September - Fingers crossed and remodel almost done!

Knocking on wood and keeping our fingers crossed kept us healthy, in school, and living an overall smooth day to day through September.  School bus transportation woes and positive COVID alerts at school light up our phones enough to keep us on our toes.   It's almost comical (almost is a key word) how I get multiple alerts on my phone to start my day with buses not running because of driver shortages.  

Our weekends have stayed fairly chill this Fall which we don't mind.  We are utilizing our club well these days with lots of tennis, karate, parkour (yup you read that right), batting cage action, and swimming.  

Elise is giving karate a go and her instructor calls her fierce which doesn't surprise me.  Don't mess with Elise.  She doesn't complain about going and she is focused when there.  Maybe we found a winner.  She also graduated to be a junior girl scout.  She has been with the same troop for going on 5 years now which is pretty darn special.  Besides piano, a healthy addiction to audio books, and an unhealthy addition to screen time, she's doing well. She very much enjoys her alone time with Paul walking home from school this year.

Paul is dedicated to tennis this season and it shows.  The biggest changes I've seen is his ability to get to more balls thanks to better anticipation and speed, using strategy during points, and more pace on his shots.  It's a blast to watch.  If he's not playing tennis, he's trying out a parkour class on weekends, playing plenty of PS4 sports, and watching sports.  He has a hard time sitting and playing by himself.  Work in progress.  He can be a real punk around others making it known when he doesn't want to be somewhere but also be a complete sweetheart with cuddles and fits of laughter at home.  

Same goes for Lily with showing improvements in her tennis game.  I can tell her first serve has improved as has her ability to get to short balls.   She is also really busy with play rehearsals for a local theater Panto production of Cinderella.  Lily decided to take a break from piano which doesn't surprise me.  I was very much over reminding her to practice.  She seems to have found a fun crew of friends that really mean the world to her these days.  No question, she chooses to chat with friends over spending time with us more and more these days.  

Our remodel is 95% done.  The kids have the nicest bathroom in the house and the ping pong table fits just right in the new open room.  We are starting to spend more and more time upstairs again playing ping pong and watching movies together in Elise's old room that is now the TV room.  

Halloween Decor 2021 - new witch on tree and "spooky eye" door

I have a cat that thinks I'm a tree.  She will randomly jump up on me as high as resting on my shoulders like a parrot when I least expect it.  Hurts like hell with her claws digging into my back as she climbs up.  I can't stand facing the kitchen counter or it'll happen.  I have to work sideways these days when working in the kitchen.  Funny not funny.

Explored Mt. St Helens for the first time.  About time.  Paul's smile was the first to disappear a couple miles into our hike.  

Got away with my Girls Night crew for one rainy night at Mt. Hood.  Definite highlight of the month

At the bridging ceremony (Tillikum bridge) where she walked as Brownie on one end and a Junior Girl Scout at the other - very sweet ceremony and celebration with her troop.

Don't mess with Elise. Hi- Yah

Elise's saddest news of the month was hearing her bestie (and neighbor) Olivia was moving soon after Halloween.  Not happy at all.  They are getting plenty of time in together while they can.  We'll miss them.

Last time we saw a Twiga together was in Africa.  Of course Twiga was my Swahili nickname.

Lily's 7th grade school picture

Plenty of furniture assembly to keep us occupied recently for their new rooms.

Plenty of smelly lotions, face masks, and shower time in the new bathroom these days. Just gotta deal with it Paul.

Oma and Opa are coming back in November.  We will be taking our first flight since in over 2 years to celebrate Oma's 80th in Arizona over Thanksgiving.  Elise's next surgery for her macrodactyly is penciled in for December 16.  It will be much more on our radar in November as we get our questions clarified and decide to either confirm the surgery date or push it out.  

August 2021 - End of Summer Break and Back to School

The last part of summer didn't disappoint.  I wouldn't say we were big adventurers. We didn't travel anywhere new or far away.  COVID has kept those plans on hold for us (we dream of you Hawaii & Japan and I sure do miss you Germany).  Our annual trip to Sunriver was our trip this summer; my back injury and being in a particularly challenging phase of finding family activities all of us will enjoy kept us more low key than past years which is just fine. Elise did her first overnight camp for a couple nights with her girl scouts troop.  Lily got to do a traditional week long overnight camp in nature with her best friend Liana.  Paul and Nate enjoyed long mountain bike rides in beautiful central Oregon.  All good.

Paul contemplating life while floating on the Deschutes river.

Elise loved archery at her girl scouts camp.

Happy campers coming home from Camp Howard

We love watching the gazillion little toads jumping around at Todd Lake near Bend

This picture cracks me up.  Shortly after this was snapped, Elise's bike also snapped, just broke on us... right after Nate left with Lily and Paul to do some more rough terrain.  Dying cell phone, getting lost, and showing patience - ended up all working out.

These two love to hit the trails together.  20+ mile rides is common for them now.

Warmed my heart to see our neighbors come out to share a drink and a story for our 6th annual block party...more of a sidewalk chat during COVID.  Hope to come back with a bang next year post COVID.

One of the few family activities we all enjoy together is watching Amazing Race.  Season 32 is keeping us entertained.

Paul helping out with a big project - refinishing the front porch floor.  He was enthusiastic to help out... or to get paid.  Either way, he was a good helper.  You can see the end result in the back to school pic coming up.

Enjoyed the Sunflower festival at Lee Farms with our Mother/Daughter group.  So grateful for our little crew of tweens and moms getting through life together.

Happy to report that after 2 months of treatment on my back, Nicole is back!  Enjoyed an early am session with the ball machine.  For the first time, I felt like I won. 

1st day of school for my 4th and 7th graders.  I look at this picture and I think "Wow, my sports clothes only wearing Paul really picked out that entire outfit on his own at Target and said he wanted to wear it to school.  Lily really experimenting with her fashion style and I love it.  Elise wearing a dress she bought on her own with a friend at a store near our home and I'm so proud of her for wearing sandals and being okay with the stares and awkward looks she gets from kids. 

Besides pictures of my kids, this picture makes me really happy too.  Big thank you to Nate for building a little library next to our fairy garden for the neighborhood to enjoy.  He really did an amazing job.  It's been such a treat to see all the action our front yard gets.  

Lily's first blog post - June/July 2021

 hey everyone, it's lily and for our june/july update, I am writing it! My first blog post.

 June 11 was the last day of 6th grade for Lily and the last day of third grade for Paul and Elise.

                                                   we celebrated with our SDC crew! 

In June we went to the coast, experienced the sand, the ocean, and sunburns. The family didn't spend as much time at the beach this time due to sunburns, however at the house there were some awesome hammock chairs! we  even decided to get one for our house back home!

the family at Cape Kiwanda

For the fourth of july we went to the St.Johns bridge and went swimming! the water is very shallow and warm, its a great place! we also hung out with friends and launched bottle rockets. Happy fourth!

We also traveled to hood river with friends, we had a blast. Paul did a mountain biking camp and we went swimming a lot. we also had some delicious pizza!

some other fun times this summer so far include:

swimming at the sailing club (with friends)

Dad at a timbers game

family dinner

and smores with neighbor friends!

Fun to find a draft blog post waiting for me by Lily.  Thanks Lil'.  Lily is packing up for a week of sleepaway camp tomorrow.  Oma and Opa are also packing up returning to Chicago this week.  After almost 2 full years, it'll be strange not having them here.  Of course it's been a bumpy ride; we lived through a pandemic together!  SLOWLY applies to how fast Oma's foot is healing, the progress of our top floor remodel, and my walking pace these days after a nasty back injury. Silver lining for Oma has been her necessary slow walks in front of our house with her crutches and rests on our front porch which have resulted in Oma holding court on Irving street.  She has met so many new faces to keep her friendly social nature occupied.  I'm still looking for the silver lining with my back injury.  It's also the first summer both of us are working full time with kids.  We are far from being in any kind of groove; we are dealing with the daily challenges as they come. We still have plenty of summer adventures to cross off our family wish list with the ~month we have left before school starts up again. Onwards.   

Whirlwind of Activity, 12th Birthday, and One Broken Foot

 I blogged last time about how tough it is to keep up and stay balanced.  It's laughable at this point, defeat accepted, fatigue is constant.  April and May have been a whirlwind of activity, all fun and exciting except for Oma breaking her foot.  Oma has had the roughest go of it since I last blogged.  The mental toll on being wheelchair bound and dependent on others has been rough.  It's hard to imagine just how difficult life must feel; the fact that she feels more isolated and alone now compared to pandemic days weighs on her.  Hopefully she'll be back to taking her walks by August.  

The honeymoon period of working again has worn off.  I'm grateful my work confidence has returned but so has the reminder that I have a hard time turning work off and switching gears back to mom mode or wife mode. There is so much mommying (my friend coins it captaining the domestic ship) I want to do too.  At least the back pain that I was having from too much sitting for work has somehow miraculously disappeared without changing anything. 

The kids started hybrid school. Our 3rd floor remodel started - the noise, the cramped living, the mess - we're making it work.   Lolo came for a surprise weekend visit - feels like a dream with the whirlwind of fun it all was. Super proud of Lily and her performance in a local theater virtual play. Baseball started for Paul and it's been a treat seeing Paul have a blast with his friends. Elise is actually being active and training for a 5K with Girls On The Run a couple days a week.   She says her special foot bothers her sometimes but she still goes and runs.  We are fully vaccinated.  We hosted our first friends indoors for a meal in 14 months.  Lily got her first vaccine dose.  Lily turned 12.

Yup, my first born is now 12.  She wanted to celebrate by making swords, dueling with friends, having a scavenger hunt, and eating lots of ice cream with a few friends.  Lily is persistent, independent, talkative and kind to adults, helpful to others, and incredibly mean to her sister.  She is exploring her "look" both with clothes, hair, and the stage makeup she sneaks on from time to time.  She LOVES the book series Keeper of the Lost Cities, our cats, organizing, decorating, playing tennis (without me these days), and chilling alone in her room with the cats.  I wouldn't call her as much of a hugger anymore but still enjoys me coming to her room for a bedtime chat.  

Moments from April & May

Easter 2021

First day of hybrid school.  Four days a week, 8-10:15 am.  9 kids in their class.  One teacher.

Oma getting some loving from Moxie while elevating her broken foot.  

Lily and Oma 

Snuck a picture of her walking out of middle school on her first day back.  2 days a week.  1:30-4pm.

Lily getting ready for her virtual play.  Part of it was pre-recorded and much of it was live.  We all watched two floors down while Lily worked upstairs.  

Elise has perfected her chai tea latte making skills.  Frothed milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon has now been added to her routine.

Lily's 12th Birthday party

Hosting our dear friends (and now neighbors) indoors.  The hugs and being unmasked indoors was an easier transition than expected. It's the public crowds that still get me. 

3rd grade means player pitch baseball.  Paul has some heat with his throws.  Proud of him.

We physically forced Oma out of the house on Mother's Day for an outing to a nearby park.  She doesn't have much interest to get out even with a wheelchair.  Mother's Day is the one day we didn't accept no for an answer.  Sorry mom.  

Enjoying dinner with Lolo visiting.

Lolo Lolo Lolo.  We love you so.  Thank you SO MUCH for coming out to visit us.  Please move here.  

February/March 2021 - April Changes

Life moves fast enough.  The speed dial cranked up a few notches these last two months.  It's been really tough to keep up, stay balanced, and hold on to perspective on what matters most.  It's definitely a work in progress navigating this new setup of dual full time work schedules and not letting the other areas important to us suffer.  My lower back and bathroom scale has made it loud and clear that my new regimen sucks and changes need to be made. Even with my back killing me and exercise falling to the wayside, I'm so flippin' proud of myself for going for it with this job and my self confidence in the workplace finding its way back to me.   

Even though we feel incredibly boring these days, glad we captured the memories we were able to make together.  Oma and Opa are completely vaccinated.  Nate and I look to be eligible in early April.  Paul and Elise return to school for 2 hours 4 days a week starting 4/5.  Looks like Lily will go back 4/19 for 3 hours 2 days a week.  With Oma and Opa leaving after Easter to head back to Chicago, the logistics to make the new kid schedules work, and a 3rd floor remodel getting underway, it all feels daunting.  

February winter storm in PDX.  Paul pulling Lily up to Washington Park for some city sledding

Always happy when I see our Munich sled being used

Surgery #2 in February - no issues - pleased to report my 18 month gyno-related nightmare is looking to finally be over or at least on pause.

Celebrating the big 5 year cancer free milestone for Oma.  Sushi and champagne of course!

If I don't have the early mornings to myself, this is the next best thing.  Watching Lily and Paul get 7am tennis lessons while I sit back and enjoy.  

Mochi turned 1!

My kids are growing up - found this on a google search.  

           Lily and Paul enjoying a break in the sun while we were at Black Butte Ranch for a few days over Spring Break.  Elise chose to stay home to be spoiled by Oma and Opa and get the cats all to herself.

Glad Nate was able to take Paul and Lily skiing a handful of times this year, ending the season with a couple outings to Hoodoo by Sisters.  Elise and her snowboarding interest from last year didn't present itself this year.  

Paul & Lily's favorite ski run through the trees, they did it probably 20 times.

I guess the cats missed Nate

    I had asked all the kids write about the 1 year COVID anniversary to share with the family a couple weeks ago.  Elise blew my mind.  Below is what she came up with on her own one afternoon.  I would give up ever playing tennis again if it meant Elise would keep writing. I'd give it up if it meant my kids would see the importance of kindness and compassion, especially with each other, to guide their day to day decisions. I know she has so much emotion and thought bottled up inside her introverted and shy self, not wanting to leave the house most days. She declares herself to be a small, quiet town type of girl. She has a gift.