November 2024

November was awesome! The weather was lovely, Thanksgiving was so much fun, and their swim meets were great successes!

Here are videos of Nova swimming at the November Invitational!
Here are videos of Lynx swimming at the Autumn Mini Meet!

The kids will find time to read in almost any place. It's great except when we need to get somewhere!

The kids had so much fun in the backyard with our neighobrs and BFFs! 

They have so much fun together.

My buddy Emily was visiting from Switzerland! I was so happy that we got together! So nice catching up with her after our trip to Paris together last fall.

This is not posed! They just hug each other every now and then - it's the best.

We went to Harry Potter's Forbidden Forest experience in Leesburg, VA. It was awesome!!

They worked so hard on this nest! They wanted the animals to live in there.

Like many others, we decorate for Christmas on Black Friday. The kids LOVE it and look forward to it for weeks, even though it usually takes us about 15 minutes total.

For YEARS the kids have been turning my sunroom into a multi-layered fort. I thought I really ought to capture one of them! 

More reading! hah!

Here are some recent quotes from my kids! 

November
I asked the kids what they were passionate about. Lynx said Korean. Nova said Christmas presents.

October 2024
Nova: Do I have attractiveness? Because two boys have a crush on me. Gary and Devon.
I said: yes. You’re exceptionally beautiful so you’re going to have a lot of boys attracted to you.

September 2024
She got mad at Lynx for irritating her while they were sitting really close on the hammock.
She says,”I feel like I want to get Lynx in trouble.”
I said,”oh ya? Do you think you’re cranky?”
She said,”ya probably.”

August 2024,
Riddle:
Soft with soap
Always growing, always falling
With wind it blows, with sun it hotens (gets hot)
Have it short or have it long.
Every one is unique

Answer: hair

Nova is at a swim clinic. Last night, I read to her the tips that the clinic emailed me. They suggested that she write down her favorite parts of the clinic afterward.
She perked up and said,”I think my favorite part will be the snacks.”

“I like watching these Chip and Dale cartoons because they remind me of the good old days”

“Baby, don’t let anything stand in your way!”

July 2024
Nova: at night I get sad because I have to go to practice in the morning and it’s going to be hard.
Me: ya you’ve been practicing a lot this summer. And you don’t have an upcoming meet to work toward anymore. Instead what if you think about using these practices to prep for the fall?
Nova: no that won’t help.
Me: what would help?
Nova: candy

Me: Coach Carrie told me that never has a kid learned and then incorporated everything in a lesson like you did today.
Nova: I know.
Me: you do? Did she tell you that?
Nova: no. I just felt it.

March 2024
Me: I love you nova.
Nova: the thing I love is Harry Potter

April 2024
When asked to attend a sleepover with his friend Theo, he responded by saying, “I prefer going to sleepovers when my sibling is at the house…” 

Every night since forever, I go in bed and lay next to him and he always leans into me. He’s always asleep, but once I lay down, he rolls over or snuggles over to me, puts a foot or a leg or hand on me and snuggle.

Lynx’s favorite expression is: What matters?

July 2024

Lynx: I don’t like backstroke, but I want to work on it today to make it perfect for  the relay on Sunday.

“I don’t know why everyone keeps falling in love with me.” When told another little girl loves him.

Riddle he made up
You can feed on it, but you cannot catch it. It is gas is not liquid. You cannot see it or feel it
Answer: air

Another riddle
It howls, but does not speak.
It cowers but does not have a beak.
Answer: werewolf.

September 2024

This morning, laying in bed, links said that he feels weird. Not icky, just weird.

In the car, I asked him what he means by weird. Wondering if he was going to have a seizure for example. He said sometimes it’s weird to be a human. I would rather be an animal!

October 2024

They’re playing baby shower. Nova is having a baby, and Lynx works at NASA, is in charge of tons of satellites and is super smart.

October 2024

October was great! It was unseasonably warm, so we spent a lot of time outside. The kids made great progress in swimming (for Nova) and swimming + soccer (for Lynx). Watching them work so hard and be so determined to meet their goals has been a blessing.

Here's a playlist of Nova's swim meet in October.

Here's a playlist of Lynx's swim meet in October.

My kids love to read, which is great. But sometimes they'll start reading when it's time to go somewhere. And I hate being late. So it becomes this weird struggle where I'm shouting, "STOP READING!" hahah!

I think I've mentioned before how hard it is to get good action shots of soccer. But this one is pretty good!

A friend sent me this one. Also pretty good! 

Nova has swim practice at 7 am on Sunday mornings! So we reward ourselves for getting up so early with treats from Panera.

They really are so happy!

And silly!

At the end of October, we traveled to Minnesota to attend Gemma's wedding! 

The plane ride there. The kids get very little screentime at home, so the unrestricted tablet time they enjoy on trips is a big hit.

Scrampa and Nova doing some "woodsing"

We got to see Kaia's final volleyball game of the season! 

Thanks for letting us stay with you, Grancy + Scrampa!

With some of my best friends in the world!

Congratulations Gemma!

September 2024

 Oh man, I got behind on posting! The kids have been so busy this fall season, which means, so have I. Swimming, soccer, Korean school, Girls on the Run and listening to Harry Potter audio books on repeat have kept us out of trouble.

People warn you to appreciate them when they're babies, toddlers, preschool age because it goes by so quickly and you'll want the time back. I enjoyed all of those stages, but really felt then (and feel now) that it just gets better + better.  Here's a little summary of my life with my family.

Nova is found reading all the time! It's awesome except when we're running late for something, like swim practice.

The kids are enjoying Korean School which is on Saturday mornings. They are learning so much, and the teachers make the learning interactive and fun. 

Lynx continues to be obsessed with LEGO. This is the school mascot - a blue eagle.

Here are some of the girls who are in Girls on the Run! We've had an excellent season so far. 

More homework in random places! 

The PTA put on a school dance - the first one my kids have been to! Of course, they had a blast with all of their friends + classmates.

Lynx lost his first tooth! And then two days later.....

He lost his second tooth! The toothfairy was busy!