come back. I am comforted that you won't have much memory of it, and so you were largely spared the heartache of losing a pet this time around.<br />
<br />
A few more notable things about five-year-old E.J.: you have a great imagination and love to tell stories, especially about things "Bunny" does (always very elaborate adventures!). You love to climb and jump off things. You like for me to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to you before nap time. Your favorite color is blue, food is peas and macaroni, restaurant is McDonald's, and toy is your Bunny. You eat VERY slowly, except at TacoLu, where you are always the first one done. And when you <i>are</i> finally done eating, you announce it to the world with a buzzer-like "hmmmm" noise. You love to dress up in costumes and build robots out of Legos. This year you decided you love "handsome clothes" and wore a lot of seersucker, suits and bowties. You can open your car door by yourself now, and get yourself a cup of water. You love books and are able to read some sight words. You sing in the Littlest Angels church choir. When you have a nightmare, you call us in just to tell us that you had one; you require no additional comforting aside from an "I'm sorry, buddy" and a quick re-sing of "Twinkle, Twinkle." You really just need us to know.<br />
<br />
This birthday is a tough one for me, not only because you're getting older and transitioning from babyhood to childhood, but because it is a time of transition for me, too. For over seven years now, my identity has been wrapped up in being a mama to small children. I have almost always had one or both of you by my side. I have been needed each day, more moments than not, day in and day out (and nighttimes, too) for the better part of a decade. When people ask me what I do for a living, I say "I stay home with the kids." But starting this fall, the kids won't be at home anymore, at least not in the way they have been. I have no more babies to wrap to my chest and no more morning story times to attend. I have no more fussy little ones to strap into the stroller and walk to sleep. I have no babies to nurse. My purse is no longer filled with snack and sippy cups and spare diapers. When we go to a playground, I can sit on a bench or chit chat with friends without worrying about a little one's imminent doom on the climbing equipment, or having to endlessly push someone in the baby swing. My schedule is no longer dictated by anyone's need for a nap, and more often than not, we all sleep through the night. In the mornings, no one needs me to retrieve them from their crib - instead, my babies are downstairs preparing their own breakfasts.<br />
<br />
In a way, it's freeing and exciting. The world is opening up to me again (I even read a book this month! For the first time since before you were born!). With your growing independence, I'm finding a newfound freedom and frankly, the possibilities of what to do with it are a bit overwhelming. I'm at a crossroads, and I'm having to reshape my identity as a mother and an individual. Without babies at home requiring my constant care, how will I spend my days? What is the best use of my time? What will at once keep me free to be there for you and Ellie, but also give me fulfillment outside of the home? What does my future hold? I'm a mother of school-age children now. I'm no longer a mama of littles. It has taken me all these years to shift my identity from my pre-kid self to this, and now I'm on the precipice of another change. The last change rocked me to my core and I wasn't prepared to have to navigate another one so soon. It's an aspect of motherhood I was wholly unprepared for.<br />
<br />
Of course, the world isn't just opening up to <i>me</i> - it's also opening up to you, and to us as a family. You have so many new things to look forward to as you start your school years, and with your increasing self-sufficiency and we're able to do a lot more with you kids in tow, which is very exciting. For example, this summer we have a two-week road trip planned with stops at four baseball stadiums, because that's what you're interested in. We're also taking you and Ellie to New York City for the first time, which will be fantastic, and is not something we would have considered with a baby you. But big kid you? Why not! We're able to spend longer days out in the world, enjoying fun activities and each other. We're able to stay up late and try new restaurants and explore new places. This new chapter promises to be a fun one - different from the last, sure, but really exciting in new ways.<br />
<br />
And so, we close the chapter on babyhood, both for you and for me as a mother. You were my last, though that is something I wrestled with a lot this year. But you are. I know that my wavering back and forth about wanting another baby is less about the desire to actually add to our family and more about just longing for more time with the babies I did have. It went so fast, kiddo. It was such a special time and it's crazy to think you won't remember most of it. Hopefully the feelings of love and security and joy and family togetherness will stick with you, at least. Because we enjoyed all of those things in excess over the last five years.<br />
<br />
E.J., what a joy it is to be your mother. Thank you for the greatest five years. Now, let's turn the page and see what happens next.<br />
<br />
Happy birthday, nugget.<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Mama<br />
<br />
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* * * * *</div>
<br />
My dear E.J.,<br />
<br />
"What's up little buddy?" If soon-to-be-five-year-old you were here, you would almost certainly say, "Good," because you always do. Until now, I've never really thought about it other than as one of those things I am never going to correct. Those things, like "bessert" and "Los Angels" are the cutest (once you are sure your kid is going to figure it all out someday). Thinking about those exchanges makes me smile because I can hear how sincere, friendly and content you sound when you say it. And that feels like a good start to a summary of you this past year.<br />
<br />
I also think the E.J. "good" is close to how I would describe our relationship at five years old. Again, not the word itself so much as the way you say it. I think we spent more time together this year than we ever have, including "boys' days," reading, battling at the park and in the front yard after work, and in heart-to-hearts as you start to process real concepts like fairness. One of our boys' days included a morning out to the baseball card store, which has kicked off a really fun hobby and may have caused your first "favorite player." We bought a bunch of packs of cards to open at McDonald's and I was telling you who some of the best players were that you might get. Low and behold, the first name I mentioned was also the very first card in your very pack. We've since acquired matching jerseys and watched him hit a long home run in person on Father's Day. In case the rest ends up being history, so to speak, I thought it was worth chronicling here.<br />
<br />
If I'm being honest, I'm also a little nervous about keeping up this momentum. So far, raising a son has absolutely everything I could have ever imagined it would be, but we're only just getting started. While you are just five, I am old enough to know what a fine line the world will need you to walk between masculine leadership and thoughtful compassion. I want you to be competitive and strong and confident, but it is even more important for you to be a great husband and father who considers the needs of others before yourself. I don't have the closest relationship with my father or a clear model for the best way to help you as you grow up. You are such an amazing little boy with all the potential in the world, and I guess I am starting to process how great a responsibility I have to help you realize it in a healthy and productive way. I know these things are on my mind because of the current political climate, but I also know that you're only five and don't have to grow up for a little while yet, though you have started getting regular haircuts and are all in on "handsome clothes" for church and big school events.<br />
<br />
Speaking of being five, you love Halloween, costumes, and baseball. Oh, how you've fallen in love with baseball. On the last day of preschool, you actually wrote that you wanted to be a professional baseball player when you grow up. You also told your teacher you wanted to be Spider-Man, so I'm taking it with a grain of salt. Anyway, we switched to a more formal tee-ball league with three fields and a concession stand last fall. I was your head coach for the first time this Spring and since the season ended, you have asked to practice almost every single day. You are eager to work on all parts of the game, even though you aren't big enough to confidently swing an aluminum bat and well, aren't bothered by bad reps and you are always thinking about the things we work on, talking about old tips or showing me things during nap times. You also study your baseball cards and the players we watch on TV, which has led to some adorableness, like fashioning an elbow guard for batting, giving high fives to the imaginary dugout after a home run, performing slow-motion replays, and throwing from your knees when you are being the catcher.<br />
<br />
Off the field, I'm excited for you to start kindergarten this fall. You really seem to have an aptitude for learning and you pick things up really fast, like basic sight words and addition, and even the concept of negative numbers. One time, you even brought me a book because you wanted to practice reading. Without ever having done it before, you just sort of pieced together letter sounds and kept track of the words you worked out and did an amazing job.<br />
<br />
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that you started sharing a room with Ellie this past year, put your hands up on roller coasters at Disney, were obsessed with <i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i> for a while and saw a lot of cool places on our summer road trip (I'm sure there's a book for that - P.S., your future wife is going to love your mama for doing such an awesome job chronicling how cute you are right now.)<br />
<br />
I love you, little buddy, and couldn't be more excited to keep enjoying what we have going on right now. I promise I will always do my best.<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Daddy</div>
Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-5999575659683903102019-03-29T15:27:00.000-04:002019-03-31T23:08:38.585-04:00Dear Ellie - Seven Years<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
My dear Ellie,<br />
<br />
Child. You're seven. Who approved this? Who allowed this to happen? Remember when you were smaller than that stuffed alligator you're holding in your yearly photo? You were tiny and squishy and often grumpy, and we spent our days snuggled together trying to figure out the whole mother-daughter thing together. We walked and played and napped and cried and cuddled. And then you went and grew up on me. You're still as special as ever....you're just much bigger.<br />
<br />
You are in first grade now and you are KILLING IT. You have two wonderful teachers and you are just thriving. Your reading has taken off and you are now reading at a third grade level. We've started reading chapter books together (<i>Beezus and Ramona</i> - you find Beezus, the sensible older sister to a wild, trouble-making little sibling, very relatable!) and you're really starting to take the initiative to actually <i>read</i> books on your own, instead of just looking at the pictures. You're doing great in math, as well, and math and science continue to be your favorite subjects. As of yesterday, you also have officially been admitted into the gifted program at your school, and I'm really hopeful that it will challenge you and help you grow even more!<br />
<br />
I loved sitting in the meeting about your gifted program admission yesterday and hearing the glowing things your teacher had to say about you. I mean, I know all these great things are true, but it really makes me puff up with pride when other people notice them, too. You excel not only academically in school, but also as a leader and a friend. In fact, you were chosen as the very first recipient of your class's "Leader in Action" award in the first two weeks of the school year, and you were recognized at a school-wide assembly. You are well-liked by your peers because you are kind, thoughtful and sweet. You care very much about others and are very affectionate (you ran up and gave the crossing guard a huge hug today, just because). You have a way of making people feel very special.<br />
<br />
As you're getting older, your extracurricular activities have continued to increase in number. You're still doing ballet (very beautifully and gracefully, I may add), plus worship dance and choir at church. You're in the Children's Choir now (a bump up from the Littlest Angels), which means you're putting on a musical at the end of this school year (in which you have both a singing feature and a speaking part), and you flawlessly read a Bible verse in front of a jam-packed church on Christmas Eve. You are also still going to running club at school, and this year you've added tee-ball to your resume. You saw E.J. play in the fall, and you decided you wanted to give it a try in the spring. You're on a team with E.J., and Daddy is your coach (Go Indians!). I have loved watching how hard you are working at it! You look great out in the field, and you're always up for practicing at home in your free time.<br />
<br />
Speaking of motivation and hard work, when you started this school year you set a goal for yourself to learn how to do the monkey bars on your school playground. I watched with great pride as you kept working at it and working at it (with the blisters to prove it!) until you finally did it! You were so proud, and we were so impressed. Yesterday you also did the other, bigger set of monkey bars for the first time, too. You're really something, kiddo - when you get it in your mind that you're going to do something. YOU DO IT.<br />
<br />
This year you also discovered your love for rollercoasters! It was almost exactly a year ago that you went on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Disney World for the first time, after much effort to summon your courage. You said you enjoyed it, though your face in the pictures from the ride indicated otherwise. Yet, you asked to go on it again next time, and you were hooked. Recently, we have added a lot more Disney thrill rides to your resume! For some time it was a bit of a process to get you on a new ride: you would be nervous, but we would make you go anyway, which meant dragging you through the line as you dug your heels in and wailed about how unhappy and nervous you were, drawing stares from everyone else in line as we reassured them we really aren't awful parents, you love it. We would get on the ride with you still crying and squeezing your eyes shut. Then by the time the ride was over, you would be gushing about how much you loved it and begging to go on again. And we did this every. time. we tried a new rollercoaster for the better part of a year. But, on our most recent trip, you tried three new rides and DIDN'T CRY ONCE. We crossed a threshold, here! It's a whole new world! You were so brave and confident and AMAZING. And man, do you love those thrill rides. You get such an adrenaline high! And now you finally got your brain on board with the idea, too. Good for you, kiddo.<br />
<br />
You and E.J. are still getting along well! I mean, you do bicker a decent bit, but all siblings do, don't they? You love to play together, and after spending almost every night in the early summer having "sleepovers" in each other's rooms, we shifted around our bedrooms to give you and E.J. a room to share, with bunk beds and everything! And speaking of sleepovers, you had your first real one this year! You and E.J. slept at Sophie's house just last month, and are already planning for the next one.<br />
<br />
In other big firsts, you had your first Valentine this year. The day he asked you to be his Valentine, you came bounding out of school with such joy on your face, just talking a mile a minute about how happy this made you. You got your first taste of "love" and I got my first taste of terror that someone could possibly break your heart. I spent the next couple of weeks leading up to Valentine's Day just praying that something didn't go awry with the whole arrangement because you would have been devastated. Phew, boy. I'm not ready to do this for real yet, kiddo. My heart can't take it. Has anyone told you yet that boys have cooties? They totally do. Stay clear!<br />
<br />
In some sad news, this year we said goodbye to Achilles. He passed away in November and you and I probably took it the hardest. It happened unexpectedly and I wasn't prepared for how to handle it with you, but we had a nice memorial service for him and I think you're doing okay. You mention missing him sometimes and still pray for him every night, but for the most part, you're okay. I love to see pictures of him with baby you and remember those times; those memories are very dear to me.<br />
<br />
As for other notable things about seven-year-old Ellie, you still love music and dancing, and often turn on music yourself with our Amazon Echo so you can dance around the family room. Your favorite TV shows this year have been <i>Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, The Who Was Show,</i> <i>Bill Nye the Science Guy</i> and <i>Ms. Julie's Greenroom.</i> You still say <i>Moana</i> is your favorite movie, but you've been on a huge <i>Mary Poppins</i> kick lately! You love to play outside, and are showing some interest in learning to bike, roller-skate and swim, so maybe this will be a big outdoorsy year for you! You love to do crafty and artistic things, and you love stationery - you will write and mail cards to family without prompting (and it just makes their day to get mail from you!). You still love bunnies and space (you still want to be an astronaut!), the color pink, ziti and meatballs and dates with Daddy. You like to read books in bed with a flashlight before going to sleep. You have lost six teeth so far, with one or two more loose right now. You close your eyes when Alexa turns off the light in your bedroom because it scares you a little. You love to point out the constellation Orion. When we kiss you goodnight you take the kiss off your face and put it on your pillow for safe-keeping (the actual pillow, not the pillowcase, so it won't get washed off). You love to explain things, to figure out how things work, and to operate with a predictable routine. You have precious freckles on your nose, which you crinkle up when you give a big smile (just like you did as a baby!). I'd say all around, you're a pretty awesome kid.<br />
<br />
As we kick off this new year of your life, I feel like you're really starting to dip your toes into the water of official Big Kid status, which is both really cool to watch and a little bit heartbreaking. For instance, in last year's letter, I wrote about how I love walking to and from school with you, because you always reach for my hand and tell me all about your day. I still love our walks together, but the hand-holding is becoming less frequent and you often head into school in the mornings without pausing for a hug or kiss for me. Sometimes you don't even remember to wave before you go in the door. I wonder if by next year's letter, you'll be holding my hand on the walk at all? I hate to think of it. Regardless, my hand will always be here if you want it, love.<br />
<br />
Some of the less-pretty parts of growing up are starting to peek into your world, too. For example, a month or so ago we were getting to go somewhere and for the first time ever, you opted to change out of the cool (on-theme) costume you had planned to wear because you were scared people would stare at you. I can so vividly picture you standing there in your costume, tears in your eyes, verbalizing that fear to me and as I watched you sadly take it off, my heart broke into a million pieces. I have so loved all these years where you just wore what you wanted and did what made you happy and it never even occurred to you that other people might have opinions about it. I understand how you feel, and I knew it would come, and it still is only a glimmer of something - you still very much love costumes at Disney, or themed dress-up days at school, or what have you - but I know where we're headed and my heart aches that you will feel insecure sometimes, or self-conscious, or like you have to censor yourself. Ellie, you are the only you in the whole world and you are so special. I know it will be increasingly harder to proudly embrace that uniqueness, but I hope you will always remember that God made you perfectly you. I only wish I could make it easier for you to go through all that normal growing-up stuff. I just want to put you in a bubble and protect you from any possible heartache.<br />
<br />
You know, Bug, I feel like you and I are partners, in a way - teammates. Seven years ago, you were thrust into a world that was entirely new to you, and so was I. I had never been somebody's mother before, and I only hoped you would afford me the grace I needed as I figured it out. We started out on a journey together, you and me, walking side by side and trying to find our way.<br />
<br />
Seven years later, I'm still figuring it out. I'm not sure that will ever stop, really. Between you and E.J., I know that I make countless mistakes every day. Each night I go to bed praying that both you and God will forgive me for my shortcomings and that He will mold me into the mother you need. I think of all the ways I can be better and vow to do exactly that the next day. Yet, each morning I wake up as human and flawed as ever and the cycle repeats. I know what a blessing it is that at this point, my mistakes aren't even a blip on your radar and every day you offer me nothing but unfaltering adoration. I know those days are numbered, and as you get older my flaws will be more and more obvious to you. When that happens I only hope that my efforts will be as visible as my mistakes, that you will not only see my flaws but also how much I love you and how badly I want to be perfect for you. I'm trying, baby. I'm really trying.<br />
<br />
Ellie, I love you. You are so precious to me and I am so honored and humbled that God chose me for you. What a blessing it is to be your mother! It's unlike anything I ever could have imagined.<br />
<br />
I love you all the much, sweet girl. Happy birthday.<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Mama<br />
<br />
Dear Ellie,<br />
<br />
Happy birthday!!! For some reason, this one feels like another of those with the weird parenting time contradiction where your sixth birthday seems like forever ago, when you were so much younger, yet it hardly seems possible that the year passed by so quickly and you are actually seven! I don't even want to think about how old you'll be when you actually read this letter. Actually, seven-year old you just asked me what I was doing while I am typing this and it occurs to me that you have grown so much this year that you could probably read this letter right now. Honestly, first grade has really agreed with you. You've only missed a handful of points total on a 3 quarters of assignments and tests and you actually asked your math teacher for harder problems. Your reading teacher recommended you be screened for gifted and you passed! You will soon begin attending one day per week classes that will continue through at least 5th grade. But doing well in school is not new for you. What is new this year is climbing monkey bars and working through a fear of scary rides - roller coasters are now your favorite! (If Mama's letter doesn't tell this story in more detail, I'll add a footnote later because it's a good one!)<br />
<br />
On your beginning of school "About me" poster, you wrote that your two goals were to "get on" all the monkey bars and to be an astronaut. It took some time, but you are doing great with the first goal, though the second one is going take a bit longer. That said, as of this writing, you still want to be an astronaut! You're also interested in being a doctor and sometimes a Mama, but science/math and space are still your primary loves. You read and ask questions about space all the time and you were even Dr. Mae Jemison for your school Halloween book character parade. You've taken an interest in constellations and have gotten very good at spotting Orion and Mars when they are in the sky. This passion helped me justify the cost of a three-foot tall Lego Saturn V rocket set because we built the entire thing together. Recently, we say an Apollo 11 documentary in the theater and you came home and wrote a letter to Buzz Aldrin. During your space unit in school, you actually caught your teacher oversimplifying things. She told the class that there was no gravity in space, and we ended up talking about orbits and underwater. Amazing.<br />
<br />
Speaking of amazing, I have to mention how great of a bond we have right now. Goodness, we are buds. I know enough about the world to know that you have to grow up someday and this it means we won't get to spend as much time together, that I won't necessarily be the first person you share good or bad news with, and I definitely won't still be your top choice for a date. Heck, you already had a Valentine who wasn't me. But for now, we are still super close, and I have loved every second of our dates, whether we are running, golfing, going to the movies, or having dinner and dancing (even the one time the power went out in the restaurant). We also play catch now (!) and spend most days playing in the front yard or at playground with EJ, and every night reading and cuddling. Ellie, I can't explain how much I love you, but it's also pretty cool to know that you love me, too. The enthusiasm in your voice when I come downstairs every day is so genuine and so, so precious.<br />
<br />
I know I've said it before, but writing these letters can be tricky because I don't exactly know who you'll be when you read (or re-read) them or what you might want or need to hear from me. A lot of things can be true at the same time, and certainly more than will fit into a letter, but as much as I hope they all fit together to tell a meaningful story when you read (or, lets be honest, skim) them all, there isn't any intentional coordination from letter to letter. I don't re-read old ones before writing the new one (so as not to bias my thinking) and I don't even really spread out the writing across multiple days. I also don't do nearly as good of a job keeping track of the whole year as I always hope to because there's just too much good stuff and I never know when you'll grow out of something until it's too late. Even with all those pseudo-short cuts, writing still takes time because, as you will find, life has a way of filling itself with stuff. Every year feels like it is especially busy, and it always actually is, so it would be really easy not to write anything at all. But parenting is the coolest thing in the world and you matter as much as something possibly can, so I'm glad your Mama and I have been able to find time to do this for you. Along those lines, I hope you will be intentional about setting priorities and keeping them clear so you will find a way to make time for the things that matter to you.<br />
<br />
Anyway, whatever message(s) you happen to take from these letters, I need you to know that I couldn't possibly love you any more than I do and there isn't a single thing I would change about you. Every single trait, interest and experience of yours combines in just such a way to make you exactly who you are, and that is someone who is perfect and for whom God has a plan. I really hope you understand that, but I also know that, sometimes, it takes a bit more faith than other times, and that it never hurts to be reminded.<br />
<br />
Before I go, I am happy to note some of the things I haven't mentioned yet that you dislike: having your foot fall asleep, being cold, the dark and not knowing how to do something really well the first time you do it; and some other things you like: ice cream, pasta, bunnies, ketchup, grilled cheese, explaining things, writing and drawing. See? You're perfect!<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Daddy</div>
Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-9929192583296669612018-12-31T20:16:00.000-05:002018-12-31T20:16:24.287-05:00Farewell, 2018Another year has come and gone, and all my great intentions to get back to record-keeping in blog format have once again fallen by the wayside. Maybe next year! I do miss this old blog - writing is therapeutic for me and perhaps I'll resolve to do more of it in 2019.<br />
<br />
Our 2018 was really a pretty good one on the whole. We did some great traveling, including a trip to New York City (kid-free!) for Eric and me in June, an extended vacation at my dad's house over the summer, and a two-week road trip that took us to Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Ohio, Washington D.C. and North Carolina. E.J. started VPK and Ellie is rocking first grade. E.J. is still playing tee-ball (and Ellie plans to join him in the spring!) and Ellie has continued her ballet, in addition to worship dance at church. Both kids also sing in the choir.<br />
<br />
Eric got a great new promotion at work and is now the Director of Policy at his non-profit, which is fantastic. He loves the work he does and I love that. He did a fair bit of work-related travel this year, which the kids don't mind too much because he always brings them treats when he returns. He also coached E.J.'s tee-ball and got involved with a mens' group at church.<br />
<br />
I ramped up my running this year, having run 400 miles in 2018! That's more than I had run in the previous two years combined, so I kind of killed it. I ran two half marathons this year, too, and have another on the agenda for February. I also finished out the year with a ton of jury work, which was a nice way to end an otherwise quiet (work-wise) year. Other than that, it has been a lot of shuttling kids to and fro, moms' groups and general life upkeep for me.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the final member of our family brings a sad update. Our sweet pup Achilles passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of November, just a little over a month after his 15th birthday. It has been a tough loss for our family, but I hope to write a fuller post in tribute to that sweet (and psycho) pooch as soon as I can.<br />
<br />
Overall, however, I'm looking back on 2018 with peace and looking forward to 2019 with anticipation. We don't have a ton of stuff definitively planned for the new year yet, so it feels like a little bit of a blank slate. It's going to be fun!<br />
<br />
I wish you all the best in the coming year, friends. Let's make it a good one.<br />
<br />
Signing off for 2018,<br />
Meghan<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://youtu.be/BJ42crn40Bg" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>: A look back on our year in 2018!</span></div>
Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-46087651137875220972018-07-04T13:27:00.000-04:002018-07-05T13:14:59.590-04:00Dear E.J. - Four Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaISxuw1qKsHYY_KfahNBdIVfKodxT1wJ4eaEIMTQe-bDW46fFkI__9vVpH1wuIqV2m6AtFJOO4jF7qN_x2iyeTnVsvvfES5dH7mhuDnNN_H348tbkY7gPC87PZr5XJVULIo3hLhW5Zdo/s1600/EJ+Year+04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaISxuw1qKsHYY_KfahNBdIVfKodxT1wJ4eaEIMTQe-bDW46fFkI__9vVpH1wuIqV2m6AtFJOO4jF7qN_x2iyeTnVsvvfES5dH7mhuDnNN_H348tbkY7gPC87PZr5XJVULIo3hLhW5Zdo/s640/EJ+Year+04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
My dear E.J.,<br />
<br />
Today you are four years old and my heart is aching. You have grown into such a little boy this year, and as much as I love watching you grow into <i>you</i>, I can't shake the knowledge of how quickly Ellie went from age four to age six. A few minutes ago she was getting ready to start VPK in the fall, as you are now, and now she's an actual "grader," heading into first grade. There's no doubt that she is no longer a baby; she is a full-blown kid. As of now, there are still flashes of your babyhood hanging on, but as we celebrate this birthday I know that in seemingly a moment's time, you will have shed those, too. I wish you wouldn't, buddy. I have so enjoyed your baby years (and now your preschool ones)....can't we keep those going just a little longer? The big kid years can wait just a bit, right?<br />
<br />
But, no matter how I feel about it, my baby boy is growing into such a big kid. You started school this year, and you did so well! You loved your teachers and you learned a lot. You can even write your name! One of your favorite school days was the day that Daddy came to read to your class and did a science experiment about gravity on the moon. You were so proud and told everyone you saw that day that your Daddy came to your class. You will start VPK this fall at the same school, and I remember how much more "intense" that was compared to PreK3 for Ellie, so I'm excited to see how much you learn this coming year!<br />
<br />
You made some nice friends in school this year, including one little boy (your "best buddy") who joined us at the baseball game this weekend in honor of your birthday. You were so excited to see him, and you and he held hands all around the ballpark, which just broke my heart. At this age your heart is still so pure - you were excited to see your friend, so you held his hand. What a special thing. You also consider all your classmates your friends (and wanted to invite them all to the baseball game!), plus you have some nice church friends. You're just a very friendly little boy!<br />
<br />
You took your first step into the world of organized sports this year, too, with your first two seasons of t-ball. You enjoyed it, liked your coach, and showed some definite improvement by the end of your second season! It was a good introduction to the sport, all about the very basic skills of the game, with little mini-games at the end of each practice. As a spectator, three-year-old t-ball was quite entertaining, with kids regularly leaving the field to hug their moms, crying in the outfield, or diving in piles on top of the ball (even the batter, after hitting it). We may try a different league this year so we'll see how you continue to like it!<br />
<br />
In other extracurricular news, this year you graduated from the church nursery to actual Children's Church/Sunday School, and you sang in the Littlest Angels choir with Ellie. You also attended your first "real" (non-nursery) Vacation Bible School. You're still a fan favorite with people at church, and I know the nursery workers will be sad to no longer have you on Mondays during my moms' group this fall, as you'll be in school!<br />
<br />
The last month or so marked another big milestone: you are finally tall enough to ride the Star Tours ride at Disney World! This has been long awaited and you rode for the first time during our most recent visit to Hollywood Studios. Also, your birthday today means you are officially old enough to do Jedi Training as well, and you are PSYCHED. I'm sure that is first on the agenda for a fall Disney trip.<br />
<br />
Obviously, you are still a huge fan of Star Wars, and even got to see a Star Wars movie in the theater for the first time this year (in fact, you saw two: <i>The Last Jedi</i> and <i>Solo</i>!). You still lean to the Dark Side, but have started to dip your toes into the good guy side a bit this year. We have unintentionally started a "thing" of having you wear a different Star Wars costume to Hollywood Studios at every visit, which results in you being pulled from the crowd by your chosen character to walk back with them after the Star Wars show in front of the Chinese Theater. So in addition to having marched with the Storm Troopers as Kylo Ren, you have also marched alongside Boba Fett as his miniature replica, and with Chewbacca and Rey when you were dressed as Han Solo. You just eat it up and so does the crowd, as you fully commit to your character, walking with authority and playing the part to perfection (for example, when visiting Kylo Ren as Han Solo, you greeted him as "Ben Solo"). It is one of my favorite things to watch you commit to your role with such confidence, and to watch everyone else around us noticing how awesome you really are.<br />
<br />
New this year is your obsession with superheroes, and Spider-Man in particular. We found a Spider-Man costume on clearance at Target after Halloween, so I bought it just to give you more dress-up options, and that was that. Another E.J. memory from this year that will make my all-time favorite highlight reel is you, dressed in full Spider-Man costume (or not - frankly, that part didn't matter to you much), "shooting webs" at everyone you encountered. The only problem with that was that at first, you couldn't quite master the web-shooting hand motion, so instead of doing what Spidey does, you were giving everyone the finger. If I had a nickel for every time I apologized to strangers for you flipping them the bird...! You also came home from school one day and proudly told me how you shot webs at all your friends at school, so I made sure to have a talk with your teachers to explain what you were <i>trying</i> to do and reassure them that you are not mimicking behavior you see at home or anything like that! Both luckily and sadly, you have now mastered the appropriate hand gesture, so the web-slinging continues without fear of offending strangers or getting expelled from preschool. We also just upgraded your old costume with a nicer, newer, bigger one, which was quite necessary as you wore the last one into the ground. Friends would comment about how every time they saw you this year, you were in full costume (mask included, and often finished off with hand-me-down cowboy boots). People got such a kick out of you! And, just as at Hollywood Studios, I love to see their smiles when they see you in full costume, in public, on any random day. You wear what makes you happy and it makes everyone else happy to see you doing so. You're the coolest.<br />
<br />
Another thing you <i>love</i> this year is Halloween and all things spooky. We dressed up as classic Halloween characters for Halloween this year (you were a vampire) and you <i>loved</i> it. You have been obsessed with Halloween/spooky things ever since. You love the show <i>Bat Pat, </i>Halloween books, and <i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i>. You even went through some of the haunted house areas at the zoo Halloween event this year, and when you made a beaded necklace at school as part of your Thanksgiving unit, you used only red beads to make it look like blood. Oh, you darling little weirdo.<br />
<br />
Another funny thing you like is being tickled! You just explode into fits of giggles whenever you're tickled and then you repeat whatever action got you tickled in the first place (showing your bare belly, putting your bare feet in my lap, etc.) for as long as we will indulge you. You also love when Daddy squeezes you really tight - that produces a laugh like no other, so I encourage him to do it whenever you ask! You've also recently learned what a "noogie" is and request them frequently. Oh, you darling little weirdo.<br />
<br />
You and Ellie have really become buds this year, which is so, so wonderful to watch. Sure, you know just how to press her buttons and often do so for sport, but this year you have really become great playmates and companions for each other. The two of you have been having "sleepovers" nearly every night this summer, and as soon as you wake up you start playing. You play together until I make you stop for breakfast or for an outing, and resume at the first chance you get. It's so wonderful to see you two enjoying each other so much.<br />
<br />
Of course, this year was not without its struggles. Three-to-four is a tough year, I've learned. It was for Ellie and it was for you. There was lots of independence-asserting, limit-testing, tantrum-throwing, "I don't wanna"-yelling, arm-crossing and sulking, and time-out sitting. The year started out particularly challenging and then improved to only being challenging phases as we went along. I hope that you were able to benefit in some way by being the second-born, because I knew all this was coming and knew that it would pass, but I'm not sure that's the case because in the moment it can be frustrating to the core - not only because you were being disobedient or argumentative or causing a scene, but because I know that buried beneath all that three-year-old angst was (is) a very sweet, kind-hearted, loving boy who wasn't getting the recognition he deserved. I know I lost my temper more than I care to admit but I hope I remained patient enough of the time to reassure you that you are always loved, no matter what, while also being firm enough to set the boundaries you need to grow into a good, kind, respectful adult. Phew. This parenting stuff is a tricky business.<br />
<br />
There is one thing that you have continued this year that I am so, so thankful for, and that is our morning snuggles. Each day we kick things off with you climbing up into my lap, leaning your head against my chest and just melting into me. I treasure those moments more than I can ever tell you, and every time our snuggle has slipped by in the morning chaos, you'll come up to me later in the day and say, "Mama, you haven't had your snuggle!" We'll stop what we're doing and sit together for just a few moments and it is so special to me. Thank you for allowing that to continue, buddy. Please don't take it away just yet.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned, I know your baby-ish traits and behaviors are not going to stick around much longer. I'm trying my very best to savor everything I can. If you ask me to hold you, I try to memorize how sweet your face looks with those big brown eyes looking up at me, with arms outstretched, little hands reaching for me, and I try to say "yes" whenever I can. Every time you ask to go in the "wrapper," I try to say "yes" if I can because I know each time could be the last time. I try to write down all your mispronunciations, because I know they will correct themselves any day now. I try to make note of how soft your baby cheeks feel when I kiss you, and how small your hand feels in mine when we cross the street. Being the second child, I am painfully aware that every phase you go through is only a brief flash of time. It's a bit of wisdom that is appreciated in the challenging times and heartbreaking in the good ones. Knowing that you are my last baby makes it even more difficult to watch these phases pass us by. I'm not ready to let go of my baby yet.<br />
<br />
But I know that is the work of a mother, of a parent. If I do my job right, I will have to let you go, piece by piece, little by little as the years go by. For now, letting you go means something as simple as you learning to pump your legs on the swings (which you just did in the last couple of weeks!) so you no longer need me to push you. It's just little tiny examples of you needing me less and less. I know that as time continues to pass there will be more and more instances where you don't need me, and the examples I can give will become more and more significant, until one day you will be gone, leading your own life. And it's beautiful to see, it really is. You're growing up and the person you're growing into is remarkable. It's just so strange how such a natural growth can be at once so heart wrenching and so exhilarating. I only hope that I can do my job well enough that when you no longer need me, you still want me around. I will always be here, E.J. I always love you, no matter what, and I love being your mother more than I can ever tell you.<br />
<br />
Thank you for being you, sweet boy. Thank you for bringing so much joy to me and to our family. Thank you for the snuggles and the laughs and the love.<br />
<br />
Happy birthday, nugget.<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Mama<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
My dear E.J.,<br />
<br />
You have had quite a fourth year and, long story short, you're still awesome.<br />
<br />
I feel like we're doing something right because I had a really easy time recalling vivid memories from this year. Maybe it's because you did some major things like playing t-ball(1) or rocking 2-day preschool. It could also be that we made some good one-on-one memories, like going to our first Jags game (in the rain) or riding your first real roller coaster at Disney (you were poker-faced the whole time, but when I asked you what you thought at the end, you said simply, "great"), or going to see the "superhero show" (Marvel's Super Heroes Live). Or maybe it's because you fell in love with Halloween and "spooky stuff" was so much fun to play all year.<br />
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I'll leave more detailed story-telling to your mama because she is so good at it. Instead, I like to use these letters to step back and take stock of the fatherhood experiment and try to give you a glimpse into the things I am thinking about. The headline so far is how much fun it is. Honestly, you and your sister are great kids and all the teaching and playing is so much cooler than even my greatest expectations. It helps that, for the most part, you're sweet to each other (a few months ago, this would have been a different letter, but you outgrew your terrible threes early!), you're curious, cuddly and you laugh out loud every single day. E.J., it doesn't make any more sense this year, but "charismatic" is still a word I would use to describe you. Your joy is infectious and you have a magnetic personality that makes people young and old want to be around you. And that is just so much fun to take credit for! Thanks!<br />
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Anyway, I have been thinking about one of the most popular phrases in all of birthday letter writing - "You are really growing up/becoming so much more of a real person." And you really are with all the things we do now and the way you are able to participate and talk about them. But I have really been wondering what are you going to be like when you are actually grown up and how much of what you do now is going to apply in some way then. For example, you loved learning to play baseball, and have a naturally powerful swing. You seemed to enjoy the process of getting better and can throw like someone twice your size. If you are still playing in 20 years, it will be really interesting to know it started now and read about how you developed over time. If you don't, I bet there will be pieces or lessons that are interesting and relevant. If neither, it is not any less fun to do right now, but it might mean that "growing" you is just different from "grown" you. I wonder this even more about your personality and the way you think about things and relate to other people. What will it mean that you need a daily snuggle from your mama or that you (adorably, for now) blame inanimate objects for things that you do wrong (I'm looking at you, toys and Jesus from E.J.'s heart). I don't really have it worked out at all, so I am mostly trying to stay in all the moments and only try to help you be the best version of whoever you are now. To be honest, I don't really think I will have much to do with the outcome, so I am just trying to be grateful for all your great qualities while hoping they stick around for all the years to come.<br />
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Before I go, there is some other stuff you do now that I really love and want you to know about (or just to remind myself in case I forget). First, I love that you're always thinking. At random, you will just start talking about characters from Star Wars or superheroes or something that happened to you months ago in a very serious and matter-of-fact way so it's clear you have been working on it in your head for minutes or more. I'm pretty sure I talked about mic-ing you up in a previous letter. Basically, you're still just as much fun, but some of that stream of consciousness has moved inside your head. I also love your budding interest in science. Ellie has been a big fan for years so I try to tell her stuff whenever she asks and we all look for new things to investigate. You have obviously been paying attention because sometimes you'll start explaining something, scramble out one or two disjointed facts, get stuck and conclude by saying, "and that's science."<br />
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Man, you're fun, and I love you so very much.<br />
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In fact, All my love,<br />
<br />
Daddy<br />
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My dear Ellie,<br />
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Today you are six years old, and I am beside myself. Six! It just seems so old. You're definitely not a baby anymore, and the toddler years are long gone. When you're five, I can still kind of lump you in with the preschoolers, but when you're <i>six?</i> No. Not a baby. Not a toddler. Not a preschooler. A KID. An actual, real-life KID. I can't believe it.<br />
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And your annual birthday photo just reinforces it. Look at you! Is that not the face of a <i>kid?</i> When I compared this photo to last year's, the difference was striking. Your limbs have stretched and thinned and that sweet baby face has melted away to reveal the beautiful girl you're growing into. Man, oh, man, kiddo. When did all this happen?<br />
<br />
Adding to your "big kid" looks is the gap in your teeth at the bottom center - you lost your first two teeth this year! You and I made a special Tooth Fairy Mailbox that has worked wonderfully, and you've been saving your teeth earnings to buy something special soon (you've got your eye on a mermaid doll from our local toy store!). I was not emotionally prepared for the teeth-losing stage, and you have discovered that I don't have a very strong stomach for such things. You love to torment me with your wiggly teeth!<br />
<br />
Another reason why I can't lump you in with the preschoolers anymore? Because you aren't one! You're in kindergarten now! You started at a new school in the fall and adjusted beautifully. You were pretty worn out at the end of the day at the beginning of the year (it's a long school day!), but you've settled in now and we've even finally officially dropped nap time. You're learning a lot - you excel at (and are excited for) math, and your reading is coming along so nicely! You do your homework without complaint (usually) and are always happy to go to school. You love your teacher, as is your way, and you've found a best friend (Sophie, both from your class and our church).<br />
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I love that your school is so close to our house, because we walk to and from school every day and I really enjoy that time with you. It's always a rush to get out the door in the morning, but then once we're on our way, we can chat about things coming up or what you're looking forward to in your day. When I pick you up, I can hear about the things you did without distraction. Also, I love that even though you're at the "big kid" school now, you're still little enough to not only <i>want</i> me to walk with you all the way to your classroom (even though you could totally do it by yourself), but you also want to hold my hand the whole way. As soon as we step out our door or you come running out of school to greet me, you grab my hand as we walk together. Every time you do, I feel such joy and I really try to treasure that. I know the day will come far too quickly that you'll stop reaching for my hand, so I try to make note of just how special it is every time it happens.<br />
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You still want to be an astronaut, and a doctor, too! You're still into all things space, and we even got annual passes to Kennedy Space Center this year. And oh, boy, I can't even tell you how proud your Daddy and I were when we walked into your VPK graduation and they were showing photos and quotes from each graduate on the projector screens, including what you want to be when you grow up. There, for all the world (of preschool graduates and their families) to see, under your adorable photo, was your answer: "I want to be the first astronaut on Mars." Good for you, baby girl. I really believe that you're the kind of kid who, if you've got your mind set on something, can make it happen. You've already said, for example, that despite being nervous about learning to swim this summer, you're just going to have to do it because astronauts train underwater. And because you've said that, I believe you will.<br />
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Your mind is a powerful, powerful thing. I mean, I know everyone's is, generally, but you seem to have a particular resolve that can only be broken by your own will. There have been a number of times where something has just terrified or upset you to your core, and nothing we said or did could give you any peace or confidence about it. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, you'll decide that you're okay with it, whatever situation or activity it may be that was causing you such anguish. And just like that, it's resolved, and it's not an issue again. It's baffling to watch, really. Whatever you set your mind on will be, until you decide otherwise, and we're really just along for the ride.<br />
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Naturally, I hope we can harness that skill to our advantage as you hit the teen years and prime "peer pressure" phase. As of now, you continue to be a rule follower to the extreme. For example, while sitting in the front pew with your church choir a few weeks ago, the rest of the children were all kneeling/sitting on the pew kneelers. However, before the service, your choir teacher had told all of you not to do that. So, you didn't. You were the only child still standing as you were supposed to, but so help you, you would not disobey and kneel. You did not care one bit that every other child was doing just that and nobody was getting in trouble. You would NOT kneel. Keep that resolve, kiddo! And please, use it for good someday. I don't want to be on the wrong side of that strong will of yours, that's for sure. Heaven help your dad and me if (when) you decide to use it against us.<br />
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This year, however, you have experimented with breaking the rules a little bit. There was some short-lived limit-testing at school, and you've started occasionally fighting back when E.J. gets after you. When that happens he is always taken quite by surprise! But really, on the whole, you stay out of trouble and do just what you're supposed to.<br />
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One thing that has been on my mind a bit is how to help you build your confidence to answer a question when you aren't completely sure of the answer. In particular, this issue has come up as we practice your reading. You often seem to be so scared of getting something wrong that you refuse to even try, and you sort of mentally check out and/or get upset about it. Your dad and I keep telling you over and over that we don't care if you get it wrong; we just want you to try! We also try to stress that scientists get things wrong all the time, and it's a great way to learn new things. But still, it's a struggle, and it's one that I understand. I would never raise my hand in class because I was always afraid I'd get the answer wrong, even if I <i>knew</i> I knew it. So I empathize with that. However, I wish you didn't feel that way around <i>us.</i> I hope we're able to find the perfect thing to say to let you know that it's safe to make mistakes around us (or, that your iron will will decide that on your own soon!), because I hope you know that we <i>always</i> love you, mistakes and all.<br />
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This year you traveled out of the country for the first time! We celebrated ten yeas of marriage for Daddy and me with a trip to the Cayman Islands for all four of us. We had such a wonderful week - we played on the beach a ton, swam in the pools, held starfish, turtles and stingrays and really just had a great time. You still talk about that trip a lot! I'm so glad we were able to take you back to a place that Daddy and I have enjoyed so many times before. You also attended your first wedding this year! We traveled to North Carolina to see my cousin Adam get married, and you had a great time staying in a house on a lake with some of our extended family, and dancing with your Hesterman cousins at the wedding.<br />
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Another big event for you this year was surgery. You had your adenoids removed and ear tubes put in over the summer. You were exceedingly brave and your health has been much improved this year, thank goodness.<br />
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You also had your third significant hurricane experience this fall (the first was Hurricane Sandy when we were still in New Jersey, and we evacuated for Hurricane Matthew last year). Hurricane Irma made her way up the entire length of Florida, and we decided to stay put. In the end, we fared pretty well, especially compared to a lot of our neighbors: the biggest issue we faced was that our huge tree in the backyard split in half and fell (backwards, away from the house, praise God) through our fence. Between that and a downed tree in our neighbor's yard, our alley and driveway were completely obstructed, so we were stuck at home for a few days. We also lost power for about 24 hours, and school was closed for a week. The night the hurricane hit was a very scary one, and we ended up spending the night all camped out under the stairs together, making shadow puppets with flashlights to pass the time and calm our nerves. Unfortunately a lot of our neighborhood ended up underwater, including the "blue house," where we lived before our current house. The hurricane happened in early October and the blue house is only just now back on the rental market, and many local businesses (and homes) nearby either closed for good or are still working on repairs. You guys were pretty spooked by the power outage, and were sad about our tree, but for the most part, you handled it in stride. You were eager to help with cleanup and when you returned to school you drew a picture about your experiences, including black windows in our house to show the power outage, and you sitting on the downed tree making sure Achilles didn't escape through the broken fence!<br />
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As for other interests this year, you still love books (the <i>Pinkalicious</i> series is a favorite), coloring and art projects, and science. You and Daddy do science experiments together and your favorite T.V. show is probably <i>The Magic School Bus.</i> You like to play outside (especially in the front yard), and can pump your legs to swing by yourself at the playground. You and E.J. play so well together now, and some of your favorite pretend-play games are "house" and "restaurant." You love bunnies, and play often with your stuffed bunnies, as well as twitching your nose at anybody who will indulge you. You also like to play with your dolls Sharri (my old favorite!) and Lily, and love to dress, undress and redress any and all dolls you have with removable clothes.<br />
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You still love music and dance, and often ask for me to turn on music (Disney Princess music, of course) so you can dance around the family room. You're still taking ballet lessons, though you have also requested piano lessons so we may look into that in the fall. You also do worship dance at church, in addition to the Littlest Angels choir. You also still enjoy running, and have run several mile races this year. You can run an 11-minute mile! Can you believe that? Impressive, kid. You also joined the running club at school, so you're running regularly.<br />
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I mentioned it briefly just a moment ago, but it bears repeating - you and E.J. have been playing so nicely together lately. In fact, you'll often just go off and play together for long periods of time, with nothing required of me! It's wild. I love that you guys seem to be enjoying each other so much now. Siblings are so special and I hope you two will always feel lucky to have each other.<br />
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You're just really growing up. You keep seeking out new responsibilities at home and are eager to learn how to do things for yourself. You have started making your own breakfast (and E.J.'s!) in the morning and are excited to learn how to pack your own lunch (that makes two of us!). You like to have "jobs," like getting Achilles out of his crate when we get home, and you always want us to show you how to do new things. I'm excited to start giving you more responsibility, but at the same time, let's not make me <i>entirely</i> superfluous just yet, okay?<br />
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Ellie, you're such a special girl. You're so smart - you ask such insightful questions and are so excited to learn. You're so loving, giving us hugs and kisses and cuddles all the time. You're thoughtful - you're always thinking about what other people like, want or need and, for example, drawing us pictures of our favorite things. You love spending time with your family, and the feeling is very, very mutual. It is an absolute pleasure to watch you growing into the woman you will someday be. I am in awe of the girl you are now and can only imagine what is to come for you. I'm so honored to be along for the ride.<br />
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I'm so proud of you, Ellie. I'm so proud to be your mama. You are so precious to me.<br />
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I love you always, baby girl. Always, always. No matter what.<br />
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Happy birthday, bug.<br />
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All my love,<br />
Mama<br />
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My dear Ellie,<br />
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Happy birthday! Six years old, and what a sixth year it has been! You finished preschool and started kindergarten, ran an 11-minute mile on accident and then did it again, travelled outside the country, started learning how to add, subtract and read, and drew and colored thousands of pictures! Oh, and you lost two teeth and all of the "baby fat" I didn't realize you had.<br />
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Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, you still don't really get the difference between noticing when something is cooler than average and absolutely freezing. You still love to act like an animal (especially a bunny) and use baby talk, which is really just noises and repeating single word answers. We also have to remind you to keep your room from becoming a disaster and to find more kind and constructive ways to correct your brother. While I have to admit it feels a little strange to point out some of the less exciting things about you at this age, it occurs to me that these might also be fun for you to read about someday and should make it clear that no-one is perfect.<br />
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That said, you, sweetheart, seem awfully close for your age. Obviously, I love you - you're my daughter, but I don't just have the words to express how much I really, really like you. It feels like you and I have a really special thing going and I honestly look forward to spending time with you. For example, we are math and science buddies. We have multiple science experiment books and have done a handful of them this year. We build space-themed Legos. As a kindergartner, you get excited about the math homework that we do together each week and are legitimately disappointed when yo don't learn any science at school. The Ellie slide at your preschool "graduation" said that your favorite thing about school was "Learning about space" and your future plans are to be the "First astronaut on Mars." In fact, after we read about how the training to become an astronaut includes wilderness survival, you and I camped out in the backyard. We stayed up really late looking through your telescope, did an experiment to understand the phases of the moon, told stories and went to sleep in a tent that was equal parts hot and small.<br />
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We also did a lot of other fun things together, like got to a daddy-daughter dance (where we had a great time even though the restaurant lost power), attended a TedX panel called "Rediscovering Space," went for runs around the block, out to dinner multiple times, and shared our very first bucket at the driving range.<br />
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Before I move on, I want to put in writing that you should consider "A Whole New World" when it comes time to pick a daddy-daughter dance at your wedding. As you may recall, we used to sing it to each other as a bedtime song when E.J. was a baby and it was just you and me. Well, it came on the radio while we were driving to one of our dates. We spontaneously started singing our parts and I had myself a decent man-cry in the front seat. If that's the kind of thing you're going for, it will probably be a decent option. Take it or leave it.<br />
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There are also some big things we're working on, the most important of which is that you sometimes get physically anxious about trying new things. Some of this is age or personality and you may grow out of it, but it also seems to include a fear of being wrong that makes you hesitant to, for example, try sounding out some new words. I am fairly persuaded by recent research on something called "growth mindset." It was coined in a book by Carol Dweck and it says that people who believe they can get better with practice actually grow more than people who believe skills, like intelligence, are fixed. The latter thinking means that while getting things right can be validating, the opposite proves you aren't as smart as you think you are which can be crushing, depending on how much of your identity is tied to that trait. I know I want to help you develop a growth mindset, but need to do a better job encouraging your effort and not always praising you when you get things right (which is almost all of the time). I know I was afraid to get things wrong growing up and that it kept me from pushing myself to be as smart as I could be. You have big dreams, baby girl, and successful people are the ones that make mistakes so they can learn from them.<br />
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Similarly, I have been thinking a lot about practicing what I am preaching. It's really easy to be afraid of falling short, or even to use family or other commitments as excuses for not setting big, ambitious goals for myself. However, I have been wondering if it would be better to seriously pursue something at which I could fail and whether I might learn something I could share or you might be getting old enough to learn vicariously. For me, this might be something like running fast again, becoming a good golfer, or writing and sharing my thinking on social and political issues. I am not prepared to commit to anything here, but I wanted to note how interesting it is to me that I might be learning from what I am trying to teach you.<br />
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Ellie, I can't wait to see what this year has in store for us. You are such an amazing little girl, and I am so incredibly happy that you are mine.<br />
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I love you so much!<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
DaddyMrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-47090636562900342682017-12-31T16:50:00.000-05:002018-03-28T21:51:59.670-04:00Farewell, 2017The end of another year! And, the first in a long time that hasn't been documented in excrutiating detail here. Alas!<br />
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This year was not without its challenges, including surgery for both kids (adenoidectomies for all and ear tubes for Ellie), Hurricane Irma, insane work schedules and a car accident. However, on the whole it was a good one - we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and some big birthdays, Ellie started kindergarten and E.J. started preschool (and t-ball!). We traveled to the Cayman Islands and North Carolina, enjoyed annual passes at Disney World and Kennedy Space Center, and had lots of fun around home. We enjoyed each other and made some great memories.<br />
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This new year is also an interesting one because for the first time in a long time, we're not only ending the year in the same place/job/community as we started it, but we don't have any foreseeable changes on the horizon. Stability! What a cool feeling.<br />
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Happy New Year, friends. I hope 2018 brings you all good things.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://youtu.be/fV6FYrEo-lo" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>: A look back at our year in 2017</span></div>
Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-56452611567417265772017-08-18T01:19:00.000-04:002017-08-18T01:19:10.409-04:0010 YearsToday, Eric and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary.<br />
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A decade has passed since I promised to love him faithfully, entirely, and endlessly. At the time, that day was the most perfect day I could have imagined, but it was only the beginning.<br />
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In the past ten years, we have spent countless nights with the TV paused for hours, too engrossed in conversation with each other to concern ourselves with the show's conclusion.<br />
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We have embraced each other's interests and found joy and togetherness in new shared hobbies.<br />
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We have lived and loved in New York City and Washington, D.C., making memories that will last our lifetime.<br />
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We have packed up our belongings and created new homes nine times, in four states.<br />
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We have made new friends, and bid them farewell as life led us to new places.<br />
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We have prayed and planned and jumped without knowing the outcome into career changes, always in search of the best life for our family.<br />
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We have made a home within whatever walls house us at any time.<br />
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We have made unforgettable memories both overseas and across seemingly countless miles in the U.S. (and a touch of Canada!).<br />
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We have cared for each other in sickness, and cheered for each other through physical challenges.<br />
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We have leaned on each other through Eric's mother's stroke and grieved together after her passing.<br />
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We have mourned babies that might have been and rejoiced at the first cries of Elizabeth Alice and Eric James. Eric tirelessly supported me physically, mentally and emotionally through labor and childbirth, and since those life-changing days, we have celebrated each of our children's milestones together (including Ellie's first day of kindergarten this week).<br />
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We have watched each other grow from kids ourselves to parents, both feeling more confident in this new role because the other is by our side.<br />
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We have laughed ourselves into hysterics, and wiped away each other's tears.<br />
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We have supported each other's ambitions and encouraged each other's dreams.<br />
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We have been each other's constant in times of change and upheaval.<br />
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We have loved each other. So much.<br />
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Thank you, Eric, for this beautiful decade. It is tempting to say it has been the greatest time of my life, but as I look eagerly at the decades still to come for us, I have no reason to believe things won't just keep getting better. Thank you for loving me so completely, for our family and for the life we have built together.<br />
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I love you through and through. You are my favorite, my lobster, and my wish come true.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://youtu.be/6VS5I43OUF4" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>: Meghan & Eric - 10 years!</span></div>
Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-77626712652233522882017-07-04T13:27:00.000-04:002017-07-05T00:43:19.135-04:00Dear E.J. - Three Years<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My dear E.J.,<br />
<br />
Today we are celebrating your third birthday. This weekend we kicked off the celebration with your long-awaited, highly-anticipated baseball birthday party at the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp game. Ever since Ellie's birthday party in March, you have been anxiously awaiting your own turn. You chose to invite a couple friends and the nursery workers from church (plus we invited a couple family friends), in addition to our family, and we had a wonderful time. It was a perfect party for you, given how much you love baseball these days, but we'll get to that in a moment!<br />
<br />
This year has been a pretty big one, both for you personally and for our family. At the time of my last letter, our family was very much in the midst of a transition. Daddy had finished his three years of teaching high school and the field of possibilities for the next step seemed to be narrowing - hopefully towards our final answer, but we weren't sure. As I wrote your second-birthday letter, I really didn't know what the next year held for our family.<br />
<br />
Just a few weeks after your birthday, however, everything fell into place. Daddy got an awesome new job in education policy, one that not only challenges and excites him but also enables him to work from home! I know you love having him around all the time, even if you can't play with him as much as you'd like. We also moved to a new house, one with much more space to play both inside and out. Instead of feeling so in flux this year, we're feeling very settled as we get connected to church and school and our neighborhood.<br />
<br />
We started going to church regularly this year, and you are famous all through the children's ministry as just an absolute delight of a child. The nursery workers adore you (you've been described verbatim as a "ray of sunshine" and "just the most precious thing"), you've made a couple sweet little friends, and you even attended your first Vacation Bible School this summer. You now know the Lord's Prayer in its entirety, and bedtime prayers have become a nightly ritual.<br />
<br />
All your time in the nursery during church and my moms' groups will hopefully have prepared you to start school in the fall. You'll be attending the preschool at our church, as Ellie did, and will have the same teachers as Ellie did for her first year. I'm so excited to see how you do! I hope you enjoy it and it is a perfect positive start to your years of education. Of course, I'll be sad to see our days at home together starting to come to an end already! What a change for both of us.<br />
<br />
You're just growing up so much. I mean, size-wise you're still a little on the smaller side (to illustrate, you're wearing the same size 12-18m shorts in this year's picture as in last year's), but I certainly don't mind that one bit as it enables me to imagine you as more of a baby than you really are. I especially love that I can still toss you on my back in the "wrapper" almost daily for walks to church/school!<br />
<br />
Despite your smaller stature, you are growing into such a <i>boy</i>. You love (and seem to have a natural knack for) sports, baseball in particular. You love to play in our front yard, hitting the ball a good distance off the tee and happily running the bases with those adorably exaggerated arm swings. You also ran a couple of Disney races and the better part of a mile for a fun run, and love to play Gators (football), too.<br />
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As for other stereotypical "boy" things, you love to play in the dirt and I think you had a stick in your hand for about three months straight this year. You like to yell (we're working on keeping the yelling OUTSIDE), run, jump and climb. I'm constantly telling you to keep your tushy on the couch (rather than leaping all over it), and you climb most things at the playground with ease.<br />
<br />
You still love Star Wars, so the light saber battles continue, and you can imagine anything and everything into a blaster. You've also told us you want to be a storm trooper when you grow up, so that's exciting news. We've had lots of fun this year at Disney World, with you in full Kylo Ren costume. You get lots of attention (including being chosen to march in a parade with the storm troopers!) and you love it. You get into full character, marching around with authority and using the Force on random passersby. That is probably one of my favorite E.J. memories from this year.<br />
<br />
Yet even as you're growing into a little boy, there are still pieces of your babyhood that are hanging on (and I to them, for dear life). You still ask to be held a lot, especially if we walk to church or coming downstairs in the morning or after nap. When you wake up from a nap or are ready for bed, you like to cuddle up in my lap, resting your head on my chest, and lay still with me. When you sit on my lap and I drape my arm across your legs, you pull it in tight to your waist like a seatbelt and hold on. When I sing to you at naptime, you wrap your arms around my neck and pull my head close to you. You still have those soft baby cheeks and long (enviably so) eyelashes. Your hand still feels so tiny in mine as we cross the street. Despite your extensive vocabulary, your voice is still so young and sweet and if you never learn that the word is "dessert" and not "bessert," I will not be sad.<br />
<br />
I should talk more about your speech, because it really is remarkable. Everyone comments on how well you speak, and they're right. In fact, your pediatrician reprimanded me earlier this year for missing your three-year well check (even though you were only 2.5), because she just heard you speak and assumed you were well past your third birthday. You have a lot to say and the means to say it. And your sweet little voice...Daddy and I often joke (except we're actually quite serious) that we wish we could mic you up for a day and record everything you say, just to go back and listen to it forever and and ever. We can't get enough of that little E.J. voice. My favorite is probably when you pray at the dinner table. Your favorite prayer is "God Our Father" and hearing you say "we all ask yer bwessin'" just breaks my heart every time. I also love to hear you say "Ewwie" (Ellie), "sit next by me," and "I'm thank you for" (I'm thankful for).<br />
<br />
You're doing pretty well with your eating these days. You have your staples that you like (particularly ziti with meatballs, peanut butter sandwiches and chicken nuggets), and you live for snacks. I should mention that we did end our nursing relationship about a month after your second birthday. I was ready, and I think you were too, but it was still a tough thing for me to do. Very bittersweet. There are times that I still miss those quiet, still moments with you, but I am so grateful to have had so many of them for over two years.<br />
<br />
In other Big News for you this year, you have officially potty trained (and ate <i>so many</i> M&Ms in the process), moved from a crib to a "big boy" (toddler) bed, and took your first international trip, to the Cayman Islands in May (you held a sea turtle and a starfish and petted a stingray!). You also had surgery (adenoidectomy) and were so brave, "like a Jedi." Hopefully that will be the cure for the unrelenting congestion and sinus infections you endured most of the year! As for your current interests, you obviously love all the Star Wars movies (Darth Vader and Kylo Ren are your favorite characters - you tend to identify with bad guys, for some reason!), the show <i>Little Einsteins</i>, playing in the front yard, fruit gummies, making a mess of your room during naptime, fun socks and band-aids. You like making forts out of the couch cushions, jumping off of things, running around like a crazy person at bedtime, and apple juice. You're getting more and more into books, and especially love books about - <i>you guessed it!</i> - Star Wars, or baseball. You love the beach and like to dive full-body into the sand and just roll around in it, so that's fun for me when it's time to go home. You like to sleep on your belly and like ice cubes in your water. You prefer shorts with pockets so you can store treasures (or, more often, have a blaster at the ready). You like to sing either "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" or "We Are the Boys of Old Florida" at bedtime. You're really a cool kid!<br />
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I mentioned in my last letter that you were learning to push Ellie's buttons, and that has certainly not eased up this year. You do love to tease and you love to get a reaction (and she is usually more than willing to give one). Despite the sibling spats, you two do play nicely together often and it's easy to see that you really do love each other dearly. You're so lucky to have each other and I hope you will always be there for one another. Who better to commiserate with about your crazy parents, right?<br />
<br />
As we head into your fourth year, you are definitely becoming a "threenager." You have strong opinions (that can change on a dime), and are very demonstrative when things don't go your way. We often get a "hmmmph" with crossed arms and a scowl. We also see a lot of your lower lip and hear a lot of yelling. There has also been some throwing and hitting, so you're keeping me busy. I remember this stage with Ellie and I know it can be a doozy, so I'm hunkering down for the next year as we work through this together. I try to remember that you're feeling big things without knowing how to process them, though sometimes I admit that I do let my frustration get the best of me. For that, I apologize. You deserve the best, most patient mom and I know that sometimes I fail. That is entirely my shortcoming and not in any way a fault of yours, buddy. I love you so much and every day I try to do better.<br />
<br />
Despite this stage of testing and tantrums, you are, for the most part, still your happy E.J. self. You still regularly laugh yourself into a fit of hiccups, and love to tell jokes with Ellie (potty humor is huge right now). You give hugs and "smooches" and love to be tickled. You're kind and thoughtful, and as I mentioned earlier, everyone that interacts with you regularly just goes on and on about what a sweet, precious kid you are. You really have everyone smitten, sweet boy.<br />
<br />
I just can't believe that you're mine. You're so special, and so dear, and I get to be your mama. I love you so much, my heart just aches. Thank you for being you, for bringing so much joy to everyone around you, for challenging me and teaching me and showing me just what a delight it is to be a "boy mom." I am thankful for every moment of it.<br />
<br />
I love you so, nugget. Happy birthday.<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Mama<br />
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My dear E.J.,<br />
<br />
Happy birthday my dude! For the record, this is the nickname you said was your favorite. A few weeks ago, I think I called you 'little buddy' or 'Big Jet' like the bad guy from the TV show Little Einsteins, and you had a fun reaction. I asked which nickname you liked best without knowing whether you even knew what I was talking about. You said, ever so sweetly, 'my dude.' So, it's official. Which makes me wonder how in the world are you getting so big? Besides being big enough to pick a favorite nickname, three is also apparently old enough to be excited about a birthday. You have been looking forward to your "baseball party" for weeks and had such a pleasant, knowing expression during cake and presents. Speaking of being big, it is also true that you are finished with your crib and diapers, you dress yourself (for the most part) and are starting two-day preschool in the fall. I know Ellie did all these things, too, so I should have expected it, but it feels different for you. Maybe it's because with her, I can't help looking forward to what is next because it is almost always the first time I get to experience someone experience something for the first time. But it is easier to keep you young because there are fewer of these habits to rush you along. Although it is always a true statement, you aren't nearly as young as you used to be and that just seems crazy.<br />
<br />
On July 4, I have been working on two big thoughts that apply well to the way I think about you on your third birthday. The first has to do with choices and the second with luck.<br />
<br />
I asked your Mama a few weeks ago about turning points in her life. Moments that, had they gone differently, would have set her life on a different course. I also read an article about moments in American history that determined who we are today. I am not sure whether there will be a specific point in time where you settle on a personality this year, but I know there is more than one way it might work out. Before we get there, I want to mention what an interesting thought exercise this can be and express how much I hope you will always feel good about where things find themselves settled. For me, I cannot imagine anything that would have made me happier than for Mama to have ended up with me, here in Jacksonville, and for her to have given me you and your sister. I also love what I do and the people I have met along the way, even if the path wasn't always straight and almost never matched what I first expected. Though you are not anywhere close to old enough to make these kinds of decisions for yourself, I do think this concept fits really well with how I think about you as a three-year old. This is a very challenging age. You are so very passionate and I wonder where the pendulum will stop swinging when you come out of it.<br />
<br />
First of all, you give the sincerest hugs and cuddles and can still be just the sweetest little boy. I would never have believed "charisma" was a word I could apply to a three-year old, but it might work in your case. It's not just that you are simply likable or polite, but that you have a certain charm that people are drawn to. One of the ladies in the church nursery said you "light up her life: and another with three jobs offered to babysit without asking. I don't know how else to explain it, but your Mama and I sometimes joke about attaching a microphone to you for a day to capture your stream of consciousness. You speak so well for someone your age and I love to heat what you are thinking. I did mention a pendulum earlier and am obligated to note that there are many other times where you seem to antagonize your sister because you know it will bother her. I don't want to dwell on it just yet, but I do have a preference for which personality I hope wins out.<br />
<br />
Since my last letter, we have moved into a home we can't see leaving without buying a house, and I started a job I can't see leaving without a really good reason. I work for an organization whose mission is to end the injustice of educational inequity and I believe this work is important and necessary. As Americans, we believe in the idea of a meritocracy, where people get what they earn/deserve. As much as I want this to be true, I can't ignore how well outcomes can be predicted by how people look or where they live. Whatever becomes of you and me, we will no doubt owe some of our success to the "happy accident of birth." We are lucky to be Americans, to have our family, and, quite frankly, to be white men. I am not necessarily going to ask you to begin making the world a better place, but I do believe that to whom much has been given, much will be expected. I can't believe how fortunate I am to be your daddy and I will do everything I can to help you become the man you are meant to be. But for now, we'll take it one day at a time and keep having fun. You make it impossible not to.<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Daddy</div>
Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-88291083234355196392017-03-29T09:57:00.001-04:002017-03-29T09:57:19.957-04:00Dear Ellie - Five Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
My dear Ellie,<br />
<br />
Today you are five years old.<br />
<br />
As I sit down to write this letter, my mind is swirling with memories and reflections not only of the year that has passed since my last letter, but of all the time that has gone by since I first laid eyes on you on this day five years ago. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was lying in that New Jersey hospital room, staring down at your sweet newborn face as Daddy gushed about how you had just opened your eyes as he held you and how amazing it was. Yet even though that day seems so long ago, it feels like the years passed me by in an instant without me even realizing it. I can't believe we're here already. You're five. I have been your mother for five whole years.<br />
<br />
And what an honor it has been to watch you grow into the little girl you are today! I hardly even know where to begin.<br />
<br />
You are very smart, and have learned so much this year. You still plan to be an astronaut when you grow up, and I have no doubt that you can do it if that's what you really want to do. I love to hear you explain how the earth "orbinates" the sun, or talk about how you want to be the first astronaut on Mars (so then all the other astronauts will see your picture on Mars and know that they can go there, too, you say), but you don't want to go to Jupiter because you don't want to get caught in those wind storms. Your interest in space has sparked an overall interest in science and math, and you seem to pick it up pretty easily. You love patterns and order, so I think these subjects make sense to you. You continue to impress us with how well-spoken you are, and you are great at letter recognition and are eager to learn to read. You've been reading chapter books with Daddy at night and are able to sight read a good number of words. You will be very ready for kindergarten in the fall! (I'm not sure <i>I'm</i> ready for kindergarten, but you will be!)<br />
<br />
You are very kind-hearted, sometimes to a fault. An example: you and E.J. tend to bicker a good bit, and he is prone to venting his frustration physically. It is always directed towards you, because he knows he can get away with it: he can sit there and hit you and hit you, and you will never, ever hit him back. It's almost as if it has never occurred to you that it's an option. You are too kind and sweet and gentle to even have the thought. Though it can be frustrating to me in the moment (if you would just hit him back, he'd probably knock it off, you know?), I hope your heart always remains so pure.<br />
<br />
You are considerate and sweet, caring and affectionate. When we had a conference with your teacher earlier this month, two of her biggest comments about you were that you are a great classmate who is always willing to share with your friends, and that you are very loving to your teachers, hugging them and telling them you love them daily. You do seem to get along and play with everyone in your class, and for Valentine's Day this year you wanted to make each of your classmates a personalized Valentine that fit their interests. You are so thoughtful!<br />
<br />
Going back to your relationship with your brother, it is clear that it is one that you treasure (despite the sibling squabbles!). You are so sweet to him, and really try to take care of him. When he cries in the bath as we rinse his hair, you offer to hold him in your lap and sing to him to help him calm down. You try to teach him things and keep him on the straight and narrow. Sometimes I have to remind you that it is <i>my</i> job to worry about E.J., because you get so intent on helping him be a good, big boy. I love that you care about him so deeply and that you want so badly to help him do the right thing. You are really an exceptional sister.<br />
<br />
You try so hard to please us. When I ask you to keep your room clean, you do just that and give me regular updates about the things you have done to keep your space tidy. At school, you never eat your dessert in your lunch box before finishing your carrots. You are never mean and never purposefully disobedient. You told me the other day that you have never had to sit in the "thinking chair" at school and I can count on one hand (maybe one finger, even) the number of times you've been put in time-out at home.<br />
<br />
You love music and dance. You have continued with ballet this year, and your ballet recitals have been far more successful than the first one! This year you also do Shining Stars (an after-school drama program) and sing in the church choir (and you did actually sing on Christmas Eve this year!). One of your favorite television shows is <i>Little Einsteins</i>, which focuses on music terminology, composers and instruments. The other day, you described the noise of a helicopter as fortissimo, so you seem to be learning a lot from that show! You also <i>love</i> to put on shows for us. These days, you most often act out scenes from <i>Moana</i>. You know all the words to all the songs, and the motions that go along with each. I love to watch you perform and hear you sing!<br />
<br />
You also love art and crafts. You <i>love</i> to color, and that is literally the first thing you do upon leaving your room every morning - you go into the playroom, lay down on the floor and get to work on a coloring book. You love to paint and draw, too. I love your artwork and we have tons of it hanging in the playroom!<br />
<br />
You're also getting to be quite a little runner! You ran several races this year, the majority of them without parental accompaniment. You tell us how fast you are and then go show us. You are willing to try your hand at other sports, too. I was so proud of you when, as you played football with a couple boys after school one day, you announced to them that you are <i>great</i> at sports. I just love your confidence and I really hope you can hang onto that!<br />
<br />
You love to be silly, too, and jokes became a big thing this year. The preschool humor is not necessarily my cup of tea, but you sure can get E.J. rolling! It's pretty easy to make you laugh, and it's contagious: when you laugh at your jokes, E.J. laughs at your jokes, and before we know it, the whole family is giggling! Thank you for bringing us so much joy, sweet pea.<br />
<br />
You still experience your emotions very deeply. It is not such a constant factor as it was when you were three (going on four), but still, it's just your way. When something upsets you, it upsets you to your core and it can be very frustrating for us because often there is nothing we can do to settle you. You will be upset until you decide you're done being upset. I'm doing my best to try to teach you ways to calm yourself, but it can be a challenge. Your strength of emotion is something I can relate to, at least to an extent, and I hope that you always allow yourself to feel what you feel and express your needs so freely. It can be hard for me to handle sometimes but I think it is very admirable.<br />
<br />
You're just getting so big. I feel like a day doesn't go by that I don't stop and marvel at how grown up you are becoming. You don't cry in the bath anymore. You can ride a bike with training wheels (and that's what you're getting for your birthday from us this year!). You say things that are so smart, they stop me in my tracks. You are eager to help around the house: feeding the dog, clearing your dishes, making your bed. Every day, you are finding new ways to grow up a little more.<br />
<br />
One big milestone this year was getting rid of your crib and replacing it with a "big girl" daybed. Packing up that crib and getting it out of the house was so bittersweet. Just that one piece of furniture carried so many memories for me. It was the first thing we ever bought for you, even before so much as a bib or a pair of socks. I remember ordering that crib for you before I even know you were a girl. I remember painstakingly picking the bedding to adorn it, and Daddy running all over Manhattan in search of the crib skirt of my dreams. I remember how tiny you looked lying in there on your first night at home, swaddled up tight in a pink blanket and just looking like a tiny, precious burrito on a bed of pretty flowers. I remember how gingerly we laid you on that mattress each night, praying you would stay asleep. I remember coming in to retrieve you from a nap in your crib only to find you sitting up in the corner, bewildered at having just sat up by yourself for the first time. I remember watching you play in there after your naps, which you were always happy to do for long periods of time as I sat beside you in the glider. I remember switching it to a toddler bed and worrying about how you would adjust, only to find you happily reading books in your new bed after your first night of sleep in it. So many memories for one piece of furniture, and now, it is out of our house and the memories are all that's left of it. I think my struggle with saying goodbye to the crib was that it felt symbolic, a representation of the far-too-fast passage of time and the end of your babyhood. How can we be so thoroughly through that stage already?<br />
<br />
This year brought more changes for our family, as have all the years of your life prior, really. But hopefully this year's changes will bring more stability for the years to come. Daddy has a new job that seems to be exactly what he was meant to do (and I hope that someday his career change and ensuing journey will inspire you to find your right place int he world, too). We moved into a new house with more space for our family and a big yard for you kids to play in (not to mention the playroom!). Our house is in a great location, practically across the street from both your current school/our church and your new school next year. We have decided to stay in Jacksonville indefinitely and are trying to put down roots, making friends and getting involved in church, school and community. I think about my own childhood, and how connected to my hometown I felt - it was where my home was, my house, my friends, my family, my church, my history. I'm struck by the realization that we are creating that for you now, and I hope we're able to provide a feeling of security and belonging for you here.<br />
<br />
You have such greatness ahead of you, my girl, both in the immediate months and years to come and in the rest of your lifetime. I know you have what it takes to really be something special in the world. You already are to me, of course, a million times over, but I think you really can make a larger impression in the world around you. Please remain true to yourself, continue to be who you are without hesitation, assert yourself and proudly show all that you have to offer. You are really something special and I love you so much.<br />
<br />
Ellie, being your mother has been the great honor of my life. These five years have humbled me, challenged me, exhilarated me and changed me immeasurably. I have loved you more than you can know from the moment I first dreamed of you, and I will always love every bit of you. Thank you for being mine, for trusting me, for teaching me, and for being you.<br />
<br />
I love you all the much, baby girl. All the much and then some.<br />
<br />
Happy fifth birthday, sweetheart.<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Mama<br />
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My dear Ellie,<br />
<br />
First of all, happy birthday!!! I remember one of mine from before your mama and I were married (which will be 10 years this year!) when she made it a point to say "happy birthday" to me all day long. It was pretty weird for a while, but I really liked it and try to make it a point to pay it forward. I know I only typed it once here and don't plan to keep typing it, but I did lead with it and will say it a bunch throughout the day. In fact, we started saying it about a week ago after our nighttime routine and before we leave your room. You always try to sneak in one (or five) more exclamations before we leave you for the night, and one is always the most proximate holiday (including birthdays). Most nights it's pretty cute. Yes, most; I'm not perfect.<br />
<br />
Well, that didn't take long to reach a digression, did it? You see, I am really struggling to figure out what to write. After using the "I don't know what to say" line so many times, you would think I might have figured it out by now. After all, five years is a long time. Since you were born, we have occupied five homes in three cities and I am over six months into my third career. Fortunately, and for the first time in the life of our family, I am doing something, and we are living somewhere, indefinitely. Whoops. That may have been another tangent, but I think I can make more of a case that it is useful updating information. However, the sentence I spent the most time thinking about is definitely a digression, so we'll move on before this gets out of hand.<br />
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I think it would be a really fun letter to recount all of the great Ellie stories from the past 12 months, but that's not going to happen this time. I could submit that I have been really busy at work, which is true, but the actual issue is I don't think about these letters at all during the year. You'll have to take my word for it that we made so many great memories. So many great memories that I can't think of right now. Stories like singing a duet to "A Whole New World" at bedtime with me singing the verses and you getting super into character and singing the chorus, or like the knock-knock jokes you started telling where instead of a punchline, you just crack up laughing. There was the time you taught some stuffed animals about lunar eclipses and how the planets "orbinate" around the sun. We also went on dates to the movies, the arcade and Chick-Fil-A and you performed spot-on scenes and songs from Star Wars, the Little Mermaid and Moana. Even if I don't write all of my memories in these letters, I am super excited to keep making them with you! If it's any consolation, we do take a lot of pictures of everything and your mama does an amazing job keeping them safe for posterity. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, you are going to have what you would describe as "a 100 of words" to lok through. It's like the preschool equivalent of "infinity," if infinity was an actual number.<br />
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Another option for the letter would be to describe you at five with a laundry list of great qualities that everyone thinks apply to their kids, but which actually do apply to you. Like how well you get along with everyone, or how patient you are (most of the time) with your brother, who often deserves worse. There's also how much you like to help and how independent you are becoming. How much you love so many people and things, the sincerity of your hugs or the regularity with which you experience pure joy. You are also obviously smart. You rock the alphabet, count past 100, do some adding, read/recognize a lot of simple words, and can keep your interest while we read picture-less chapter books written for kids a good bit older than five. I am, however, most impressed with how curious you are about our world and how well you remember the answers I give you. In fact, you want to be an astronaut when you grow up. Yep. A freaking astronaut. And not just in the outer-space-is-cool, I want-to-go-to-there kind of way, but in that you want to play space school, read about Sally Ride, and notice space stuff everywhere. E.J. even calls paintings of people in space suits, "Ellie."<br />
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Lest you get too overconfident about all the wonderful qualities and stories that your mom has definitely described in detail in her letter, I want to mention you are also the girl who had me read her "tushie" a story because it itched at 4:00 a.m., and that was the only thing that would help it get back to sleep. Ellie, I wouldn't trade you for anyone in the entire world. Not that that's a thing that someone can legally offer to do, but my life, marriage and our family are so much greater because they have you in it.<br />
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You are my very best girl and I love you so much.<br />
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All my love,<br />
DaddyMrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-55611386299282493812016-12-31T23:59:00.001-05:002017-01-01T12:49:10.860-05:00Farewell, 2016Here we are again, face-to-face with another new year! I know my posting has been sporadic at best lately, but I certainly couldn't let tonight pass by without reflecting on the year that is now so near its end.<br />
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2016 has gotten a pretty bad rap in the last few months, seemingly at least in the general public opinion. I can get on board with that to an extent - 2016 certainly brought some struggles for friends and family, our country seems to be in a very unsettled place, and personally, my kids have been non-stop sick (leaving me non-stop stressed) for the past two months. So, I'm ready to start fresh and hope 2017 ushers in a healthier vibe!<br />
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But for our family, really, 2016 has been a pretty great year. In addition to all the usual fun of travel, birthdays and other memory-making, 2016 brought answers to questions that have been hanging in the air for us for years. Eric has finally found a career that both satisfies him and challenges him. For the first time, he can envision doing this work long-term and I love hearing him talk excitedly about it. That answer brought about another: we're staying Jacksonville indefinitely. We've moved to our house that we love, joined our church, and are settling in and making friends. At last!<br />
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It's a strange feeling to be sitting here on New Year's Eve and <i>not</i> thinking and writing about all the potential for change that lies ahead of us in the new year. I suppose that potential is always there, to an extent, but for the first time in many years, I think I know where we will be next year at this time and what we will be doing. Our big uncertainties have been resolved and now we're just enjoying the life that is coming together for us.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://youtu.be/iBxAa3Prmh8" target="_blank">VIDEO</a>: A look back at our year in 2016</span></div>
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2017 does promise some big things for us, too: our tenth wedding anniversary; Ellie's fifth birthday (WHAT) and the start of kindergarten; E.J. starting preschool; a trip to the Cayman Islands; several weddings to attend; increased work responsibility for Eric. And that's just what we know about! I think it's going to be great.<br />
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So, friends, regardless of how you feel about 2016, I hope tonight you feel at peace and filled with hope for the year to come. It's a fresh start! Let's enjoy, shall we?<br />
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Happy 2017, all!<br />
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Signing off for 2016,<br />
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<i>Meghan</i>Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-30756132143144280022016-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:002016-11-25T10:00:26.941-05:00Our New HomeI'm finally getting around to showing off our new house! I've been itching to share it for a while now, but was holding off because it's not "finished." We're still making changes and additions to nearly all the rooms, but we're planning to be here for a while so that's bound to be an on-going process. So, why wait to show it off, then? Let's just do this! Welcome to our new home!<br />
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(As an interesting side note, I posted the <a href="http://mylifeasalawyerswife.blogspot.com/2014/11/welcome-to-our-home.html" target="_blank">tour of our last house</a> exactly two years ago yesterday! My timing seems to be pretty consistent, eh? Here's hoping that I don't have another house to post two years from today!)<br />
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We'll start, of course, at the front of the house. Look how pretty! They repainted it before we moved in and we just love it. This picture doesn't show it off very well, but the house is set back a good ways from the curb, so we have a very big front yard. Ellie loves playing in the front yard most of all! And of course, a nice little set of chairs for that porch is on our list of things to purchase to make this house just right.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rental sweet rental!</span></div>
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<u>The Entryway</u></div>
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Here is what you see when you walk in our front door:<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Achilles!</span></div>
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The steps in front of you lead to the bedrooms and office upstairs. To the left is our little entryway setup, some cool built-in shelves and a door to the playroom:<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our entryway, with door leading to the playroom</span></div>
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I had fun decorating those shelves! I'm sure they'll be changing here and there as we stay in this house over time, but I'm happy with them now.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">They're kid-friendly: most breakable things up out of reach, and a nice picture of their Nonnie on the bottom where they can see it.</span></div>
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Straight ahead when you walk in the front door is our little under-the-stairs "coat closet." There is no actual coat closet in this house (what is with these old houses and the lack of coat closets?), so we figured this was a pretty good use of this kind of awkward space under the stairs. It has a rack with all my baby carriers, hooks for bags, jackets and hats and a bench for shoes. Sometimes it serves as stroller parking, too.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Just try not to smash your head on the stairs because rumor has it that happens sometimes and it hurts like the dickens.</span></div>
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Here's another look back at the stairs and entryway:<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ooh, aah.</span></div>
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<u>The Living Room</u></div>
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To the right from the front door is our living room. We have our old living room set out here, and the big front window looks out over our spacious front yard. I really like this room; I think it's pretty and welcoming. Unfortunately, we just don't use it much!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The living room, as seen from the front door</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Better living room look</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Looking back at the front door. We have our bookshelf and wedding pictures of my grandparents and us on that wall.</span></div>
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<u>The Dining Room</u></div>
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Let's continue on into the dining room, which is right through the arched doorway off the living room. The dining room features a new painting on the wall and Ellie's old dresser/changing table serving as a buffet in the corner.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dining room! Lots of space to accommodate a larger table, which is on our list of things to upgrade soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Another angle of the dining room</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our "buffet" in the corner, holding dining linens, china and craft supplies! Because, of course, the dining room doubles as my craft room.</span></div>
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<u>The Kitchen</u></div>
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The kitchen is really the center of the downstairs, connecting to three rooms: the dining room, the family room and the playroom. The kitchen is just a little square, outdated thing, but it gets the job done. Our landlord said we are welcome to paint the cabinets if we like (though he didn't say anything about the mismatched appliances, ugly countertops or tile), so that's a possible future project but it's not high on the list at this point.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">View of the kitchen as you walk in from the dining room. The doorway on the left leads to the playroom, and the big doorway on the right leads out to the family room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">View of the kitchen from the family room. It does have tons of cabinet space, which is wonderful!</span></div>
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One quirk of the kitchen is the smoke detector placed so near the stove (you can see it in the above picture, up on the wall to the right of the stove). We keep a small fan in the kitchen to aim at the stove because without it, we set off the smoke detector every time we boil water. (And you know <a href="http://mylifeasalawyerswife.blogspot.com/2011/04/ligyrophobia.html" target="_blank">Achilles just loves that</a>!)<br />
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<u>The Family Room</u></div>
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Let's continue on into the family room. I <i>love</i> this room. We picked up a sectional couch from a Facebook yard sale page, and bought a new rug and ottoman to go with it. We also ordered some canvas prints of the kids and put up a little gallery wall above the couch.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Doesn't this room just warmly invite you to come, sit and enjoy a glass of wine? Or is that just me?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our little gallery wall</span></div>
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The TV is in the corner across from the couch, between the doorways to the kitchen and playroom.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The other side of the family room</span></div>
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I also have my desk out there, looking out the big wonderful windows into our nice backyard.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">My "office," if you will. The white door to the right of my desk leads out to the backyard.</span></div>
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On that far wall you see in the above picture, there are two doors: the one on the left houses a tiny but perfectly functional little laundry room (with shelves and a cabinet for storage and everything!), and the door on the right is a tiny little half-bathroom.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">So tiny, I really couldn't even get a picture of it, but trust me, it's a bathroom.</span></div>
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You may also have noticed that in the desk picture, there is a nice shelf above those two little doors, and we have filled it with framed pictures of family members. I was really trying to make this family room homey, cozy and happy, and those pictures add to that, I think. If you look back at the picture of the TV, you'll see that there are more shelves along the main wall of the room that I hope to fill with more pictures over time.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our family photo shelf</span></div>
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<a href="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh526/mlaalw5/New%20House/DSC_3832_zpswsnq3j6x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh526/mlaalw5/New%20House/DSC_3832_zpswsnq3j6x.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">These collage frames from each kid's first year are also hanging to the right of the bathroom in the family room. I love how they came together!</span></div>
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<u>The Backyard</u></div>
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Let's step outside quickly so I can show you the yard! We have a great big backyard with a small deck and brick patio area. We also have a shed for all our outdoor stuff, and an orange tree that is filled with oranges, ripening as we speak!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">View of the backyard from the back door in the family room</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bless that big tree in the middle of the yard for not falling on our house during Hurricane Matthew! Also, it gives us great shade and makes the yard a very pleasant place to play.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our shed and orange tree</span></div>
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When you step outside from the back door, to the left is a gate that leads out to our carport. We don't have a driveway in front of our house; it is actually off an alley behind the house.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Covered parking! Pure luxury.</span></div>
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<u>The Playroom</u></div>
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Let's go back inside and take a look at the playroom. As you may recall, the playroom is right off the family room, and also has doorways into the kitchen and living room. It's a great space for the kids because they can play in their room while still being just one room over from us in almost any of the downstairs rooms. And this playroom, man. It has been AMAZING. They really do play in there! Alone! Together! A lot! And for the most part, the toys stay fairly well contained in one room instead of overtaking our entire house like they used to do. I absolutely love this playroom.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">View of the playroom from the family room. The doorway to the left leads to the kitchen, and the door at the back of the room leads back out to the entryway/living room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The kitchen/art wall of the playroom! Toy kitchen, table and chairs, and a shelf filled with coloring supplies, puzzles, blocks and games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The long wall of the playroom is home to their easel, new toy bins organized into toy types (and labeled with stickers at the bottoms of the bins), and dress-up boxes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The opposite wall features built-in bookshelves, an artwork display, various Fisher Price toys and baby doll bed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This ist he view of the playroom from the opposite side, as if you were walking in from the living room. The doorway at the end of the room leads to the family room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J.'s train/car corner. My sisters-in-law Kelley and Cathy made us a great ruler growth chart that we'll be putting in this corner, as soon as we can get it to Jacksonville!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The space corner, featuring rocket ship tent, Star Wars toys, astronaut dress-up and a solar system mobile I painted for this space.</span></div>
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Okay, that does it for the downstairs! Now let's head upstairs!<br />
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<u>Upstairs</u></div>
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Here we are at the top of the stairs:<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">We've arrived on the second floor!</span></div>
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The closed door in front of us is a linen closet (and where we keep Achilles' crate). The open door is Eric's office. Out of the picture to the left is a full bathroom and E.J.'s room, and to the right is Ellie's room and our room.<br />
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<u>Ellie's Room</u></div>
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Let's start our upstairs tour by turning right and heading into Ellie's room. Now, this is a little bit of a weird setup. When you turn to the right from the top of the stairs, there's a door to a little hallway. Ellie's room is down the tiny hallway, while our room is to the immediate left through the doorway. The funny thing is, there's no actual door to our room specifically; the door to the entire hallway is "our" door. I'm not sure I'm explaining that well, but the take-home point is that if we close the door to our room, we're also closing Ellie in with us. It's just a little bit of an odd configuration.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie is standing in the doorway to our room, and that's obviously her room to the back right. The door on the right closes off the whole "wing."</span></div>
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But, let's go down that little hallway and into Ellie's room. Ellie's room is very small! We were fortunate her dresser fit downstairs in the dining room as a makeshift buffet because it would not have fit in her little room. But, it's all the space she needs, and the built-in shelves on the right-hand side are nice. Ellie's room is very much a work in progress currently: she will be getting a door to her closet soon (the people the realtor had repairing the house before we moved in dropped the ball on that one), and we're in the process of switching out her toddler bed for a daybed in the next week or two. Later, we'll also replace her dresser. I'm sure I'll post updated photos when we get it put together!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie's room! It's very bright and cheerful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Looking back towards Ellie's door. You see her door-less closet on the left!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie's shelves</span></div>
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<u>The Master Bedroom</u></div>
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Now let's exit Ellie's room and walk across the tiny hallway into our master bedroom. In contrast to Ellie's little room, this room is far more spacious than we need. When we first moved in we briefly debated having the kids share this room, and maybe that will still come to pass someday, but for now, we're just dancing around through all the empty space.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our bedding set is fairly new, and you can see the two large, lovely windows that unfortunately make it very bright in here some morning. Aside from the sun blaring in my sleeping face, I <i>love</i> all the big windows in this house!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The other side of the room, which includes my grandmother's dresser that we finally had room for in our bedroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The backside of our room, including a "walk-in" closet (I use that term VERY liberally, because you can literally just walk in and standi n one place and that's it. But it counts, right?)</span></div>
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<u>The Office</u></div>
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Let's go back out of the Master/Ellie set of rooms and look at the other half the upstairs, starting with Eric's office. As you may recall, his new job allows him to work from home, and the need for a functional workspace for him was a huge reason for this move in the first place. This little room was billed as a storage room, because it is quite small. But, he doesn't need much space, and it's plenty big enough for a desk and a couple shelves, and the light in there is fantastic. He also has a nice view of the backyard, looking right out over the orange tree.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eric's office</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Where Eric spends his days (the white board on the left is usually decorated with Ellie's drawings)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The back wall of Eric's office, including his bookshelves and diplomas</span></div>
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<u>The Upstairs Bathroom</u></div>
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Between the office and E.J.'s room is our one full bathroom. It is also pretty cozy, but spacious compared to our bathrooms in our last house so I'm not complaining. Previous residents left behind some good storage pieces in both bathrooms, which was most appreciated! Plus, you know, we're former New Yorkers - if there's one thing we're good at, it's creatively creating storage space. (Well, that and lowering a shoulder to run over slow-moving tourists who aren't paying attention, but that skill is less applicable here.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our upstairs bathroom</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">So much create-a-storage!</span></div>
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<u>E.J.'s Room</u></div>
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Last but not least, let's look at E.J.'s room! His room is a decent size, and he actually has carpet. He also has the biggest closet, and thus has the honor of storing all of our holiday decor for us. Way to take one for the team, E.J.!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Walking into E.J.'s room</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">His crib and the glider</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dresser and bookshelf, and our scoreboard gracefully adorning yet another bedroom wall!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J.'s baptism verse and outfit, plus an "I'll Eat You Up, I Love You So" plaque by E.J.'s door</span></div>
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And that's our house! We really love it here and in addition to loving the house itself, it has put us in a great neighborhood with a wonderful sense of community. We are a very, very short walk from Ellie's current school as well as from the elementary school that she will attend next year (the best in the county!), and since Ellie's current school is also where we attend church, we've been enjoying being such a short walk from church and all the activities going on there, too. Our neighbors are friendly and always stop to say hello and chat, and many people from Ellie's school/our church live nearby. It's really a great house in a great spot. We really got lucky with this one!<br />
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Come visit!Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-48781546489558824212016-11-24T15:20:00.000-05:002016-11-24T15:20:36.401-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Thanksgiving, friends and family!<br />
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I hope you are having a wonderful day with good food and lots of loved ones! We're finally coming out of a mess of a few weeks, which could only have been brought on by the kids licking every surface at school/nurseries (and perhaps their friends, too) or something....they brought home just about every contagious illness they could get their germy little hands on. Needless to say we've been in quarantine mode for, well, November. Everybody is trending up now, but unfortunately there are still germs afoot so our Thanksgiving plans with family were cancelled.<br />
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But, we're still enjoying a wonderful day with each other. The kids absolutely loved the Macy's Parade, and they were pumped to don their turkey shirts I made (that will now only be seen by anybody outside of our family in photos, but ah well). We're still cooking our feast, have been checking in with loved ones via FaceTime, and have plans to trim our trees and watch Charlie Brown Christmas tonight. It's a good day. As Ellie said earlier, "This is a happy Thanksgiving!"<br />
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Even considering all the illness and altered plans, how could we be down this Thanksgiving? We have so, so much to be thankful for this year: Eric's job, which is work he's passionate about that pays him well and allows him to be home with us; Ellie's school, where she is excited to learn from dedicated teachers with good friends by her side; E.J.'s nursery classes, where he is so adored that the volunteers are sad when he gets placed in a different class for the day; our new home, with all the space and room for our kids to play and enjoy each other; our church, where we are really beginning to feel at home; and our neighborhood, which is finally giving us a sense of community that we haven't felt in years.<br />
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And of course, above all, we're thankful for each other.<br />
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Happy Thanksgiving, all. Enjoy and give thanks.Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-26455641451607432622016-10-31T13:39:00.000-04:002016-10-31T14:11:17.776-04:00Happy Halloween 2016: A Tale As Old As Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Halloween from the W. family!<br />
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This year brings the fifth installment in our Halloween tales! (Past years: 2012 <a href="http://mylifeasalawyerswife.blogspot.com/2012/10/happy-halloween-2012-fairy-tale.html" target="_blank">Snow White</a>; 2013 <a href="http://mylifeasalawyerswife.blogspot.com/2013/10/happy-halloween-2013-under-sea.html" target="_blank">The Little Mermaid</a>; 2014 <a href="http://mylifeasalawyerswife.blogspot.com/2014/10/happy-halloween-2014-adventure-in.html" target="_blank">Peter Pan</a> & 2015 <a href="http://mylifeasalawyerswife.blogspot.com/2015/10/happy-halloween-2015-tangled-tale.html" target="_blank">Tangled</a>)<br />
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Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful girl named Belle.<br />
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She was the most beautiful girl in town.<br />
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However, her fellow villagers considered her "odd" because she always had her nose in a book.<br />
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Despite her bookworm tendencies, her beauty caught the eye of the town heartthrob. He was as conceited as he was handsome, and he was sure that Belle would jump at the chance to be his wife.<br />
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Belle, however, had much bigger dreams for herself and found Gaston and his chauvinistic attitude less than desirable.<br />
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Meanwhile, in a castle out in the woods, there lived a handsome young prince who had been cursed to live as a monstrous beast unless he could earn the love of another by his 21st birthday.<br />
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The life of a cursed beast was a lonely one.<br />
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The Beast was angry at his lot in life and spent a lot of time roaring ferociously.<br />
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One day, the Beast caught Belle's father trespassing in his castle after becoming lost in the woods. Belle came to rescue her father from the Beast's tower, and offered herself in exchange. And so, Belle came to live with the Beast in his castle.<br />
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The Beast and Belle got off to a rocky start, but Belle was quickly befriended by some of the enchanted castle servants, including a candlestick named Lumiere and a clock named Cogsworth.<br />
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Realizing that this could be the Beast's opportunity to find true love and break the spell, the castle servants did their best to bring Belle and the Beast together. Soon, a friendship began to form.<br />
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The Beast even gave Belle her very own library, with more books than she had ever seen!<br />
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Before too long, Belle and the Beast were sharing a lovely evening of dancing in the castle's grand ballroom.<br />
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It was a magical evening.</div>
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It was quite obvious that love was growing between Belle and the Beast.<br />
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The Beast was so happy to have a companion!<br />
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Meanwhile, back in the village, Gaston was fuming over Belle's rejection of his marriage proposal. Feeling threatened by the Beast, he stormed the castle and an epic battle began between man and Beast.<br />
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After besting Gaston, the Beast growled at him to leave the castle and never return. Thinking he had defeated his opponent, the Beast turned to Belle, only to be stabbed in the back by Gaston. Gaston lost his footing and fell from the castle, leaving the wounded Beast in Belle's arms.<br />
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As the Beast lay wounded, Belle embraced him and whispered, "I love you."<br />
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Those words were all that was needed to break the spell! Before her very eyes, Belle's Beast transformed into a handsome prince.<br />
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And so, Belle and her Prince lived happily ever after!</div>
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Happy Halloween, friends!</div>
Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-72919977716515846152016-10-29T00:47:00.000-04:002016-10-29T00:49:04.016-04:00Summer Road Trip, Pt. 6: Pinehurst, NCWe left Cleveland early on Monday, August 8th and made the 8.5-hour drive to Pinehurst, NC, arriving at our hotel around dinner time. We stayed in the same hotel we've stayed at for past trips, and it served us very well yet again! Of course, it didn't hurt that we arrived right at "free wine and cheese happy hour time."<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Passing through three more states on our journey: West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina</span></div>
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All we did Monday night was cook a little dinner and get the kids in bed, after which Eric and I hung out and watched more Olympics. The Olympics are so good, right?<br />
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The next morning, we slept in late enough to miss the hotel breakfast (HALLELUIA, thank you vacation gods!), so Eric grabbed some Dunkin Donuts for us and then we all went to the hotel pool for a bit.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Swimming with E.J.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie liked this fountain!</span></div>
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We didn't stay long at the pool because we were checking out that morning, so we got dried off and loaded up the car and then went over to the golf course for a little fun. The kids tried their hands at a little putting, and Eric got a couple of shots in, too (that is, when E.J. wasn't stealing golf balls mid-roll).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Thistle Dhu putting course</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Looking so golf-y!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. mid-theft</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Such concentration!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Taking in that North Carolina sunshine</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lessons from Daddy</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie on the putting course</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eric, the kids and Putter Boy</span></div>
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After our golf outing we had some lunch at the clubhouse. I think I can safely say it's the first time I've ordered a hot dog (for the kids) at a place with linen napkins! After lunch we enjoyed the scenery a bit, then loaded back up into the car and hit the road for Florida.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. using said linen napkin as a bib</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Trophies outside the dining room</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A beautiful day at Pinehurst!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The kids enjoying the rocking chairs</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Us, too!</span></div>
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We arrived back at our blue house late evening, having driven through a good bit of rain in Georgia and Florida. But, we made it safe and sound, after a very long trip! It was a great vacation, but it was also good to be home!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our final three states: South Carolina, Georgia and Florida!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">We drove 2,277 miles on this trip, and spent over 39 full hours in the car! Our kids are rockstars.</span></div>
Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-61983653168488690852016-10-27T16:09:00.000-04:002016-10-27T16:09:32.276-04:00Summer Road Trip, Pt. 5: Hesterman Family ReunionThe 36th Annual Hesterman Family Reunion officially began Friday, August 5th at my Gramps's house in Parma Heights, OH. My mom, Gary and Aunt Rachel were the first to arrive (on Thursday), and we weren't far behind. As we waited for the rest of the clan to join us on Friday, our little family spent the morning downtown with friends while my mom and Aunt Rachel did the grocery shopping for the weekend.<br />
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Uncle Mark and cousin Adam arrived that morning (from Pittsburgh and Raleigh, respectively), and Eric, Gary, Adam and Gramps went golfing at Skyland. Back at the house, Uncle Mark kept our kids entertained before naptime.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Guys, I don't know if you've heard, but Uncle Mark is HILARIOUS.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The golfers!</span></div>
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Uncle Peter and Rosemary were next to arrive from Illinois, around dinnertime that evening. My cousin Molly and her family got in around 6:00 (also from Illinois), and brought with them our pizza dinner! After dinner the kids burned off some energy outside, and my Uncle Nathan and his family arrived from Idaho around 8:30 that night. My littlest cousin Jackson found a fast friend in my cousin Adam, bonded together by Pokemon! Once the little kids were in bed, the rest of us spent the rest of the evening drinking wine, snacking, watching the Olympics and catching up. You know, the usual reunion routine!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Santiago playing soccer with Adam</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie remains smitten with Baby Milena and here was happily offering her some of her own water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Little E.J. in Gramps's baseball cap!</span></div>
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Saturday was designated Memphis Kiddie Park Day, so we donned the kids in their Olympics-inspired reunion T-shirts and headed out. My cousin Jacob and his family arrived from Boston that morning and met us at the park, thus completing the group for this year's festivities (all Hestermans were accounted for except for my sister Heather, who was still in Tokyo, and cousin Sarah, so it was a really good turnout!). The kids had a blast riding all the rides, and a select group (the Nathan family, Adam, Eric, Mark and Gary) played some mini-golf.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie and MIlena modeling the front of the kids' shirts: the Rio Olympics log, but with Parma Heights as the updated city name!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The back of the shirts featured the kids' names and birth order numbers, in the colors of the flags of their parents' home countries (Zazi and Kinga are representing their mother's home country of Hungary, Ellie and E.J. are representing the U.S.A., and Santiago and Milena are sporting the Mexican flag in honor of their father'a home country!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Waiting their turn for rides at the Kiddie Park)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. and Santiago on a ride</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gramps and his four kids!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">He's casual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The boys loved the rollercoaster!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mini golf!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. and Grammy</span></div>
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Back at the house after the Kiddie Park, we had some lunch and passed the afternoon with backyard play and chit chat.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gramps watching E.J. at play</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Look at that follow-through! Way to go, Zazi!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Zazi and Ellie having fun inside with Uncle Adam</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Molly reading to the bigger three of the "greats" (great-grandkids)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. had a rough time waking up from his nap, but Uncle Mark was the cure for what ailed him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kinga's pigtails...oh man. I can't deal.</span></div>
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We also made time to take our official family portrait, plus a couple extras!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The attendees of the 36th Annual Hesterman family reunion!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The "grands" generation (minus Heather and Sarah, both very missed!) - I love my cousins!</span></div>
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<a href="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh526/mlaalw5/Travel/Road%20Trip%202016/5%20-%20Reunion/DSC_9760_zpswvmyruuh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh526/mlaalw5/Travel/Road%20Trip%202016/5%20-%20Reunion/DSC_9760_zpswvmyruuh.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">And of course, Gramps and his Greats!</span></div>
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We had Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner that night, and carried out an old reunion tradition: the piñata! Molly generously provided the piñata and fillings this year, and the kids loved taking turns hitting Dory with the bat before pulling the strings to get their goodies.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This year's Dory piñata!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Santiago taking a swing at it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J.'s turn!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The spoils</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Oh boy, those pigtails are back at it again. Plus the blue eyes. And the cheeks. You're killing me, Kinga!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">With my best cousinsisterfriend</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Santiago and Ellie out for an evening walk!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. and Milena (we bought E.J. this Joe Haden jersey on a whim at Walmart and he never wanted to take it off!)</span></div>
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That night, several family members had fun extracurricular plans! Aunt Rachel had her high school reunion, and she looked lovely for the event (plus, she was well-coached on what wine to drink from her wine-loving sister/nieces!). From what we hear, it was quite the affair and she returned that night with some great stories to tell!<br />
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Unfortunately, my cousin Taylor ended up feeling pretty under the weather for most of the weekend, which altered plans her family had for Saturday night. The original plan was for all of them to go to Canton for the Hall of Fame game, but she and Aimee decided to stay back. Gary took Aimee's place, and they all made the hour (plus) drive to Canton, parked and went in to the game, only to find out that the game had been cancelled because the wrong paint had been used on the field and it was deemed unsafe for play. They sat in traffic forever to get back. Can you imagine? What a mess! They didn't get home until late that night.<br />
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As for the rest of us who stayed put at the house, as soon as the kids were tucked snug in their beds we resumed the ritual: wine, snacks, Olympics, chatting. Honestly, it's my favorite part of the reunions! (No offense, kids.)<br />
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Sunday morning was church morning, of course. The kids were very well-behaved and looked adorable in matching church clothes! After church we had our usual portrait session for all the families.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gramps and his kids, in age order!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Peter family</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Becky family</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Zazi and Ellie really hit it off at this reunion. I love this picture of the two of them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Santiago and E.J. looking oh-so-G.Q.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I mean. Honestly.</span></div>
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We kept ourselves busy the rest of the day with crafts/coloring, pop bottle rocket ships, Mentos/Coke experiments, and playground and backyard play.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Uncle Peter's rockets are always a hit!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rocket launch spectators</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie and Grammy</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kinga!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Santiago got the rocket!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mentos in Diet Coke! It really is a thing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Zazi and the church</span></div>
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The late afternoon led way to a new form of entertainment: water balloon fights! We went through tons of water balloons and everybody had a blast (except Alex, maybe, whose phone sadly fell victim to all the water fun!). All the play was followed by an huge group clean-up effort (hello, billions of balloon pieces scattered all through the grass), after which the children were rewarded with Olympic medals for all their hard work. (Oh, to live a life where people give you medals when you clean!)<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Henry is after Uncle Peter!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Zazi, Henry and Jackson are ready to go!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie and Henry teaming up against Jacob</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie going after Arturo (she didn't like the exploding balloon situation, so she chose to squeeze water out of the tiny hole at the top instead of smashing them!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Milena and Kinga with their medals</span></div>
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That evening we had BBQ for dinner and some of us went for a nice walk around the neighborhood (Jacob and Zita were hunting Pokemon!). When we got back, the next door neighbor brought his bunny over for a visit!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jacob showing Ellie the Pokemon Go app</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A little off-road exploring!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Quick break at a playground</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The visiting bunny</span></div>
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Then sadly, that was the beginning of the end. Uncle Mark and Adam left Sunday afternoon, and Jacob and his family were leaving early Monday morning, so we started the good-bye process. Ellie spoke for all of us when she plopped down on the stoop with her head in her hands, sad as could be because she didn't want to say good-bye to her cousins.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Poor thing. Been there, my friend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cousin love! This just warms my heart. I have always loved visiting with my cousins so much, and I hope they all grow up feeling the same.</span></div>
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Unfortunately, the Nathan family's Hall of Fame Game bad luck continued upon their departure, with flights delayed and cancelled like it was nobody's business. Poor souls! Such a long way to travel, and to deal with all that hassle...bless them. As for the rest of us, we departed early Monday morning, followed by the Molly family, Aunt Rachel and my mom and Gary. And that was the reunion!<br />
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Before leaving, I made sure to linger a little longer and say some extra goodbyes to my Gramps's house. While we were there for the reunion there was serious talk about him moving to an assisted living facility, just to make life a little easier for him (well-deserved after 94 years, I must say!). Of course, that would mean the end of a very long era of family gatherings at his home. My mother's generation grew up there, and mine basically did as well. Even as recently as last year, my son was taking his first steps in that house. That house has been the setting of countless happy memories for our family, and for the past 21 years it has been my anchor to my hometown. I never <i>really</i> had to say goodbye to Cleveland because we were always going back to that house; it remained constant. As this year's reunion drew to a close, my heart ached to walk through the rooms as my mind brought forth vivid memories in each. It's hard to say goodbye to such a place. But, at the end of the day, those beloved walls are just walls, and I will forever be thankful to them for housing my family and my childhood and my memories. It was a good house.<br />
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My Gramps has since moved to his new home and I'm so pleased for his new venture. Thank you, Gramps, for hosting our family and building this incredible clan! We love you so much.<br />
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Thank you, family, for getting together for another great reunion weekend! I'm so lucky to be a Hesterman.<br />
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To see the full set of reunion photos, click <a href="https://mylifeasalawyerswife.shutterfly.com/57445" target="_blank">here</a>.Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-4958890672317986882016-10-26T15:30:00.000-04:002016-10-26T22:28:30.680-04:00Summer Road Trip, Pt. 4: ClevelandHow fun that I am writing a recap of fun times in Cleveland as I watch the Indians playing in Game 1 of the World Series! Go Tribe!<br />
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We arrived in Cleveland in the early evening of Thursday, August 4th. My family reunion was "officially" set to begin on Friday, but my mom and Gary and Aunt Rachel were already there. We had some dinner and got the kids settled in bed for the night, then Eric and I went out with my friend Megan and her husband Andy.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Welcome to my home state!</span></div>
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Megan and Andy, being the resident experts on all things Cleveland and chocolate, took us out for treats at Sweet Moses downtown. The ice cream was tasty and it was so nice to sit and catch up with good friends! After dessert they drove us through downtown to see the World's Largest Outdoor Chandelier in Playhouse Square. It was a beautiful night and a bunch of shows were letting out so the streets were busy, and it was a really nice way to end the evening.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A pair of Meg(h)ans! We've been friends for 27 years now, I think!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The big chandelier!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Enjoying a quick walk downtown</span></div>
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The next morning, we still had some time before more Hesterman people started to arrive, so we decided to head back downtown to the Great Lakes Science Center for another fun outing with Meg and Andy. This time, the kids came along!<br />
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Before going into the museum, we took a few pictures of the local landmarks.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The W. family in Cleveland!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie rocking out by the Rock Hall, with the Science Center behind her</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. at the Rock Hall</span></div>
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Inside the museum, we had a great time exploring all the exhibits together. The big hits here were the little room that takes a picture of your shadow, and the kids' play area with ball pits and dress-up.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie always enjoys a space exhibit! Here she's using astronaut gloves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Experiments!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. just wanted to stay here and throw balls all day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eric, Meg and Andy (assisted by Ellie) built a block arch!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Listening to headphones at the music exhibits</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ball pit!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie was so thrilled to dress up like Officer Judy Hopps (from <i>Zootopia</i>)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. wanted Eric to dress up with him!</span></div>
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As the morning wore on we had to call it quits and return to my grandpa's house for lunch and naptime, so we bid farewell to our friends and headed back. Thanks for a great morning, Megan and Andy!<br />
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Also, on Saturday while E.J. napped, Eric and I took Ellie with us to run a couple of errands and took her to see a couple of my old haunts. We drove past my old house, and parked at my old elementary school and let her play on the (all completely new) playground equipment. It was really cool to take my little girl back to those places that meant so much to me when I was young.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">In front of my childhood home</span></div>
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<a href="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh526/mlaalw5/Travel/Road%20Trip%202016/4%20-%20Cleveland/IMG_9887_zpsmx9lqpwf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1250.photobucket.com/albums/hh526/mlaalw5/Travel/Road%20Trip%202016/4%20-%20Cleveland/IMG_9887_zpsmx9lqpwf.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">On the steps of my elementary school</span></div>
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And that was our Cleveland sightseeing! Next up will be a weekend of Hesterfun at the annual family reunion!<br />
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To see our full set of Cleveland (non-reunion) pictures, click <a href="https://mylifeasalawyerswife.shutterfly.com/58028" target="_blank">here</a>.Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-40736652741532211882016-10-25T15:39:00.000-04:002016-10-25T15:39:45.831-04:00Summer Road Trip, Pt. 3: DetroitWell. Remember when I was in the middle of my road trip recaps, and I was all, "Next week we'll talk about Detroit!" and then I just completely fell off the face of the earth for nearly two months? Whoooops.<br />
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I dropped the ball on that one. I <i>wanted</i> to share all the recaps from our trip in a timely manner, I really did. But then I had other projects in the works that took priority, and then fall/new school year craziness really kicked in, and then we went to St. Pete, and then to Disney, and then we evacuated from a hurricane, and then we did a million other things, and here this blog sat, all neglected and abandoned mid-recap. What a sad tale.<br />
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Anyway, I'm back, and I really do want to finish this out. So, let's talk Detroit. When I left off <i>at the beginning of September</i>, we were departing Cumberland Falls, Kentucky and en route to Michigan.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Welcome to Michigan!</span></div>
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We arrived in Detroit around dinnertime on Tuesday, August 2 and went directly to our AirBNB. We found a really good price on an apartment that was very convenient to downtown, although upon arrival we realized that it did not have air conditioning (not terrible temperature-wise, but less than desirable for noise/light being conducive to children sleeping past the wee hours of the morning), nor did it have TV or Internet. So, we unpacked our bags in the nineteenth century.<br />
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We made dinner at the apartment and then got everyone settled in to bed, and Eric and I relied on the mercifully decent cell signal to plan our next day via iPhone.<br />
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The next morning, after starting our day with the exciting news that our new nephew was born (yay!), we decided to do a little Detroit sightseeing. We drove to the nearby Michigan Science Center, parked our car and did a little walking around. We walked over to the Detroit Institute of Arts to see "The Thinker," then wandered around the area a bit more.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Detroit Institute of Arts</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sightseeing!</span></div>
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Then, we went back to the Science Center and spent some time there. It was such a cool museum! It was full of interactive exhibits—lots for the kids to see and touch and explore. E.J. particularly loved the trucks he could play with, and both kids loved the little sort of "obstacle course" you could walk through in the engineering section. We really enjoyed this museum!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Michigan Science Center</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The "Mini Mac" bridge</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie enjoying the space exhibits</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A trio of couch potatoes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Looking the part to play with construction vehicles</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Running through the obstacle course!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">After the museum, we asked Ellie what her favorite part was and she said, "all the science."</span></div>
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After the museum we picked up Buddy's Pizza and took it back to the apartment for lunch. We put E.J. down for an attempted nap and let Ellie relax with a movie for a bit.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Time for local pizza!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lunch is served!</span></div>
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After dinner that evening, we decided to check out the Detroit Riverfront, which was also very nice. The science museum and riverfront in Jacksonville have been a couple of our staple things to do for the past couple of years, and Detroit's versions of each put ours to shame. The weather was lovely for our riverfront walk, and there was a lot to do along our path. We enjoyed looking south (yes, south) to Canada across the river, riding the carousel, and admiring murals and statues. We stopped to see the Joe Lewis statue ("The Fist"), and grabbed drinks and souvenirs in the General Motors building before letting the kids get soaked to the bone in the fountains out front. It was such a nice evening!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Riding the riverfront carouel</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Looking across the river to Canada</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Relaxing</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Handsome boys</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">"The Gateway to Freedom" sculpture</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">General Motors </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hart Plaza</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">"The Fist"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Enjoying a lovely walk!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie in the fountains</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">E.J. really going for the full experience</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">So much fun!</span></div>
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After our walk, it was back to the apartment to rest up for our final Detroit day, including the reason for this city stop: another baseball game! On Wednesday, we packed up and checked out of our AirBNB and made our way to Comerica Park to take in a Detroit Tigers game.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ready for another ballgame!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">They had tigers <i>everywhere.</i> It was really cool!</span></div>
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And, as we were waiting in line for tickets, a gentleman came up to us and offered us four tickets for free in the first row on the first base line! It was so great! He said he was supposed to take clients to the game but they cancelled, so instead of selling the tickets, he wanted to pay them forward and offered them to us. It was such an unexpected treat to not only not have to pay for our tickets, but to end up in the best seats we've ever had at a ballgame! We're so thankful to that nice man for adding such a positive experience to our day at Comerica Park.<br />
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When we got in, we hit the gift shop and then explored the stadium a bit. There was a lot to see and do, and highlights were the baseball Ferris wheel and tiger carousel!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Checking out the field (with a new foam tiger paw for Ellie and clip-on tail for E.J.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The kids and I rode the baseball Ferris wheel!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">On the Ferris wheel</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ty Cobb statue in the outfield</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie loves these Statues "of Liverty!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tiger carousel!</span></div>
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After having some hot dogs for lunch near the carousel, we found our seats and watched a little of the game. What seats! It was a little nerve-wracking for Eric because he felt he had to always be on "foul ball alert," but we enjoyed ourselves. And, Jose Abreu threw a ball to Ellie!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eric was most definitely on alert.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie got a ball!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Family photo at our seats! What a view!</span></div>
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Unfortunately, despite our great seats and the beautiful (albeit hot) day, we couldn't stay long. We left after only a couple of innings so we could hit the road to Cleveland, for my family reunion that weekend. What a great time we had in Detroit, though!<br />
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Coming up next: Sightseeing a bit in Cleveland!<br />
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To see all of our pictures from our stay in Detroit, click <a href="https://mylifeasalawyerswife.shutterfly.com/57873" target="_blank">here</a>.Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6353148571219941001.post-83224844105305078462016-09-01T16:51:00.000-04:002016-09-01T16:51:32.921-04:00Summer Road Trip, Pt. 2: KentuckyAfter leaving the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, we hit the road for Kentucky. We drove roughly four hours to a town called Corbin for a little extended pit stop at Cumberland Falls, called the "Niagara of the South."I discovered this stop by Googling "things to do on I-75 between Florida and Detroit," which apparently is a common query. A number of things popped up, but this seemed like a good way for the kids to expend a little energy without spending any additional money. And they were boht really excited to see a waterfall (though it was often referred to as a water "fountain")!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">We drove through Tennessee...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">...on our way to Kentucky!</span></div>
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We didn't spend long at the falls, but it was really nice to get out and stretch our legs and take in some pretty scenery. You can walk to a little overlook right at the top of the falls, then continue on down a trail/steps for a full view from a distance. They also had a gift shop and a "mining" activity but we didn't partake of those offerings.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">View from the top of the falls</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie checking things out from further away</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Family at the falls</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The view</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sweet E.J.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Happy kids on a rock</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie playing in the mining station</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Checking out the riverbank at the top of the falls</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pretty Ellie!</span></div>
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After a short walk, it was back in the car for another hour and a half until we reached our hotel for the evening in Georgetown, Kentucky. The weather was pretty rotten when we arrived but we braved the elements to run across the street to a Fazoli's for dinner, then got everyone settled into bed.<br />
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I should mention how well it went having both kids share a room on this trip! It was entirely unexpected. Right before we left E.J. started having trouble going to bed at night (as soon as you left his room he would stand up and cry totally heart-wrenching things like, "Mama, wait! Don't go, Mama! Stay, Mama! I scared!"), so I really worried how it would all work out. I had visions of E.J. refusing to sleep and Ellie (and thus, the rest of us) paying the price. But instead, I think it actually helped him to have Ellie with him. When he would pop up and start crying, she would lean over to him and tell him that it was okay, she was there, and calm him down. Then, in the mornings, they would wake up and chat with each other until Eric and I came to get them. It was wonderful!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie calming E.J. down after I put them to bed in Kentucky</span></div>
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In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and then gathered our things and drove roughly a half hour north to the Ark Encounter. This attraction just opened a few weeks prior to our visit, and it is what you might imagine: a life-sized replica of Noah's Ark. I didn't even know such a thing existed, and Eric came across it totally by accident when he was searching for hotels in Kentucky and saw some mentioning being in a great location for the Ark. Upon discovering it, we thought, well, somebody built an Ark directly on our path from Florida to Detroit, so it seems like we should stop to see that. So we did.<br />
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We arrived and parked (parking fees are not included with admission, FYI if you're planning a trip) and then took the shuttle from the parking lot to the Ark. It was quite impressive, I must say.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Ark!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ready to explore!</span></div>
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Inside, it was very interesting. There were replicas of animal housings (and some good attention to detail, I thought: in the lower decks of the ship you could hear the waves beating against the ark, and thunder and lightning, and birds chirping in their cages), and of course, depictions of the living quarters for Noah and his family. There was also a lot of information to absorb, describing how exactly this whole Ark thing could actually have worked. Basically, if you have a question about how it could have been possible, they had an answer for it. I would have loved to spend more time reading through all the signage and examining the displays, but we really moved through it pretty quickly because, well, kids. It was neat, though.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Small animal housing</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bears in a cage</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">A sample of the kinds of questions that were answered around the ship</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sample replica of the living quarters</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The kitchen</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The dove with the olive branch</span></div>
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When we had toured the ark we explored the grounds a little bit. They had a little petting zoo that we took advantage of, and a few other animals on exhibit. They also offered camel rides, but the fee for that was not included with admission (which was already a bit on the high side, in my opinion), so we skipped that.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">"Hi, goat!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Petting a donkey</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">"That's a crazy bird!"</span></div>
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Before leaving, we stopped to have a nice little picnic lunch underneath the ark.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Enjoying lunch!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eric and E.J. beneath the Ark</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">One last look on our way out</span></div>
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Then, it was back to the car to continue on to Detroit! That will be coming up next week!<br />
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To see more pictures from Cumberland Falls, click <a href="https://mylifeasalawyerswife.shutterfly.com/57768" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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To see more pictures from the Ark Encounter, click <a href="https://mylifeasalawyerswife.shutterfly.com/57816" target="_blank">here</a>.Mrs. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15932192476467268751noreply@blogger.com0