A Pacifist Joins a Fight Club and other news from 2017

I love getting the mail this time of year.  I love seeing family and friends’ beautiful photo cards and hanging them up in our dining room.  And, I also love sending them.  Addressing them, stamping them, and sorting them would not be tasks I would want to do on a regular basis.  But, I do find joy in the task once a year.  Along with the cards, I also like to send a little note for our blog post, so that I can share some updates on 2017.  So, without further ado, here goes……

3-year-old Rory becomes the worlds youngest real estate mogul

I remember last winter we found our old Monopoly game and the kids were curious.  So, we got it out, came up with some modified rules, and played.  Rory was the luckiest player!  With our modified rules, you could build houses on properties you owned if you just landed on it again.  Rory kept landing on his own properties and building house after house, hotel after hotel.  In the end, he won the game by a landslide – no cheating involved!  (just modified rules of course).

If addition to being a budding real estate investor, Rory (who is now 4), enjoys drawing very anatomically correct people and detailed machines, building with blocks and legos, playing outside, riding his Strider bike, cooking with Mom, and snuggling.  He started pre-school this year and is really starting to enjoy it after a couple of months of transition.

6-year-old Harper breaks world record for most days of a loose dangly tooth hanging on

Harper has had a loose tooth since March.  On the day she discovered it, we busted out the sewing machine to make a little tooth bag for when the tooth fell out.  She carried it with her on all overnight trips through the spring, summer and fall.  Guess when that tooth fell out……. December 12!  It was hanging on by a thread for months, but that thing just wouldn’t fall out.  Upon advice from her wise cousin, Gavin, she visualized it falling out on Dec. 11 and then it just happened the next day.  Woah!

Aside from breaking world records, Harper worked very hard to break a hard thumb-sucking habit this year.    She loves to ride her purple bike, swim, play school, make things for people, do crafts, and read.  She’s starting to learn to play piano, and she tried soccer for the first time this fall.  First-grade suits her very well.  She loves school.

Eric wrestles an Alligator and keeps all 5 fingers

Well, almost.  This statement is only partially true.  Eric did not wrestle a gator, but he did hold one.  Yes, it’s true.  In June, we took a family trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and not far from the park is the Colorado Gator Farm.  I did not want to go, but Eric convinced us all to stop.  During our tour, we fed gators, watched gators, and Eric HELD A GATOR!  The other 3 of us touched its tail.  Saying reptiles are not my thing is an understatement.  But, in the end, I will say it was one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever been. 

Thankfully, Eric decided not to enroll in the gator-wrestling class.  Instead he proved his athletic prowess cycling hundreds of miles in the foothills around Fort Collins, playing basketball, and building a play structure in our back yard.  He continues to amaze me with his handy-man skills.

Haley, the pacifist, joins a Fight Club

Earlier this fall I had the opportunity to co-facilitate a presentation at CSU’s Diversity Symposium called “Fight Moves for Working Parents”.  It was sponsored by the Feminist Fight Club at CSU, which is a group dedicated to combating micro aggressions and discrimination in the workplace.  It was a fun opportunity for me to step outside my comfort zone and speak up for how we can make the workplace more productive for working parents, which is an issue I feel passionate about.

Outside of the fight club, this year I’ve enjoying being active outside (running, biking, hiking), deepening my yoga practice, learning some new crafty skills (hello fabric screen-printing), and getting more involved in Harper’s school community. 

Our Holiday Card this year says “Find your Merry”.  For our family, some of the best times we’ve had are when we’re adventuring outside together.  Unplugging from technology, having no strict agenda, and simply exploring the wonders of the natural world make our hearts swell.

In this world that sometimes feels chaotic, too-busy, and unpredictable, we hope that you can find ways to connect with what brings you joy and merriment in 2018.

Peace and Love,

Haley, Eric, Harper and Rory 

*** photo credits to Derek Haynes ***

The Apple of Their Eyes - May 2017

The Apple of Their Eyes

May 5th was Harper's Kindergarten Music program.  She had been excitedly talking about it, practicing songs, and telling us all the details for months.  One set of grandparents attended.  We pre-ordered the official school video to show the other set of grandparents and cousins.  This was THE event of the year so far for Ms. Harper.

And, it did not disappoint.  The amount of energy, enthusiasm, and overall cute-ness of 80ish kindergartners singing their hearts out was just too much.  We clapped and waved and laughed and gave "thumbs up" signs.  Harper is typically pretty reserved and leans on the shy side, but in this program, she came to life!  Her singing was strong.  Her actions were bold.  Her smiles was wide.  Afterward, she told me it was even better than she imagined. 

 My heart was bursting with happiness and pride.

Harper and Rory do things big and small each day (well, most days) to make me proud.  They don't have to perform or demonstrate a new skill for me to feel proud of them.  Sometimes it's just a thoughtful, kind comment or a though-provoking question.  They teach me lessons every day and allow me to feel every emotion under the sun; pride and wonder being two of them.  

And, they feel such pride in themselves.  "Mommy look at this!"  "Mommy, guess what I can do?"  I hear phrases like this all the time.  Young children are so eager to learn and so proud to share their accomplishments with others.  

Thinking of their pride makes me wonder:  when is the last time I felt proud of something I did?

It only took a flip through the photos on my phone to find something.  A couple of weeks ago, I completed a half-marathon.  I say "completed" because I did not run the entire thing.  The Horsetooth Half Marathon in Fort Collins is tough!  Lots of ups and downs over the hills to the west of our home.  It was a gorgeous spring day and I had trained with an inspiring group of friends.  Given the hours I'd spent training in February, March, and April, I felt so relieved to cross the finish line and get my medal and free beer!!  It is safe to say that 13.1 miles is a bit beyond my comfort-zone.

After the race, both Harper and Rory ( and Eric too) gave me big hugs and asked lots of questions.   'Did you win?"  (ummmm.  no).  "Who won the race?"  (ummmm, I don't know).  "Why did you run so far?"  (good question!).  "Did you get to eat snacks and drink water?"  (yes, water and gatorade).  "Did you have to go potty?"  (again, yes).  

They seemed curious and pleased to be there at the chaotic, noisy finish.

Once we got home, I looked at the photos both Eric and I took of the race.  He and some other dads and kids collaborated to amass quite the cheering squad, complete with signs and noise-makers.  The photos he took of us runners running toward the kids is great.  We are so excited to see them!  I took a couple of the kids holding signs and anxiously awaiting high-fives from the moms in the group.

But my favorite, is a pic Eric took of me in the last quarter-mile.  I had just stopped to give Harper and Rory quick mini-hugs and had started running again.  I look excited to finish the race.  

 

 And, the look on Harper and Rory's faces is priceless to me.  Here's the zoom in.  

The looks of excitement and that's-my-mommy-pride fill my heart to overflow status.

I signed up for this race to get outside, gain strength and endurance, and socialize with my friends.  I need those things to be a happy, healthy Haley.  And, I gained something else in the process.  I realized that my kids are capable of feeling proud of me for doing something that isn't even connected to their ego-centric little selves.

As parents, we give so much of our energy and so much of our selves to our children.  We tend to their needs, support their dreams, and celebrate their accomplishments.  

AND, there is huge value in us parents challenging ourselves, getting out of our comfort zones, and accomplishing a goal we set for ourselves.  I feel strongly that if we want our kids to be resilient, to think outside of themselves, and develop healthy relationships, we have to be willing to demonstrate that we are complex people.  Even though being a mother is the most important thing in the world to me.  It's not the only important thing in my world.  I hope they will come to understand that, respect that, and live that as well.

So, when is the last time  you made yourself proud?  your kids proud?  Or, for my non-parent friends, when is the last time you made someone important to you proud?  

You don't have to run a half-marathon.  Just try something new and share that experience with others.  Feel the pride.  Relish it.  Share it.

Ready - Set - Go! 

Happy New Year and Welcome 2017

Happy New Year and Welcome 2017!

 

Holiday e-cards are getting sent out late this year!   

Christmas crafts, Christmas carols, Christmas lights.  You name it, and we’re excited about it if it relates to Christmas this year.  Five-year-olds love to talk about Christmas, and that energy and enthusiasm is as contagious and catchy as the common cold.  The whole family is having fun with the holidays this year, whilst knowing that melt-downs are pending due to the over-excitement and sugar-overload of the season.

2016 was a fun and exciting year.  Here’s a brief recap:

Eric – His 9-5 is still working as a structural engineering with Larsen Structural Design in Old Town Fort Collins.  He moonlights building shelving with materials retrieved from dumpsters in the construction site near our neighborhood, building aesthetically pleasing compost bins and garden beds, and designing (and redesigning) ideas for patio and home enhancements.  When Eric’s not working, designing, or building spreadsheets with our monthly budget, he can be found riding his bike across the dams of Horsetooth Reservoir, reciting his daily “Dad Jokes”, and serving as a human jungle gym.

Haley – She’s entered her 11^th year serving students as an academic advisor extraordinaire at CSU and is still enjoying her part-time work.  A secondary job and passion has emerged in forming a networking and support group for working mothers at CSU.  Off-campus, Haley continues to coordinate social activities with friends and neighbors, memorize the lyrics to countless children’s songs, and give appendicitis the middle finger by completing a half-marathon 3 ½ months post-op.

Harper (age 5) – Harper finished up pre-school, participated in summer “camp”, which involved field trips to all sorts of fun activities around the community, and enrolled in KINDERGARTEN this year.  There is little separation of school and home, as we see Harper either playing “school” or teaching us the activities she learns in school almost every day.   She loves planning parties (especially if we can have cupcakes), making arts and crafts projects to share with others, and expanding her athletic abilities (bike riding, gymnastics moves, dancing, volleyball, tennis, basketball, running fast, etc.). 

Rory (age 3) -  Rory spends 4 days a week at an in-home day care with his best friends, and 3 days a week fulfilling his family responsibilities at home.  Rory’s jobs are playing, potty training, and being the family snuggle-provider.  Rory loves all things transportation-related (trucks, tractors, trains, etc.), running fast, and making us laugh.   His expressive nature and curiosity leads to many humor-filled conversations.