North Carolina

Today we drove down to North Carolina to visit Granny and PawPaw. We have been trying to make time to get down here for over a month! The drive down was really nice, though, both girls rode quietly and looked out the windows or sang along to the music or colored or read the whole drive. We stopped twice for gas and lunch and made it in record time, by my count. The weather was beautiful so we stopped at the playground before getting to Granny's. The girls got to ride a zipline, play in the sandbox, climb some rocks and use the playground equipment. Granny and I got to talk and catch up. 

When we finally made it to Granny's house we went out to feed the horses and get brush them. They were so sweet, but the wind was blowing hard and it spooked Dutch, who scrambled and scared me. Mabel was pretty close to him and I thought she would be trampled. I gathered the girls and got them back to the house so we could wash up and eat dinner. I broke out the Girl Scouts cookies (Evie's killing it in sales this year!) and the girls played with play-doh while I knit a cardigan for myself. We get to see Jake and Meli and baby Mila tomorrow! Can't wait. Will update more when we are back.

xoxo

Sarah

Evelyn's 7th Birthday!!

 Holy cow! 7 years ago I was spending the day walking around the shopping plaza, willing you to come out on your own, hoping beyond hope that I would get to meet you before the evening ended. And lo and behold, you made your way Earthside, just as I wished. 

You woke up this morning feeling a little disappointed that you did not feel any different. Seven was supposed to make you feel more grand, maybe? Or special? I told you that you do look a little different to me. You've certainly have grown in the 9 months since we moved here. Seven months ago we measured and marked your height on the door to your room. You've shot up at least an inch or two since then!

For breakfast you requested crepes. My specialty! Strawberry, banana and hazelnut spread. You scarfed them down and asked for more. Next we brought out your favorite birthday gift: the chemistry lab set! You donned your lab coat and safety goggles from Aunt Marie and got to work making solutions, testing pH, even making a lava lamp in a test tube! Then I made a big mess with the oil. Ah, well, it was worth it. SCIENCE! 

We had to say goodbye to Granny as she was heading home today after spending all day with us yesterday. We got plenty of hugs and kisses and a few pictures too, then sent her on her way. You were ready for the next birthday event, which was going next door to play with your friends! That's where you are now, and why I'm able to sit down and write this. Having you home for the winter break has been incredible, but man, you keep me busy!

Tonight we are celebrating with Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Justin, Aunt Aurora and Uncle Corey. I'm not sure what the whole plan is yet, but I am assuming dinner, presents, and hang outs. I think that will make you super happy. You have asked that we do not sing Happy Birthday to you, although no one warned the restaurant staff last night and you not only got Happy Birthday but also a loud noisemaker rattled right behind you, which startled you and actually made Mabel cry. Sorry about that. I hope that you remember today fondly and forgive me for the song mishap. 

Now a little recap of year 6:

This year we did the 1000 hours outside challenge, so most of the beginning of the year we spent outside, cramming all the adventures into the days. We visited so many parks and playgrounds, trails and camps. You found all manner of interesting keepsakes from bones, sticks and rocks to feathers and shells and sea glass. We now keep those things in our fairy garden in front of the house under a crepe myrtle tree.

We luckily got some snow early in the year, so your wishes to build a snowman were granted. It was small and melted the next day, but you were so afraid we wouldn't get any snow since the year before we only really got a dusting. You really want to move to Yukon where you can live out your Calvin and Hobbes dreams of snow up to your waist and snowmen for days. Dad and I are still coming up with a plan to afford that kind of move.

Speaking of moving, we bought a house this year, so you finally got to say you live in your forever home! You and Mabel share a room still, but you're happy with that. We bought you bunk beds to sleep in, but you prefer to bunk together on the bottom bunk. Fine by me, though I bet you'd both sleep better in your own spaces. We are still in the process of personalizing your space, but we got new curtains, a ceiling lamp and some sheets and such to make the room feel cozy. You have your own bathroom, but the toilet is a little slow to flush, so you prefer to use the downstairs one. I think you're enjoying having a forever home and next year when the weather is dry and we can work in the yard more, we will tailor it to all of your outdoor adventures!

You finished up homeschool Kindergarten this year and over the summer I taught you to read. You took to it like wildfire! 

You've lost 8 teeth now, this year and most of them are growing back in. I think you're done with losing teeth for awhile and seeing your big-kid grin is bittersweet for me. I miss your little baby smile, but knowing that you are growing big and strong and healthy means so much to me. I created you! And you're thriving!

We've had so many adventures with friends this year, traveling to NC numerous times, visiting Aunt Aurora for tie-dyeing and cookouts and over Easter we hosted an egg hunt with the neighbors in the backyard. We've gone bowling with friends, explored the botanical gardens and got a zoo membership too! We brought Mummum up for a visit, saw Uncle Johnny and Uncle Jake when Aunt Meli announced her pregnancy and spent lots of time with your cousin Elara. 

You discovered you are a true science lover. Everything is an experiment (you still call them "experiences" though). You want to know what happens when you add this to that, or if you leave this outside overnight or what if you move that over here? You mix potions in the tub with Mabel, play with beakers and test tubes and pipettes and watch as you form chemical reactions and see how the conclusions of your experiments compare to your hypotheses. You've made volcanoes and lava lamps and mixed paints and soaps, too!

You expand your science mind into botanicals, too. You've learned which plants in our yard are edible and can name quite a few plants on our hikes. You learn about the bugs and critters that live in our local area and your favorite show Wild Kratts teaches you about the wild animals around the world! Probably because of my influence, you have also taken up podcasts. Your favorite podcast is WOW in the World and every road trip or drive to the store we end up learning about Mindy and Guy Roz as they do scientific experiments, play game shows and tell stories. 

You've upgraded your car seat from harnessed booster to high-back booster with the regular seatbelt. You're very proud of this upgrade and tell everyone about it. Pretty soon you'll be able to go without the high back, too, and I think this mama will have a real reality-check moment when I realize you're big enough to not need the full car seat anymore!

You had your first cookie season as a girl scout this year and managed to sell enough cookies to get to go to girl scout camp. It was just a single-day camp, but you got to canoe, make crafts, sing songs and learn about being a girl scout. You came home exhausted but happy and with your very own highlighter yellow tshirt.

In May you received your handmade Hobbes stuffed tiger and for a long time you carried him everywhere. He still makes appearances from time to time, but no toys are allowed at school, so he's mostly in your room for bedtime snuggles. We all love him to pieces. Mabel almost cut him to pieces, so that makes sense!

In July you took a dance class at the rec center and impressed us all with your skills. You had a mini performance at the end and made some new friends along the way. 

August was a crazy month. We made a plan to take a trip to DC and the day before we were set to leave, you slid down the doorway in the antechamber and got a 2 inch sliver of wood up under the skin of your back! That was SO scary for everyone. We called and drove everywhere trying to find a way to get it out. The pediatrician wouldn't do it, urgent care was also hesitant and even the children's ER was stumped, but eventually they were able to retrieve it. You were happy to have it out and the next day we left for DC on time!

DC was a blast and we went to a ton of museums and parks. We walked around and took in all the sights there were to see. You and Mabel played in the puddles, gardens and ate tasty food. You bought yourselves gifts from the gift shops and found souvenirs for our family. Before leaving DC we managed to eke out some time with Dad's friend Steve. Its always so good to see old friends.

In September you started first grade. You were so sad to not get to have in-person school for Kindergarten that when the school system announced in-person would be standard this year, I enrolled you in first grade at the elementary school up the street. You've absolutely loved being in school again, but sometimes you tell me how you miss homeschool and to be honest, I miss it too. There's a lot of flexibility and freedom in homeschooling and we got outside a whole lot more when you were with us. Mabel and I still go on adventures, but its not as easy to pack it all into the 6 hours you're at school. But you love your teacher, your new friends and the walk to school is short but treasured. We run into your friend April on the way home from school each day. Some days you just follow her to her house and spend the afternoon with her until dinner time. Its so nice to know that we have friends in the neighborhood. And April's family is so nice, too. 

Spooky season came upon us and you were all too excited to decorate our forever home. We made a Halloween countdown chain and put spooky bats and rats all over the walls. We carved pumpkins more than once and put up lights and made our front yard into a graveyard complete with spooky skeletons! Your costume this year was a black widow spider. Mabel opted to be a pumpkin and you both looked cute as buttons. The night of Halloween you managed to collect a good 15 pounds of candy. It's almost January and we still have some of that candy floating around. 

Granny built a barn with Pawpaw this year and you helped. They now have 2 horses in the barn and you and Mabel are so excited to learn to ride. As of now, you've enjoyed petting them and loving on them. 

Thanksgiving was great and we had so much good food and saw all of our family, but Christmas was a little less cheerful. Mabel got sick and our trip down to NC was a little more reserved because of that. We isolated in the bedroom for most of Christmas Eve and then opened presents away from everyone. When we came home, we canceled our family Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa and had our own little gathering so we wouldn't spread germs around. That actually ended up being pretty nice, though. And we still got together with everyone again after Mabel was feeling better. 

The remainder of winter break has just been very lounge-y and while we've still gotten outside some, I've mostly abandoned the goal of 1000 hours. We made it to about 800, maybe a little over that. Next year I will set a more realistic goal, knowing that you'll be in school so much. For now, we are all content to just relax and enjoy the cozy, warm comfort of home. 

Happiest of birthdays, my sweet Evelyn Marie. I am so enjoying being your mom. I treasure every moment I get to spend with you and I am grateful you chose me to be your mom. Until next year!

M<3M

U

End of August Update

My sweet little Beans,

August has been eventful! In the beginning of the month, Mabel was enrolled in a ballet class. Unfortunately, whether due to COVID or some other reason, she was one of only two students and lost interest fairly quickly. It was a fun attempt, but we ultimately decided not to go back.

We took hikes with Daddy, on his days off, gathering more hours for outdoors and exploring our little neck of the woods. 

We traveled down to NC to visit our friends Renata and Julia and their kids. A weekend of fun relaxing in the basement of Renata's house while the kids rekindled old friendships. It had been over a year since we were last all together and they picked up right where they left off. 

Next we hit up some museums on the particularly hot days. We went to the Barry Art Museum as well as Nauticus. 

I tried my hand at crepes and found out I'm pretty darn good at it! So we got a little crepe crazy for a couple weeks.

In mid-August, the day before our big family trip to DC, Evie slid her back down a door frame and got one heck of a splinter. We were tossed about to different medical facilities before we landed in the children's ER. For as much effort as it took to get someone to take it out, it healed almost immediately. Thank goodness. 

Our DC trip was the best family trip I've ever been on in my life. You girls loved the hotel, we saw so many museums and the gardens! Oh, the gardens. Such beautiful flowers and plants. We even managed to enjoy the National Mall despite the heat. We absolutely loved the Smithsonian Natural History museum but we also went to the Castle and the Air and Space museums too. The only snag we ran into was on the day we were set to leave. The Smithsonian zoo ran out of parking and we were forced to make alternative plans. Quickly, Dad set into action and found us a park to hike at and you girls played in the water and rocks for a bit before the rain chased us back to the car. 

The drive home from DC was relatively uneventful until we got to the bridge we have to cross to get back to Norfolk. Traffic backed up so long and so far that I was very glad we did not decide to take my car. No AC would have been absolutely miserable. But we did eventually make it through and once home, we were all happy to see Sydney and Pepper. Pepper was only mildly annoyed to see we had returned. 

Back at home, we made a paper chain to count down the days til school starts. We did school supply shopping and found out Mabel was waitlisted for the preschool program. So it's just gonna be me and Mabel at home this fall while Evie gets to return to in-person schooling. 

Seeing as we'd been out of town a bunch, we decided to make a dedicated playdate to hang out with Grandma. She treated us to lunch and a trip to the trampoline park where both of you girls impressed me with your skills at climbing out of the foam pit. I, on the other hand, struggled some. 

And of course you can't have one grandma without the other! Granny drove up for a day to spend time with you girls and do some thrifting and chatting with me too. We miss her being so far away, but she is coming back for the first day of school. :)

Each day this month, Evie has been doing reading lessons so she can return to school prepared for first grade. Mabel's been practicing her writing and learning letters. Since Mabel won't be able to go to preschool in person, I'm going to find her a preschool curriculum to teach from. 

So as you can see, August was absolutely brimming with fun, adventure, conflict, injury, romance! Okay, maybe not really romance? But definitely the rest. Speaking of rest, it might be time to wind this down. Here are some photos from the month. I love you both so much I could cry. Thank you for being my incredible daughters. <3

Mom

April, 2021

 Evelyn and Mabel,

I write to you this afternoon during a time of rest. Evie, you're playing one of Dad's videogames and Mabel, you're sleeping peacefully in my bed, snuggled up under all the blankets even though its almost seventy degrees outside. Our new cat Pepper is curled up between my arms, making every attempt to interrupt this letter to you. But I'm sure she means no harm. :)

We have now lived in our new home for a few weeks and explored most of the corners of the yard as well as the house itself. You two share a room upstairs and haven't managed to keep it clean for an entire day yet, but that was why I made the upstairs room yours; I wont ever worry too much about it being messy since I don't have to be up there much. 

Our days are pretty laid back, recently, as we have mostly unpacked things. We wake up, make breakfast, eat together at the table, talk about our dreams or what we would like to do today, then you two scamper off to the yard while I do the dishes, make my bed, clean up my room and the dining room, living room and kitchen and do some laundry. Then I join you out in the yard and hang the laundry while you both dig in the dirt and play with your dolls and tools. Pretty soon it's lunchtime and we once again gather at the table to nourish our bodies and our minds. You see, Evie, you like to bring a workbook and study and Mabel, you and I talk about all the questions you have in this world. And you sure do have a lot of questions. 
After lunch I take the laundry down from the line and we take Sydney for a walk around the neighborhood. We mostly stick to the loop surrounding our house, but the other day we took an almost mile-long walk to the post office drop box to mail a letter and wouldn't you know it, there was a street sign that said Juniper on it! Marvelous. These are the things that make life special. Little unexpected smiles from the universe that remind you that you aren't alone.
After our walks we come home and it's back to choring for me, while you two play upstairs or back in the yard or even down in the living room. Sometimes we put the TV on so you guys will give me some dedicated time to a task, other times we sit down together to play a game, do some schoolwork or work in the garden together. Most days I start dinner before Dad gets home and then we eat together before brushing teeth, putting pajamas on, reading books and giving hugs and kisses goodnight. 

The days seem long but they pass by rather quickly and I'm only keenly aware that my little baby girls are growing up so quickly. I try to take plenty of pictures to capture these moments with you both, but sometimes its better when I don't have my phone in my hand. I might be sad in the moment that it won't be something I've captured on (metaphorical) film forever, but its a golden memory in my heart. 

We have baby birds in our window this Spring. They're house finches and they're so cute. I lift you each up to see them while the mama is away, but we try not to disturb them much. They'll be big enough to try to fly soon, I think. I can't wait to see that. We have a camera set up to keep an eye on them. 

I don't get much time to sit down and write these days, but I hope that one day you will have this to look back and read and remember all the fun times we have and know how much I truly love you both.

Love, 

Mom

Forever Home

My lovely children, it is late. It is after 11pm and I am heading to bed, but as of Friday, March 18th, we have our "forever home" and I could not be happier. I will try to remember to edit this and go into more detail later on, but I just couldn't go to sleep without posting that we found and bought a home! 

Special Moments

Evelyn,

I share a lot of our lives on social media. Sometimes it's for inspiring others or just documentation, an online scrapbook of sorts. But there are some memories that I feel more protective of, that I prefer to keep close to the vest. Tonight was one of those. And while I know this is in fact MORE public than my social media, I feel comfortable sharing since no one else will likely ever read this but you. 

Tonight you laid in bed for a couple hours, fighting sleep with all your might. Finally you crept out of your room and into mine, sneaking into my bed and asking if tonight could be the night I let, no, make you stay up all night. I laughed. This goal of yours to stay up all night long is sweet. You just want to know what we do once you're asleep but there's really nothing exciting happening. I scroll on my phone, watching funny videos and Dad plays games. Sometimes we play cards or a board game or we lay in bed and talk or read, but it's nothing thrilling for a 6 year old.

You wanted to stay up. I admit I'm not the one who came up with the concept of bedtime for you. I don't care much for bedtime myself so naturally I don't take much pleasure in putting you to bed. But Dad prefers you to have a predictable schedule so I go along with it. 

But Dad was not in our room tonight.

So I let you snuggle up and we laid there talking, me gazing at this marvelous creature I brought forth from my womb just a little over 6 years ago. Feels like only days. 

You ask me questions, wanting to see if you can bring forth a long, drawn-out answer that might tease a few more minutes of wakefulness out of me. You think I'm not onto your schemes. Your forced chuckles to distract me from remembering that it is almost 4 hours past your bedtime. But I'm happy to have your company. It's not often that we have quality alone time. I'm drawn into my phone a lot and you have Mabel on your tail. I am living for these quiet moments where we can just be.

Your mind is really endless. The things you think of astound me sometimes. Your perceptions of your small world, and the larger world too. I wonder how much of this time you'll remember as you get older. 

You held out as long as possible, until Dad came in to chase you back to bed. But then he didn't even run you off. I think he realized the importance of this time for all of us. You squished between us and we talked about how you used to sleep across us, like an H, with your head on Dad's chest and feet on my tummy. This made you giggle. You still have your infectious laugh after 6 years. I hope you always keep it.

When we finally put you to bed, you had us do your old nighttime routine of hugs, kisses, butterfly kisses, ugga muggas, hand squeezes and kisses. Even when five minutes prior you were stunning me with your philosophizing, this little act reminds me that you are still just a child and all of your thoughts swirling around in that beautiful head are just beginning to learn how to organize. One day you're going to change the world.

Thank you for tonight and for every moment I get to be your mom. ♥️

January 2021

 Sweet Evelyn,

I know I recently updated, but I feel compelled to write tonight.

I felt a little unsettled tonight and decided to get my things organized for the next week of homeschooling. In doing so I began to think about how we have been doing this homeschool kindergarten for 19 weeks. Nineteen weeks we have sat around a table, on the floor, ran around outside trying to convey the information needed to place you in first grade this fall. My head spins just thinking about it. We are over halfway through the school year now. 

I went through my emails from your pre-K teacher, the ones from the beginning of this pandemic standing out to me. She had sent resources, learning websites at first. Then the kindergarten readiness guide to help us figure out the rest of what you needed to know before they you supposed to return to school in the fall. Instead we ended up homeschooling. Thankfully, that allowed us to go at our own pace. I went back through these resources and opened the ones I think of which may still get some use. Particularly the spelling and reading-related ones. You've done a great amount of exploring outdoors this year, but we have been sticking fairly close to our meager curriculum for reading exercises. I'm not impressed with the speed at which it seems to go, however. I don't typically align with the attitude of pressuring kids to learn everything, but I also don't want you to fall behind. 

This year we decided to re-commit to the 1000 hours outside goal that we probably reached last year, but didn't keep track. This year we are marking it on a sheet as well as tracking with an app. We've got 10.2 hours on day 4. To hit our goal, we need to average about 2.75 hours per day. I imagine in the Spring, Summer and Fall we will accumulate way more than we do in Winter. As I've told my friends, I can do cold and I can do wet, but I don't do cold and wet very well. And neither do you and your sister. So far you are enjoying the outings, making friends when we can and taking notes on things you see when we aren't with friends. One day you drew a duck that you saw. Today you found a dead raccoon under a pine tree by the trail and exclaimed, "That's the first raccoon I've seen in real life!" You were sad it was dead, but amazed nonetheless. You took note of its little teeth showing beneath a curled lip and postulated about how it came to meet its fate.

This time last year I was writing about how I wished we had more time together since you had started school. I guess I got my wish! Reading through your 5 year post made me tear up with sadness at how fast a year has flown by. And at how much you have changed, I have changed, everything has changed. I really find myself wishing I could be more for you and Mabel. More present, more courageous, more loving. Not that you are lacking in any of those, but I just wish I could give more. Your mind is expanding rapidly now to where I don't feel as though I can keep up with how much you want to know. I pick up on your eyes squinting as you try to read between the lines of comments and find the true meaning. You're learning to pick up on sarcasm fairly well and questioning a lot of the folk lore you've heard over the years. I doubt we have much more time with Santa and the Tooth Fairy. 

Here are some photos of our time spent outdoors this year: