Year 15

Sheakespeare's Sonnet 15 in light of our fifteenth year of marriage.When I read the cliff notes it had this to say:  life is transitory and ever-changing. Even the youth's beauty will fade over time, but because the poet knows that this metamorphosis is inevitable, he gains an even stronger appreciation of the young man's beautiful appearance in the present time — at least in the present time within the sonnet. Ironically, then, the youth's beauty is both transitory and permanent — transitory because all things in nature mutate and decay over time, and permanent because the inevitable aging process, which the poet is wholly aware of as inevitable, intensifies the young man's present beauty: Generally, the more momentary an object lasts, the more vibrant and intense is its short life span.

 I thought that was fitting. Year 15 had a few major transitions. Another house, new school options, and a new job. A lot of reminders that youth is fading, we are tired!

Not a lot of romantic things to say, I blame our teenagers. I'll wrap this up with a quote I found;
"A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance, and tenacity."

(I am working to catch up on the marriage series I started, we left off on year 9.)

Reno

Parker's JV lacrosse debut! He is playing for Centennial High School and enjoying a new position on attack. The year kicked off with a tournament in Reno. 
Matt and I were up for some one on one time with Parker while Grandma Ellen took the other 3 boys for a fun weekend of their own.

(real reason for the road trip)


He played so well all weekend and scored more goals than all of last season. We stayed an extra day to sleep in and check out the outlet mall in Sparks. And one more meal at In and Out before hitting the road.



Parker is the best company, I joke that I gave birth to my best friends. Also, you can almost see in the picture that he is now taller than his dad. That seems noteworthy to me and it is still so bizarre that we have a child in high school!

8

  Our sweet, enthusiastic Collin turned eight last week! We had dinner with friends at Dave and Buster's. (So much fun apparently, he couldn't even button those pants!) He also had blessed individual time with grandparents. And he received thoughtful gifts from Auntie and Uncle in the mail. (Is there anything better than finding out that UPS has something for YOU?)
  Collin is spirited and creative and bold. He is loving life and making optimists of us all. His joy is boundless and his smile gets him off the hook for just about anything. We love you, baby boy!

Sweet P

“If I’m honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all.”

― Audrey Hepburn

  I have been so weighed down with the news these days. I try to stay away from too much of it but you would have to live under a rock to not hear some of it. Terror, disease, corruption. It's heavy stuff. But today I am thrilled to share something making me very happy.
 
  Back in October my girl Marcela hooked me up with a fun photoshoot. I have the honor of being "Fairy Godmother" to Paloma and Marcela wanted to celebrate that.We joined up with Amy Jean Photography (highly recommend) just in time to grab the perfect light.
 
  This little girl is pure sass. Can't imagine why we get along? ;)

Fifteen

  Parker is 15 today! There are a lot of things I could say about this. My heart is so full of love for this kid. I am settling into a new posture with the young man he is becoming. When I go in for a hug my head now fits on his shoulder, resting under his chin. Surreal to have to look up at your child. He is the most reasonable person I know. He has brains and wit that make me so proud. I have some of my best conversations with him. Because I was a teen mama, I feel like we have grown up together. There is so much of a friendship between us. Mostly, I feel an overwhelming sense of unmerited favor when it comes to Parker. Matt and I have tried to be great parents but really it has been grace. Buckets of grace. I am so very glad this was the plan for our family.

  We are long past the days of Power Ranger parties, you know, where the tablecloth matches the plates? It is different now. Parker wanted to play basketball this season and he has a few restaurants that have peaked his foodie curiosity. So that's how we will celebrate, cheering him on at his games and eating out around the Treasure Valley.

  This is Parker at 15:
Fantastic friend, straight A's, sick of braces, ready to drive this summer, funny and loves riddles, taller than Dad, tech support for our household, playing freshman basketball and lacrosse for Centennial High School, reading C.S. Lewis, loves to sleep-in, makes himself breakfast and lunch daily (but is never full), confident, lives to debate.

2014

Whew! We made it. Cheers to you, 2015. When I reflect back on 2014 it felt just awful. Then I made this little slide show,

http://flipagram.com/f/OS9ks3y01O
and it felt wonderful. Weird. Our year was real fun for the first half. We started the whole thing off with a trip to Disney, January 1st. Bought the house in May and then budgeted our lives away for 7 months ;)

San Fran Sister Celebration

My sister took me on a fun fall get away for my birthday this year. She has traveled to San Francisco for work many times this year and scouted out the perfect girls trip. After all the back to school chaos, it was a delight to jump on a plane and hit the refresh button.

A weekend of good food, long chats, and mindless strolling in such a fun city.

We have very similar ideas about food. Indulging on a massive burger and then following it up with fresh carrot juice. What? I don't know, it just worked for us. 

We actually stayed in downtown Berkeley. I had a blast exploring that town and hoping to run into a Braverman ;) 

Gumbo! What a treat to have so many amazing food options in walking distance.

We traveled to San Francisco with the boys in 2009 and did all the touristy things. This was a more blissfully unplanned pace with just us sisters. Walking, shopping, eating, and photo taking. Lindsay is the master of Yelp and would find just what we had a hankering for within a few minutes. And the kicker, she paid for absolutely the entire thing! Yep, a total treat.

Collin

The school year started with a haircut for Collin. All that shaggy hair was in his eyes and so I buzzed it on week one. He is attending the virtual academy that Aden is, so home haircuts are a perk. The flexibility in the curriculum is a dream for a student like Collin. Everything is adjusted to his level and he gets a lot of repetition where he needs it and moves right ahead where he does not. Having the freedom to work from home has helped me figure out how he learns best, where the hot spots are for frustration, and we recently worked to with his doctor to start some medication. I love that I have been a part of every step but I have a certified teacher to help me where the gaps are. So many helpful tools and tricks for getting this energetic and curious little guy on his way.

Halloween

A trip with my parents to the farmstand instead of the pumpkin patch meant we saved money and still had time to go see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

Matt was looking for a costume last minute and Collin suggested Wolverine. Pretty cool when your son thinks you look like a superhero.

I made this owl get up last minute, one of the online inspirations I actually followed through and made.

Parker went as Franz from SNL's Hans and Franz

Cowboy Kaleb.

Aden said "Omaha!" instead of "trick-or-treat" and it was insanely adorable.

That's Collin under there. He was awake before dawn asking about jack-o-lanterns and getting dressed up. This kid has found his favorite holiday.


All in all, a low key night. A bit of trick-or-treating to a local church event and then back home to sort the piles. And the weather! That was southern Idaho Halloween at it's finest.

aden

  This 10 year old is hard at work in 5th grade. He is attending a virtual school so it has a lot of the flexibility of homeschool yet the computer has curriculum and lesson planning all mapped out for him. He has a certified teacher who works with him and even a lab in the area if he wants to work alongside other students and teachers. We have had field trips and parent teacher conferences but we get to work from home most days. Introverts unite!