Happy 16th Birthday Regan!

Sixteen years ago, this beautiful soul made us parents for the very first time. She arrived earlier than planned (4 weeks earlier to be exact) and has kept us on our toes ever since. 

She's smart (but terribly unorganized)

She has big emotions (both happy and sad, and sometimes mad)

Can't cook or bake for the life of her

And is fiercly social, easily making friends 

Her love for that little yellow ball runs deep. 
So when she found out her team practice was cancelled on her birthday, in true form, she was devastated. 

Coach Becky to the rescue with a 2-hour private lesson (Coach Becky chases that yellow ball around herself and knows just how passionate Regan is about softball). 

No place else she wanted to spend her birthday

We had to first make a pit stop at the Cambridge DMV so she could take (and somehow pass) her driver's test! We laughed pretty hard when she came back with her tester who proceeded to tell me all of the skills she still needed to work on. And that she had hit a snowbank during parallel parking-whoops. Regan had the biggest smile on her face and I blurted out "wait, did you pass!??!"

Yep, she sure did

Oh sweet baby girl, how in the world has it been 16 years already? I read the following words on a Parenting Teens page, and turned into a sobbing mess. 

You don't actually parent one person, you parent many different people who are all your child. 

There's the newborn, the baby, the toddler, the pre-schooler, the primary aged kid, the pre-teen, the adolescent, the full-blown teen, the young adult and then the adult. they all answer to the same name. They all call you Mum. And you never noticed the inflection point where one of those people turns into the next. 

You never get to properly say goodbye to all the little people who grow up because you don't notice the growing, the changing. Except when Facebook sends you those reminders that invariably make me cry because it's like showing me the face of someone I can never see again. Not in that way. Not at the same age. 

~Mia Freedman~ 

We are holding on for dear life, knowing these next few years are going to fly by. 

To watch the last 16 years in a matter of 4 minutes, enjoy the video below: 

Christmas 2021

 We tried to have some resemblance of normalcy during Christmas 2021. After a year of isolation, it felt nice to get together (separately) with all of the grandparents. We cautiously waited for the date to approach, and then crossed our fingers that we made the right decision. 

Thankfully all went well and we made it through without anyone falling ill :) And it felt so nice to see humans again to celebrate Christmas. 

Of course, we had a lot more Christmas prep leading up to the celebrations. Lincoln spent the bulk of 2 weeks wearing his Santa hat and lights around the house. I love how he gets into the spirit of things. 

We took a little visit to Como Zoo and Conservatory, and the family abided by my requests for a quick trip around the sunken garden. I just love this place so much and all of its beauty. The pictures aren't as lovely since we needed to keep our masks on, but I love them just as much! 

Lincoln and I did a lot of baking. Occasionally Regan or Sidney would help out and we feasted on too many sweet treats all month long. 

Uncles Ben and Jon came to visit and spoiled the kids rotten with shopping trips to MOA. They each had a great time picking out their own Christmas gifts and Ben/Jon enjoyed spending the weekend together. 

Grandma Jan enjoyed the weekend too, and a little extra Battleship time with Lincoln.

It was a Merry Christmas month, and felt much more normal over last year. Here's hoping things are headed in the right direction for next Christmas. 

Idols

 It's no secret that Regan looks up to a lot of athletes in her favorite sport of softball. She is lucky enough to have *the* most amazing head coach, who also recently finished playing 4 years of D2 softball at UMD. Becky is the perfect mix of intense and fun. Those two spend hours upon hours together, not only at training, games and practices, but during private lessons and via messages sending video and training tips. When Becky advertised hosting a clinic for the younger age groups this winter, Regan eagerly offered to help run the clinic and happily woke up at 6am in order to spend the day side by side with her own idol. At the end of the clinic, as we drove away, Regan teared up telling me how she remembers not long ago, being the little girl at those clinics, idolizing those big girls running the clinic. And now she is the big girl, working with those little ones who are looking up to her; oh how roles have reversed.   

Just Regan and Becky, in an otherwise empty training facility, working on drills and improving skills

We orchestrated a team bonding event to surprise Becky at her women's hockey game. After deciding to not kill me, I think she was in awe of her cheering section and maybe secretly even enjoyed it! 

This past weekend, we had a unique opportunity, as another one of Regan's idols was selling some of her gear/clothing from her days as a MN Gopher softball player. We were quick to start messaging with Makenna Partain and purchase some of her clothes for Regan. But the best part about the day of the purchase, was watching Regan muster up the courage and tell Makenna how great of a player she was and ask to snap a picture together. I think it completely surprised this former Gopher player who was super sweet and was happy to hear someone looked up to her :) 

I hope Regan continues to find these amazing women to look up to as she journeys through high school and beyond, while recognize she is graduating into the same role for those younger than she. 

Life Lately and Christmas prep

 It's a little challenging to prep for Christmas with all the chasing kids around that we do each week. But we're squeaking in a little cookie baking, tree decorating, present wrapping and just days before Christmas, we finally added lights to the house (perhaps with a lot of begging on my part). You see, these kiddos of ours are in love with their activities and sports, tugging us in every direction 6 (sometimes 7) days/week. We put on at least 150 miles each week driving them to practices, games, lessons and training.  Sometimes I manage to run in/out of stores during their longer 3 hour trainings, or shop online from the comfort of my car during their shorter 1 hour trainings. I search Pinterest for the latest Elf happenings and set reminders on my phone to be sure the sneaky thing has moved when I finally crawl into the house at night, often after 10:30pm. I turned my car into a "carfice", in other words my car office. 

And in between all of those sports and activities, we are sledding and crafting (more like science-kit building) and trying to find a good Hallmark show. 

It doesn't quite feel like Christmas to me yet, maybe it's because I haven't had a chance to slow down. We have one more day of school/work this week, and then we'll take a breather and try to enjoy the season, because at this point, I kind of feel like Ellie our Elf! 

Thanksgiving Eve

 As I seek to find gratitude and teach the kiddos the same, I know we have so very much to be thankful for. Even when we weren't living through a pandemic, the hospital setting where I work is a constant reality of how much we should all appreciate our health, our families and our lives each and every day. It is never lost on me just how grateful I am for all that we have. This week we tend to express that even more, and I found myself in a constant state of 'thanks'. 

A bit of thanks in the form of photos 

Our favorite fur-neighbor. She holds your arms when you pet her and makes it incredibly challenging to get any yardwork finished.

My amazing suite-mates/team at Abbott. I only get to see the other 2/3 of my team in a virtual platform most of the time, but I'm grateful for this amazing group! They are dedicated and work tirelessly but most of all, make work more enjoyable.

My favorite 4 legged suite-mate that I get to dog-sit every once in a while. 

A new team for Sidney that she has embraced and loved and they have welcomed her with open arms. These girls are fantastic and just what she needed

My AMAZING mom who is there for me every morning when I call; and who loves up on the kiddos with all of her heart. 

This group of friends from freshman year in the dorms at SCSU. We created a bond that we never have let go and the memories just keep coming. 

Lincoln's gathering his own group of buddies, and though they are l-o-u-d and crazy, they are a fun group of boys! 

I am forever grateful that Sidney has finally found a love for reading books. Her dear friends introduced her to a romance author and she is hooked. 

Bonus, she puts her phone down for hours at a time when she gets going on a new book. 

We are all thankful for Regan's friend group. She is in the midst of some challenging years and making the safe choices can sometimes be hard. So so grateful for that head on her shoulders. 

Much of those good decisions are influenced by Regan's strong desire to play softball at a higher level. I am grateful for the opportunity to chase her around the state as she attends prospect camps and tours colleges, searching for the perfect fit. 

But I am even more grateful to that woman on the bucket below, and the countless hours spent together.

 Coach Becky loves seeing Regan's passion to put in extra work and is always willing to stay late after practice whacking balls at her, or giving Regan private lessons.

They spend hours together and never tire, and I'm so thankful that she shares her talents.

We thought we were going to lose her at the end of the last season, and man were there tears! Lucky for us, we're still together :) 

But most of all, I'm thankful for each and every one in this picture. 

Yes, we have our moments. And yes, occasionally we need a break from one another. But they are my everything and I love them to pieces. 

Find ways to give thanks and wishing all a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Happy 8th Birthday!

 Our favorite little boy turned EIGHT last month, and I honestly can hardly believe it. How in the world is he growing up so fast, right before our eyes. It honestly feels faster with him than with the girls. Maybe it's because we are busier these days and have fewer days to lounge and 'play'; moving from field to rink, one school to the next. 

He's just so grown up 

Eight things I love about him: 

            * He is incredibly loud, talking non-stop, about absolutely nothing relevant. Literally, it can make your head spin, he talks so much. But I hope he never stops telling me about his days. 

            * He also loves to run and climb and jump and often makes my heart stop when he says "watch this!" from a structure far too high as he leaps to the ground. 

            * He is so so so social, loving up on everyone he meets (maybe because it's someone new for him to talk to!). He easily talks with adults and kids alike. 

            * Linc loves when anyone will wrestle, tickle, or play tag with him. Large muscle activities is where he lives. 

           * He eats more fruit than anyone I know. And will compliment his fruit with a snack of pickle chips. 

          * Daily will tell me that he loves me, and mean it. Random times throughout the day he will stop what he is doing and holler out "Love you mom!". Melts. My. Heart. 

          * He loves to learn and experiment, play sports and fly his new drone that takes those lovely pictures (thanks Grandma Jan). His newest favorite books are the Who Will Win books, so much so that we bought all 45 of them! He loves learning about which animal will win the battle. 

          * He speaks the truth. Good or bad, he's going to tell it like it is! 

The cake he insisted on decorating himself

We were so excited to celebrate him turning 8! With a Halloween birthday, it's fun to incorporate the holiday into his birthday. This year we went to the pumpkin event at the zoo and he had a B-L-A-S-T!

Happy Birthday buddy! 

Playing at the U of MN

I will never tire of watching softball on this field. 

I just hope Regan realizes what a gift it is to play at this stadium. 

Last week, I got a call from Regans coach, asking if we could get her to the U for a game with the 18U team. 

In 2 hours. 

On a Wednesday. 

She jumped at the opportunity and was over the moon to be asked to catch for this team. Definitely an amazing experience all-around, on a great field, catching for girls who some are already playing at the college level. 

And those girls welcomed her and made her feel like she fit right in. They had some fun taking obligatory photos after the game. 

And then she had to mess a little with Coach Becky and text her this photo, who made me promise to not let her get hurt! 

 

Another teenager!

 I'm slowly catching up on fall. A month ago, we were gifted another teenager in the house! Complete with slamming doors, eye rolls and a lot of sarcasm. 

Oh but she's actually the best! We love her to pieces and are so proud of this teenager! She's loving being in-person at school, although admits it is a lot harder than last year (of course that part has been no fun). She has met some amazing new teammates in her new club and thinks the world of them. And what's a teenager if she doesn't spend far too much time on her phone! 

Love you Sidney! 

Love living life with our Sidney!