My sweet children- we aren’t yet sure where we are headed. Or what it will be like when we get there. Yet there’s so much joy and comfort knowing that we are going together.

Asher- you are 6. You are sweet, and inquisitive, you get lost in your thoughts as your sweet mind is always working. You love to sing (I can tell you are happy when you are singing), do art projects, invent things, tell jokes, build contraptions and obstacle courses, play made up games with Maggie, build your muscles with Jiu Jitsu, and be with people- they completely energize you.

You just finished Kindergarten amidst Covid 19 quarantine at home. You were such a trooper. We worked together every weekday for weeks and while I felt so blessed that you flew through schoolwork, learned to read, and even continued to keep up with learning Mandarin (which blew my mind), you missed school. You asked why you couldn’t be with your amazing teachers and your friends at school. And my heart broke for you.

And while that time was trying, you pushed on. 

Maggie Jane- you are 4. You are sweet and sassy. You are specific about the clothes you like and love to dress yourself. When you have an opinion about something, girl you let us know. I love that about you and know it will serve you well someday! You love hugs and tickles, babies, princesses, dress up, jewelry, dancing, coloring, and playing doctor. You tell us all the time that you want to be a “doctor for kids and babies”. You LOVE playing games and make believe with Asher. And although you are shy, when you find a friend, you hold on tight. I can tell you are going to be very loyal.

You just finished your first year of preschool amidst Covid 19 quarantine at home. You were also such a trooper. I had to work with your brother each day on his “virtual” school, but you worked on little projects sent by your teachers or worked on learning your letters and numbers. You learned to write your name, and wrote “Mappie” on every paper you could. (You wrote Ps instead of Gs- it was the cutest thing.) You practiced your letters and numbers. You even started coloring more inside the lines- this was a goal of Asher’s to make sure you mastered.

Yet you missed school. You asked why you couldn’t be with your amazing teachers and your friends. It was your first experience at school, and while you loved it, you were very shy for most of the year. You made a good friend, had come out of your shell, and finally warmed up to your class. And now you missed them. My heart broke for you.

And while that time was trying, you pushed on.

I am incredibly proud of both of you. And I have a feeling we’ll look back on this time filled with more playtime, bike rides, book reading, family games, chrysalis watching, garden tending, movie time, and dance parties than we’d ever had. And for all of that, I am grateful.

Embrace Life