Double digits!

Hard to believe this amazing kid is 10 years old today!!! The top picture is his last as a 9 year old and the second picture is his first as a 10 year old. We couldn't love this kid more. He is creative, persistent, smart, loving, thoughtful and knows what he wants. His passion right now is video games. He also enjoys dungeons and dragons, reading and learning facts about his interests and likes listening to podcasts and all different kinds of music. His goal is to start a YouTube channel where he records himself doing video game gameplay sessions. I have no doubt he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to. We love you Kai.

Goodbye 6th Street

We recently said goodbye to our house of 7 years. We learned a few months back that our landlords son and his family were planning to move there from San Francisco so we would need to move out. Let me just say moving during a pandemic is not ideal. It was A LOT of work and there were definitely bumps along the way. But we found a great new spot that is walking distance to the boys school (if and when we return in person) and there are lots of kids in the neighborhood which will be fun once we can be around people again. We are grateful for the support from friends and family through It all. It was tough having to do all the packing alone but somehow our amazing community still found ways to support us, even from a distance. We are grateful for all the memories we created at our last house and look forward to creating new ones at our new house. These pictures are from our final farewell at the old house. We went over one last time with written notes of gratitude for the house and notes of what we wanted to leave behind and planted them in the garden before we left. It was nice to create a small ritual to say goodbye and have some time to reflect on all of the wonderful times we had there. Before we lived there my dear friend from childhood lived there for 9 years before she and her family moved to Oregon so Mark and I have been going to that house for as long as we have known each other! Lots of memories for sure. Thanks for everything 6th Street!

Kindergarten and Fourth grade

To say this year has been strange would be an understatement. With Coronavirus on the rise and shelter in place seeming to be what we will be doing for awhile still the boys started school today via virtual learning. Cruz is super excited to finally be at the same school as his big brother. Kai is beginning fourth grade which is a time when the expectations and work load shift a bit to a bit more rigorous. He isn't the biggest fan of school in general but he has a great teacher and many good friends in his class. So we are focusing on keeping things as positive as possible and doing our best while we are doing school from home. As is tradition I took pictures of the boys on their first day of school!

Kai finishes 3rd grade!

Well it wasn't how we thought it would be thanks to the Coronavirus, but Kai finished 3rd grade! He rocked it - made new friends and had a truly exceptional teacher. We are proud of all the work he has done and are excited to see where 4th grade leads him. We love you Kai Kai.

Cruz is on his way to kindergarten!

Cruz went with me to the store today. That doesn't seem like a big deal except that because there is a pandemic happening he hasn't been to the store with me in the last 3 1/2 months. He is a great helper and often goes grocery shopping with me. He loves to get out and see new people and places and of course when you find Henrietta the chicken stuffie you get a lollipop. Come to find out lollipops are on hold right now but we had fun regardless and Cruz did great staying close, keeping his mask on and helping me check all the items off my list. But the highlight of the trip was when we went to check out and the woman helping us asked Cruz if he was on summer break. He didn't miss a beat before saying "yeah, I graduated. I'm going to kindergarten." It was so adorable and you could see how proud he was. It served as a bright spot for me remembering that even though his time at preschool didn't end the way we thought it would he doesn't know any different and in spite of all the craziness he feels celebrated, acknowledged and proud of himself. Look out kindergarten! Here he comes!!

9 and a half

What do you do when you're in quarantine? Celebrate half birthdays!! Kai is 9 and a half today so we decided to surprise him with a celebration of his half birthday. We sang to him when he came out into the living room this morning, wrapped up a couple gifts and had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Later we will make Rice Krispie Treats and sing again while he blows out his candle. Crazy to think he is almost double digits! We love this kid so much and although quarantine brings its stresses it has been a good time of growth and connection for him. More to come as we celebrate this special boy throughout the day.

Lemonade - quarantine edition

Cruz has really been enjoying making lemonade - he does a good job squeezing out the lemons and stirring everything together. Kai often enjoys the fruits of Cruz's labor. You know what they say - when life gives you lemons...

Quarantine hair cut

Look at this cutie and his new haircut Such a handsome guy ❤️

Crazy hair day!

Pretty sure his face sums this one up - blue hair = happy boy :)

Matchy-matchy

Who doesn't love a good DJ sloth shirt? Thanks Tutu!

New desk

Someone got a new desk and his first work of art was for his brother - look at those awesome letters he wrote!!

Ladybug season

Every year around this time our grass gets filled with ladybugs and the hunt is on!

MLK Jr. Day

I wanted to do something today to help the boys understand that it wasn't just a free day off from school but to help them understand the sacrifice that Martin Luther King Jr. made to fight for justice and equality. I found a documentary to watch but in typical Kai fashion he decided he DID NOT want to watch it because he had already learned all about MLK in kindergarten and so I said that was fine but instead I would like him to write down what he knows about MLK and three ways he can use his privilege to help people who have been oppressed. This is what he wrote: (there is always more learning to do but I felt like this was a pretty good start for a third grader)

Old girls

Our dogs are getting older and everyday we love and appreciate the time we have left with them. Marks sister and her family are saying goodbye to their dog today. In honor of Zorra I thought I would post this picture of our girls from yesterday. Our dogs are such a special part of our families and I am so grateful our boys are growing up with the love they offer. It's a special thing to have a pet in your life and one we will always hold dear.

Beach boys

Mark wanted a little solo time the other day so I loaded the boys into the family van and took them to the beach. It ended up being beautiful out there - a little chilly but the sun was shining and we had lots of fun.

View from over here

After two years of being in graduate school and in November beginning work full time as a school counselor I am just starting to feel normal again. This new routine has been an adjustment and it has at times been sad to feel less available and involved in things with the kids but overall it's going well. The other day on my way home I stopped to appreciate the view. It really is a beautiful place we live in.

Flashback

Little snuggler

Cruz's nickname when he was a baby was the barnacle because he always wanted to be laying on someone. He still loves to cuddle up.

Climber

We've always known Kai loves to climb but going to the vertex a rock climbing club just reinforced our suspicions he is a natural.