Four

Roycie Bean,

You are four! (And have been for a month, but you are also patient.)

You are kind. And silly. And full of mischief. You are a racecar driver. And a Tiger. And a brother. You love the fastest jets (cars), the loudest engines and the highest planes.

You are a builder. A puzzler. An engineer. (Like your dad). You are patient, and will sit and work through a puzzle for an hour at a time, determined and steadfast and unflappable, even as the chaos of Harper and Carter runs at full tilt in the background. Your teachers comment on your focus and your attention to detail as you’ll sit and color in the lines until your work is complete. I saw this first hand recently when we made your friend Callia a birthday card and as I kept trying to rush us out the door, you quietly pointed out that not all the birthday candles, cake layers and sprinkles were colored in. So we sat. I took a deep breath and I watched you work. Careful and quiet with your little tongue perched in the side of your mouth in the place you tuck it when you are determined.

You have a twinkle in your eye and are silly in your bones. Also like your dad. You have a joke and a quip ready at every turn, and you are effortlessly funny. Last night at dinner you excused yourself “I need to go peepee!!” (something I will miss so much someday). You started giggling in the bathroom and we asked you why and you exclaimed “I’m peepeeing a NEW WAY! On my tippy toes standing and no spills!” And then you proceeded to crawl out of the bathroom (after hand wash don’t worry that would be gross) on all fours in your tiger costume with the tiger head covering your own and took your seat at the table. Standard.

You have a huge, generous heart and you feel deeply. When I asked what your low was today, you said it was that carter had to get shots at his doctor’s appointment. Yesterday your high was that Carter had a good day at school. Last month you cried when we had to say goodbye to my Acura, even though we were trading it in for a cooler sportier keep.

Your first true love is your Mickey, followed closely by your tiger. Your tiger PJs are next, followed by Tiger costume, Tiger shirt, Tiger slippers, Tiger light and Tiger toys. Oh, and your leaf blower.

You are a goofball and a warm, lighthearted soul. You have an ease about you the is truly contagious. I anticipate many years of effortless friendships and class clowning in your future. And you and your brother are shaping up to be a lot like the silly sarcastic practical joking Rowen-Darren duo.

We are so lucky that you’re ours.

We love you!

SIX

Harper Claire,

We blinked and you are six. The toddler is gone and the girl is here to stay. You are smart and bold and adventurous and affectionate and your energy knows no bounds.

You are a Kindergartner. Through and through. You walk around the house on weekends with your notebook full of math problems, your journal full of new sentences, and your art bag full of canvasses. You are determined and focused and eager to learn more, more, more. We can actually see the sponge of your brain expanding each day.

You are a bright burst of energy each and every day. You wake up chatting and planning and questioning and asking and you don’t stop. You keep us on our toes and you are busy! We’ve managed to set you up with some social distanced sports this fall and you look like a teenager out there on the lacrosse field or the soccer field. You have grown so much! You are 46 inches and 51 lbs and you are strong, strong, strong. You are competitive. And fast. And passionate.

One weekend recently, you told me: “Mama, I’m so busy! I have lacrosse and soccer and dance and gymnastics and SCHOOL! But school is the best. School is my favorite.”

You love everyone. Your family, your brothers, your friends, your neighbors, your teachers, your puppies. You remember all the details about them and you share your joy with them and you beam at them when they are shining. You want to be the first and the best, and (provided you’ve already established that) you also celebrate their achievements with gusto.

You are a leader, and a mini mom to all of your younger buddies. Our younger neighbors look up to you and you soak it in and give it back in spades. You are independent and strong willed and you have serious opinions, mostly about your wardrobe (shorts, please), your hair (you cut your first bangs recently), and your movie choices (Zombies, Descendants, and other movies targeting a 13 year old audience).

You are a rule setter and a rule follower. You adapted to COVID precautions with ease and remind us and everyone around you of all the steps we need to take to keep everyone safe because of “the virus.” You had an outdoor party with a piñata on the front tree and masks and hand sanitizer and you didn’t miss a beat. Grateful and happy and content.

You like to make a plan and have a plan and stick to the plan. It’s hard for you when the plan changes. I understand, because you’re me. We are lucky we have your easy going and flexible dad around and your silly brother Roycie and his new sidekick Carter to keep things light, fun, and unpredictable for us.

Your birthday list included a dozen things that sum you up: cowboy boots, roller skates, art supplies, activity books, long dresses, jewels, a fishing tackle box, a new fishing rod, stationary, a journal, a telescope, and high heels.

You still love to cuddle. And I suddenly realized recently that some day soon you may not. So I stay longer when you ask. And last night I got misty eyed thinking about how fast these years have gone and how remarkable you’ve become.

I am so grateful that you made me a mama. We love you so much!

Happiest baby

One

Carter James!

You are one. (And one month! But it’s COVID and life it upside down and birthday posts come a month late and also we forgot your picture with the 1 year blocks 🤷‍♀️.)

You just slide right into this chaos, smiling all day long. You giggle with a scrunched up nose and eyes, making short little breaths like you’re a puppy.

You say Dadda and Cahter (or Harper?) and NahNah (food) and NighNigh and Doggie and in the fleeting moments if you cry, Mama. And occasionally I swear you exclaim “I did it!” (at the top of the stairs after your climb.) Though time will tell if I’m right in that one.

You love with your full body in quick little bursts before moving onto your next conquest. You nuzzle and cuddle and grab on and quite literally give me pats on the back.

It’s impossible to believe that the 35 week old baby who was in the NICU is you. You are BIG. Bigger than your siblings at this age by far (23 pounds 30 3/4 inch 19 1/4 head, which we know is 75% weight but that’s as far as we got on the percentage tracking during our virtual pandemic appointment.) You are strong and on the go - about to walk, Tarzan-crawling at an astonishing speed with one leg tucked up against the other, and climbing up every steep obstacle you can get your hands on. You are a very dominant rightie, making you the first among your siblings.

You are amused by your brother and sister though are mostly too busy to pay too much attention to them. You have discovered that Roycie often comes with cars or trucks, and you are not shy to swipe them right out of his hands. You love your puppies and have made Bruno your walker of choice and Luna the recipient of your open mouth kisses.

You are pure joy.

2020 will be memorable for a lot of the wrong reasons, but you have made every single day of this crazy quarantined period brighter. When I get then seconds to snuggle you in at bedtime while you smile and coo and say “nigh nigh,” I marvel that you are ours.

We love you!

Socially distanced dance camp show

Sunset

Keeping our Sanity

In the category of “isn’t this hard enough??” I battled raging poison ivy during quarantine for three weeks. No sleep, no outdoor time because of the heat, lots of steroids that made me crazy.

We have now been able to resume life as “normal,” and I’ve never been so grateful for our evening walks. It’s our small ritual that pays big dividends on keeping our sanity.

COVID Cut

Uh oh…

Climbing out! 🤦‍♀️

Squad

New Quarantine Talents

Brought to us by the absolute windfall of neighborhood goodies being passed on by friends…

Happy birthday Leo!!

Racing

Little Ham

First trip to The Getaway House

I’ve been reading about these tiny houses in Shenendoah National Park for a year or so and am so glad we bit the bullet and did it! All the magic of camping, with AC, hot water, and a top bunk aka most exciting thing ever for the kids. We were away for less than 24 hours but it was just what we needed. Hooray for a mini getaway on week one million of quarantine.

When your best friend loses a tooth first…

Gotta give her credit, she did slowwwllyy muster a congratulations!

Where’s Carter?

I remember starting to sing This Land is Your Land to the kids when the visa ban went into effect not long after inauguration, when Roycie was just a month or so old.

Carter James turned ten months last week, and we’ve been doing a lot of True Colors at night, on the backdrop of the peaceful #blacklivesmatter protests that have erupted around the globe against police brutality In the wake of George Floyd’s killing and so, so many others. Harper saw the newspaper last week with a picture of George Floyd, and she said, “Mama why is that man crushed?”

Carter is happy and healthy and chatty and determined, and we are holding him even tighter this week. And buying all the books, and donating, and focusing on how to ensure that our kids understand and fiercely protect people who do not look like them.

Easter recap

It was many Covid weeks ago, which feels like a lifetime, but I want to make sure we never forget the full magical story of Easter on Conway Road this year.
Starting with sunrise egg spotting followed by a surprise visitor…(see video)

Right after this video ended, the Easter Bunny took a step and Harper said with conviction: “Is that Nick Onder?”

…

the egg hunt proceeded - lots of competitive spirit and enthusiasm and all the while I could see Harper’s wheels spinning…

After lunch when Roycie went down I pulled Harper aside and asked her about the bunny. “Where you confused?” (Nonchalant)

“Mama. That was the exact same costume that Nick Onder wore for the Halloween block party.”

😳😳😳

She went on to explain to me that she had seen a gap between the bunny’s head and body, and the bunny took HUMAN steps, and the actual easter bunny was real and had been in the yard at night. We then began working to solve the mystery, since we both agreed that Nick Onder wouldn’t have just lied to us outside when he said he had been sleeping.

And….

Bingo!! (See videos!)

Reading!

We are in full survival mode during COVID quarantine. Too much work, too much juggling, and too much to keep up with. This has meant no blogging! BUT THEN THIS HAPPENED TODAY! I got a surprise text asking me if I could come see a surprise for five minutes. My heart burst watching Harper and Little Granny. Such pride on both of their faces.