Mother's Day

Here's to all the Mother's in the world. I never ever imagined I would be so proud to be able to call myself a mom.  I consider my job as a mom and all it's associated duties to be the greatest gift I've ever been given (just a hair ahead of my commitment to John).  Hazen and Cally give me reason to smile and laugh everyday.  They make me proud and allow me to feel as if I'm finally doing something that is so right.  Not to sounds too sappy, but I cherish every moment of being a mom-- the hugs, the questions, the snuggles, the walks, the imagining.  I even love the exhaustion from lack of sleep, the endless laundry, and having to rack my brain for something a little different to prepare for dinner each night.  This is, by far, the greatest adventure I've ever been on.  It trumps a semester in Africa, climbing big mountains, running marathons, ski trips, and leading trips in exotic places.  I really am happier than I've ever been. 

That said, being a working mom is hard.  I struggle with it on a daily basis.  I love teaching and feel so fortunate to feel both satisfaction and challenge in what I do.  I love that I live so close to where I work, have a husband who stays home with the kids once a week, have summers and vacations off,  have a great deal of flexibility with my time at work, and have the worlds most amazing day care provider.  Even so, I wonder if I'm missing out on a part of my kids life that I'll regret later.  I worry that the kids aren't getting the same benefits that I got by having a stay-at-home mom-- being able to take my kids to art and dance classes, meeting other mom's who have kids the same age and live in the area, etc. 

But, it doesn't do me any good to lament on what I might be missing and instead focus on what I'm gaining everyday because these two gingers showed up in my life. 

To celebrate Mother's Day, John deserves serious accolades-- because 1 & 3 year olds can't pull off a day as perfect as he just did.  It all started with Mom getting to sleep until 8:45am?!?!?  Then a coffee was delivered to my bed (with the paper and a few cards).  Then I came downstairs to eggs benedict, flowers, various gifts, and lots of hugs and love.  We had a great morning of family time and then I got to go for a bike ride with Ryan before getting our families together for a BBQ.  Cal and Isaac have such a ball together and Hazey and Oliver are working on developing the same kind of bond.  So far, there has been some shovel hitting and tears shed, but it should all be good by the time we gather for a joint family camping trip in July.

 

A little video footage of what Hazey is up to these days.  He's still not walking, but he certainly gets around:

 

April Break

This  year, we decided to go for it and do a familiar trip for John and myself.  With the teasing warm spell in March, we got fired up to hit the mountains of North Carolina for some camping, mountain biking, hiking, and music.  With the new sleeping bag and head lamp that Cal got for X-mas, she couldn't stop talking about going camping.  We were all very excited.

First stop was Darien, CT to see Bumpa and Grandma.  Our short visit turned into a bit of a whirlwind.  Poor Hazey had had a fever for a few days, so a visit to the walk-in became necessary.  The new/used car needed new tires, and I needed to squeeze in a ten mile run.  Fortunately, Bumpa & Cal had some quality time to bond while John and I "divided and conquered".

By noon, we were off for Baltimore for a visit with the Niquettes.  It was great to get the cousins together.  Cal even had a sleep over in Will's room.

 

On Sunday, the rain began, but not before John and Rob got out for a mountain bike ride.  Aunt Nif took us to their climbing gym for her regular Sunday morning workout and Cal took to the wall like a spider!

We took a spin through Washington, DC on our way to Middleburg, VA to visit my great friend, Hess.

 

From the moment we arrived, Cal was transfixed by Hester's daughters, Flora and Olivia.  They took to her like a bee to nectar-- dressing up the dog, reading stories, etc. Cal even slept in the same bed as her new friend Foofie (a.k.a. Flora).

On Monday, we did the 8 hour stint from Middleburg, VA to Asheville, NC.  It was rainy and cold, so we were happy to be in the car.  Realizing that we weren't equipped for cold weather camping, we used the "secret deal" app on Travelocity to book a room at a cheap hotel where we stayed after dinner at one of our favorite brew pubs.

But on Tuesday morning, we drove 20 minutes to the Davidson River Campground and parked it for the next four days.  Upon setting up camp, we realized that the feeding chair that we had brought, wouldn't clip onto to the six inch thick picnic table (I guess picnic table theft isn't an issue).  In any case, we didn't have anywhere for Hazen to eat....... not for long, John popped over to the Good Will and picked up an Exersaucer with a tray for $4 and we were set for the duration of our visit (we did return it before leaving town).

We got out for some bike rides (individually & as a family), made smores, visited waterfalls, and just relaxed.  The kids napped well, ate well, and handled the rain like it was nothing.

On Friday, we headed to Wilkesboro, NC to hit Merlefest for a few days.  This was our 4th visit to the festival.

The music was super and the kids were great-- they have crafts and games for the kids and a diverse array of food-- including all that stuff like funnel cake that you try to only eat a few times a year. 

On Saturday, we met up with my good friend, Sarah, from graduate school and her family.  Cal, again, took to the other kids immediately.  She particularly liked hanging with Lucy (age 5), but John (age 8) and Henry (age 3) were pretty fun to hang out with too.

By 8pm on Saturday, we had to hit the road.  With 16 hours of driving to do, we needed to make some headway.  The kids slept for the four hours of driving on Saturday night.  And Sunday, they amazed us.  We were in the car for over 12 hours and they never cried and  never asked to watch the iPad (which we had ready and waiting if the need came up).  Cal did a lot of drawing-- even wrote a book about a pregnant ladybug and spent a lot of time playing with her stuffed animals in her car seat.  When I'd turn around and ask what she was doing, she'd look embarrassed and say, "Nothing, mom!  Turn around, I'm playing with my friends".

 

This road trip went so, so much better than I thought it would.  The kids took to the camping, visiting, car travel, and being on the move like it was second nature.  That said, it wasn't an easy trip.  John and I must have packed or unpacked the car a dozen times.  We certainly didn't get to go on as many mountain bike rides as we once did, and our nights were cut short at Merlefest, subsequently missing the star line ups.  Even so, I have no complaints.  We went for it.  We saw a lot of people and bonded as a family.  And most importantly, we were really proud to have these flexible little characters with us.