When I look back on summer, I find that I have no idea where
the time went! We spent almost 3 weeks on the East Coast and most days in our
neighborhood pool. Our family barely made it to the mountains to play at all,
though. It was a very hot summer and that definitely deterred us. This fall we
have gotten out to hike or climb every weekend but one. During the one missed
weekend, we hosted a Fall Fest at our home for neighbors and friends. It was
very fun and I had a great time preparing for our first real party at our new
house. Otherwise, we have been going around hiking at state parks in the area,
of which there seem to be endless options.
Lucy and Cooper did their longest and hardest ever hike two
weeks ago, Mt. Sanitas in Boulder. It is 2 miles up up up and 2 miles down down
down. We stopped for three nice long picnics on a blanket along the way. Jim
and I were both amazed at how well they did. There was lots of rock climbing and
bouldering around along the trail which always makes a huge difference. Jim
swears that walking Cooper to school every day helps him prepare for all of
this hiking. Works for me!
Last weekend we were invited to climb at Table Mountain with a couple folksJim met at the climbing gym. We also had a 3:00 birthday party
with our neighbors, so I was pretty stressed out about timing. Then Jim
convinced me that we should try out a partial day of climbing at such a
close-by crag. The hike up to Table Mountain is pretty intense. It’s up. That’s
all there is to it. 400 feet in .75 miles. And we didn’t have a third climber who
was committed to either helping with kids or belaying a ton. The last time we
were out climbing in the spring, though, Lucy and Cooper were incredibly
independent. I packed up a bag of coloring pages and markers, some buckets, and
small shovels, and off we went!
The hike was slooooowwwww. It’s a single-wide trail with no
shade and no resting points. Lucy and Cooper did great…and it was a very
annoying hike 😊. We made it up to the top in 50 minutes and
then Jim and I both climbed two routes. The kids played in the dirt, ate
snacks, and colored. We definitely leveled up in parenting this climbing
season! We no longer require a third adult to climb!!! I mean, it’s nice to
have someone not tethered to a rope. It’s just no longer a requirement!
Lucy lost another tooth this past weekend right before trick
or treat. That’s two teeth gone for her! We had our first parent-teacher
conference at Ryan Elementary with Mrs. Asher, who had glowing remarks about
Lucy. Mrs. Asher reports that Lucy’s social-emotional skills are off the
charts. Good thing after many very expensive years of Montessori education! Her
academic skills are about average and are expected to skyrocket throughout the
year based on her level of focus and self-control. Lucy is suddenly very
interested in math skills and plays Dreambox math on her school computer for
hours (given the opportunity). I love sitting down with her and working through
the purpose of each math game. I wish she would read to us more, but she’s just
not into it yet. She comes home with all sorts of clever rules, like “glued sounds”
(-all) and digraphs (sh, ch,…), which Jim calls “dead-graphs.” She is motivated
by literally every positive behavior reinforcement system at the school, though
she hates missing math if it gets replaced with a fun activity 😊.
She had a just-in-case-because-COVID sick day last week and was so sad because “I
won’t get to learn today!” She is also currently obsessed with monkey bars. She
is crazy strong right now and it’s part of what makes outdoor adventures
with her so fun. She’s a little ninja warrior!
Cooper is working extraordinarily hard at controlling his
impulses right now. He is a very physical kid, and his current love language seems
to be physical touch. His love often boils over, and he becomes physical aggression
in spite of his intent. He had a couple of hard days at school, but we have
been working hard with him and being extra diligent about stopping him before
he has a chance to hurt someone at home. We are mostly focusing on positive behavior
reinforcement, and he responds so well to those tactics. Because he is so physical,
he isn’t yet able to decipher the right time for horseplay and the wrong time.
Most of the time is the wrong time for horseplay and I could honestly live
without it 100% of the time. If someone he really loves shows their love through
horseplay, we immediately see an uptick in physical aggression toward his
friends. Jim is also working on doing less horseplay and showing his need for
physical touch through loving gestures, like hugs and snuggles and high fives.
Or, giving and getting attention in productive ways, like reading or playing
together.
Other than having too much love sometimes, Cooper is a total
joy. He is curious and inquisitive. Lately, his mind has been observing
mechanical processes and it’s so cool to watch his little wheels turn. He still
loves reading 200-page non-fiction encyclopedia-type books from front to back. He
loves digging and building above anything else right now. Give him a pile of
dirt and a shovel and he is content for hours! He can’t wait for his teeth to “unloose”
like his Roo-Roo’s. He has all sorts of really cute little sayings, like “do I
look fansome?” (a mix of handsome and fancy). And every.single.day. when I get
home from work, he announces my presence and declares “I missed you, mama! I
love you so much!”
I’m grateful every day for all that our family has…each
other, our home, our town, our friends and family, delicious high-quality food,
unlimited access to books and education, outdoor adventures. As grateful as I
am, it is equally challenging for me to internalize that the life we have built
is my real life. Sometimes it feels as though I’m floating through a dream,
looking down at a different family’s life. We have an innumerous amount to be
grateful for and on this lovely fall day I am especially filled with gratitude.
The hike was slooooowwwww. It’s a single-wide trail with no
shade and no resting points. Lucy and Cooper did great…and it was a very
annoying hike 😊. We made it up to the top in 50 minutes and
then Jim and I both climbed two routes. The kids played in the dirt, ate
snacks, and colored. We definitely leveled up in parenting this climbing
season! We no longer require a third adult to climb!!! I mean, it’s nice to
have someone not tethered to a rope. It’s just no longer a requirement!
Cooper is working extraordinarily hard at controlling his
impulses right now. He is a very physical kid, and his current love language seems
to be physical touch. His love often boils over, and he becomes physical aggression
in spite of his intent. He had a couple of hard days at school, but we have
been working hard with him and being extra diligent about stopping him before
he has a chance to hurt someone at home. We are mostly focusing on positive behavior
reinforcement, and he responds so well to those tactics. Because he is so physical,
he isn’t yet able to decipher the right time for horseplay and the wrong time.
Most of the time is the wrong time for horseplay and I could honestly live
without it 100% of the time. If someone he really loves shows their love through
horseplay, we immediately see an uptick in physical aggression toward his
friends. Jim is also working on doing less horseplay and showing his need for
physical touch through loving gestures, like hugs and snuggles and high fives.
Or, giving and getting attention in productive ways, like reading or playing
together.
