Dear friends and family, The Leeks are doing well and we hope you are too. We’re all growing and changing and generally enjoying life. I try and hold every moment that I can in my heart. Our kids are so precious and adorable right now. They change almost daily, I can hardly keep up with their funny sayings, growth and development and general upward trajectory. It is a blessing and a privilege to be part of their lives. Of course there are days when the blessings aren’t as obvious but I choose to focus on the blessed part of the job.
As it is in most of our homes…. life was certainly busy this year. Sophia played soccer and basketball. Bob coached the basketball team. She continues to play her fiddle, sew, do art, sing in her school choir and has been in a couple plays. Coulter played soccer for the first time this year. He wasn’t very interested at first but had a blast when he got out there. Kees, he’s more of an observer at this point. He plays on the side lines and we think he’s going to be quite the soccer player.
We did a bit of travel this year. Spring Break was spent at the Oregon Coast as family time. We always have so much fun there. We couldn’t have been luckier with the weather and had a few 65+ degree days. It was heaven!
In April I went to the Bahamas solo. What a wonderful, relaxing time! I had 7 full days of pool time, reading and amazing dinners. I cannot thank my friends enough for taking good care of me. They are gracious, generous and very dear to me.
We did some camping over the summer, most notably at the end of June for my mom’s 70th birthday. She threw quite a party with friends and family from far and near. Ed and I sang some tunes together and Mom even got in on the act. We closed out the weekend with a clam bake. Oh baby, it was a MOUND of seafood with most of it from their very own beach. Divine…..It was great fun.
Then in August we went to a different island than usual with the McGanns. We’re so blessed to have them in our lives. The kids were great together and of course, the adults were too. Later in the month the kids and I went to San Francisco and we stayed with our pals the Slacks. We love going to “The City.” We went to parks, museums, aquariums, Chinatown, the Wharf and so on. We could have spent the whole summer there and not done the same thing twice. I even reconnected with a friend from 4th grade. She looked the same, amazing.
And most recently we spent Thanksgiving with Dad and Sally and family on both sides. It was lots of fun and the kids all couldn’t get enough of each other. Then the following weekend our family went to Hood River with some friends to kick off the holiday season in a Norman Rockwell-esk fashion, riding the Polar Express and enjoying a couple of nights in the Hood River Hotel. Do it. It was fabulous.
A report on the parents….. Mom and Ed went on a 16,000 mile RV trip around the US and Canada. You can read all about it on my mom’s blog - http://beingthereat70.blogspot.com/ Dad and Sally moved to Anderson Island and the pace seems to suit them nicely. And Bob’s parents, Ans and Bert, bought an RV. They’re likely to show up anytime. We never know what they’re up to.
Sophia is almost 10, double digits baby. She is beautiful, smart and really funny. Last week I told her she’d been invited to the birthday party of a boy she likes (he likes her too). I said, in a sing songy voice, “I think he likes you.” And without missing a beat she responded, “What’s not to like!” I laughed long and hard about that one. She is still riding horses and wishes she could do that everyday. She is a great role model to her brothers, loves them so much and is quite protective of them. You mess with the boys, you mess with the Fia. She’s been playing school with the boys and taught Kees to read. I’d love to take credit for that but it was all Sophia.
Coulter will be 7 on 12/29. He’s totally silly, very funny, whip smart and as charming as ever. Coulter will make some girl really happy someday with his need to snuggle, hug and be affectionate. For now though, he’s my snuggler. He is also doing well in school and is a complex thinker. He was given the following question at school, “Tom has 6 eggs in a carton. 2 of them break. How many eggs does Tom have left?” Coulter laughed heartily and said between giggles, “He still has 6 eggs only 2 of them are broken.” And he continued to laugh. I told him he was right but that he needed to explain his answer. Luckily, his teacher agreed with Coulter after his explanation.
Kees is 5. He was old enough for kindergarten but we felt strongly that as an August baby he would benefit from another year of preschool. He is doing GREAT! He has the same teacher as last year so he knows the routine and he thinks he is king of the hill. And indeed, he sort of is. As I said earlier, he’s reading and doing math. That made me nervous that he’d be bored in Kindergarten but the principal at the elementary school assured me that he’d be fine. I hope so. He loves school so much I’d hate to do anything to deter that. We have Mommy and Kees Day every Wednesday. It’s been so much fun just being together and having time to really enjoy my last baby. He’s growing so fast. He too makes me laugh. The other day while trying to help Coulter with his Mad Science Project Kees insisted that they needed to add some corn-bioxide. He didn’t know what it was or what it did, but they definitely needed some.
I am doing the mom thing exclusively. Since everyone is in school at least 5 half days I have been able to do more volunteering. I drive for Meals on Wheels every week, help with art in the class rooms, go on field trips and fill in here and there to help out. Our teachers are working so hard to do more with less we all need to do what we can.
Bob is still with Kaiser at the Sunnyside Hospital as their, CIO and Assistant Hospital Administrator. He enjoys his work a great deal and works with a great group of leaders. Bob was recently chosen to participate in an Executive Leadership Program for 4 weeks at Harvard! It’s such an honor. I’m very proud and he’s excited. He is playing golf fairly regularly and even took a 4 day trip to play golf in Dallas with a group of 16 men. He’s wanted to go on a golf trip for a long time. Oh, and he turned 40 this year. My big baby is growing up! We surprised him with a birthday Jeep. He’s been missing his since he sold it 8 years ago. He was mighty surprised, in shock you might say.
We continue to feel blessed in and by our community. We have built amazing relationships on so many different levels. I have NEVER lived in one location for more than 4 years before and I am loving it. I love seeing friends at the grocery store, saying hello to my neighbors as they walk by and shouting to my girl friends as they walk their kids to school. Oh, and more work on the house. Too cool.
May you be blessed during this magical season and in the year to come. Remember Christ’s birth and rejoice in his promise. Love to you all.. Heather and Fam….. P.S. If you need more Leeks in your life check out my blog at http://realityofkids.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment