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Month 98 & 99

Dear Olivia,

The holidays are over and despite it being my favorite time of year, I’m excited to send you and your brother back to school. I need routine like nobody’s business and when you’re both here at the house, asking what the plans are for the day, I stress. Not to mention you and Miles have a question for me every other minute so being even remotely productive is impossible. I’m amazed I was able to get pants on back in the day when you both stayed home full time. It’s amazing the things we forget.

January 10, 2017 by Jennifer

Adventures, Family

Farewell 2016

2016.2

As I reflect on 2016, I see a year filled with so many adventures. We took our first family trip to Europe, discovered a passion of hiking, continued our love affair with water and embarked on countless other adventures.

This family has a really difficult time sitting still so I’m fairly certain 2017 will be just as exciting. We have some potential trips in the works and of course, Summer of Awesome will make its spectacular return later in the year. All in all, we’re looking forward to a great year ahead!

Cheers and Happy New Year everyone!!

January 2, 2017 by Jennifer

Miles

Month 73 & 74, Version 2.0

Dear Miles,

I don’t even know where to begin with you. You’re only six years old and your personality is bigger than some adults I know. You are very charismatic and say things that leave me without words. You say things that make me just look at you and laugh out loud. For instance, I’ll be in the bathroom yelling at you about the mess in your sink and very suavely, you’ll saunter in to the bathroom and ever so gently, rest your hand on my arm and respond, you don’t need to clean, sweetheart. What the fuck? Who are you and why are you so creepy?! Is your Dad teaching you these things? He is, isn’t he? You will not be a creepy casanova. Nobody likes that. NOBODY! I laugh because I don’t know what else to do. This isn’t normal. This behavior can’t be normal. Nor can it be good. Oh please, don’t make me a young grandmother.

This is how you pose when I take your picture now

December 8, 2016 by Jennifer

Olivia

Month 96 & 97

Dear Olivia,

You are 8 years old. Is there anything more frightening than that? Ok, 16 will be terrifying but I refuse to think that far ahead. 8 is a huge number although I feel this way with every passing birthday. You are the oldest in your class and I’m still very happy with that decision. You love school, you’re confident in your ability to learn new tasks and you seem emotionally capable to handle the onslaught of tests and demands that second grade thrusts upon you. From what little I remember from my own second grade experience, I remember just learning to read. Now in second grade, you’re pretty much expected to already know how to read and to read well. I was an anxious child and I was one of the youngest in my class. I suffered from anxiety when presented with tests and work in school. I didn’t realize it then but when a project or an activity was given to me that I deemed too difficult or confusing, I began to hyperventilate and eventually I would begin to cry. Kids would loudly announce, Jennifer is crying again! I even remember on a few occasions, teachers looking obviously annoyed that I was in tears yet again and they would walk over and say, why are we crying this time? Not exactly a nurturing environment to learn in. I don’t know if my age played a factor into this or whether my lack of preschool contributed or perhaps none of these things mattered. Perhaps I was just an anxious kid. I’m happy to see that you’re the exact opposite when it comes to school and learning.

I don’t know why but this looks reminds me so much of Brian Fellows

November 3, 2016 by Jennifer

Miles, Travel, Family

Month 71 & 72, Version 2.0

Dear Miles,

I’m currently sitting alone in the kitchen basking in the glorious quiet that is currently enveloping the household. I do not hear siblings fighting. I do not hear the request for another snack. I’m not being berated with question after question about everything under the sun. The quietness feels so foreign to me but I accept it with open arms.

October 24, 2016 by Jennifer

Miles

Month 69 & 70, Version 2.0

Dear Miles,

You’re officially in kindergarten! This should feel like a bigger milestone but I feel a bit robbed since you went to developmental kindergarten or also referred to as DKA or TK or my personal favorite, freedom. Last year felt like the big milestone because you transitioned from preschool a couple days a week to every day at a public school. This year just feels like a tease because for the second year in a row, you’re only in school for a mere 4 hours and to add insult to injury, you are released from school thirty minutes earlier this year compared to last year. True, you’re starting earlier and I no longer have to make a second trip to the school in the morning but still, I can’t even consume a half bottle of wine let alone eat a decent meal before I have to turn around and pick you up. Next year will be the milestone. Next year when you’re in school for a full day, I will be doing heel-clicks all the way up the hill to school. Until then, I will seek solace in the fact that at least I have my mornings to consume my Bloody Mary in peace.

August 16, 2016 by Jennifer

Parenthood, Olivia, Swimming, Adventures

Month 93

Dear Olivia,

These last four weeks of summer have been hard. I’m not sure if it’s a combination of not having a routine or you miss your friends or it’s your age or you’re just being an asshole but these first weeks of summer have been difficult for you. It seems like I can’t do anything right. One second you’re happy and then I enter a room and ask you to grab a sweater before we leave the house and you give me the glare of death. You would think by the complete look of disdain you are directing towards me that I just asked you to light your stuffed animals on fire. I find that if I really need to communicate to you or get a point across, I tell your dad and he relays that to you and then you listen. If I were to walk up to you and say the exact same thing, you would cross your arms and sigh in disgust. I wish it were acceptable to give you the finger sometimes.

July 14, 2016 by Jennifer

Miles

Month 68, Version 2.0

Dear Miles,

Summer is here which means I have two very bored children on my hands. Thank goodness I decided to join a cabana club (not as fancy as it sounds) because otherwise I wouldn’t know what to do with your energy. Boredom is good. Boredom is a right of passage. You and your sister are so bored, I often watch you two just wandering aimlessly, talking to yourselves. Summer of Awesome has officially returned after last year’s successful inaugural season but even with a list of fun outings and activities for us to do as a family, there is downtime and you and your sister struggle hard. Believe me, I like doing fun things and would love to spend the whole summer spending an endless amount of money on admission tickets, sugary snacks and other unnecessary items but I’m a grown up and we’re all boring with our boring grown up responsibilities. So as it stands, if we’re not at Olivia’s swim team practice, you’re at home complaining. I usually throw up my hands in parental defeat some time shortly after lunch and we embark for the swimming pool.

June 29, 2016 by Jennifer

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