Our kids are 6! Their birthday was nearer the beginning of December, so I’m a little late with this, but in keeping with tradition, I’ll let you peek into our lives via the alphabet, sharing little snippets related to each letter. If you missed this in the past, you can read about 5, 4, 3, and 2 at your leisure.
A: Artists. Neala has always loved to make art, whether it be drawing, painting, stamping, or gluing things together. Rylan has really started to enjoy coloring, in particular, and we’re constantly trying to wash marker off their little fingers.
B: Bunkbeds. When we moved (see letter M below), we didn’t move their cribs turned toddler beds. Turns out, they sleep a lot better in beds that aren’t too small for them. They now have a bunk bed and each night they trade who sleeps on top so that it’s fair.
C: Coopers Rock. Since moving to West Virginia (again, see letter M, below), we’ve been to Coopers Rock State Park several times. It’s our favorite place to take out of town guests because the hikes are relatively easy, the views are breathtaking, and the space amongst the rocks is like something out of a fairytale.
D: Daddy. Patrick’s schedule this year is ever-changing, as is the way of medical training. One major perk of his fellowship year is that he does not have to take call which means he has weekends off! This hasn’t happened since long before the kids were born and it’s been so fun to have him join us on our weekend adventures.
E: Eastwood Elementary. The kids started kindergarten a few weeks after we arrive in West Virginia and we could not be happier with the school, their teachers, or the friends they are making.
F: Finishing. Yup, they finished Pre-K (I’m using the letter P for something else). We loved our time at UNM Children’s Campus. The kids participated in a little performance during their graduation and were given beautiful scrapbooks made by their teachers as a parting gift. And, Patrick finished residency (with a bang, I might add).
G: Gymnastics. Neala started gymnastics in August and really enjoys the challenge. While she might be the least flexible person in the entire facility, she certainly tries hard and is super strong. Rylan tags along and has made friends with the brother one of the girls in Neala’s class. They are rather rowdy and it’s a constant (and hilarious) challenge to keep them from knocking things over in the lobby while we wait.
H: Hapkido. Rylan started taking Hapkido, which is a form of martial arts, in August. He is doing very well and will soon attain his “Little Eagle” orange belt. It’s helped his self-control, focus, and coordination immensely.
I: Independent. It’s amazing how their independence has crept up on me. It’s been a gradual progression, for sure, but they have grown into their own little beings over the year in ways I never expected. They can (and usually do) do so many things for themselves! They ride the bus, they pack their lunches, they get themselves dressed, they make their own friends, they floss their own teeth!
J: Joy. These kids bring so much joy to our lives. They are hilarious and kind and imaginative. They laugh hard, cry hard, play hard, and sleep hard.
K: Kindergarten. I touched on this a bit in letter E, but in case you missed it, the kids started kindergarten in August. They are loving every minute of it. They have Spanish class twice a week, and music, PE, and art once a week. They also get time in the “STEM den” and the computer lab. They have already learned so much and their interest in more complex concepts is so cool to witness.
L: Lunch. They pack their own lunches…mostly. At the beginning of each week, I set out a bunch of cut fruits and veggies, along with various dry snacks like pretzels, pita chips, and almonds. They pack a baggie of each for every day of the week and I make them a sandwich. Each morning, I just grab the baggies and put them in their lunch box…boom, lunch is done!
M: Moving. We moved! After 14 years in Albuquerque, we up and moved to Morgantown, West Virginia. And we’ll likely be moving back to Albuquerque in the summer. We drove across the country, mid-summer, with two cars, two dogs, two kids, two parents, and one grandma. Our container full of belongings arrived a day later and the rest is history. We rented a cute, old, little (like 1,000 sq. ft.) house close to downtown and relatively close to the hospital where Patrick works. We have great neighbors and a patch of sidewalk in front of our house (a rarity for Morgantown).
N: Neala. Our missy Nea Nea is spunky, focused, kind, and detail-oriented. She loves to draw and play board games, as well as write out plans and lists. She continues to come out of her shell and is blossoming, especially at school.
O: Outside. We’ve spent as much time outside as possible in the time we’ve been in West Virginia, enjoying multiple trips to Cooper’s Rock (see letter C), Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, Deep Creek and Swallow Falls, Maryland. We’ve gone blueberry picking and apple picking and to too many parks to count. We also get to walk to the bus stop every day which is almost 1/3 of a mile, and we have to take the dogs on lots of walks because our yard is not fenced.
P: Parades. No one told us that small towns LOVE parades. And so do the kids. Rylan waved through the entire county fair parade, even using his arms to cover his ears when the fire trucks went by so that his hands were still free to wave. Since we’ve lived here, there have been at least 4 parades!
Q: Quizzical. Rylan and Neala are ALWAYS looking for answers. There are lots of questions and we do our best to answer. They love math problems too!
R: Rylan. Mr. Ry Guy is a ball of fire. He never stops moving. He has high-highs and low-lows but is kind, inclusive, and usually up for anything that involves movement. He’s become more focused and his writing and drawing skills are much improved.
S: Style. Neala discovered high-heels and asked for them for Christmas, but Santa’s workshop had already closed for the season. Rylan wore orange basketball shorts and a plaid button-down shirt for picture day. Enough said.
T: Transportation. The kids ride the bus to and from school just about every day. I made the mistake of picking them up once and had to sit in the pick up like for a full 45 minutes. No thanks.
U: United. New Mexico United is the new USL Championship soccer team that plays in Albuquerque and our whole family is obsessed. We took the kids to one game and now they’re hooked. They often randomly chant, “Somos Unidos!” (We are United!)
V: Virginia. We’ve spent several weekends with Patrick’s cousin, his wife, and their darling girl in Virginia. They live on a small farm with a few animals, lots of space to roam, a tractor, and a play structure. It’s been really fun connecting with that part of our family and we hope to go back a few more times while we are in this part of the county.
W: Words. Does anyone else not remember having “sight words.” Our kids have a long list of words they are required to memorize as a way to help them read. It makes sense, and they are words that are used quite often, but I either completely blocked this out of my own reading journey, or else reading was taught in a different way back in the 1980s!
X: Xeroderma…dry skin. I know, this is kind of weird, but there aren’t all that many words that begin with the letter X! We’ve all been surprised how dry our skin has become this winter, despite living in a place that is much more humid than New Mexico.
Y: Yard. While our little house on the hill does have a large side yard, it is not fenced. This has been a bit challenging as I’m still too much of a helicopter mom to let the children just roam out there, and we can’t just open the back door and let the dogs out. We are hoping that it will eventually snow and we can sled because, like most houses in Morgantown, we live on a hill and our yard will provide the perfect sledding spot!
Z: Zeal. Rylan and Neala both have such zeal for life. They jump in with both feet and never look back. They love to be home and hate to leave when we go new places. Their inquisitive little minds are a challenge to keep up with. We can’t wait to see what the next year with our 6-year-olds brings!
