Zeke turns 12

   We no longer have "kids" in our house, we are a household of teens and tweens.  Crazy.  This age always seemed scary from a distance, but now that we're here...it's just new challenges and new adventures.  We're still parenting our growing offspring and constantly being amazed at their growth, development and personhood.  Zeke is probably the most consistent in our house....which is hilarious to point out as he is also the most chaotic in our household.  Scrolling back through old blogs and reading about this of fun, chaotic ball of adventurous energy, he has pretty much been the same since he entered this world.  

       I wish everyone could see life through the lens of wonder and adventure that we always get to see Zeke view things.  When we did my 40th birthday world traveling trip, I had a couple friends suggest leaving the kids home, so we could enjoy it without you know....kids.  While I understand the sentiment, to enjoy some adult time and such, but let me tell you, getting to see new parts of the world, ESPECIALLY Iceland, with this boy was half the magic.  He's so appreciative of beauty, and sentimental about it as well.   He will reminisce about the scenery and how he felt in the moment as he observed so much wonder.   He wants to take it all in, and hold on to it as long as possible. 

     While he has always been kind hearted, thoughtful and empathetic, in the past he has tended to often be blindly agreeable, and we are starting to see a little surly attitude peaking through from time to time.   We have seen him start to communicate his discontent with friends or his sister, and of course, his parents.   Which oddly enough, has been a really good thing for us to start to see.   We used to worry about him being taken advantage of, or walked all over, and as he gets older and is starting to express and find himself more, we have been able to talk a lot out with him and see so much growth as he navigates the growing world around him.  He is learning balance.  He is also learning to find the equilibrium of humor and kindness, and we see that most played out with his sister.   I have to admit, we have been incredibly lucky that they have always gotten along for the most part....but they are really getting on each others nerves these days and it's been a lot of lessons on boundaries, respect, kindness, and humility.  Siblings are really great for life lessons.   But when it comes down to it, he is fiercely protective of his sister, and cares a lot about what she thinks of him.

 

    While learning balance has been a great growing characteristic we have seen this year...what we can learn from Zeke....what everyone could learn...is contentment.  And enjoying the most in every moment.

I have never met anyone in my life who is as content as he is at home doing things he loves.   He won't run errands with us cause he'd rather just be sitting at home with his dog reading a book, or playing a board game, or having his screen time, or doing art, or playing with his cars or toys or Legos, or hanging outside with his neighbor friends.  His greatest concern recently was that he would be too busy on his actual birthday and he wouldn't have time to "chill at home with Chupa".   His words exactly.  He is so appreciative of the times we get to slow down and spend time as a family playing board games or going camping that you almost forget this is the same child who climbs walls with all his energy.  Last spring while camping for two nights, he was laying in the hammock staring up at the trees and he told me "thanks for bringing us camping, this is my favorite, I love relaxing outside".   When starting to write this blog I confessed to Tyler, sometimes I struggle reflecting on Zeke's year because he's so content with whatever he's doing he kind of just...disappears from my direct attention.   But it's his contented happiness that actually stands out. 

       We are a household who loves music, and he really enjoys having a soundtrack to his life, and often puts the music on in the background himself.   He has his fathers talent of quickly learning lyrics and being able to sing along with hundreds of songs.  He loves this band called Stop Light Observations and when we saw they were finally coming to Lawrence, we quickly got tickets.  It was a great show, our whole family loves the band.   Zeke...well, Zeke had a moment.   He saw Imagine Dragons live, so this wasn't technically his first concert.   But the experience of seeing a band you really love, in a small dingy club, and stand at the front and just get to jam out to the songs you love....this is pure bliss.  People around us commented at the joy of getting to see him experience this moment.  At the end of the show the lead singer gave him the set list, which Zeke framed and hung in his room.   He has since been asking when he can go to another show. 

        It's been a fun year filled with new adventures and experiences, and the joy Zeke brings to each is always fun to share.  

Genevieve at 14

     

        This is the year.   She finally did it.  She told me it was going to happen, and I told her she didn't actually know for a fact that it would, yet it did.   Vi out grew me.   While she accomplished a lot this year, she might just say this was her greatest achievement.

                                     

                      

She really grew a lot this year, and that seems to be the theme of every year...especially since the whole point of these birthday blogs is basically to remark in HOW they grew.   But growth overall seems to be the theme in my mind for this year.   She matured in so many ways, accomplished so many goals, and did so many new things.

       

         The most notable new thing...she is now a world traveler.   We traveled to Iceland, Ireland and Italy in about two weeks, never staying one place more than two nights, traveling by plane, boat, ferry, bus, car, train, even a train on a boat!  This girl was in heaven.  She loves nature so Iceland was a dream, she wished and hoped to see a puffin, and we did!  Ireland was an absolute delight as she saw border collies put on a herding demonstration and was amazed at all of Irelands beauty.  Italy is now her favorite place on earth.  As someone who has always loved mythology at the beginning our our stop in Italy she became our tour guide through Valley of the Temples. She could have spent days at the beach in Sicily and loves the water.  As she has a collection of masks, seeing all the handmade mask shops in Venice was the climax of an amazing trip.   Traveling has always suited her, new countries just highlighted her appreciation for everything new she encounters.

        After about two years, Genevieve got her braces off, just in time for 8th grade!  That was a pretty great start to a school year, but overall, starting this year was great as she was ready to jump back into the things she loves at school.   Running everyday for cross country, increasing her times and distance.  Joining "Fiddle Club" learning new styles of music to play on her cello and putting on extra performances.  Taking Journalism and going to more events to capture photos, including taking photos after her own races.  Reading more books for this years 'Battle of the Books' and putting in extra training to once again travel to South Dakota for the Nike Cross Country regionals where she ran a 5k in 26:49!

        Everything I have mentioned so far is really just...things.   Travel, clubs, hobbies, skills....and while she has grown in so many of these aspects, and we are so proud; watching her grow into a caring, confident, thoughtful teen has been delightful.  While somedays I repeat this mantra to myself "Be a smartass, get smartass kids" to remind myself that some her remarks are our own doing; overall, she consistently shows me what a kind hearted person she is.  She has had two teachers who have lost pets that she asked to get little gifts for.   She asks to spend time with her younger cousins, giving them piggy back rides and asking to host a princess tea party for them and playing with her baby cousin when she goes to work with me.  She stood up for a friend in her classroom when the class was picking on them instead of standing by, which directed the class to tease her as well.   She asks me how people are doing and what we can do to help when she hears of anyone struggling.  She has adamantly insisted that no one can pick on her brother except for her.   These are the things that as parents really matter to us the most.   Of all the things in the world she could be, kind is one of the best things we can hope for.

           As always, she is proud to be uniquely herself.  Middle school has presented many opportunities...many, many opportunities to do what it takes to just...fit in.  She's not interested in fitting in.  Books, Scarlett Witch, Owl House, fantasy anything, nature, classical music, board games, guinea pigs, the color purple....so many things she loves, and she has found the people who accept and love her for her quirky passionate self.  It's not always easy when you don't work to fit in, but I'm proud of watching her choose to love herself over and over again.

        This year hasn't been as shocking to me that she is turning 14.  She has grown so much overall that it feels like....of course she is.   Is it going too fast?  Yep.   Sure is. 

Zeke turns 11

     Every time I sit down to write one of these blogs, I realize how shockingly time flies, or how old I feel, or how it just feels crazy that my child is having another birthday.   This might be the first time I have sat down and thought, actually, this age just makes sense.   I think it is an indication of how much growth I have seen in Ezekiel this year. 

    Zeke keeps pushing himself.   This year he wanted to try new things, he wanted to make hard goals for himself to accomplish, he wanted new experiences overall.   He set a huge reading goal for himself, double than what I had recommended for him, and met it so quickly, it made my original suggestion look insulting.   He wanted to join his sister doing the kids triathlon, despite not doing "proper" swim strokes and not really enjoying running for the sake of running.   He runs all the time, but that's just his pace, but he never wants to go with his sister 'for a run', there's no fun in that.  Yet, he trained hard and did great at the triathlon. While his sister begged us to homeschool her forever, Zeke was ready to go to school and have an entirely new experience, again, thriving at another huge life change.

     I lost countless nights of sleep before he started public school.  It was a total waste of energy, because his transition to school has been remarkably easy.   We walk to school every day with two of his best friends, one of which he has in his class and it has made school a much more fun experience.  His teacher is wonderful, and at our first ever parent teacher conference, informed us how Zeke is a role model for his classroom, and there doesn't seem to need to be any major adjustments.  Mostly I've had to talk to him about sometimes just leaving situations alone and letting some people deal with their own issues, I'm not sure that lesson stuck.   The only other difficulty with school has been having to wear shoes on a daily basis, but I believe he's mostly adjusted to that. 

    Zeke has been taking more initiative overall.   There's been a couple school projects that not only did he not need my help with, he didn't WANT any help with.   With his most recent one, he told me, "I have a vision!" and knocked it out, hot glue gun and all.  He came home and told me he was joining choir and he loves it.  He really is coming into his own.  His sense of humor has had me rolling, he has a book of "creatures" he has drawn with entire stories in his mind attached to each of them, and he has his own diverse play list on Spotify where he is singing along word for word to songs I hardly know.  For Christmas the main thing he asked for was cardboard boxes, to fulfill his dreams of a giant fort in the living room, and when he received said boxes he celebrated and made a giant fort for he and his sister to sleep in.  It's been fun watching him grow in confidence and he expresses himself more and more as he grows.

    This year has thrown several hurdles his way, and time and time again he has handled them so well.   His kind and empathetic heart  is appreciated by all of us, and he's a good one to have around not matter what life throws our way.