Father's Day!

On a day that it's all about Dads, I feel pretty fortunate to have this guy as the guy that our kids call "Dad".  As the man who decided to take on this parenting challenge as an equal partner, he has really done it like a pro.  He spends every Tuesday with the kids.  They usually go to the dump, the grocery store, swimming lessons and take care of other various errands, but sometimes he'll take the kids strawberry picking or sledding. 

I'm not really sure how our family and bank account would function without John being able to take this day with his family.  He also helps us keep on top of the cleaning, vacates the house of chipmunks and robins (thanks to Lobster, our cat), and gets the kids to nap almost any day that he's around.

When I asked Cally what she loves about her Dad, she said, "I love that my dad drops me off at Tammy's (daycare) everyday, I love that he takes me to swimming lessons, I love that he makes me yummy lunches and breakfasts, I love that he hugs and kisses me when I need it.....".  I couldn't have summed it up better. 

So even though Cal can give Dad a hard time and opts for Mom whenever she's around.  She clearly sees that he serves a very important role in the family. 

To honor our man of the house, we let him sleep in until 8:30, delivered coffee and locally made donut, and the paper in bed.  He joined us for a sojourn on the Stowe Bike Path, had lunch at the Farmer's Market, and then we let him loose for the afternoon so he could ride with 7 of his buddies for four hours before meeting us at a BBQ.  All that on a blue bird day with temperatures hovering around 80.  I'm pretty sure he'd like to bottle the day up and repeat it as often as possible.

 

John, you make this parenting adventure all that much more enjoyable. 

Balance

 
Life with a one and three year old, a full time job, and a desire to stay active can sometimes feel like a juggling act in the big top (and I've never been able to actually juggle).  Trying to make it through this "sprint to the end" of the school year has been a serious challenge for me this year.  There have been moments when I wasn't really sure which way was up........ but even with all the insanity of wrapping up the school year, having our day care closed for two and a half days, having John off in NH teaching a class, and training and running a half marathon, we've managed to have some really wonderful times as a family.

Hazen and Cally made it up Camel's Hump for the third time in one year for our dear friend/Hazey's Godmother's 50th Birthday on a gorgeous May.  

The kids were super troopers in the backpacks and Cal even hiked a bit of the way.  However, these parents were mighty sore after the schlog downhill!

We got to celebrate UVM's graduation weekend with a number of John's fantastic students.  In years past, we've hit a graduation party here or there, but this year we were on graduation party tour!  With so many amazing graduates who have touched our lives and whose lives John has touched, it was such a treat to celebrate this special weekend with them (and meet their parents).  I feel so excited for these fantastic students with so many adventures ahead of them and so proud of John for having made such an impact on their lives.

I somehow managed to run half of the Burlington City Marathon.  Having trained minimally, I felt lucky to just finish it, but somehow my team mate Jen Baer managed to pull through at the finish under 3 hours and 30 seconds-- which made us the first place finishers for the Women's 2 person relay teams (out of over 50 teams).  John and the kids rode along side of me for the hardest part of my run and even though I was bonking, they made me smile and kept me going.  Who wouldn't smile with these two cheering you along?

John had carefully planned teaching a course at a time  when we both believed it would be least disruptive to the end of the school year mayhem...... Unfortunately, the trip coincided with our daycare providers annual vacation.  The good news is that the grandparent reinforcements were ready and willing to help out.  Bumpa and Grandma helped out for the first part of the week and Nana and Grandpa arrived for the second half.

The kids love spending time with their grandparents and we all love the relationships grow and develop between everyone.  Even though we don't have the convenience of seeing each other more frequently, we love knowing that the grandparents are able to help when we need them.

And a special bonus, was seeing cousins from both sides of the family.
 

In other news, Cal is becoming more and more of an artist everyday.  Here is a portrait of Lobby.

 

Even with all the grading and training and writing of exams and whatnot, John and I have managed to do what is most important for us-- we've been able to take some time for ourselves as a couple and go for a few mountain bike adventures together! That, as well as the family hike, are what I will remember most  about this spring.  Not the late nights at school, the weekends spent grading Create-a-Continent atlases, or the lack of sleep, but the adventures and love I've been able to share with my family.

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.

Easter Bunnies

 

 I'm such a sucker for holidays.  I couldn't resist warming Cal up for the festivities by partaking in a large scale egg hunt in Burlington the weekend before Easter.  Having only hunted for eggs with small groups of people, she had no idea what to think about this event-- where they "hide" 10,000 eggs over the course of an hour.  The 2-3 year olds went first:

There was an Easter Bunny, a Moose, and a Beaver all ready and willing to give high fives or hugs.  Cal wasn't really sure what to think about that either.

And it wouldn't be proper to go into the Easter holiday without what has become our annual visit to the lambs at Shelburne Farms.  And this year, our special guests were Nana and Grandpa, who came down to see the kids for a quick visit.

It was fun to see Hazey fired up about the little critters.  Cal even got to feed a few with a bottle.

And a visit from Nana wouldn't be complete without a new "shrug" and a hat:

Because I have such fond memories of great Easter Egg Hunts with family and friends, I felt the need to organize an event for our friends this year.  John, having thrown me a fantastic 40th birthday, was a little too burnt out on the entertainment thing, so I threw it out to the Wombats for a volunteer to host.  Mary G jumped at the opportunity to host, but made it clear that she was/is not into dyeing Easter Eggs, hiding plastic eggs, and wanted nothing to do with "fake grass".  Accordingly, Medora, Jen and I boiled and/or dyed over 40 eggs and E bought dozens of foil wrapped local chocolates that we hid for the kids.  Because most of this motley crew is old enough to really care about getting loot, Jen had the great idea of "pooling the finds" and then distributing equal "Easter Goody Bags" to each of the 10 kids involved. 

So the day before Easter, my sous chefs, stood on the adored Learning Tower and helped me boil eggs, make a carrot cake (and lick the batter), and put together an egg strata for the Easter Brunch at Mary's.  We then moved on to dyeing the eggs.

 The Easter Egg Hunt was a huge success.  Addy and Claire took Cally under their wings and spent the whole time helping her find eggs.

 Hazen wasn't sure what to think of this whole ritual:



But he clearly did get smiley about finding an egg:

 And after egg hunting, we ate an amazing brunch and watched Cally get herself involved in the latest dramatic production by Addy and Claire.

I can't end the entry without a photo of the Easter Bunny Carrot Cake that John and I created for the gathering.  Now we are in trouble..... such a cake will be expected:

But the day wasn't over!  Our dear friends Adam and Colleen came over to hide more eggs (filled with more high fructose corn syrup).  Here's a shot of Cally being introduced to Peeps for her first time!?!?!?

Here's to a happy spring with blue skies and maple cremees!