High Five for Friday (8.20.21)

One

New seasons of both soccer and dance are underway, and because nothing else feels normal right now, I'm grateful for these two activities that bring a bit of consistency and stability to my and the kids' lives. 

Starting back felt normal enough that I forgot to take pictures. Oops.

Two

On a related note, returning to in-person school doesn't feel normal - or safe - yet. But these kiddos bravely walked into their new grades and new schools with (semi-forced) smiles on their faces behind their masks, and I'm so proud of them. 

Schedule pick-up for these two cuties.

Excited (and scared).

Extremely unhappy about the sign. 

7th grade, here they come!

We've had two amazing crossing guards over the
course of the kids' schooling. Ms. Rosa, who crossed
the kids to elementary, and Ms. Lily (pictured), who
crossed/s the kids to intermediate and middle. Seeing her
on the first day of school was a highlight for all of us.  

Time is a thief.

Three

I worked really hard on something these last two weeks. It was (is) something I strongly believed (believe) in, and something that had (has) both real world and life-and-death consequences. Thus far my efforts and the efforts of others I've worked alongside haven't produced the results we hoped for, but I'm still proud of where and how I directed my energies leading up to the start of the new school year. My goal was to be able to look my kids in the face and tell them that I did absolutely everything I could to keep them safe...and I accomplished that goal. 

Four

Kitten Update:

After a rough experience at his first "forever" home, Moe came back to us. He stayed a few days before being adopted again, this time by his real forever family. 

Curly is still with us, still waiting for his forever family, and still as sweet as can be. I can't explain how much love this boy has to give, and how badly I want - need - him to find his people; if you or someone you know would like to meet him, please let me know.

Curly and I are attached at the hip. I've never
had a kitten like me as much as Curly does.

Aretha is making slow but steady progress, thanks primarily to Hallie's efforts. We are starting to see glimpses of her personality, and while I expect she will always be somewhat timid and shy, I think we're going to discover that she is kind and gentle, with a ever so slightly mischievous streak. (Aretha is also officially up for adoption, so if you'd like to meet her, please reach out and let me know!)

In her sweatshirt, but no one is wearing the sweatshirt...

In her sweatshirt and snuggling with Hallie.

Not in her sweatshirt, but in "her" 
corner of the bathroom with Hallie.

Next to her sweatshirt on the bed.

Next to her sweatshirt and snuggling with me.

She won't let us carry her in our arms, but she'll now
let us carry her in whatever we're wearing (this is just
my t-shirt pulled up like a basket).

Five 

Last week while I worked throughout the afternoon and into the evening at schedule pick-up at Hallie's middle school, Will and Hallie MADE DINNER. BY THEMSELVES. WITHOUT ASKING ME QUESTIONS. And IT WAS READY WHEN I GOT HOME. I nearly cried when I walked through the door and saw pasta salad (Will), rolls (Hallie), and washed fruit (Hallie) ready on the counter.   

Happy weekend, friends!

I'm Not Ready

Today Will starts ninth grade. NINTH GRADE. You know that means he's in high school, right? And Hallie - my BABY - starts seventh grade. Holy smokes...they DO grow up so fast. Time DOES go by so quickly.

                      

When Will and Hallie started school virtually (though Will's model was more of a hybrid since he attended cross country, basketball, and track practices as well as his athletics and orchestra periods on campus) last fall, I thought for certain they'd be back in their classrooms after the first or second six-week grading period. Instead, both kids ended the year exactly as they'd begun it: working in their bedrooms with their Chromebooks on their pajama-clad laps.

Last year wasn't easy, and this year won't be easy either. I'm nervous about Will and Hallie's transitions back to in-person school, to new school levels, and to new school buildings. I'm scared about sending them into crowded, indoor spaces with unvaccinated and/or unmasked kids and adults. And I'm sad about closing the door on yet another summer, knowing I only have three more with Will before he graduates from high school. Three is a heartbreakingly small number when counting down.

But they're ready to go back academically and socially - they want to be inside their school buildings, learn from their teachers in person, and eat lunch with their friends. And they're ready to go back with regard to COVID-19 precautions - both are vaccinated and will wear masks because our county...and state...and region of the country...have high levels of transmission. 

I'm not ready. But they are.

~

This brings me to what I'm about to share: an edited and abbreviated version of a post that has appeared here multiple times before, always around this time of year.

~

During Will and Hallie's baby and toddler years, I found the commonly uttered phrase "enjoy every moment" both frustrating and disheartening.

You've been there, right?

It's 10am. You've been awake for five hours, and in that time you've fed your children three times, been thrown up on three times, cleaned smashed banana out of the cat's fur, changed four diapers, wiped pee up off the playroom floor, rescued a Power Ranger action figure from the toilet, unclogged the toilet, and mopped up the flooded bathroom. You haven't eaten, showered, gotten dressed, or even brushed your teeth.

How many of those moments did you enjoy?

Telling parents - especially new parents, whose days feel like weeks and whose nights require superhuman strength to endure - to "enjoy every moment" often comes across, no matter how well-intentioned, as cruel. These new moms and dads love their babies tremendously, but they simply aren't enjoying every moment.

And telling new parents that kids grow up so fast and time goes by so quickly? Well, those lines sound like great big lies, because in their reality, the kids aren't growing up so fast and time isn't going by so quickly. If they're anything like me when I had an infant at home, new parents are wondering how it's possible their (according to the calendar) five-month-old won't head off to kindergarten in the fall because it feels like they've been caring for that baby for five years

Today Will starts ninth grade. NINTH GRADE. You know that means he's in high school, right? And Hallie - my BABY - starts seventh grade. Holy smokes...they DO grow up so fast. Time DOES go by so quickly.

This is all quite difficult to wrap my head around, considering it seems like just yesterday I quietly stewed - and then later cried in my car - when a woman at the farmers market tousled six-month-old Will's curls and exclaimed, "what a big boy! Enjoy every moment with him!"

Where am I going with this? To be honest, I didn't know the first time I shared this post and I still don't know now, years later.

What I do know is that telling parents - of children of any age - to enjoy every moment often makes them feel worse rather than better. I know that telling new parents that kids grow up so fast or time goes by so quickly often comes off as a cliche or even a lie. And I know that while the minutes feel like hours, the hours like days, and the days like weeks when those babies are teeny tiny, at some point the clock speeds up and you can NEVER slow it back down.

Don't worry about enjoying every moment. But try to enjoy most of them, because kids DO grow up so fast and time DOES go by so quickly, whether you're ready or not.

High Five for Friday (8.13.21)

 

Maybe during years that are already chock full of bad luck, Friday the 13th actually brings good luck? Crossing my fingers...

One

Hallie's dance studio always hosts a ballet intensive at the end of July/beginning of August. Attending an intensive at this point in the summer is a great way to get those ballet muscles working again and to prepare for Nutcracker auditions, and in years past Hallie looked forward to this week was led by one of our favorite dancers and teachers, Ashely Laracey, of the New York City Ballet. Sadly, because of the NYCB's change in schedule this year, Ashley wasn't available to come to College Station for the intensive. The high five in all this is that the instructors who replaced Ashley did a wonderful job and Hallie truly enjoyed herself. Nutcracker auditions are just over a week away... 😬

Two

On a related note, Hallie's leotard collection needed an overhaul - she outgrew a couple, felt uncomfortable in a couple, and couldn't wear one because of a shoulder blade tic she's currently battling - so we visited our favorite local dance boutique (called Attitude, for anyone in need of dance shoes, attire, or gifts) to see if we could find one or two new ones for the fall season. Usually Hallie tries on 20 and finds one or two that work...this time she tried on 15 and found SEVEN that fit, looked lovely on her, and made her feel amazing. I walked in planning to buy one black and one colored leo. After the try-on session, I decided to splurge and buy two black and two colored leos. When we finally left the store, Hallie had six beautiful leos (along with new tap shoes, jazz shoes, and turners, because her feet are growing like crazy) in her bag. 

12 is a horribly difficult age when it comes to body confidence, and I just couldn't walk away from these leos that made her eyes light up when she looked at herself in the mirror. Note: I have permission from Hallie to share these "fashion show" pictures...feels worth mentioning in situations like these.

Three

On Thursday, Will attended "Roar Camp" (something of an orientation) at his new high school and then we picked up and walked his schedule. Picking up and walking a schedule is more like two hours of waiting in line, going through nine different stations to take care of photo IDs, school shirts, textbooks, medications, and paperwork. It was a long afternoon. I'm not sure how it's possible to be looking forward to and excited about a stage of life I'm also feeling so sad and anxious about...  

Thankfully he has a few classes and lunch with friends, and he has a general idea about where all of his classes are located. Whether or not he can make it from one to the next in the allotted amount of time is yet to be determined. 😂 

Four

Remember when, last week, I told you Curly was shy? 

First, Curly Q, as we've come to affectionately call him, is no longer shy. Curly has SO much love to give, and he simply adores being around - and by "around", I mean touching at all times - all four of us. He desperately needs a friend, so if you already have a cat and are looking for a companion cat, or if you have a kiddo who wants a cat who will actually play (including dress up) with them, Curly is your perfect pet. If we had been able to foster Larry and/or Curly from a slightly earlier age to give Tux more time with them, I think either could have easily become part of our family permanently.

Yes, we have a cat pouch sweatshirt.

He likes to hold hands.

Touching.

Touching.

Definitely touching.

Always touching.

Must be touching.

Touching at all times.

I love touching.

I love you. 😍

You don't mind if I sit here, right behind
you, while you try to do sit-ups, do you?

Second, we have a new babe, named Aretha (Franklin). I had texted a picture to the women who run our rescue of Hallie "wearing" Curly in her cat pouch sweatshirt - Curly is our first kitten to truly enjoy the cat pouch sweatshirt, so it felt like a milestone - and when they saw the picture, they knew exactly which kitten to give us next. Aretha came from a feral cat colony and is afraid of absolutely everyone and everything. But when we finally managed to "catch" her (she went straight from the cage up into the couch and we had A TIME trying to get her out) and placed her into the pouch, her demeanor completely changed. In the pouch, she is calm and comfortable, even when whoever is wearing her is walking around the house, cleaning their room, unloading the dishwasher, or playing video games. Our work with Aretha isn't finished, but we're making S...L...O...W progress and that feels amazing!

Perhaps my favorite picture... Aretha prefers her
head be down and away from the opening, so her
feet frequently end up out the head hole. She
doesn't care, and just lets them hang there.

Look at that sweet little eye peeking out over Hallie's arm...

Five

Grandma and Grandpa bought Hallie a new bike while we were in Wisconsin, and after having it shipped to us in College Station and assembled at our local bike shop, late last week it was finally ready to ride!

What? Don't you go straight from your dancing ballet to riding your bike?

Happy weekend, friends!